About our truck & camper

We have a 2021 Ram 1500 5.7L Hemi Big Horn quad cab with the 3.92 ratio rear axle. When looking for a new truck for camping, I researched the cargo capacity and towing capacity of each vehicle to make sure we had enough capacity. Our truck has 1,835 pound max payload on the sticker and a towing capacity of 11,650 pounds. The trailer has a max loaded weight of 7250 pounds.

Our trailer is a 2023 Jayco Jay Feather 25RB, as a couples trailer it suits us well. We travel with two dogs and find there is more than enough space in the trailer. It has a queen bed at the front of the trailer, living area & kitchen in the middle and a good size rear bathroom. The slide out has a dinette that converts into a very small bed and we chose the theatre seats for relaxing. We selected the farmhouse decor option.

We made a few modifications to the trailer since owning it and have had a few problems, here is the list of the bigger problems so far:

  1. One wheel fender was hanging off by the time we got home after the trip from the dealership on the day we picked up the trailer. This was because the self drilling screws used to secure it had been over tightened in the aluminum siding. Nuts and bolts fixed that issue.
  2. We went down a pot hole and flattened the leaf springs on one side of the trailer, uggghhhh. New leaf springs were installed on both sides of the trailer with upgraded equalizers and a wet bolt kit.
  3. There was a leak from the outdoor shower head pipe connection when I hooked the trailer up to city water for the first time, the connection was just loose.
  4. The fridge stopped cooling properly and was making odd noises. I discovered that the compressor cooling fan was not working due to a corroded electrical connection. That was caused because the fridge drain line was not installed correctly. Both items were easy to fix and the fridge worked fine afterwards.
  5. The LPG gas appliances stopped working. The tank pigtails failed after 10 months, a plastic retainer inside fell apart and stopped the gas flowing. New pigtails and all is good.
  6. Drawer under the fridge broke, the original slides were very flimsy. Installed new slides.
  7. While fixing the drawer, found the water heater supply hose was severely kinked and restricting water flow because the hose was too long. Shortened the hose to remove the kink.
  8. Heavy rain caused the awning to bang down hard on one side and it damaged the awning arm, the side with the motor. I attempted to repair just the damaged part and that proved to be challenging, that’s all I’ve got to say about that. I ended up replacing the whole assembly, they are eye-wateringly expensive. Lesson learned the hard way, don’t leave your awning out in wind or rain, they are not built strong enough to handle anything extreme.
  9. One of the rear light fittings mysteriously filled up with water, it’s supposed to be a sealed unit and I could not get it apart. I took it off, drill a hole in the back and drained the water out. I left it out for a few days in the sun and eventually all the condensation went away. I sealed the hole that I had drilled with silicone and and reinstalled it, it’s working and has remained dry so it seems okay now.

Some of the trailer upgrades and modifications we have done:

  1. The short queen mattress was removed and a full queen installed. I extended the bed frame a little to create more support. The bed storage gas struts were upgraded to support the weight better
  2. The bedroom door has been removed, we never used it and it created more room between the bed and the bedroom wall. It also reduced weight.
  3. The kitchen faucet has been upgraded to one with a pull out sprayer
  4. The bathroom faucet has been upgraded to one with a taller spout that moves left/right.
  5. A slide topper has been added to protect the roof from leaves/twigs and improve water resistance
  6. The pullout adjustable TV mount has been replaced with a lighter weight fixed bracket and a small sound bar has been installed which produces far better sound than the awful built in sound system. One day I’ll upgrade that when I find a suitable replacement.
  7. Fan cover installed over living room fan to allow the fan to be used in inclement weather
  8. Foam and metal tape baffle box installed in A/C unit. Yes, we lost the dump feature but the ducts work so much better and the noise reduction is a huge bonus
  9. Replaced the AC thermostat with a EasyTouch RV, this is easier to use and provides remote access so we can keep an eye on the temperature if we do ever leave the dogs unattended for short periods of time.
  10. Replaced the stock plastic toilet with a Dometic 320 which is bigger and has a ceramic bowl. Also installed a bidet toilet seat, this is the way to go!
  11. Installed a 12v wall mounted fan in the bedroom using the TV mount location.
  12. Installed countertop soap dispensers in the kitchen and the bathroom.