What I don't like about our Forest River Surveyor! AFFORDABLE RV Upgrade!

[@thechroniclesofmaintenance4192]

Our rig came with good ole’ Formica countertops and has been through “heck” and back and still looks new. Come to think of it all of our rigs the past 30+ years did. Formica is easy to install/manufacture, sheet stock is not that expensive, and comes in endless colors and patterns. Just some wood underlayment, contact cement, and an edge bit/router and that’s it. Most likely a little more expensive than thermofoil, but implemented in an efficient manufacturing cell probably not that much more for a huge quality/longevity improvement. Heck we have it in our home kitchen.

[@kimh2330]

Another thing to get rid of is the pleather furniture that peels shortly after your warranty expires. There are definitely other good vinyl or cloth material that they can use.

[@BTimmer]

I totally agree with you on the Thermofoil counter tops. We have a similar floor plan in our FR Primetime Tracer Breeze but without a slide which dramatically increases its carrying capacity. I also installed dual usb ports on each side of the bed and use flexible night lights for focused lighting. We have lots of 110v outlets throughout our unit so that's no issue, but we mainly dry camp so they go unused most of the time. There are also dual usb ports at each bunk. It's been the perfect RV for us with the flexibility of space for grandkids. Ours is now 4 years old and the first new RV we have ever owned (many used ones before it).

[@WilliamNau]

Rockwood/Flagstaff use solid surface counters in the $40,000 +/- price range.

[@karlarrington5362]

My wife and I had the Surveyor legend 203rkle (2023) and one of the reasons we upgraded was the murphy bed. The surrounding area made traversing it and making the bed frustrating. It was manageable but a little irritating. We reviewed our stays in it after being Winter Texans and decided to upgrade.

[@Kentucky4runner]

I have wondered about air movement in the bunks as well-hopefully someone comes up,with something clever for that

[@BretHickman]

I have a 2022 Rockwood Mini Lite 2104s with a similar L shaped counter. Rockwood puts a pop up power tower in the countertop by the entry door.

[@briancole9024]

we added one of those multi color LED light strips up the side and over the bed. It too is dimmable and not so blindingly bright as the over the bed white LED.

[@monicahainje1028]

Interesting, our 2024 has push lights on the ceiling above the bed.

[@icare7151]

Very well stated.

[@texillini1]

You are correct. You can never have too many outlets. With all the bouncing around that thing take in an RV, would it be better to put those lights on the bed? Softer surface to ride on. Did you collaborate on this unit?

[@ATVHOBO]

adding fans like euro rv's do would be great especially in the bunk areas no reason each bunk couldn't have a small 8 inch fan and one if the main area to circulate air flow.

[@Masterchief68a]

Yup! Thermofoil is not for Florida! Yes manufacturers never put in enough power outlets either A/C or USB!

[@walterrafolski5662]

How about poured epoxy tops like Alliance uses?

[@charlesklaus6290]

I also dislike thermofoil...get rid of it! Especially in areas where there's water. Our sink covers are thermofoil and one of them has started to swell where moisture has gotten to the MDF.

[@davidwelty9763]

The Murphy bed/slide issue is bad engineering. The problem is the people who design and sell RV’s don’t really use them. Also nothing you spend that much on should start falling apart as soon as you start using it. I just ordered a Casita. They do not use thermifoil, but I suspect that is because they build them in Rice Texas and they know about this issue. Regarding the bunks, go to a window tinting place and have them tint the windows in the bunks.

[@JoshHefnerX]

Sheet of HDPE 3/4" shouldn't be that expensive, and would be super durable for a countertop

[@jamiewimer]

Unpopular opinion: if you live in an area with extreme conditions like you’re discussing, then you need to keep your RV in climate controlled storage. It’s unrealistic to have this high of an expectation. The vast majority of customers overall value AFFORDABILITY and ability to tow (weight).

[@kimh2330]

There are other things they can use that's not expensive