RV PRO continues its preview of the 2021 model year. For the entire 2021 Model Year Preview special section, see the September issue.
Jayco
Jayco’s towables team works together for a final product that meets customers’ needs at every price point, company representatives say. This team effort produced developments implemented across product lines for 2021.
The team added features such as an upgraded JAYCOMMAND Smart RV System, walk-in showers, windows with blackout shades, prewired coaches for solar power, and Blackstone grills/griddles across product lines.
Chris Barth, senior director of product development at Jayco, touts the company’s partnership with Blackstone, a manufacturer of high-end grills and griddles, for 2021.
“Blackstone griddles are synonymous with camping, and we are putting them on all our coaches,” says Barth. The RV maker already added them to its 2021 luxury fifth wheels, but “by year’s end we will implement Blackstone grills and griddles across Jayco,” he says.
Jayco Jay Feather
The Jayco Jay Feather line stakes a claim as an easy-to-tow, ultra-lightweight travel trailer lineup. Products in this segment come in lengths of 18 feet, 7 inches to 35 feet and UVW (unloaded vehicle weights) under 6,500 pounds.
In 2021, Jayco debuts the smallest Jay Feather yet – the Jay Feather Micro.
John Fisher, director of product development for the Jay Feather line, says the five-product Micro line targets the 5,000- to 6,000-pound tow vehicle with every single-axle trailer being 90 inches long and having UVWs of less than 4,000 pounds.
“This product line is weight-specific while being high on the feature set,” Fisher says.
Jay Feather Micro travel trailers come with off-road Goodyear tires, a solar package, and an optional roof rack to haul a kayak or extra gear. The compact unit – constructed of ultra-tough composite materials – comes with brush guards and sits higher off the ground for off-road travel. Units with a solar package have a 100-watt panel mounted to the roof with a 30-amp control inside.
“We are targeting the Overlander crowd; those people doing adventure camping or going off grid but pairing their trailers with smaller vehicles,” Fisher says.
The units also come with 6-cubic-foot gas-electric refrigerators, with an optional 8-cubic-foot fridge available; a 32-inch Furrion Sense 12-volt RV TV with built-in soundbar; and AM/FM and Bluetooth capabilities.
“You can do traditional camping with this setup, but if you want to go off-grid and rely on battery and solar power, you can because of all the 12-volt powered pieces in here,” Fisher says.
The first product in the Jay Feather Micro line is the 166FBS, which is a couple’s coach. The unit offers a 54-inch by 80-inch side-to-side bed, a slide-out jackknife sofa, a spacious kitchen, and an outdoor kitchen.
“We have a ton of storage in such a little unit and a nice size bath. It’s about 20 feet in overall length and 90 inches wide,” Fisher says. “The UVW for this model is about 3,750 pounds.”
White Hawk
Jayco added a new floorplan to its White Hawk line to make good on its promise to help friends and family make memories that last a lifetime.
The White Hawk 32BH’s double slide-out gives the unit a roomy feel and allows Jayco to put an enclosed bunkhouse and a half-bath with linen storage and a medicine cabinet in the rear. A spacious kitchen, full bath with linen cabinet and plenty of storage rests in the middle, while a spacious bedroom sits up front. Designers adjusted the wardrobe sizes and bedroom layout to accommodate an optional 72-inch by 80-inch king bed instead of the standard 60-inch by 80-inch queen-size bed. An outdoor kitchen and double awning that is 21 feet rounds out its offerings.
The new floorplan addresses many customer requests. Fisher explains, “Customers asked many times for a bath-and-a-half model in the White Hawk line. We also had a lot of customers asking for an optional king bed.”
The new floorplan builds in flexibility. Customers who don’t desire a half-bath can opt for a walk-in pantry instead.
The White Hawk line’s exterior got a revamp with a monochromatic paint scheme and front caps with windshields. Every windshield comes with a pull-down shade to keep the sun out when it’s hot. “The radiant barrier insulator in the shade really cuts the heat,” Barth says.
Jay Flight
The Jay Flight trailer has ranked as the No. 1-selling family travel trailer for 15 years. In 2020, Jayco produced 25,000 Jay Flights. This year’s redesign of the 34RSBS may secure its spot for a 16th straight year.
The triple-slide unit offers an island kitchen instead of a peninsula kitchen for 2021.
“Moving to an island kitchen provides features customers tell us they are looking for; that is more pantry storage and more countertop space,” says Jay Flight Product Director Matt Fisher.
The floorplan also features a bed slide and a washer-dryer prep area.
“It’s one of the few travel trailers with a washer-dryer prep,” he adds.
Jayco redesigned wardrobes to accommodate a king-size bed.
“People used to king-size beds at home often have trouble moving down to a queen-size bed in their campers, so we modified the bedrooms in our Jay Flight floorplans to offer customers a choice,” Fisher says.
New in 2021, Jay Flights come in a choice of two décor design options: the traditional color scheme, Cashmere Cottage, and the Modern Farmhouse décor option, which the company added to other product lines in 2020. The alternative color choice moves away from browns with creamy white cabinets and gray flooring and countertops.
Jayco upgraded the JAYCOMMAND system, adding features and making it more user-friendly. The system, which controls slide-outs, lights, and awnings, now allows customers to control the unit’s heating and cooling system from their smartphones. A control screen within the unit allows users to control the system within the camper itself.
Meanwhile, Jayco rebranded the Jay Octane super-lite toy hauler under the Jay Flight name. “The unit was being built in our Jay Flight plant and had adopted a Jay Flight look and feel,” Fisher says. “It makes sense, especially with the success of the Jay Flight line and with sharing parts and pieces, to rebrand it as the Jay Flight Octane.”
The Jay Flight Octane offers two new floorplans. The 255 is a version of the Octane 222, but with a bed slide.
“It’s a nice step up for a customer both in features and in space,” Fisher says.
The Octane 255 travel trailer also offers a new generator prep area, MORryde entry step option, and a full-height backsplash and LED accent lighting in the kitchen.
Jay Flight customers also can elect to add a solar power package to their units. With the solar power package, customers receive a 100-watt solar panel with a 30-amp digital controller.
“This extra source of power is for those who plan to boondock or dry camp or just want to rely on battery power,” Fisher says.
Jayco Eagle
Jayco talks a lot about the “Jayco difference”, which can mean a lot of things. For example, using Goodyear tires and offering TPMS as a factory-installed feature. But for Eagle luxury fifth wheels, the difference might be the company’s full-time warranty.
“Every luxury fifth wheel now comes with a full-time RV warranty, which tells customers we know you will do extended stay camping, and if you do, we have that covered,” says Barth.
Beyond the warranty, the Eagle line received an exterior overhaul.
“We redesigned the exterior with monochromatic graphics, with plenty of sparkle and dazzle and chrome effects,” says Jason Martin, director of product development for the Eagle and Talon lines.
Engineers modified the Eagle HT fifth-wheel lineup to better fit today’s half-ton trucks, which sit up higher and have a deeper bed. “We felt our half-ton fifth wheel should fit the half-ton trucks,” Barth says. “We redid the skeleton and the bones of this fifth wheel. The first floorplan – the 24RE – informed the entire lineup.” Designers kept the interior height the same and incorporated a flush floor from front to back. They also increased storage space underneath. Putting all components on the driver’s side keeps exhaust away from the campsite and ensures pass-through storage without obstruction.
The 24RE features a walk-in shower, a bedroom with immense windows letting in plenty of natural light, and a walk-in pantry. The company added a new décor option, called American Craftsman, with maple stain on the wood doors.
“It’s a nice traditional color,” Martin says.
Jayco standardized dual Whisper Quiet A/C units for the larger Eagles; added 10-cubic-foot, 12-volt refrigerators; and added a solar package as an option.
“We are seeing campers go out earlier and stay out longer,” Martin says. “This helps them use their propane for their heat and not to run everything else in the coach.”
The Eagle HT lineup offers some of the largest holding tanks and freshwater tanks in the industry. The redesigned unit offers an 80-gallon freshwater tank and 43-gallon black and gray water tanks. Auxiliary tanks are available in 32.5 gallons.
The 340DROK is an Eagle travel trailer that uses the same slide-boxes and feels like a fifth wheel but is a travel trailer. The 41-foot unit offers two awnings on the door side, an outside kitchen, and a pullout grill.
Inside the 340DROK, a den sits where front bedrooms normally sit. Designers swapped out the bed for a trifold sofa and plenty of windows to create a multipurpose room. A Jack-and- Jill style bath sits next to the room while also being accessible from the kitchen.
“The buyer we envision for this unit is someone who uses their RV in different ways, like for a home office,” Barth says. “But if you want to put a bedroom there, that is an option.”
To see these previews in RV PRO online, click here.
Previously:
Jayco’s Seismic, North Point, Pinnacle, Starcraft, Class A Motorhomes, Entegra Gas Products and Entegra Coach Luxury Diesel Products previews here
Forest River’s East to West, XLR and Columbus previews here
Forest River’s Sabre, Salem | Wildwood, Surveyor, Shasta, Berkshire previews here
Forest River’s Cardinal | Wildcat, Cherokee Wolf Pack, Cherokee Wolf Pup | Grey Wolf, and Sandpiper | Sierra | Cedar Creek | Riverstone previews here
Forest River’s Sunseeker | Forester, Dynamax, R-Pod, IBEX and NOBO previews here
Coachmen’s Class A’s, B’s and C’s previews here
Coachmen’s Spirit | Apex, Clipper | Viking, Catalina, and Fifth Wheels previews here
Renegade RV and REV RV Group previews here
Lance Camper and Midwest Automotive Designs previews here
Winnebago’s Travato, Revel and Solis previews here
Grand Design preview here
Newmar and Winnebago Towables preview here
inTech RV and Riverside RV previews here
Chinook RV and Gulf Stream Coach previews here
Roadtrek and Xtreme Outdoors previews here
TAXA Outdoors and the Vanleigh previews here
Alliance RV and Nexus previews here
nuCamp and Leisure Travel Vans previews here