Bought new P-W Plateau

[VanGoGirl]

Just got a new P-W Plateau two days ago. Spent one night in it. Had a couple of issues with the TV (how to turn the sound on ...and the latch to hold it in place was too short) which were quickly fixed by the dealer. It rides smoothly. A little cramped...not used to the small space...but overall I'm pleased.

[markopolo]

Congratulations!
I think we all adapt to the limited space in Class B's.
Once everything is in its place it will be great!

[VanGoGirl]

This is my third B. Previously I had a Sportsmobile and then an Airstream. But I had a B+ most recently, and now I have a little less storage room...and I'm going to miss that slide-out which made a stay-at-home evening watching TV very comfortable.

However, the eating area is better in the new Plateau, as is the kitchen counter- and kitchen drawer-space. It's always a trade-off, isn't it? I still miss that penthouse (canvas-sided) roof on the Sportsmobile.

[teachergal]

Looks just like mine!
Mine is 2011 - it's new to me - I bought it used but it had been purchased last Oct and driven to FL and that was it - it had 2500 miles on it when I got it a month ago!

This is my 1st RV and I LOVE it. LOVE it.

Congrats on your purchase and welcome to the Pleasure-Way family!

[VanGoGirl]

Ours is a 2011 as well, but it was new. We didn't see any difference in the 2011's and 2012's, except the price. We'll have to chat about what kind of bedding to use...and where to stow it. Also, do you carry chairs for use under the awning? If so, what kind, and where do you stow them?

[teachergal]

Right now I'm using stuff I already had in the RV.

For the bed...
I have an old knit sheet (like t-shirt) that was my mom's that I put on the bed - it's a king size but the elastic is shot so I just tuck it in, luckily the cushions fit tight to the walls and it doesn't come undone much. I like the sheet on the bed because it makes the ultra leather warmer when it's cold and it's more "bed like". When it's cold I just sleep in my 0 degree backpacking sleeping bag (I bought it for tent camping then decided I really didn't like tent camping!). When it's warmer I have a "sleep sack" that is basically a sheet folded and sewn up like a sleeping bag. It seems roomier than a regular sleeping bag. My bought it for me at Bed Bath and Beyond. Then I have an assortment of blankets to choose from...I'm working on deciding which I need and which and don't. Currently I carry a twin size down like comforter, a twin size cotton blanket and a fleece sleeping bag liner that zips up like a sleeping bag but can be used big. I don't need all that since if it's cold I'll just use the sleeping bag!

To store...
I put all the bedding in the large cabinet that goes along the back of the van. I put the down like comforter in a compression sack that I got at REI - it's about the size of a large loaf of bread. http://www.rei.com/product/766677/sea-t ... ssion-sack The sleeping bag lives in it's stuff stack - the sleeping bag was designed for backpacking so it's smaller than a traditional sleeping bag. I have the sheet, the sleep sack and the two blankets in a square Ziploc storage container - http://www.ziploc.com/Products/Pages/Fl ... izeName=XL I also keep an extra pillow in that cabinet. I then bring a pillow from my bed at home so I have 2 pillows. It all fits in the cabinet with room to spare but it doesn't really fit well - everything is a different shape so it results in wasted space. I currently have lots of extra space in the van so I don't worry too much.

I LOVE the Ziploc bags/cubes - they are lightweight and easy to store empty and you can load them up with lots of stuff when you want to use them!

I have one camp chair that I've had for years - it's one of those "chairs in a bag" and it's fairly large and bulky but it fits in the under the bed storage area - again not the ideal choice but it's what I've got and I don't currently have a lot of stuff competing for that space. I need to carry 2 chairs...I travel alone and I figure that setting up 2 camp chairs by the campfire gives the illusion of 2 people!

These chairs look perfect for a PW: http://www.rei.com/product/767164/gci-o ... ping-chair, but they are pricey!

I've only had my PW for about a month - lived in it for 6 days driving it home from FL and I've been on 3 weekend trips since then, I'm sure as I use it I'll come up with other tricks! Let me know what you find works for you...love to share great ideas!

[VanGoGirl]

Thanks for your ideas.

We are probably older than you, and there are two of us, and we need to get up in the night. We would find it difficult to use the entire bed, having to crawl in from the foot on our hands and knees to reach the top (rear doors) to get under the covers.

We have a TS (is that what you have?), so we are planning to use it as twin beds, not using the shelves at the bottom with the ottoman bolsters. There isn't a lot of width for the legs that way, but plenty of room for the head and torso. And it's easy to get in and out of bed. Also, we've ruled out sleeping bags, as we find it difficult to turn over in them.

Next time we are trying a 1½" thick piece of memory foam, covered by a sheet, with a light blanket. We'll see how that works. The foam can be stored between the back of the sofa and the back doors, I hope.

Our old camp chairs definitely won't fit. We're looking at the Pico chairs but still haven't figured out where to stow them. You're right about having two chairs. I'd suggest joining Loners On Wheels, but do NOT put their logo decal on your van window!

I'll let you know how this bedding attempt works out.

[Jenise]

Hi! Congratulations; we also just bought our first RV, and it's a Plateau TS as well. Ours is an 07 so not new and lacking a few of the advantages of your newer ones, but it belonged to the mother of a friend who only put 20,000 miles on it driving herself, her chihuahua and her Miss Chrysler 1941 wardrobe back and forth from northern Washington to Yuma, Arizona every year. She slept in it about ten times and never cooked in it. We got a great deal on it.

We haven't slept in it yet or figured out how we're going to do that when the time comes, but we have the advantage of having friends with the exact same model who showed us how they've got theirs packed and for lack of better ideas, we'll probably just copy them! Two of those chairs in a bag, a folding table, a barbecue and a Coleman camp stove are all stored under the bed.

[teachergal]

Loners on Wheels!!!!! I found them before I got the RV and didn't bookmark it and couldn't remember the name! I've been trying to remember that groups name for weeks! Thank you! I have found a Women's RV Forum and a Single's RV forum also...good stuff!

I hope the sleeping arrangements work for you. I can't imagine having another person in the van with me! The previous owner of my van had a big piece of foam she put on the bed but it filled up the whole cabinet and I quickly decided it wasn't pulling it's weight. I find the couch bed just fine as is! I usually make at least 1 bathroom trip in the middle of the night and I do find the "sleep sack" annoying for that because you have to throw the covers off then climb out of the sleep sack and then it all gets cold while you are up and then you have to put it all back together again and get the blanket back tucked in under your feet.

You are likely correct in your assumption that I'm younger than you, I'm prob the youngest PW owner around - I'm not even 40 yet! I do have a lot of friend my age who are very jealous!

[VanGoGirl]

I hope you can get all that stuff under the sofa in your P-W. I'm just hoping to find room for two Pico chairs. We have a spare tire in that under-sofa space, and there is very little room for anything else, maybe a small toolbox and the water hose and electric cord. I don't think there is a LOT of change in models from year to year, so your 2007 is probably nicely equipped. My first B didn't have a TV or a microwave...early 90's.

We spent our second night in it, and I used the twin size foam pad, which has a polyester zipped-up cover. That cover is kind of slippery, so the pad kept falling off the bed every time I got up. I had put a regular twin size fitted sheet over it. I'm going to remove the slick cover and just use the sheet next time, hoping the exposed foam on the bottom will be less likely to fall off. I also used a top sheet and light blanket. Basically it worked pretty well.

I got my first Class B at age 53 and joined Loners On Wheels. They "expelled" me when I "committed matrimony," though. I enjoyed the monthly campouts with the same group, and I visited other groups when I was traveling alone around the country...planned my trips around their monthly campouts.

[teachergal]

I ditched the spare tire, decided it wasn't pulling it's weight and here's why:
First of all, my Dad discovered that my 2011 PW had a "fix a flat" kit - it's rather elaborate, you squirt this foam stuff in the tire somehow and then use the air compressor to re-inflate the tire. Everything (including the air compressor) is in a compartment under the passenger seat and details about it (and directions) are in the Sprinter Manual. The previous owner of my coach didn't even know it was there!
Second of all, I have Good Sam Roadside Assistance and they provide unlimited towing to get to a facility that can fix the problem. They would also bring a tire/spare if need be. They would also be able to help me with the fix-a-flat stuff.
So my dad and I decided that I have several options if I run into tire trouble on the road, even if I had the spare I'd still need to call RA since I don't know how to change a tire!

[Davydd]

We don't carry a spare either. It is my understanding and I hope the advice is right that with a dually you can take one tire off temporarily and put it on the front to get to safety if it is a front tire that goes down. I don't even know if I am capable of handling those tires anymore anyway so plan to let a AAA or Good Sam do any work necessary.

[VanGoGirl]

Originally Posted by Davydd

We don't carry a spare either. It is my understanding and I hope the advice is right that with a dually you can take one tire off temporarily and put it on the front to get to safety if it is a front tire that goes down. I don't even know if I am capable of handling those tires anymore anyway so plan to let a AAA or Good Sam do any work necessary.

So...you're saying if we're 1,000 mi. from home and blow a tire, we can use one of the back tires. Do we limp all 1,000 mi. back home to install the original spare? Or do we buy a new tire where we had the blow-out, thus leaving the original spare in our garage at home? I suppose the practical thing would be to exchange the original spare for the newly purchased tire when we get back home, leaving the new purchase in our garage...until we have the next similar mishap.

It would be great to have the use of the spare-tire space for storage. We've bought two Pico chairs, which we haven't used yet. Right now one is on top of the spare, one to the side of the spare, and we're not sure how well they will ride that way. Without the spare we could put in a lot more "stuff." We need extra space for clothing, bedding, computer, books and papers, and other things we would really rather keep clean inside the Plateau. We won't be hauling fishing gear, bicycles, barbecues, "dirty" things like that.

I absolutely agree that we would call AAA or whomever to do this roadside work rather than try to do it ourselves.

[Davydd]

I just look at the odds. If you have a flat tire you are in for a big pain of trouble no matter what. I'm a good 85,000 miles into B vanning with no tire problems other than a defective valve stem that ironically was subject to a recall. I am 52 years into driving all vehicles and have had only one tire destroying blowout. No, I would not limp a 1,000 miles home. I would take care of the problem at the nearest tire facility capable of doing so.

[teachergal]

I've also heard the rumor about using one of the inner dually tires to replace a damaged tire, however I'm not sure I buy it. I suspect that it would put too much weight on the single tire, that is meant to have 2 tires and cause more problems.

Tires are generally a quick fix, unless the tire you need must be ordered, but even then it will only take a day or so, I would def get it fixed wherever I was and keep going. If I happened to be close to to where my spare tire is I might try and use it rather than the purchasing a new tire since it's a full size spare, but if not, oh well. And I'd def keep that new tire on the vehicle!

I too have had very few tire issues over the years (I haven't been driving quite as long as Davydd, but still), and I've had 2 issues with the same tire on my SUV in the last 3 months. I replaced a tire in March b/c it got a nail in it. Then just a few weeks ago the brand new tire got a nail in it and had to be replaced. grrr...

Did you check and see if you have a "fix a flat" kit in your Sprinter? That's what sold me on not traveling with a spare.

[Davydd]

I haven't looked. I should check and see. What an optimist I am.

[VanGoGirl]

Yes, we have a fix-a-flat kit. So the major risk would be a blow out. I've had three in my life, all three on B's, none on regular cars. Two of the three were on the Al-Can highway. Never go there again!

[puppie96]

Hi! Congratulations to all of you. We, also, just bought our first, an LTV Free Spirit. The P-W is very similar to ours and there were only a few things that we liked better in the LTV. A biggie is that we seem to have much more under sofa storage than the P-W's have, since the sofa mechanism is along the sides and doesn't take up space in the center. Also, there's a pass-through opening at the base of the sofa on the inside of the van, making it possible to access the under-sofa area without opening the back door. Also, it's a handy place to kick your shoes when you go to bed. On the other hand, we are lacking that humongous storage bin you have across the back.

We also get up at night, but still make up the bed as a double or queen or whatever, putting in the ottoman cushions. It doesn't cause us much problem getting up and it would be really uncomfortable to leave the center part out. I've just been using a regular set of queen size sheets and normal blankets and pillows. The bed's very comfortable and we have no need for any additional memory foam or anything. We have a good bit of stuff stowed in the head while driving down the road, such as the trash can, collapsible laundry hamper, and the satellite receiver which is very bulky. We know that sooner or later we are going to need an outside storage container but so far haven't gone on a long enough trip to have problems. We have a small charcoal grill and charcoal stowed under the sofa.

What we most want for our continued travels this summer is a screen room pop up to go over the picnic table. I've seen the ones that integrate with the awning, but I'm sort of concerned about wind issues. We have had beautiful weather for almost all of our travels thus far, and we have spent a surprising number of nights on the van considering how recently we got it. Still, though, more often than not there was enough breeze to make the awning an iffy proposition. Also, somehow or other I'm going to figure out how to put screen doors on the side, real doors, not curtains, because of the dogs. Anybody have any recs on the screen room topic?

Happy travels!

[puppie96]

Somehow I didn't see the part about the tires before. Wow -- I've only experienced a few tire problems in my life, with two of them being high speed blowouts. Incredibly, about 20 years ago I was doing 70 on the interstate in a rented class C with my boyfriend at the time -- both of us complete newbies to the whole RV thing other than a few trips I took with my parents -- when the left front tire blew out on me. I was hanging onto the wheel like I never have since and that puppy coasted for over a half mile before I could ease it over onto the shoulder. Whew. Strangely enough, when we got our bearings and looked across the ditch, there was a KOA and a pay phone!

We've got a couple of "event chairs" that fold up and go in a carry sack. They fit under the sofa with the other stuff. We've got the rear mounted spare. Would we benefit from ditching it?

[AdlaiJN]

Nice to find several other new PW Plateau owners, as there are very few on the roads around here (central Ohio). I just bought mine a couple days ago. It is an 07/08 TS model, but the original/only previous owner didn't buy it until 09, so I like to think of it as being only 3 years old . It had about 22,400 miles on it when I picked it up. It is my 2nd motor home, but the first one was an old Class C that I had paid only $3500. for. I only owned it for 2-3 years and I sold it about 15 years ago. So I very much feel like a novice.
This is the first diesel vehicle I've ever owned and after leaving the dealership with what seemed like only about a 1/4 tank of fuel I discovered on the way home that not EVERY gas station sells diesel! I thought that I was going to run out of fuel for the first time in my life!! When I filled up the tank, it only took barely 20 gallons and I think the tank holds 25 gallons, right? So when the guage looks like its near empty (indicator light came on and the 0 on the guage was flashing), it really had 5 more gallons in it???
Anyway, sometimes I will be traveling along and sometimes I will be traveling with my spouse. I am recently retired (teaching) and she is still working and doesn't like to travel that much. Sometimes I'll travel with friends, but always I hope to have my dog with me. She is a good traveling companion.
Anyway. Look forward to sharing info., suggestions, experiences related to our "new" PW Plateaus.
BTW, if you are female and traveling alone, or traveling with a female friend, I highly recommend RVingWomen.org
~ Adlai
Sorry the picture is so big, don't know how to make it smaller!