Questions About Montana Changes/Features

[rames14]

We are close to ordering a new Montana 3160 and had a few questions. And this group always delivers. Question #1 - when did they change from Fantastic Fan to Maxx Air and how have the Maxx Air vents been? Question #2 - how are the new High Pointe convection ovens? Question #3 - our first two Montanas had slide toppers. We are thinking of not ordering them this time. Any issues?

We hope to have it ordered this week. We have certainly enjoyed our Big Sky, having traveled as far north and west as Alaska, south and west as Arizona, north and east as Maine and south and east as Florida. If this next Montana performs as well as our last two we will be very happy.

[DQDick]

Can't speak to anything but the toppers. Since we camp where it is very hot or where pine or other trees can drop a world of stuff on your slides, for us they're worth it. If our camping style was different, probably not so much.

[dunrovin1955]

The high point convection has worked great so far. We have pulled our 3910 only 2500 miles so far so it hasn't gotten shaken too bad yet but it bakes good.

[DarMar]

We have used our high Pointe convecti oven for one camping season about 90 days with absolutely no problems.

Slide toppers we have never had as we do encounter the odd amount of snow early on or late in the season and after blowing snow gets underneath them it can be more difficult to remove the snow under there as compared to what we do without which is just broom the snow off before closing slide.

[WaltBennett]

Our new/used one came with toppers, but I installed them myself on our previous TT w/two slides. From what I've seen dealers charge for them as an option for new units, I'd order without them and when a sale at CW or somewhere else comes up, have them installed or DYI. They aren't that difficult to add, although five or six could make it worth having someone else do it.

[Bigboomer]

We have toppers and would not go without....I feel it helps she'd water off top...one less possible leak issue.
We have the high point oven and my wife has mastered it...her Christmas cookies are awesome out of the oven! And if the cookies are great that is what matters! Otherwise she loves it!

We have 2 fantastic fans and live them. We did not put the front air in and put a fantastic fan instead as we felt for the few times we would or could use the second air the 12v fan would work better and so far it has proven out.

[1retired06]

We always have slide toppers.

[Eagleback]

We live in our RV and we are at places for months before we move due to my employment. so we decided not to have them. I use a plastic corrugated roof panel over our slides and when we move I roll them up and store them in the basement until we get to our next point of employment. it takes a couple of hours to install and take down but I cover all our slides for a few hundred dollars.

[grayghost03]

Ours came with Whirlpool convection oven, it has worked out great so far. Slide toppers, to much wind out west for us, had them on our 1st 5ver, we wouldn't do them again. They do have an upside and a downside.

[Slink]

I did not have them on my Raptor and during hard rains always had moisture in the slide corner, when I had toppers installed that stopped I vote for toppers

[Dmcgrew]

I have had both with toppers and without. I cohose not to have them on my newest due to the noise they make with the wind at night. I also found that they seem to be the first to tear and feel they may be a maintenance issue long term.

I do like the clean slide roof when I had them but found them hard to clean if and when I did it with them installed.

[Tom S.]

I'll never get toppers again. Each year I have to clean out 3 to 5 birds nests, sometimes more than once. English Sparrows get in there an love to make their nests.

[Mark N.]

I've never had slide toppers, but did consider them strongly. That is until I talked last year to a full-timer in a park that had them, and he said "never again". He said the incessant noise on windy nights, the need to clean leafs and other debris off of them before moving, and the fact that they WILL eventually sun rot away was all too much for him to ever do again.
I then decided to drop those from my own wish list.

[Rondo]

Before the Fall Rally started last year we were over at Keystone talking to Mark Krol and he told us they were thinking of putting the MaxxAir fans in instead of the Fantastic Fans. He said for one thing that MaxxAir showed up superior to the Fantastic Fans in tests they did and also that Fantastic had been bought out by Atwood and they were harder to work with than when Fantastic Fan was a company on their own. This whole thing may have been just a smoke story and MaxxAir gave them a better price than Atwood who knows but he did say they were changing over this year. We'll see if MaxxAir will stand behind their units like Fantastic did theirs. Only time will tell.
Don't know about the other two questions but I believe we have the High Point in our 2013 3582FL if I'm not mistaken and have had no problems with it yet. Also never had the slide toppers so can't comment on that one at all.

[Virginia Young]

We have the slide toppers and have been in central FL for almost 4 months, where the wind blows all the time. We haven't noticed much noise from the them and like the added protection from the elements.

[Lenny K]

Wouldn't be without toppers. Keeps the dust off the top of the slides, or rain, and you don't bring in either when you run your slides in.
The noise with the wind is not a big issue, when heard it is not very loud, and we spend our winters in Quartzsite.

[akf15e]

Ha ha, joke's on me! Just my luck. I didn't have them on my first two 5ers and was fine without them. Then after many years of reading how people swear by them, I decided to get them this year on our SOB. Now I see people who've had them saying never again! Well, I guess I can always remove them if the wind noise is too bad (we go to the beach a lot). At least I'll have experience both ways when it's time to get #4.

[rames14]

Thank you all for the insights. Now that we live out west, we are probably going to try without toppers for a while. With a roof mounted satellite dish, we tend to not park under trees if we can help it. And we get a lot of wind (50-100 mph in our neighborhood is not uncommon). And, this is why we are buying another Montana. What a great group.

[bncinwv]

Another advantage to the toppers is that they work great in snowy or icy conditions! We always seem to camp early in the year and get surprised by a late Spring snow or icing. With the covers, the snow and ice just roll off as you retract the slides. We have had them on all three units and have never noticed the noise from flapping and believe the benefits far outweigh the negatives. As with anything, it is a personal choice. With this set, I am using 303 on the toppers to slow down the UV deterioration. The first two were not kept long enough (five years on first one) for the toppers to degrade, but we hope to keep this one through the retirement years.
Bingo

[jpkelpe]

We have them and I think they keep the unit cooler in the summer (shade the slide) and the wind noise is not that noticeable, you get used to it. and we do get a lot of wind in Nebraska. Paul does not get on the roof near as much as he used to.