We’re “off the grid” for the next few weeks as we explore Davis Mountains State Park (and the McDonald Observatory Starry Nights Party!!!), Big Bend National Park & Guadeloupe Mountains National Park! TrailerTraveler posts will resume as soon as I have a wifi or cell phone connection again! Until then …. Cheers! Jan
No I did not take this photo …. yet. Photo: Courtesy of National Geographic.
6 Comments
We would over to see your Lance 1685 if you are coming or going through Ozona. We are coming back down I10 from El Paso tomorrow afternoon. We would stay tomorrow night at Balmorhea or Davis Mountains if either has an open site. We have had an Aliner 15 ft for four years but are looking at a Nash and Arctic Fox here in Silver City today. I also like the double axle Lance campers. We have had a 27 ft Jayco before and we know if we get too big we cannot use in NPS camps and are discouraged from even using due to bulk. The Aliner has not held us back at all. Something in between size that gives more comfort is what we are interested in. Our daughter is in college and is often with us. Sometimes my parents can join us. We need a second sleeping option for this reason.
Hi Jonathon! I’m so sorry we missed you! Big Bend doesn’t have many options for cell or wifi service, so we’ve been out of communication range until a couple days ago. We have friends with an A-Liner that they love. I’m not sure for your purposes a Lance 1685 would offer enough accommodation space – our dinette collapses into a somewhat smaller than double bed which does great for grandkids, but is tight for adults. The slightly larger Lance trailers might fit your needs, but we don’t have experience with them. Artic Fox and Nash are also on our short list if we ever decide to go larger. Not yet though, the convenience of the 20′ 1685 is exactly what we want. The only campground we’ve shyed away from so far was Chisos Basin in Big Bend and then only because the couple of spots we would have fit into with our slideout were occupied for the week. Darn! Cheers! Jan
I understand. I have seen larger campers in the Basin Camp but not many of the sites will accommodate larger coaches.
I found a 2016 Lance 2285 with swivel rockers in Abilene Texas via LOA but it sold right quick. The 2285 is my first choice among the Lance campers.
How big exactly is your slide out bed (length and width in inches)?
Hi Jonathan! As it happens, I’m sitting here at the dinette right now (in Carlsbad, headed to White Sands tomorrow). The dimensions if you drop the table into a bed are 78″ lengthwise by 54″ widthwise. Of the 78″ length, 3″ or so on each end is within the wooden frame, useable, but don’t accidentally bang your head! 🙂 Our grandkids (6 & 4) sleep on it easily, our kids (5’6″ and 6’2″) have slept on it a night or two at a time, but it’s not their favorite. These days they bring their tent and air mattress and let the grandkids have the dinette. The 2285 looks really nice. Be aware that the ground clearance on Lance campers is not always as high as some of the others, but we’ve not had a problem, just know to look at it if you’re comparing campers to use in national/blm/forest service type campgrounds. Cheers! Jan
78 inches or even less but longer than 72 inches works. Where our two previous campers fell short is with the traditional booth (72 inches). U-dinettes are longer, like your LANCE.
Tents are fine if it is not too hot (or too cold) for my family. With a camp we turn any season into camping season.
Thanks for the info.
JG
Hi JG! Cool! Then I can highly recommend a Lance! If you haven’t already seen it, you might be interested in my post about “Why We Love Our Lance 1685”. Good luck! BTW, we saw several A-Liners in that Chisos Basin Campground – grumble. But Rio Grande Village & Cottonwood were nice. Cheers! Jan