RV REVIEW BY HOWARD J. ELMER
The Perfect Family Trailer 2018 Coachmen Apex 300BHS The family trailer. It’s a title, a description and, also, a lifestyle statement; all in three words. And despite those who dismiss the “old-fashioned family unit”, it really is a label that is timeless, as is the call of the wild that beckons to those families. So no matter how they are made up, today’s families carry on—comprised of younger and/or older parental units with kids of all ages (including grandkids) in traditional, blended, or mixed groups. Every year new families come into their prime RVing time-window and decide where they will spend these outdoor family holidays. In the family trailer of course; and its one of these units I recently reviewed. The Coachmen Apex line is made up of 24 models, each being towable and each aimed at accommodating the multi-generational family – large or small - out camping. I chose the largest unit—the Apex 300BHS—first because I like bunkhouses and secondly because I was intrigued by how light it was considering that the trailer is over 30 feet in length and can sleep up to 10 people.
Now the term light-weight is bandied around a lot in the RV business—and for each manufacturer that claim is based on a wide variety of materials and build methods. Most have been around for years. On this Coachmen though, what stood out was a newer material called Azdel. It’s used in the vacuum-bonded walls and is 50% lighter than the commonly used lauan plywood material. In addition, this lighter weight Azdel also claims to be mould-resistant and, being a solid, won’t delaminate over time. The other standout in this Apex is the use of aluminum throughout the entire superstructure, including the domed roof. Just these two design features alone equal a substantial weight savings overall. However, I also noted that supporting the entire trailer is a full steel I-beam frame. Frankly, for rigidity and strength (stiff slide-out support being another necessity), this is one place you do want the extra weight of steel. My tow vehicle for this test was the 2018 F-150 powered by the 3.5L V6 EcoBoost engine and 10-speed transmission. This truck easily handled the trailer’s 6,000-pound dry weight. In fact, at that number, there are a host of SUVs and trucks that would handle it—so that makes the buying choice that much easier for many who don’t want to switch tow vehicles.
RV REVIEW
COAST TO COAST SUMMER MAGAZINE 2018
33
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