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I hear what you are saying, but it doesn't surprise me too much. Coleman really has a better price than everyone. I recently compared the Forest River / Salem 174 BHLE to the 17B. They are almost the same, but the Forest river is twice the cost. Prices vary wildly. The Oliver Legacy 18 ft RV, about the same size, is $99,000. This is of course because the believe their product is better. Of course it is, but is it $80K better? BTW- www.rvtrader.com has the 2016 Flagstaff pop-up listed for over $18k.

"The plunger hat on the sales rep looks foolish !" No comment.

You don’t like it :(

If I had it to do over, I would definitely go with 17R.

As my hat usually says, “I am not an expert.” I made the assumption that a “tankless water heater, and an “on demand water heater” means the same thing. Apparently you can have a tankless heater that is propane, or electric. An on demand water heater is “usually” electric. "The induction instant water heater uses medium frequency electromagnetic energy to heat water to a desired temperature." I have yet to determine if the Coleman’s is electric or LPG. I guess it could be, but I would probably bet against it being propane. If you determine otherwise, for sure, please tell me.

If you are plugged in to 30 amp you will keep your battery charged…though having the heater and water pump 12 volt, you can boondock, for a while.

So the "on demand" water heater is 12 v? That sounds like, if I get a second battery, as am planning to do, I can be even better off.

@@funinourrv yes my water pump runs fine unplugged…it is running off battery. Fridge 12 volts too! And yeah more battery is never a bad thing! I have a 2024 17r and some of the features you point out I got! So they make running changes even within the model year!

The dinette table is in the lowered position, level with the benches, for use as a bed. I quickly demonstrate this in the video. For more info, See: ruclips.net/video/TIaLn_cSkR0/видео.html

He should have worn his “I’m not an expert” hat when giving advice because he definitely isn’t🤣. I also used to be in the industry and these Coleman’s have literally no room in them for being so cheap. Surprised this guy even has a following, he shouldn’t be giving advice!

I wish I made several thousand on every sale

I believe it is part of their plan. In fact that is a common tactic for just about anything. Offer something of a really low price to get you in the door, then let you see what just a few dollars more will get you. It's not a "bait and switch". They typically have the lower priced product, if you want it. This is done with cars, computers, furniture, and even new custom homes. BTW- I really believe in battery cut off switches. I am going to be doing a review on the VSTM battery switch probably next week. Not only does it protect your battery, it give you a readout on the charge you have left on it. Look for this video, soon!

We bought our 17B in 2022, and we really like ours. We average about 10-12 trips a year. Can you share more about setting us Solar?

it's cheaply made and the price indicates that...but as i see it like many stores/companies, the rv industry will be in a downward trend...for instance look at airsteam asking over $70k-$100+...who can afford that?...

I have personally had problem with a drip. I chalked it up to not being well leveled. Since then I have made sure the rig was not slanted that way at all. I haven't had a problem since. I am optimistic that the new builder will do better. We will have to wait and see.

There are pros and cons. Why do you think it is bad?

@@funinourrv i have read some resorts do not allow trailers with ac located at the side due to chemical leaks to the ground...who knows?...

@@sherrcon But don't they all ultimately drain to the ground, regardless of where they are mounted?

One of the things I like about the 17R is the fact that, while the AC is still on the wall, it is not directly over the bed. We will have a video about the 17R in a couple of days. I think you will agree that it is better.

@@funinourrv i don't know but i can only surmise the chemical leak on the roof eventually dries up whereas the side AC chemicals drop to the ground...you know how everyone now is on the environmental awareness...but people do not say much about the chemicals in our food, air and water...who knows?

We use the bunks for storage also. Using large clear totes (or tubs) works well for several reasons. It makes it easy to organize in our house to simply take to the RV. By using the clear totes we can print labels on paper and just fold in half and put in the container.

I am glad you like it. We are going to do reviews of the NEW 2025 17B and 17R, this coming week. The improvements they have made are incredible.

It really is very nice.

We have found that a "normal" size mattress will fit in the 17B. It will stick over the little shelf at the end of the bed, but who is going to miss it? There is still room for charging or some other stuff there. Check out our video, ruclips.net/video/exnKuxVbedo/видео.html

We like visiting state parks that were built by the CCC. The Park we just visited a week or so ago (Cleburne) has some neat information about it. ruclips.net/video/22NdakEmDPw/видео.html Palo Dura Canyon talks about the CCC quite a bit.

I don't know. The 2025 17B is very differen, and I haven't seen it yet.

I have heard that recently, but I have had mine on the back bumper for 2 years, and I check for any metal fatigue, and see nothing. Having said that, reinforcing it would not be a bad idea. It isn't strong looking set up, but how strong does he really have to to hold one tire?

@funinourrv I guess it depends on what the weight of the tire and the amount of bounce on the factory weld. Not sure I trust it, quite honestly!

Very reasonable. I just had it on there for two years before I heard the concern. I definitely would not add anything to it, like a bike rack.

Those are probably good tires. Good advice. A couple of month ago I made a video with suggestions for tire emergency tools. I thought I was prepared. I never dreamed that the jack's handle wouldn't fit the handle. I've got that fixed, but I think I will buy a hydraulic jack. It is really hard to get under there with anything else. Try it.

I am probably going to get a hydraulic jack. That would make things go so much easier. Thanks for the comment!

Not typically, or initially. It is possible to get solar, or generators, with an inverter, etc., but that is a little complicated and expensive. Thanks for the comment and question.

If I can, I will go back to the Davis Mountains, several more times. I want to see it in all four seasons. The "Star Party" is amazing. You can actually see different things at different times of the year. In the Fall or Winter you can see Andromeda with the naked eye. I want that so much.

We purchase virtually everything on Amazon. What isn't from Amazon, is usually Walmart or a couple of things from Harbor Freight. I don't have the part number for the thermostat, but given that there are really only two makers of water heaters, it wasn't hard to find. Thanks for you question. Just Google - "rv water heater adjustable thermostat"

Thank you.

We really appreciate your comment and you advice, but having said that we can share this with you. 
1. This was the first video we ever really intentionally tried to make. At this point we were making any videos we did, for our kids and grand children. We were traveling just to get out of the house away from Covid Cabin Fever, without having the have contact with other people. We were shocked when we had 1000 views. Then the next thing we saw was 30,000 views. 2. Since then we have tried many different microphone configurations. 
3. The worse result we have had, was with a wireless lavaliere microphone.
Here it is.
ruclips.net/video/cFeD2cZWStw/видео.html There was no wind in the area until a couple of minutes after we started filming. You can actually see it start OK, then go to crap. 4. A wired in lavaliere works pretty good.
 5. Of the various types of attached microphones we have tried, a dead cat seems to work the best. But nothing seems to really work well in the high wind conditions we often face. 6. We have tried real digital movie production cameras, with stabilizing hardware, and a mounted power dead cat mic. 7. To be honest my new iPhone with nothing attached works quite well for video and sound, if there is no wind.

@funinourrv my favorite is the Neewer. You have to learn to use them, though. I use mine under my shirt and get great results, and I haven't used the dead cat yet. Your editing software is also your friend, with great noise canceling features that are easy to use.

We will try that, but we have had some success along the way.

@@TheOlderCreator What editing software do you recommend?

@funinourrv CapCut is easy and powerful. My channel will teach you how to use it from an older person's perspective.

Very interesting.

We will check it out real soon!

Thanks!

The 17R is a good way to have more floor space and make it much easier to get in and out of bed. Other than that, changing the dinette seating like I did helps too. The shealf and night stand idea is wort looking into as well.

We are glad you saw something you can use. It really helps us if you share our videos. Perhaps your friends can learn a few things too.

I agree with all of that.

I also bought the 17r, built to a price to be sure, but I am one at a time adding the pieces that were they original equipment would have sent the price sky high!

I agree. Perhaps the best example is the tongue jack. It cost about $150, when I installed it myself, and it was easy. How much would a dealership or manufacturer had charged me to do it? The Spare tire and the tongue jack have been, so far, are the only two things that have cost me over $100. I have spent about $3000 on 50 upgrades. Half of that amount would have needed even if I had bought a unit for twice as much. The spare tire and tongue are two examples.

This past weekend we were forced to put two better rated tires on the ground. The spare I bought two years ago was a much better tire. This weekend the original equipment tire failed for some reason. I bought a new tire and made the remaining original tire the spare. We consider ourselves very lucky that someone was able to tell us about our tire before it might have come apart. VERY LUCKY!

You are not the first person to comment about it. I think that you might have to remember that every detail the manufacturer does adds $1000 of dollars to the price. This is a budget RV. In fact, I like to think of it as a kit for people who are interested in doing lots of stuff to it. If you look at small RV with lavatories in the bathroom, you will see an enormous difference in price. Not only that but, in my mind, there is little difference in having the sink in the bathroom, or three feet away. I also have to point out that there is hardly enough room in the bathroom to do what need to be done. I can't imagine having a lavatory in there too. My wife and I also use the shower head to wash our hands in the bathroom, all the time. Thanks for your comment.

I can see that being true.

That is interesting. I will check that out.

Just bought the 17B… no tv included or Radio. Interesting.

​@@Kimmcgowen5 Did they give a reason?

Thank you. Many people were not so lucky. Check out "Valley View Texas Tornado"

True. Thanks for the comment. 3 minutes and 55 seconds about us. Absolutely nothing.

I lost a little weight, but I shaved off my mustache. It makes my face look thinner.

Do you mean that the TV can play to the speakers? That would be cool.

Yes, that is the down side to this. The Dinette does actually make a good bed, but since there are two bunk beds. We made the choice to see which we liked. To be honest we haven't had the chance to try to out enough to say for sure.

@@funinourrv good deal

I can imagine that.

Yes it does, but why? There are just two speakers in the RV. The year after this they simply gave a Bluetooth speaker to everyone. I think that they quit even doing this the next year. RV Storage space is in short supply. Why take out a chunk of it for a radio. Couldn't they have just mounted the radio UNDER the cabinet?

It really does give us a noticeable amount of floor space.

It isn't "waterproof". Very few things are. It is covered by the plastic box, but the bottom of it is open. The buss bars under your RV are completely waterproof. Neither are electrical connections under your hood. Water gets everywhere. It is no big deal. Yes. I think there is an inline fuse.

Here are the details about the battery cutoff switch. ruclips.net/video/q9tz-awZnII/видео.html

We have done something like 15 trips and thousands of miles. A few or our trips have been over 2000 miles each. I have to say that it is holding up well. No major problems. There were a couple of minor trim issues, but the dealership fixed them right away. After two years, if I was starting over, the only thing I would do differently would be to get the 17R instead of the 17B. Having said that, our recent modification of moving the dinette seat looks like it might accomplish the same thing, but we haven't tried it out yet. ruclips.net/video/RWmdLUmEkrg/видео.html