Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Montana Owners Club - Keystone Montana 5th Wheel Forum > MONTANA OWNERS CLUB COMMUNITY > Member News
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 03-30-2007, 06:10 PM   #1
DonandBonnie
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Madison
Posts: 1,239
M.O.C. #5906
Here's the plan!

Bonnie and I have decided that the Big Sky 340RLQ is the rig we want.
With it, the Big Sky Premium Package, Big Sky Value Package and Comfort and Convenience Group are mandatory options.

The exterior options that we want are the Dual Pane Safety Glass Windows (this may change if we find that these windows cannot be opened for fresh air), 18" Metal Slide Tray, and Slide Awning Package.

The only interior option that we want is the hi-back desk chair (which is the same as a 5th dining chair) We do not want the leather recliners or the garden tub.

On the equipment list, we are opting out of the 2nd air conditioner. After following posts on this forum, we are not sure that it is necessary for us. We will try doing without for a while and if later we determine we have to have it, we will have a low profile unit installed. FYI, the Big Sky comes equipped with the 2nd a/c wiring and prep.

We will have fantastic fans installed in the bath (over the shower)and probably the toilet room, if we don't like the lesser quality toilet fan that is standard. The fantastic fan in the kitchen is standard. The one in the bedroom goes in the same space as the 2nd a/c. Since the bath fan is only a few feet from the location of the bedroom fan, only one should be necessary, leaving the bedroom space available if the 2nd a/c becomes necessary.

We will get the generator prep, but will use our own Honda EU3000 generator. We are warm to the combo washer/dryer, but want to understand first, if there are any benefits from an aftermarket vs factory installation.

The interior decor is yet to be decided. We would like to see the Aspen Forest and Twilight Meadow up close and personal. The lot model that we saw had Golden Vista. That decor probably won't make the cut.


 
DonandBonnie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-30-2007, 06:27 PM   #2
Montana Sky
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Down the Road
Posts: 5,627
M.O.C. #889
Congrats on your decision to purchase a new Big Sky! I can only imagine how excited you must be... Keep us updated on the progression of things.
Montana Sky is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-30-2007, 10:07 PM   #3
H. John Kohl
Montana Master
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: New Bern
Posts: 4,294
M.O.C. #311
Send a message via AIM to H. John Kohl Send a message via MSN to H. John Kohl Send a message via Yahoo to H. John Kohl
Congratulations on the Big Sky. Two comments for you. I opted for the other shower because it was a lower step into it. I find this shower is about three inches smaller width wise than the Garden tub. I wish I had gotten the Garden Tub. I suggest you actually step into each one and see if you elbow knock in them.

With the Dual pane windows you do not have a screen in the bedroom window over the dresser. That is the escape window. At least we do not. That is the only window you can not open with a screen to get air. It does open for escape. The small window by the bed can be opened and the rest of the windows have areas that can be opened. They are different design than the single pane so again I suggest you look at them. Yes I would get the dual pane windows again.

Good luck.
H. John Kohl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-31-2007, 05:14 AM   #4
bsmeaton
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Lone Tree
Posts: 5,615
M.O.C. #6109
Congrats on your decision! Sounds like you've put a lot of thought into the options and have covered your bases.

The biggest advantage to the factory w/d option is they are installed when you get it. Mine are still sitting in the garage . Several folks have installed aftermarket units with larger capacities and have even wired for a 240VAC dryer which is faster drying. The only disadvatage is it takes a little creativity to get them installed.

bsmeaton is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-31-2007, 05:51 AM   #5
Delaine and Lindy
Montana Master
 
Delaine and Lindy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Lobelville
Posts: 2,128
M.O.C. #6650
Just a point to think about, don't know were you plan to travel. But if you are planning to go to hot or humid places, I would go for the 2nd A/C. Our last two 5er's have had two A/C and want do without the 2nd A/C and you have a back up if one goes down. The two Fantastic fans are a must, we have one in the Bedroom and the other in the kitchen. Dual pane windows are great, help to keep the sun out and its hard to see inside from the outside. As for windows all our windows have screens and all can be opened including the emergency window in the bedroom. We have a on board generator (Onan 5500 Lp) which is great. If you happen to loose shore power just hit the button and instant 50 amp service. I agree the Honda 3000 is a great system for emergency use. Good Luck with the Big Sky. GBY....

Oh, one other suggestion, if you have the option of Disk brake, that would be on the top of my options list.
Delaine and Lindy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-31-2007, 06:25 AM   #6
DarMar
Montana Master
 
DarMar's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Brandon
Posts: 3,944
M.O.C. #1034
Congrat's folks on your Rv of choice, we know you will love your new rig and hope you have the health to enjoy it for many years to come. We did not go for the 2nd air conditioner because we like to have our room temperature on the warm side. The air on our previous 2955 was always more than sufficient for us and with the added space to cool in the new rig we can always add it later if need be. As John indicated the tub/shower decision is a difficult one indeed. We keep changing our minds on that but finally decided on the shower because of the lower step in, of course we have never had a garden tub to compare. Again, enjoy!
__________________
Darwin & Maureen DeBackere
Minnedosa, Manitoba, Canada
2011/3500/Silverado/4x4/DRW/Duramax
2017/3721RL/Legacy Pkg./Pressure-Pro
DarMar is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-31-2007, 06:34 AM   #7
Mudchief
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Paola
Posts: 5,739
M.O.C. #4961
Congratulations and we hope you have many happy times in it. When you stop the second air sure makes the unit cool down faster. I have the generator with remote start and I crank it 15 minutes before I stop and with both units running the unit is nice and cool when we go in it.
__________________
Dennis & Linda Ward
Paola, Kansas
Montana 3735MK Legacy Edition
1200 watts of Solar
Mudchief is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-31-2007, 06:56 AM   #8
DonandBonnie
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Madison
Posts: 1,239
M.O.C. #5906
John, I did step into the shower to check for elbow room. It is ok, but not spacious. I will definitely check the garden tub before me make the final decision. Three more inches around would be a great benefit. I think the comment about the sealed dual pane windows was created by a salesman attempting to sell his lot model. I didn't think it sounded right when I heard it. Thanks for the straight scoop.

Brad, I hope the factory w/d works out. I don't want to hastle with an after market installation either. I have been getting some subtle hints that some dealers may be able to cut a better deal than the factory install. I do want to know the brand of w/d before I make the final decision.

Delaine and Lindy, Personal comfort is only one part of the 2nd a/c decision. Look at the topic "2nd air conditioner pricing question" from last fall. The factory installed second air conditioner looks basically the same as the first and adds several inches of height to the rig since it is mounted near the highest point on the roof. If we choose the 2nd a/c, we would want a low profile unit that would not nearly protrude so high. If Keystone offers a low profile a/c we may consider it up front. If not, it will be an aftermarket decision.
DonandBonnie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-31-2007, 10:21 AM   #9
Delaine and Lindy
Montana Master
 
Delaine and Lindy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Lobelville
Posts: 2,128
M.O.C. #6650
Donnie and Bonnie, Don't know what they are putting on the Big Sky. We have a low profile on our Cambridge, the BS will also love the Trailer Saver 5th wheel. Look like your going to have a great TV and 5er combination. GBY...
Delaine and Lindy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-31-2007, 01:11 PM   #10
richfaa
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: North Ridgeville
Posts: 20,229
M.O.C. #2839
Sounds like you have made the choices that will meet YOUR needs.They sound great.It is true that SOME dealers can do better than the factory.Our dealer installed the 2nd A/C for far less than the factory price.
richfaa is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-31-2007, 03:52 PM   #11
skypilot
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Manhattan
Posts: 1,144
M.O.C. #1846
On the washer / dryer -- see if they will install the Kenmore -- we have the Spendide and it has a really weird wash cycle -- on the one we got factory installed, the temperature of wash is set by where you start the wash; a little to much and you get hot; a little too little and you get warm, not cold; makes no sense to me and the wife won't even try it anymore after 3 attempts. Expensive (and useless) paperweights (er, 5er weights) as they sit right now.
skypilot is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-31-2007, 04:11 PM   #12
Delaine and Lindy
Montana Master
 
Delaine and Lindy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Lobelville
Posts: 2,128
M.O.C. #6650
Well on the washer/dryer. We had the combo, don't ask me about the settings, DW is the expert. We now have the Splendide Ariston stackable, and DW is very happy with her choice. I will just say it just finished drying a load. Its the first dryer I have ever seen that runs so long clockwise and then will stop and run counter clockwise and will alternate until time runs out. It does a very good job. I think the combo unit works well, but is very hard to learn all the little different settings. GBY...
Delaine and Lindy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-31-2007, 05:33 PM   #13
rldriver
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Ephrata
Posts: 757
M.O.C. #2801
We are happy for you and are sure you will enjoy your new rig. If all goes well we should have our Big Sky parked at home next week, are we excited??????
rldriver is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-31-2007, 06:27 PM   #14
dsprik
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Fort Myers
Posts: 5,933
M.O.C. #4282
I would definitely vote for the dual pane windows. Sitting here in my recliner typing this with the window beside me open and letting nice cool Central FL breeze through the Montana.

Don, there were several threads on the 2nd A/C. Last Spring, just before I was going to put in my final order on our 3400, I was involved on a thread on 2 A/Cs and it changed my mind. I ordered the 2nd A/C. Glad I did. It is a low profile, but noisy. I will look into other brands - hopefully, low profile, but the are a few here on the forum with full size A/Cs in front, and I have not heard any regrets about this extra height yet. My reasoning for having a 2nd A/C is for a backup.

I was in a situation last summer - 115 heat index (at midnight). Main almost froze up - you could here the ice breaking off of it. If it would have gone down, we would have been checking into a hotel. The Montana would have been unbearable. Peace of mind knowing we had that 2nd 13.5K A/C ready to go.

The gen prep, unless they changed this, is only for the Onan 5500 gen. I do not have a gen prep, but do have a Kipor 3000 that I absolutely love and we have had to use in 2 emergency situations already.

We are following Delaine and Lindy's lead and getting the Ariston Stackable ASAP. Having both a washer and dryer going at the same time is a big plus. BTW, these Ariston stackables are now on sale in CW until 5/31. ~$140 off the Club Members price.
dsprik is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-01-2007, 02:57 AM   #15
DonandBonnie
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Madison
Posts: 1,239
M.O.C. #5906
Here is the re-revised revison of the revised plan:

The dual pane windows are definitly in. I can't envision the extreme cold or the extreme heat without them.

The 2nd a/c is in. I like Dave's idea about a back up unit. Dave, what brand low profile do you have that makes all the noise? The Dometic low profile seemed to be the a/c of choice in the topic on the forum last fall. It's list price in the Camping World catalog is more expensive than the factory MSRP. I have been hearing rumblings that you can get a factory installed low profile if you specify at the time of the order. I'll follow up on that.

Good to know that the Generator Prep is for the Onan only. We want to have our Honda EU3000 rigged so that it can be operated safely from within the generator compartment. The generator prep is now out.

The stacked w/d is now in and the combo out. The idea of washing and drying simultaneously won out over preserving some additional shelf space. The Camping World price for the Ariston(before the discount mentioned by Dave) is several hundred dollars cheaper than the MSRP. The Ariston is in as an aftermarket add on.

On the interior decor front, Aspen Forest is in the front running over Golden Vista thus far. David and Jo-Anna reported from their factory tour, that Twilight Meadow bit the dust and will soon be replaced by something called "Midnight something or other". Seems like a rather strange name, but we will keep an open mind.



DonandBonnie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-01-2007, 06:29 AM   #16
dsprik
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Fort Myers
Posts: 5,933
M.O.C. #4282
Don, It's a Dometic Penguin. Some seem to think it's fine, I thought it is too noisy and I am looking for a replacement that will allow me to watch TV in the BR while it is running - even on low speed. I will definitely have a 2nd A/C, though...
dsprik is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-03-2007, 05:52 PM   #17
traveltunes
Montana Fan
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: travel
Posts: 146
M.O.C. #6877
Hello Don and Bonnie,
On our Big Sky we have on order we got the Whirlpool stackable W/D. They are only charging us $1295 from the factory. That's installed with shelf and vented. I don't know much about the Splendide brand, but I know I have had Whirlpool appliances in my home for a lot of years without any problems. Good luck on your Big Sky. We should be getting ours May 18th if all goes well.
traveltunes is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
RV Roadhelp Plan rapidrobert General Discussions about our Montanas 21 05-17-2013 04:27 AM
Floor plan Rondo General Discussions about our Montanas 9 04-02-2013 04:13 PM
Jan get together***HERE IS THE PLAN!!!! CountryGuy North American MOC/Rio Grande Winter Texans 14 01-18-2006 01:29 PM
God has another plan for us Part II Montana_31 General Discussions about our Montanas 0 11-29-2003 09:12 PM
God has a different plan for us Montana_31 General Discussions about our Montanas 0 11-25-2003 12:51 AM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Montana RV, Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 12:44 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.