Considering a Sunset Trail 253RB

[epcolumbus]

Considering ordering a 2022 Sunset Trail 253RB. Wondering what other people think of this trailer and more specifically the 12 volt refrigerator. Thanks!

[Lloyd]

Can't help you on the new Sunset Trail. As far as the fridge, that should be gas and 12V isn't it? There is a lot of them out there doing what they were designed for.

Mine has served us well for it's entire life. We bought new in 2008.
Welcome aboard.

[Trapshooter]

Originally Posted by epcolumbus

Considering ordering a 2022 Sunset Trail 253RB. Wondering what other people think of this trailer and more specifically the 12 volt refrigerator. Thanks!

There are a couple of us with 2021 Sunset Trail 253RB's here on the forum.

My wife and I took delivery of ours at the end of February this year. Overall, we could not be happy with our rig! We have been out on six different trips so far this year. We are headed out again next week for five days and in September will take off to Utah to visit all five of the National Parks. We will be out over three weeks.

We have had a couple of minor issues but nothing that I was not able to handle myself. We really like the floor plan, it works well for the two of us. We looked for a year at just about everything we could find and ordered the 253RB. We really like the outdoor kitchen. It was one of the selling points for us.

Regarding the refrigerator: we have not had any issues. We have the Norcold 8 cu.ft. model. We always turn on the unit the night before. Load everything into it just before we hit the road. We try to keep our travel time to about 4-5 hours. We do not run the propane while on the road. The ice is always frozen when we arrive at our first night's camp.

Hope this helps.........

[ugauga]

Originally Posted by Lloyd

As far as the fridge, that should be gas and 12V isn't it?

I believe the "older"/"classic", and therefore mine, standard was propane/110V. 12V/110V/propane fridges are more of more recent novelty, supposedly more efficient and flexible. I do not have a first hand experience with them though.

For my needs I wouldn't pay extra for it as the only benefits I see are:
- potentially better efficiency - for the amount of time I use the trailer per year the difference is minimal
- can be powered from battery - if you boondock you could run it on solar panels instead of propane - I don't boondock
- you don't need to turn off your fridge as you enter the gas station which you are supposed to do with your propane running fridge and water heater.

I'd be still happy to have one of these 12V marvels but not at extra cost.

[dagst1]

Just looked up that camper and it comes standard with a 11 cubic foot 12 volt compressor style refrigerator. A 8 cubic foot gas/electric absorption refrigerator is optional. If you have the 12 volt only make sure that you have a good battery bank or always stay in a campground with electric to keep the batteries charged. The gas /electric would give you more choices for camping spots - electric hook up or dry camping. Just something to think about when you order.

[660catman]

Just remember the solar panel works with the sun. If you’re in a campground loaded with trees, the output will not be at full charge. This is a main reason I didn’t buy a camper with a 12v fridge. Electrical sites are getting hard to get now.

[Lloyd]

Originally Posted by Lloyd

Can't help you on the new Sunset Trail. As far as the fridge, that should be gas and 12V isn't it? There is a lot of them out there doing what they were designed for.

Mine has served us well for it's entire life. We bought new in 2008.
Welcome aboard.

Originally Posted by ugauga

I believe the "older"/"classic", and therefore mine, standard was propane/110V. 12V/110V/propane fridges are more of more recent novelty, supposedly more efficient and flexible. I do not have a first hand experience with them though.

For my needs I wouldn't pay extra for it as the only benefits I see are:
- potentially better efficiency - for the amount of time I use the trailer per year the difference is minimal
- can be powered from battery - if you boondock you could run it on solar panels instead of propane - I don't boondock
- you don't need to turn off your fridge as you enter the gas station which you are supposed to do with your propane running fridge and water heater.

I'd be still happy to have one of these 12V marvels but not at extra cost.

You are correct. My post was not.
I should have said,

As far as the fridge, that should be gas and 120V. Not 12V.
But I guess a lot of the newer rigs either come with the 12V fridge or they can be ordered. Most people that have them usually have full hook ups. As nice as they are, I can't see myself ever having one. Ours runs on LP or 120V.

[blkdth1313]

We have an older version of the same trailer and as everyone on this forum is probably tired of hearing - we have absolutely loved it.

It's a great couples (and a dog) trailer - even good for some shorter trips with the grandkids.

We have the Norcold that runs on either battery/propane or shore power. We also turn it on the night before and load it the morning of, but don't turn it off when we travel.

We've got 30K on it so far.

On top of the regular maintenance, we have replaced tires, mattress, faucets, strengthened the dinette base, and plumbed the outdoor kitchen sink to the gray tank.

The two issues we have had was the transmission on the slide go out and the same with the motor on the awning - both on the same trip! $700 with a mobile RV repair guy and we were good to go.

While we're planning on selling the rig next year and going Class A - we would recommend this rig to anyone.

[Lloyd]

Originally Posted by blkdth1313

We have an older version of the same trailer and as everyone on this forum is probably tired of hearing - we have absolutely loved it.

It's a great couples (and a dog) trailer - even good for some shorter trips with the grandkids.

We have the Norcold that runs on either battery/propane or shore power. We also turnit on the night before and load it the morning of, but don't turn it off when we travel.

We've got 30K on it so far.

On top of the regular maintenance, we have replaced tires, mattress, faucets, strengthened the dinette base, and plumbed the outdoor kitchen sink to the gray tank.

The two issues we have had was the transmission on the slide go out and the same with the motor on the awning - both on the same trip! $700 with a mobile RV repair guy and we were good to go.

While we're planning on selling the rig next year and going Class A - we would recommend this rig to anyone.

In other words, you are saying your fridge is a three way? Haven't seen one of those for some time.

[660catman]

Originally Posted by Lloyd

In other words, you are saying your fridge is a three way? Haven't seen one of those for some time.

You still need battery power for the electronics in a propane fridge. I doubt he has a three way fridge. They’ve been gone for a while.

[Mike W.]

We have a 2020 268rl with the 12 volt fridge,that’s it,no propane,we stay mainly in campgrounds with electrical hookup so there has not been a problem,the fridge has a sleep mode I believe it’s called that uses less power if the electric goes out,supposed to run 8 to 10 hours on the camper battery but you also have the towing vehicle battery so if dry docking would probably need a battery bank,however if worst comes to worst you can always crank your tow vehicle,advantage to this fridge is there bigger,cools down in just hours and does not need to be level,, we love ours because it’s bigger!! Hope this helps!

[Leonard Meyer]

Originally Posted by epcolumbus

Considering ordering a 2022 Sunset Trail 253RB. Wondering what other people think of this trailer and more specifically the 12 volt refrigerator. Thanks!

My wife and i have 2019 253rb Love it, the fridge works well have no issues. When on 12 volt you will require the fridge to be on propane. If you are no sure leave the mode setting on auto the unit will chose the best setting for you application when camping. Happy camping!!

[dagst1]

Need the OP to clarify if they are looking at the standard 12 volt compressor refrigerator or the optional Norcold Gas/Electric refrigerator.

[blkdth1313]

nope - just a two way fridge like everyone else - not the menage - as catman says: You still need battery power for the electronics in a propane fridge.

[Wingerdinger]

As I understand it, the 'newer' 12 volt fridges are 12 volt only, and there is a small invertor to run it when connected to shore power. The main advantage is the efficiency. The main disadvantage is your battery will be dead in 8-10 hours with no shore power.
You would not want this fridge if you camp with no electricity, unless you did some major upgrades to your battery bank and add a good solar system.
We do some weekend dry camping at times, and find our 120/gas fridge and light 12 volt use goes several days with just a small upgrade to the batteries (2- GC2s @ 230aH).
I don't need any generator for many days if I connect my 200aH solar suitcase.
I'll stick with 120/gas, thank you.

[dlakeman]

Originally Posted by epcolumbus

Considering ordering a 2022 Sunset Trail 253RB. Wondering what other people think of this trailer and more specifically the 12 volt refrigerator. Thanks!

I'm also considering purchasing a 253RB. It comes standard with a 12v compressor refrigerator. The trailer I'm considering has the dinette and theater seats. The dealer said two AGM batteries and the solar package will cost $5500. The solar package consists of two 190watt panels and a 2000watt inverter. I'm pleased to see everyone is happy with their 253RB's. Have there been any Recalls or Service Campaigns? Anything else I should know before purchase?

[Wingerdinger]

I just have to chime in here.. I would seriously reconsider letting the dealer, or any RV dealer, install your solar system. That price is beyond insane!!
Shop around, you'll be glad you did.
Also, there have been countless issues with quality control in RV manufacturing. Personally, I would not even consider new at this time, but that's me. At the very least, buy from a reputable dealer that has a good rated service department and will stand behind their sale. Certainly not the big national dealers.

[dlakeman]

Thank you Wingerdinger for your reply. The dealer installed solar system consists of two 190w panels, the solar controller, and an 2000w inverter. Those components alone are not cheap if I buy quality. Additionally, I'm getting two 12v AGM batteries for the price. They aren't cheap either. Then's there's labor. Yes, I could shop around, buy cheap components, install the system myself (I was an aircraft mechanic), crawl up on the roof, etc. To me, the dealer is extremely honest. The trailer is costing me $10.5K off list price. I've shopped around the Southwest. His price is $4k lower than anyone else. He is a small family-owned business. Yes, there are problems with all RV's. I've heard the horror stories from my friends. This isn't my first TT. I'll be seeing one tomorrow at another dealer who wants premium prices. I'll see what my wife says. People on this Forum seem to be happy with the 253RB.

[mark5w]

To me, the most important part of buying new or used is the reliability and honesty of the dealer. Must have confidence in the dealers ability to help and work with you.

They will make or break any deal that you are going to make.

[dlakeman]

My issue will be the dealer is located 1020 miles, one way, from me. I'm traveling that far due to their price. I've checked all over the Southwest and this dealer is far below in price than anyone else. The dealer appears to be legitimate, however I'm not driving that far until I'm sure. Because of the distance, I won't be taking the trailer to the dealer for any warranty work. There is an RV shop in my town 5 miles from me. They do excellent work.