Today’s RV review is of the 2024 Jayco Eagle 29.5BHDS fifth wheel. This is a smaller fifth wheel, as fifth wheels go, and one that is well-suited to providing sleeping for more people. How many more?
By the name—BHDS—you can figure that this is a bunkhouse model, but it may not be a traditional bunkhouse model. Remember a while back I wrote a story about what RV model numbers and names mean. Having a “B” almost guarantees that you’re looking at a bunkhouse, but that’s not a complete and total guarantee.
Sleeping in the 2024 Jayco Eagle 29.5BHDS
I had mentioned that this was an unusual sort of bunk house, and that it is. Since we’re talking bunks, the ones here are at the back, where you’d expect them to be. But rather than being parallel with the back of the RV, they’re parallel with the camp side of the rig.
To get up to the bunks there’s a two-step stairwell that kind of reminds me of something you’d almost see in one of those old-timey MGM Grand musicals with well-dressed people dancing their way down the steps.
Or maybe I shouldn’t have had those beers before writing this.
Each of the two bunks is a double-over-double arrangement, which translates into 50” X 76” inches in the real world. There is not a pillar or post at the outer road side edge of these, so getting in would be pretty easy, With a weight rating of 600 pounds each, you could technically sleep two adults in each bunk.
Depending on how good-looking the person is sleeping next to me, I’m not sure I’d want another adult there. But, again, that depends on who it is.
But what I can see working out really well is that a grandparent occupies the lower bunk and a couple of grandchildren occupy the upper bunk, with mom and dad in the main front bedroom. This would work rather well.
Well. Again. Depending on that grandparent and those grandchildren. I can see the kids bugging one another to the point that grandma throws something into the upper bunk to just shut them up.
If the kids or the grandparent have things like phones or even a CPAP machine, there are household and USB outlets at each level. There’s a nifty little cubby for each bunk, as well.
Back against the rear wall there’s also space to hang clothes, plus two drawers.
Regarding that upstairs bedroom, you’ll find a queen-sized bed there and nothing more. This has a wardrobe slide that will pretty much limit the size of the mattress, but at least it’s a proper queen-sized model.
Main living space
I like the main living space in this and, in particular, the way Jayco has done the dining table.
That table can accommodate all four of the included dining chairs. It can also rotate 90 degrees and sit up against the wall—which means it could be usable as a desk.
There’s also an ottoman included such that the table could have two diners up on the wall of the slide room and two on the opposite side of the table. You could then take one of the remaining dining chairs, and now you have room for five people at the table.
Remember those two kids and one grandparent? Each hind end has a seat at the table.
There is a choice of a theater seat or a hide-a-bed couch, as well. The theater seats have tables that slot into the cupholders. So this could be two more diners, if it matters. Or it could be just a comfy place for those who pay the loan on this rig to sit and enjoy a meal or a beverage.
Those seats are right across from the TV and fireplace in here.
Kitchen in the 2024 Jayco Eagle 29.5BHDS
The kitchen is serviceable with a big microwave and a larger oven to go with the three-burner propane stovetop. Of course, there’s a 12-volt fridge. However, there aren’t as many cabinets and drawers here as in some other fifth wheels.
But wait—there’s a surprise. The wall that has the TV and fireplace opens up and, voila, there’s a ton of storage behind that wall!
Outside storage in the Jayco Eagle 29.5BHDS
While interior storage isn’t this unit’s best feature, it does have good outside storage. Of course, being a fifth wheel, this does have the typical ability to hold things in the front.
Where the surprise comes in is in the storage under the bunks, but accessible from the outside.
Jayco took full advantage of the raised lower bunk to make a pretty large storage compartment in this trailer that has both a camp-side access door and one at the rear.
There’s also Jayco’s JayPort™ device, which is essentially a two-inch receiver hitch in the side of this rig. That’s where you’d slip in the table arrangement that holds the propane flat-top griddle.
What I would change in the 2024 Jayco Eagle 29.5BHDS
At the end of this table on the side is a sink. This is like one of those class projects you turn in early that isn’t completed just yet.
The sink has a cutting board cover that’s pretty nifty, but it has neither a water source nor a place for the drain to drain, unless you count the ground.
You could use the spray port at the side of this trailer to supply water to the sink and you could screw in a hose and some provision to capture the sink’s gray water. But it’s just odd that it’s just here. Lonely. With no plumbing from the factory.
As long as I’m griping about things, Jayco is pretty good about making their RVs well-suited for colder climates. In this case, that’s true as well, but the furnace ducts are right there smack dab in the middle of the main living space floor.
Guess what you’ll be smelling after a summer of your kids and dogs running around on the floor? Yep, that very special burned summer dust, fur and stuff that blasts up the first time you engage the furnace come fall.
As long as I’m kvetching here, I might include the fact that the struts that held up the upper cabinet doors in the past have gone bye-bye. I’m sure somewhere some bean counter is patting themselves on the back. But, frankly, with the height of a fifth wheel I’d rather bang those cabinet doors on their hands a few times and show them why this is a dumb idea.
Or, here’s an idea. Put the hinges on the side of these cabinets. Same savings, better function.
I was also surprised to see the framing of the bunks from underneath as being wood instead of aluminum. Because I see so much aluminum framing of late, the wood was a bit of a surprise. Lookie there.
Boondocking and travel access
You might find yourself off the grid or just at a quick overnight stop on your adventure with this. It’s good to know that the upper bedroom is fully accessible with the wardrobe slide in.
Surprisingly, since the dining table can be rotated, the lower deck is reasonably accessible, as well. The only thing really cut off from use are the bunks in the back. That’s not what I would expect in a fifth wheel.
As for solar, Jayco now offers two optional packages for this in the solar department. One has two 200-watt panels and an 1800-watt inverter. The more deluxe package sports four 200-watt panels, a 3,000-watt inverter, 60-amp solar charge controller and even two 100-amp-hour lithium batteries.
There is also the ability to get this with generator prep—so you could be an off-grid machine, if you’d like.
Conclusions regarding the 2024 Jayco Eagle 29.5BHDS
This is a good floor plan from the standpoint of being flexible—and that dining table arrangement is the star of the show.
This does still have Jayco’s JaySMART™ lighting system. This is where it flashes an upper marker light and the side marker lights with the turn signals. I’ve considered this one of the better safety features since I first heard of it.
However, do know that not all Jayco products have that. Again, those people in accounting are getting a voice and it’s time to lock them back into the back room and turn out the lights. Or force them to go camping in the products they’ve asked for changes on and see if they can discern the difference between a smart cut and a dumb one. I’m waiting.
What is still here is a fully ducted air conditioning system where you don’t even see the bottom of the main A/C unit. That means this is a very quiet air conditioning system. One A/C comes with this rig, but you can opt in a second unit.
I had mentioned in the past that Jayco now has a pre-delivery inspection for all their products—which I think is a good thing. Give it the full once-over before the transporter even takes it off Jayco’s lot.
Something I absolutely love is the “HT” or half-ton designation has been removed from this unit altogether. Good. Riddance. I would much rather we all learn how to figure out what any truck can carry as the prime way of evaluating whether it can tote this rig around safely.
Overall this is a good floor plan—and that kitchen table really is something to keep track of. I like when things can be more than just one thing—and that kitchen table can be several. Oh, one more thing. This also only has one connection point for the sewer system. Yay.
What’s your impression of that table?
My thanks to Josh from Bish’s RV for the video and photos 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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Why is it named 29.5 when it is 34.5 ft in length? Drives me nuts.
New math. 😉🙂
Perhaps Jayco already bought the 29.5 stickers and thought, “oh well”
Let’s see, a 35′, nearly 6-ton fiver sleeping 8 people is a “small” fifth wheel that can be an “off-grid machine”? This thing will most likely spend its life in a FHU seasonal campground on a lake, despite the 81 gallons of fresh water and optional 3,000w inverter.
We had a REAL “small” fifth wheel at 26’7″ and 8,600#. It could sleep 3 if someone could actually get to sleep on the 68″ jackknife sofa. But it could fit in nearly all national park campgrounds!
Jayco has always been crap and always will be
Thank you, Tony! 😉 It does seem as though any model designation would include numbers that are an approximation of the length of the RV. Failing to do so may be extremely confusing to novice RV shoppers. This seems a solid RV choice, based on your discussion and the spec sheet. Thanks for the honest review, Tony, and safe travels! 🙂