New Leisure Travel Free Spirit SS with a slide out

markopolo · 08-03-2012, 05:27 PM

Leisure Travel has a new model. It is the Free Spirit SS and it has a slide out

http://www.leisurevans.com/freespirit-ss/index.html

markopolo · 08-03-2012, 06:36 PM

and a video:

[youtube:2xwmr76a]lHfV0iZtPxw[/youtube:2xwmr76a]

markopolo · 08-04-2012, 01:56 PM

Dean is so enthusiastic in that video! Fun to watch. Starting prices are at $119,470 USD or $124,241 CAD.
The fridge looked a bit small given the other generous storage areas for extended travel. 3.8 cu ft is what I think I heard in the video.
Overall, it is a very impressive unit.

What do y'all think about it?

psmith · 08-04-2012, 06:35 PM

I've been lurking here for a while as I'm looking ahead to retirement and more traveling.
This Free Spirit SS looks superb!
A dry bath in a B with all that storage make me excited about the innovations in the industry.

booster · 08-04-2012, 10:26 PM

It will be interesting to see how popular it is going to be. In general, front sleepers have fallen from favor, with a few exceptions. It looks like it would be pretty tight getting in and out of the van, or from front to rear, when the bed is up, and, as was mentioned, you have to have the slide out to have the bed, so you always have to get rid of the bed to go anywhere. We are somewhat the exception, I think, but all that "wasted" (in our opinion) space for huge bathrooms makes no sense to us in a van where space is at a premium.

markopolo · 08-05-2012, 02:12 AM

I can see this appealing to couples downsizing from a Class A or Class C. They'd be accustomed to having a slide-out and no rear windows. There's no choice but to have the slide extended to have a bed. The couch is 54" wide so not long enough for most people to sleep on. It is a similar floor to some older Class B's as booster pointed out (except for the slide-out). An older B would have had a gaucho or jack-knife type bed on the side. Some older B's were 18' long so the 4' gained with the 22' Sprinter allowed them to do more with it.

Johnny R · 08-05-2012, 03:37 AM

Hmm. I'm not into new Class Bs, too pricey. Nevertheless, I feel when this one comes around to my price range, I may not be too interested. Too much of the wrong things, like slide out. Not for my type of travel I'm afraid. If I wanted that and more room, I think I could buy a truck trailer for better price.

markopolo · 08-05-2012, 03:07 PM

Here's an example of a very similar layout in a 2006 Great West Classic Supreme with a Slide out: http://www.classbforum.com/phpBB2/vi...php?f=9&t=2283

The larger Sprinter lets Leisure Travel make a unit that is more roomy.

Ron J. Moore · 08-05-2012, 03:30 PM

I haven't paid much attention to the Sprinter Models, mainly because I thought they looked like delivery vans. This Leisure Travel Free Spirit, now that changes my mind! I like the automatic step when the door opens, the screen door and the clean lines inside. It looks like you could move around pretty good. The slide-out and the non-mechaical couch are interesting; the width of the bed, I wonder about. It is nice that either person can get out of bed without disturbing the other, and get around the bottom of the bed. I would like to see a larger refrigerator - the sink in the bath could be eliminated and space gained. I guess I am from the old school, I wash my hands in the kitchen. Out side is clean has good eye appeal. The big gripe would be they have gone back to the stone age and kept that Blue Hose!!! They don't show a macerator as an Option, I wonder if one could be installed. The storage in the rear....I'd have to see it without the golf clubs and tennis junk, then you could envision what we all tend to carry regularly. I wonder where you can carry a cook stove and stuff like that. Don't get me wrong, I think this is a slick looking machine, and probably the way the B industry is heading in the future. Will be waiting to see one in a Park, and get a ten cent tour, and hear the comments of the owner.

puppie96 · 08-09-2012, 07:43 PM

I agree with booster, why waste the extra space on a huge bath when storage is at a premium.

But I want a screen door. Wonder if we can get one for our LTV.

VanGoGirl · 08-18-2012, 01:46 PM

Has anyone tried the sofa bed in these B's?

We had a B+ with a sofa bed so incredibly uncomfortable that we had to trade.

I wouldn't buy one without trying to spend an entire night on the bed.

AmCruiser · 08-18-2012, 02:55 PM

I've got a bad knee which sometimes makes the cramped wet bath in my B a bit of a challange, so for me, the bigger bath would be a plus. Although a slider does seem a little much for a B, this one seems to be pretty unobtrusive inside when retracted, an looks to be quick and easy to deploy and retract. All in all I find this to be a very attractive unit except for the price (given that I just bought my current 99 B for $8,900) but if I spot one 10 years from now in the right price range, I'd be tempted.

Davydd · 08-25-2012, 11:30 PM

Leisure Travel has re-thought the Sprinter chassis in a very unique way and has made it extremely livable inside. I think maybe it will take some time to sink in. I don't know if I would want a slide out and the 54" wide bed is a bit comfy now for my personal king size leisure standards now. It is nice to see an new option in plans.

AGP · 08-30-2012, 08:19 PM

Well it is a beautiful rig, I just do not feel if you want to get 200 to 300k miles out of a van a slide is the best decision. Remember, they will have to use heavier spring rates on the left side of the van, this will impact overall handling . I can gurantee leaks and squeaks alongside maint issues will be the price to pay for the extra room.

I really like our simple long and tall 2500 2008 sprinter as a platform for the ERA conversion. I plan to drive 25k miles/year for 10 years and no big holes in the side will help make that goal.

that being said, nice rig and very roomy.

markopolo · 08-21-2013, 02:14 AM

New 2014 Leisure Travel Free Spirit SS (slide out) video

[youtube:yyplfb6s]QtyLJ0vGYfA[/youtube:yyplfb6s]

That bathroom would be nice to have

And, I really like the tables that can slide to various positions.

mlts22 · 08-21-2013, 02:50 AM

I wish more "B" makers would consider this approach, especially when other van chassis start hitting US shores. There is the downside of no bed available unless the slide comes out (which means absolutely zero stealth camping ability), but for touring and boondocking, it adds space in a very needed place, allowing for a decently sized bathroom.

The closest to this was the RT SS Ideal, but I'm guessing people having to open the van doors and extend the rear slide didn't sell much as opposed to a side slide that just pushed open with a touch of a button.

Mike · 08-21-2013, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markopolo

Dean is so enthusiastic in that video! Fun to watch. Starting prices are at $119,470 USD or $124,241 CAD.
The fridge looked a bit small given the other generous storage areas for extended travel. 3.8 cu ft is what I think I heard in the video.
Overall, it is a very impressive unit.

What do y'all think about it?

I'd buy one just based on his enthusiasm. Too bad the sales tax in Canada (except in Alberta and Manitoba) adds another 13%-15% to the price. I wonder if the 600W inverter is easily upgradable at the factory level or as a DIY project? Seems a bit small for most inverted power applications.

Rok · 08-22-2013, 07:30 PM

My understanding is that the bed is very narrow in these units. Wonderful for one person, but very tight for two. I really like the idea of using the optional second door opening for something, but I don't think this application is that "something". I think sales numbers for this unit show that others feel the same way. Too bad, I think that LTV was really thinking outside the box here, and there is a lot of ingenuity involved. We vetoed this unit immediately due to the lack of stealth mentioned above.

The question is: What could that opening be used for? I've wracked my brain and haven't come up with anything. The best I could come up with is an additional awning and a screen or tent room. But then you simply lose what others have put there.

In our GW Legend, we have a small dresser and Microwave in that space. If all of that could be mounted on a slide out, it would provide some very desirable additional room for the forward seating.

I begin to wonder if the current crop of Sprinter based Class B's can really be improved upon. My gut feeling say's yes, but I can't come up with a better floor plan than what they have come up with.

............Rocky

Mike · 08-22-2013, 08:15 PM

The bed in the second (2014) demo appeared to have been widened. Or Dean lost weight.

I'm also not sure whether stealth is a concern that matters much any more. Certainly it doesn't seem to in most boon docking scenarios I've encountered over the last few years.
I suppose if your HOA frowns upon parking an RV in your driveway, then it might be useful, but beyond that, a 22' to 24' Sprinter van stands out as a large object or obstruction on it's own, slide in or slide out. Do most HOA's allow parking a commercial use Sprinter van in the homeowner's driveways? There must be a one or two people that have a small business and use them. I see them here in non-HOA bound neighborhoods and subdivisions.

booster · 08-22-2013, 08:28 PM

Personally, I think the marketing folks are working the system to try to make the products look innovative and better than the competition, with little regard to actual function. Too many folks look at the buzzwords and features list and think they are all good things. I certainly wouldn't think such a narrow bed would be an improvement, when you get a wider bed in a Roadtrek 170 or Agile, which are much smaller.

To us, the same is true of the now growing exponentially bathrooms in B's. First it was a shift from aisle showers and temporary bathroom doors to enclosed baths, but that turned out to be too small, so they started growing them. Now you see glass wall showers, etc, but no space for anything else, including beds.

The elimination of cabinets to get wide open floor plans also is something that looks better than it works, if you are really going to use the van for longer trips, IMO

For us, the aisle shower units work best, we have been together long enough that modesty long dispappeared. The older Chevy 210's with the aisle shower had to be the pinnacle of useful space in a class b, while keeping a big, comfortable bed area. The Roadtrek CS Adventurous does appear to be heading back into the useful camper direction, and it will be interesting to see how it sells.

I wonder how many folks who buy new class B's actually spend more than a couple of days at a time in them. It would be very interesting to know, I think.

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