Where I live there are a lot of RV parks that used to be places people would bring their RVs and stay a short time. They have since become places where people bring RVs that just live out their lives there, some closer to the end than to the beginning.
Seasonal-use RVs are something a lot of people like. There are now companies that are selling plots of land and spaces at places where you can just bring your RV and leave it for the rest of its life. The reason I bring this up is to look at the 2022 Jayco Jay Flight 34RSBS travel trailer.
Page Contents
Flat fifth wheel
If you’ve been reading these reviews for a while, you might look at the floor plan of this beast and think you’ve seen it before. In fact, you have. I would say this is almost the classic fifth wheel floor plan with the benefit of having just a single level. We’ve also looked at a very similar floor plan in the Keystone Outback 328RL, which is a high-end travel trailer but with an almost identical floor plan.
So, why would you buy this instead of a fifth wheel that likely tows better and certainly has more outside storage? A lot of reasons.
For example, the lack of steps to the bedroom might help some who have some mobility challenges. Also, some people would rather tow a travel trailer and leave the bed of their pickups open.
Further, if this is going to become a trailer that stays in one spot, then the advantages of a fifth wheel might not justify the price. You may not even be towing this yourself if it’s staying in one place. We had a regular shipper who would move things like this for us to destinations either on someone’s personal property (a lot of wineries, incidentally, where the vineyard manager would live in this when on property), or to spots at RV parks.
New for 2022
If you’ve looked at previous versions of this trailer, you might notice things like the fact that Jayco has now stepped up to carpetless slide room designs. But I like how they’ve done it. The flooring material in the slide matches the flooring material in the rest of the trailer.
Options
You can also get this with the JAYCOMMAND™ “Smart RV” system that includes a tire pressure monitoring system ($443). But if you’re going to park this and leave it, don’t waste your money.
Speaking of spending money, another option is a fiberglass sidewall build where the exterior walls are smooth. Essentially, this doesn’t change that this is a wood-framed trailer. It only puts on a layer of Luan to which a layer of fiberglass is glued. This increases the weight of the trailer and also increases the cost by $1,838.
Depending on where you’re camping, there is a thermal package for $473 that could make a difference in how long you could spend there. You can also have this trailer upgraded to 50-amp service. That would enable you to add a second AC unit, as well. The prep and the AC (separate line items) will set you back $1,186. That may be money very well spent – or not. Depends on where you camp.
Details in the 2022 Jayco Jay Flight 34RSBS
Since this floor plan isn’t really that surprising if you’ve ever been inside a fifth wheel, let’s just look at the things unique to this trailer. That starts in the bedroom. You might be surprised to find that the closet, in the nose of the trailer, is prepped for a combo washer-dryer.
Jayco also has a specific tank for the washer, which is a nice touch. But, in addition, they’ve plumbed this tank into a common sewer connection that all the tanks use. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen RVs where there are multiple sewer connections – which just annoys me. Thank you, Jayco, for going the extra mile and only requiring a single sewer hook-up.
Pass-through storage bay under the bed in the Jayco Jay Flight 34RSBS
Another interesting bedroom aspect is that there is a pass-through storage bay under the bed. That bed can be either queen-sized or king-sized. So, you can get to the storage under the bed as you normally would, by simply lifting the bed, but also through an outdoor compartment door.
Furthermore, that compartment door and every other keyed opening on this trailer, including the main entry door, use the same key. So, you can get into any compartment or opening with just one key. That has the side benefit of your not having the same 751 key “protecting” your doors as every other person in the RV park.
Warranty and more
Jayco’s warranty is still one of the better ones in the business – with two years of coverage on the trailer and three on the structure. Also, the company has been bragging about their Magnum Truss roofing system for some time – and that’s here.
What’s not
There are a few things that caught my eye that I didn’t like. One of those is the way Jayco hung the towel bar half-way down the bathroom door. Many manufacturers just include the towel bar and toilet paper holder and let you put them where you want. But Jayco put both on the bathroom door. It’s a decent use of space, but if your towel is as big as mine, it’ll cover the door knob and the toilet paper.
I also understand that heater vents in the floor are a simple way to efficiently run heat – but that doesn’t mean I have to like them. Nor do I have to like the 17” oven in a trailer this large. Although, at least it’s not a bunk model where you are arguably feeding larger numbers of people.
Lastly, this trailer has no access to the living space with the slide in. But at least you can visit the bathroom and even use the bed.
In summary
When I was thinking about the Keystone Outback, I mentioned initially I went back and checked out the review I did before and, in that story, the MSRP of that Outback was just under $50,000. So, in looking at this trailer with an MSRP just over $50,000, I was surprised, as I consider the Outback line a rather premium brand and this as a more affordable line.
Then I went back and looked at the Outback line on Keystone’s website and realized that the MSRP for that same Outback at this writing is $65,685. Holy mother of pearl! That means the price has gone up about 30 percent in a year. That. Is. Nuts.
I know the Outback isn’t the only one that’s gone up in price like this. But the continual increases in prices of RVs are going to make them something a lot fewer people want. I’m sure the RV industry isn’t thrilled with the cost increases either. But, Wow.
If I had some piece of property somewhere and wanted to just drop a trailer on it, rather than build something, the Jayco Jay Flight 34RSBS would certainly be one that I would consider. Of course, this trailer is every bit capable of being towed on an epic adventure, too. But I wonder if these spend more time in one spot than they do traveling?
Compared to a “park model” trailer, this is also significantly less expensive. Although it doesn’t have some of the amenities of some of those trailers.
Folks might like this rather than a fifth wheel
I can see a lot of folks who might like this as opposed to a fifth wheel for a variety of reasons. A trailer with this floor plan and of this size would be ideal to just take to some property you own and leave it there. However, as the husband of someone who used to have to enforce code violations, it’s also a really smart idea to see if local ordinances even allow you to have a travel trailer or fifth wheel on a property more than a few weeks at a time.
The towing company in the county we live in earned a lot of revenue from “illegally used” trailers on people’s private properties.
I would love to read your comments and suggestions over on our new forums, where you can weigh in and start or join a discussion about all things RV. Here’s a link to my RV Reviews Forum.
Tony comes to RVTravel having worked at an RV dealership and been a life long RV enthusiast. He also has written the syndicated Curbside column about cars. You can find his writing here and at StressLessCamping where he also has a podcast about the RV life with his wife.
These RV reviews are written based on information provided by the manufacturers along with our writer’s own research. 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.
Got an RV we need to look at? Contact us today and let us know in the form below – thank you!
##RVT1031
You mentioned all the doors are keyed alike on Jayco’s. They’re not. The chintzy out door shower door lock isn’t. The key is similar to other rv entry keys and if mistakenly stuck in entry door can screw lock up. It’s nice to have two entry doors or access from the pass thru storage thru the bed incase that happened. As for their magnum roof trusses, I’m not impressed. My 2021 Jayflight is spongey walking on the roof.
As you said this would be ideal to set up on a piece of property, but I don’t think I would want to tow it on a regular basis. Just the extra work hooking up and unhooking compared to a 5th wheel would be more work than I want plus the towing advantages of a 5th wheel out weigh the disadvantage of climbing 3 steps to go to bed. I’ve had every kind of RV except a truck camper and the 5th wheel was the easiest, motorhomes would be easy if you didn’t have the toad to deal with. There are advantages and disadvantages to each, but there’s quite a bit less work with a 5th wheel. I currently have a 23’ TT and I had forgotten how much work goes into setting up and breaking down TT. LOL