Today’s RV review isn’t of a specific RV, but rather of a series of new products. Those products come from Forest River’s Wildwood and Salem divisions and are a completely new idea in RVing.
I’ve shown you a number of new ideas from Salem and Wildwood lately, including the Salem Cruise Lite 24VIEW and the Wildwood Heritage Glen ROOST43, and Cheri Sicard showed you the Salem 29VIEW.
Wildwood and Salem are the same product with different naming and slightly different stickers. The reason a company does this is to gain market share. If there’s a Salem dealer within a specified territory, someone might sign up to be a Wildwood dealer instead. The dealership I worked for did this. There was a Rockwood dealer about 90 miles away which placed it within our territory, so we signed up to be a Flagstaff dealer.
Veranda Series
What you have here is something I’ve never seen before in the Salem and Wildwood Veranda package. There are currently three floor plans planned with more to come, based on customer response.
I would encourage you to look at the other reviews of recent Salem and Wildwood products and then come back here. This will give you an idea of what the interiors of these look like, more or less. These will come with similar style and with things like the adjustable bed called Versa-Tilt.
There will be all the usual totes and clever storage hacks and all of that, too.
But what nothing else in the industry currently has are back patio decks.
Before you cite the toy haulers I’ve reviewed, know that this is a whole different idea. And the implementation is night and day.
A proper patio deck; hence, the name Veranda
Instead of just having a ramp that drops down, these have a proper patio deck. When you’re in transport the decks are rather short—almost more like the platform on an old railroad passenger car.
When you get to where you’re going, you simply push a button and the deck extends further, giving you ample place to hang out and spend time. The deck’s mechanism is a through-frame rack-and-pinion slide. The deck on the deck is that plastic decking material, so it’s ready for lousy weather.
The interesting thing about these is that there’s a roof overhang on all of them—so it would be a place you could spend time in the rain. That’s another aspect that makes these different than the typical toy hauler decks.
Built-in mister on the back deck
Something that’s also a big surprise is that there are built-in misters on these back decks. Yep, just like you might have at home. So when it’s hot out, just fire up the misters and cool down.
Of course, you’re more likely to use these with full hook-ups so you don’t blow through your holding tanks on just misters.
Currently the three models available with these veranda decks range from a typical mid-sized travel trailer to a park model.
The idea is that this deck can be applied to any series that the company has presently.
More features
There are other features in these trailers based on which one you’re looking at. Some offer the capability to support a washer-dryer combo. The park model features a unique upstairs desk where your feet literally go into a recess in the upper deck’s floor.
There are countertop extensions on one model that make the kitchen counter extend and become a breakfast bar.
Conclusions
I’m really grateful for my friendship with Josh from Bish’s RV. He let me know that these were coming so I could share them with you and, since he’s based near Indiana, he was able to get a sneak preview so I could share that with you as well.
Having worked at a dealership I can imagine these sitting on the lot, as I’ve said before. These are so remarkably refreshing inside in the way that they’re styled that I believe someone will walk through a number of RVs and then come across one of these new Salem or Wildwood rigs and that’ll be all it takes.
Yes, I think they’re that much nicer inside than most everything else on the market. And while I don’t necessarily comment on interior style, I believe in my statement on how a prospect at a dealership is going to react to these.
But I also think that they’re timeless. Whoever did the interior design on this did a masterful job, and that’s not something I would normally say about style.
However, do know that these are a lower-end line, so don’t expect premium features, generally. For example, off-brand tires, simple leaf spring suspensions, small ovens, wood-framed structures with aluminum skins—although you can also get fiberglass skins.
So, these aren’t for everybody, and that’s especially true of those who use a trailer a lot.
But seeing just how creative Salem and Wildwood are being and what they’ve been coming up with lately, I am truly impressed. It’s no secret that RV sales are off right now. But with a company making this significant of an effort to stand out, they are likely to get a bigger portion of the sales that are out there.
My thanks to Josh from Bish’s RV for the photos and video in this article.
More about these RV reviews
These RV reviews are written based on information provided by the manufacturers along with our writer’s own research. They are based on information from a single unit and may not reflect your actual experience. Shop your RV and dealership carefully before making a buying decision. We receive no money or other financial benefits from these reviews. They are intended only as a brief overview of the vehicle, not a comprehensive critique, which would require a thorough inspection and/or test drive.
Tony comes to RVtravel.com having worked at an RV dealership and been a life long RV enthusiast. He also has written the syndicated Curbside column about cars. He also works closely with a number of RV manufacturers to get an inside look at how things are done and is a brand ambassador for Rockwood Mini Lite with his wife, Peggy.
You can also check out his RV podcast with his wife, Peggy.
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as they are not putting doors on some of the cabinets, especially in the bathroom, you have lost storage space in that area. No medicine cabinet storage either. On the smaller model the “fireplace” is way too close to the person sitting in the chair (i guess you would leave it turned off when sitting) Lots of windows and I wonder how cold the trailer would be in colder climates during spring and fall camping. Interesting.
I’m curious how an old fart like me stands up from that desk.
Or gets into the spot in the first place!
Honestly I don’t think it’s much different than any normal desk in that respect. And, hey, if I can do it anybody can ’cause I’m a fat old…well, you know.
Heres another new TT prototype from Outdoors RV that Thompson RV has that isn’t a toy hauler with a rear deck. Only bad thing is it has schwintek slides. Thompson RV has a video of it.
Schwintek gets a bad rap but, as long as you use it properly (always fully extend/retract) it’s actually not a bad system. Another problem is that some RV makers built too heavy a slide with these. Lastly, people want to spray them with things like WD-40 which quite literally gums up the works.
I wouldn’t avoid an RV only because it has a Schwintek slide mechanism.
The long one in Josh’s video looks like Salem-Wildwood is trying to get into the “tiny home” business. It isn’t tiny in length, but the loft master bedroom that you have to crawl into looks like it was lifted right out of tiny home design. And, even if they are thermopane, all those windows are still going to make it hot in summer and cold in winter. Maybe it is designed to be a summer home in Ouray, then towed to its winter home in Lake Havasu City. Two 800-mile trips a year is about all the lousy suspension and tires could handle on a trailer that big.
Suddenly the Tiny Home trailers are selling like hotcakes so I would imagine you’re going to see more and more of that idea. I suspect, with the cost of housing, that might be what’s happening here. Plus, with a Tiny Home, moving day is a whole lot easier.
Thank you, Tony! 🙂 Yes, this is an amazing RV. I don’t think that I would like crawling to bed, but the veranda, covered back porch is especially attractive. This seems a great RV, including the upstairs playhouse for the grandkids! 🙂 Thanks again, Tony! Have a great week, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂