Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 07-13-2019, 01:32 PM   #1
Winnebago Camper
 
MollyM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 7
Cambria 29H. Who designed this thing?

To everyone who has this rig and RV's full-time: HELP!!

I wanted a small Class C so I could fit into National Parks, State Parks, City Parks, etc. I've driven a 40' Allegro Bus since 2010 and I wanted to downsize. Boy did I downsize. There were no Cambrias near me to see in person and the photos of this rig and reputation of the dealer were outstanding, so I bit the bullet and bought it. I LIKED the "open floor plan" and the rear bath. No walls dividing the rig up into a few claustrophobic boxes. I got a great deal but I put $10k more into it on steering stabilizers, air bags, upgrading a few things, etc. It was delivered to me from Oregon June 4th and I am still trying to fit in. No under-storage big enough to hold hardly anything. Kitchen storage? Ha!! I can't live in a cluttered environment. There's no room for "maybe I'll need this". If it's not necessary to life and happiness, it has to go. No black hose storage. No way to get a water hose and a reel style carrier underneath on the same side as the wet bay either. And you have to be a contortionist to get the black hose connected. And this bed? It didn't look so cumbersome or complicated until I got it. You can't sleep on it that comfortably unless you wrestle the cushions that go at the head of the bed in place - and then I still have an issue because my orthopedic topper had to be cut off so the slide can come in and - oh, heck. You know if you have one. That hard "mattress" is impossibly uncomfortable so the topper was necessary. I'm storing the cushions at my son's house and getting a piece of lightweight foam to go there. But you still have to wrangle it in place to use it. So how are people living in this RV full time? Extra linens, towels, cookware, hiking sticks, kayak paddles, dog food containers, shoes, hats, A GARBAGE CAN, etc. The few art supplies I brought, external hard drives, a printer, my computer and camera gear. These things are necessary for RVing in my opinion but there's no room. I've basically turned the bathroom into a storage area and I have to move stuff out of the shower to be able to get in there. Tried selling it and can't. I owe $49k and these are selling for $39k but without the extras I have on this one. So I guess I am stuck with it until I can find the perfect deal to trade it in and get something larger. I was hoping for a FB page with tips and hints on how to store stuff in here without looking like a traveling retail shop but there's not one. Any suggestions? Thank you!
MollyM is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-13-2019, 02:48 PM   #2
Winnebago Master
 
powercat_ras's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Manhattan, Kansas USA
Posts: 1,315
I had one, a 2008, and traded up to a 2015 Winnebago Vista 27N. Same length and width but much more storage, bigger tanks, queen bed with inner spring mattress standard. Driver and Passenger seats swivel and recline and are same height as rest of main living room. Gets about 1 mpg worse fuel economy. Same towing capacity, 5000 pounds. Of course is more money than the Cambria, but as you have painfully found, units sell for half of new or less if they are a few years old.

I assume you have figured out that the compartment under the jack knife sofa has more height than the others and you can take advantage of that to carry slightly larger items than will fit elsewhere in the basement.

One thing I did to my 29H was I modified the front so that the flat screen TV could be swung up and made the area behind the TV into storage, this added about 12 square feet of storage inside the RV. Sorry can't share any photos of that mod as I have not had the RV for about 4 years.
__________________
Randy - Manhattan, Kansas
2015 Vista 27N
2020 Ford Escape Hybrid
powercat_ras is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-13-2019, 02:54 PM   #3
Winnebago Camper
 
MollyM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 7
Under sofa storage

The thing that blows my mind about this is that there is NO insulation for that storage compartment, so the hot air just floats up into the RV from there. I put a bunch of blankets down there trying to block the air flow. The rest of the storage compartments are too short to get most anything in. If they were just a few inches taller . . .

There are so many wires behind my television, I'm afraid to put anything back there, but now that you mentioned it - this TV is on a swivel so I can pull it out. I may just get in there and pull all of those wires to one spot and twist tie them together so I can use that for blankets and towels and things.

How do you deal with the BED? I didn't understand from the photos that when you put the slide out, you had to use those other pillows to make the "mattress" tall enough to sleep on as a queen size. Do you wrestle with the big heavy ones or did you get a substitute?

Thanks!!
MollyM is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-13-2019, 03:48 PM   #4
Winnebago Master
 
powercat_ras's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Manhattan, Kansas USA
Posts: 1,315
I bought a 4" queen size memory foam mattress topper at Wal-mart and cut it into two pieces of the proper size. Then I had covers made for each of the two pieces. I put them over the original pieces. That made it comfortable.
__________________
Randy - Manhattan, Kansas
2015 Vista 27N
2020 Ford Escape Hybrid
powercat_ras is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-13-2019, 04:52 PM   #5
Winnebago Owner
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Motley MN
Posts: 155
It is what it is!
Here is a shelf that has been added in the bath room. These cheap shelfs can be bought at Walmart for less than $15. There are some little spaces under drawers & etc. If you have booth you can space in back & along the side of drawer. I fulltimed in a Lexington for a couple of years. It did have a lot more storage area.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	2008_itasca_cambria_29h__005.jpg
Views:	130
Size:	51.6 KB
ID:	171930   Click image for larger version

Name:	2008_itasca_cambria_29h__006.jpg
Views:	126
Size:	69.3 KB
ID:	171931  

__________________
2014 Itasca Cambria
Dave from MN is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-14-2019, 12:09 PM   #6
Winnebago Owner
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: The Other California
Posts: 243
Quote:
Originally Posted by MollyM View Post
To everyone who has this rig and RV's full-time: HELP!!

I wanted a small Class C so I could fit into National Parks, State Parks, City Parks, etc. I've driven a 40' Allegro Bus since 2010 and I wanted to downsize. Boy did I downsize. There were no Cambrias near me to see in person and the photos of this rig and reputation of the dealer were outstanding, so I bit the bullet and bought it. I LIKED the "open floor plan" and the rear bath. No walls dividing the rig up into a few claustrophobic boxes. I got a great deal but I put $10k more into it on steering stabilizers, air bags, upgrading a few things, etc. It was delivered to me from Oregon June 4th and I am still trying to fit in. No under-storage big enough to hold hardly anything. Kitchen storage? Ha!! I can't live in a cluttered environment. There's no room for "maybe I'll need this". If it's not necessary to life and happiness, it has to go. No black hose storage. No way to get a water hose and a reel style carrier underneath on the same side as the wet bay either. And you have to be a contortionist to get the black hose connected. And this bed? It didn't look so cumbersome or complicated until I got it. You can't sleep on it that comfortably unless you wrestle the cushions that go at the head of the bed in place - and then I still have an issue because my orthopedic topper had to be cut off so the slide can come in and - oh, heck. You know if you have one. That hard "mattress" is impossibly uncomfortable so the topper was necessary. I'm storing the cushions at my son's house and getting a piece of lightweight foam to go there. But you still have to wrangle it in place to use it. So how are people living in this RV full time? Extra linens, towels, cookware, hiking sticks, kayak paddles, dog food containers, shoes, hats, A GARBAGE CAN, etc. The few art supplies I brought, external hard drives, a printer, my computer and camera gear. These things are necessary for RVing in my opinion but there's no room. I've basically turned the bathroom into a storage area and I have to move stuff out of the shower to be able to get in there. Tried selling it and can't. I owe $49k and these are selling for $39k but without the extras I have on this one. So I guess I am stuck with it until I can find the perfect deal to trade it in and get something larger. I was hoping for a FB page with tips and hints on how to store stuff in here without looking like a traveling retail shop but there's not one. Any suggestions? Thank you!
It looks like once again you've proven the good old saying that always applies when buying anything - "Buyer Beware".

We have only a 24 foot Winnebago Itasca Class C without slides and you wouldn't believe how much storage it provides inside and out due to it's design. We could easily full-time in it. We can pack along such things as these - with nothing stored outside on the roof or strapped to the outside ladder:

- 2 full size reclining outside lounge chairs and 3 outside regular chairs.
- an outside folding table
- 2 outside folding side-tables
- an outside full size propane fire pit
- a beach umbrella
- a full size shovel
- several fishing poles and tackle boxes
- 2 portable propane tanks in addition to the built-in one
- an outside BBQ with a bunch of small propane bottles for it
- a propane single burner outside stove
- a set of tire chains for snow, ice, or mud
- a long tow chain
- a full power air compressor
- a tree saw
- an outside carpet
- a portable generator in addition to the built-in one
- two portable battery chargers
- tools for rockhounding
- a whole array of mechanics tools
- 5 sets of stepped leveling blocks (for up to 4 rear tires and 1 front tire)
- various pieces of 2X6 wood boards for leveling help or getting unstuck
- extra fuel for the portable generator
- all kinds of medical supplies, including a set of crutches
- 2 CPAP machines
- winter, summer, rain, and anti-mosquitoe clothing
- rollup inside window insulation for extreme cold
- a high power coach battery powered 12V fan for either inside or outside use
- a tarp
- ropes
- rags
- heavy duty extension cords for hookups up to 75 feet away
- fresh water fillup hoses for water faucets up to 100 feet away
- sewer emptying hoses for dumps up to 45 feet away
- a pickaxe
- a dog crate for inside use
- a dog pen for outside use
- several gallons of additional drinking water besides the main freshwater tank
- general purpose extension cords
- several flashlights and lanterns
- laptop computer, phones, and if required an inverter to run or recharge them
- room for a printer if we wanted to bring one along
- reading material and DVDs for relaxing inside when outside weather is bad
- food storage for at least one week to 10 days
- a vacuum cleaner, wisk brooms, regular broom, and dustpan
- a plunger for clogged drains
- a remote inspection scope for broken stuff back in where we can't see it
- all kinds of spare parts for repair of the motorhome's coach
- critical spare parts and fluids for the engine and main chassis
- a full size spare tire and the equipment to change it
- satellite communication equipment for when cellular service isn't available
- all kinds of storage for cosmetic, medicinal, and personal hygene supplies
- .... and the list goes on!


We try to travel by hoping for the best but preparing for the worst - while doing it in a small RV so as to not be restricted on where we can go and camp. We even travel and camp off-highway on dirt/grave/rutted roads.
Phil G. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-14-2019, 09:19 PM   #7
Winnebago Camper
 
MollyM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 7
Dave from MN

I have that same white shelf on the bottom and I put two baskets in there to hold doggie pads, personal products that I use every day, etc. Where did you get the wire hanging shelves? I'll definitely get those! Thanks!!
MollyM is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-14-2019, 09:21 PM   #8
Winnebago Camper
 
MollyM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 7
It's man-handling that big folding piece of whatever that folds in the middle that is driving me crazy. I found foam at JoAnne's fabrics and am having it cut to fit there. IT's 6" thick and very lightweight. It will do just fine to replace the heavy ones.
MollyM is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-15-2019, 05:38 AM   #9
Winnebago Owner
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Motley MN
Posts: 155
Quote:
Originally Posted by MollyM View Post
I have that same white shelf on the bottom and I put two baskets in there to hold doggie pads, personal products that I use every day, etc. Where did you get the wire hanging shelves? I'll definitely get those! Thanks!!
Those pictures are from an ad I found on researching a Cambria 29H. My 2014 Cambria 27K has good storage outside & in. Decent sitting is my biggest complaint.
The designs of the class B+ ,from the years yours is from, were bad for storage! I bought a piece of crap Lexington because of it. I went back to Winnebago after they changed the design. Now they no longer are going to make them.
__________________
2014 Itasca Cambria
Dave from MN is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-15-2019, 06:10 AM   #10
Winnie-Wise
 
Kayak73's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: NW Georgia
Posts: 358
We had a 30J Aspect, loved it but there was almost no outside storage. I can't remember exactly what drug induced coma caused me to jump up one day and trade it for a class A Tiffin - but it happened. Enjoyed two A class rigs and now back in the little View. Why? Age, travel is changing, lot of trips close to home, more boondock, more small camps, trying to avoid parking in a paved lot for 65-80 per night, wanting to actually get back into nature and not the "living in a park" thing.


We gave it a shot on almost every "style" of RV, 5th wheel big honker trailer with 3 axles and all the way back to a tiny View and - if we downsize or ever do this again - it will be a smaller B+ rig.


Just have to learn to deal with each rig on it's own merit, enjoy the trip and the destination. If it is not fun - don't do it, life is too short.


You might notice the "more boondock" and give me grief about the 12vdc compressor refrigerator which caused a great deal of turmoil early in ownership. That's the way RV stuff works and you find a few great things and a few ugly things no matter which rig you choose.


As far as storage - I always hung my prized kayak paddles on the wall in the "bedroom" or somewhere in the rig. Now I paddle calm waters so I have the take apart feather light Aquabound Spindrift carbon, love em, don't let anyone else touch em.



In the View I remove the bunk overhead mattress and make it storage for things we actually use, light weight things.
__________________
Bill and Brenda + Mia
RIP Mobius - in our hearts
2018V24D, '13 Tiffin BR32, Tiffin 34TGA, '11 Aspect 30, 06View23H, '00 HHiker II 5W
Kayak73 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-22-2019, 05:59 AM   #11
Vietnam Veteran 1967-1970
 
GBFANKEN's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Watertown, WI. GO GBPACK
Posts: 91
Talk about over weight ?

The ONLY thing I can say is : Weight ! One reason there isn't room for carrying that many things is because of the weight of these many things. For all of you that carry those MANY things, weigh your rig ! It's almost certain that you are over GVWR. Do a search, I thing you will find that 6 states now have the authority to pull RVs over and have them weighed. There will be more and more states doing this because "we need money".


There are the "fines" for being over-weight, there is a chance of tires, axles etc being over stressed AND if you would be in an Accident situation, whether your fault or someone else's, the Insurance Company may want the RV weighed (trying NOT to Pay).


Don't mean to be a bummer about this subject, RVIA says 65%-70%+ RVs are overweight .


It seems that the Manufactures BRAG about 'How Much Storage There is ! BUT they don't care if the RIG can NOT carry ALL THAT STORAGE.


I feel bad for anyone that wants to 'down-size ' and it doesn't work out. Going from a 40' Bus down to most any Class C would be very hard to do.


We had a 2015 Navion, after adding 'levelers '& 'anti sway bar', we did not have much weight carrying capability left, certainly not a months worth. We upgraded to a 34' Sightseer Class A, 3200 CCC. That includes a washer and dryer........
__________________
Ken Smith, 2022 Winnie Minnie 26T
Vietnam Veteran 1967-1970
Joshua 24:15
GBFANKEN is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-22-2019, 06:13 AM   #12
Winnie-Wise
 
Kayak73's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: NW Georgia
Posts: 358
Well, in a small rig you think small. I never saw the need for "levelers" especially HWH in our prior View, Aspect or the new View. OTOH, many big A class DP rigs leave the factory with the front axles already over weight - with no passenger, food, water, clothes etc. even in the rig.


With a grain of salt - take it. Why would you think a rig must hold "more than a month" of anything? You wash the clothes, drop in at WalMart or the commissary for more food as necessary and restock.



I had two A class rigs, through with that. There is no allure for me at all and most of them have the same weight issues. There are never ending threads about front axle overweights on DP rigs.


It is not difficult at all going from a DP or A class rig to a small C. First you pull up to the garage, dump everything out of the A class, sift through the mess and wonder what it was for. Then you carefully select what you need and go camping. Life is good.
__________________
Bill and Brenda + Mia
RIP Mobius - in our hearts
2018V24D, '13 Tiffin BR32, Tiffin 34TGA, '11 Aspect 30, 06View23H, '00 HHiker II 5W
Kayak73 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-22-2019, 10:12 AM   #13
Winnebago Owner
 
puttin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 245
Phil G...you're a riot!
puttin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-22-2019, 10:39 AM   #14
Winnebago Camper
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 11
I have the 2015 Cambria 27K and it has a huge amount of storage and it is the same length you have now. Bathroom may be a bit smaller than yours but it has worked out very well for my wife and I. Must say I looked at many different Class C units and there was very little storage. Good luck....
dehnernc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-22-2019, 04:33 PM   #15
Winnebago Owner
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: The Other California
Posts: 243
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kayak73 View Post
Well, in a small rig you think small. I never saw the need for "levelers" especially HWH in our prior View, Aspect or the new View. OTOH, many big A class DP rigs leave the factory with the front axles already over weight - with no passenger, food, water, clothes etc. even in the rig.

With a grain of salt - take it. Why would you think a rig must hold "more than a month" of anything? You wash the clothes, drop in at WalMart or the commissary for more food as necessary and restock.

I had two A class rigs, through with that. There is no allure for me at all and most of them have the same weight issues. There are never ending threads about front axle overweights on DP rigs.

It is not difficult at all going from a DP or A class rig to a small C. First you pull up to the garage, dump everything out of the A class, sift through the mess and wonder what it was for. Then you carefully select what you need and go camping. Life is good.
Ken, FWIW note the partial list I posted earlier in this thread of what we carry along in our 24 foot Class C. It's not necessary to scale down too much when moving to a smal Class C - if it's just the right Class C.

Our 24 footer is an approximate 11,800 lb. Class C when it's tanks are partially filled and with minimum stuff in it ... but built on the optional E450 14,050 GVW chassis ... so we have well over a ton of extra stuff we can pack along over a minimum equipment load. It's also a "basement design" in which the cab floor is lower than the coach floor so that all five outside cabinets can be taller for much more storage room. Two of these storage cabinets also have a section that goes clear across the width of the RV for long items such as shovels, fishing poles, etc.. Interior storage is also very generous - made possible from both dinette seats having the entire area under them available for storage - as well as the overhead cab bed having great storage at it's head and foot due to the RV's 101 inch outside width.

We have at different times on various RV trips needed to use nearly everything on the list - for either our own use or to help others out - and when we needed it, we needed it.

To get this kind of excess weight carrying capacity and storage room in today's current Class C rigs might turn out to be difficult. It just about requires a short Class C built on a Ford E450 or Chevy 4500 chassis, but sill somewhat tall to offer decent height outside cabinets. Our rig is around 11'5" tall, in addition to it's 101 inch width.

Our RV'ing style requires a lot of location and activity flexibility, so we have to be equipped accordingly.
Phil G. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-22-2019, 05:45 PM   #16
Winnebago Owner
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 184
Kayak73
where on earth did you get this?
OTOH, many big A class DP rigs leave the factory with the front axles already over weight - with no passenger, food, water, clothes etc. even in the rig.
dickb46 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-22-2019, 06:41 PM   #17
Winnebago Master
 
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Pflugerville/Austin, Tx
Posts: 7,368
An RV is like most things in life. Some find it fine while others can't bear it until they get something bigger, smaller, taller , wider,
or just "something" else.
I've never lived anyplace that was perfect and I've never found any place that is totally useless. Even Texas serves to keep the desert out of the good states! So we have to learn to like what we have or move it along.
Kind of like the reaction I'll get from Texans? Just got to move it along until they stop yapping!
Don't take anything too serious, we're all just passing through!
Morich is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2019, 05:04 AM   #18
Winnie-Wise
 
Kayak73's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: NW Georgia
Posts: 358
Quote:
Originally Posted by dickb46 View Post
Kayak73
where on earth did you get this?
OTOH, many big A class DP rigs leave the factory with the front axles already over weight - with no passenger, food, water, clothes etc. even in the rig.

On EARTH of all places! Check it out.
Overweight Front DS Axle-The whole story - iRV2 Forums
Not gonna list a whole bunch of links. It is a universal known thing. Tiffin has produced a few Bus rigs in like manner.
Sometimes the front axle gets replaced, sometimes not.
20 years of being into RV stuff and you check various forums and read and listen - on EARTH
__________________
Bill and Brenda + Mia
RIP Mobius - in our hearts
2018V24D, '13 Tiffin BR32, Tiffin 34TGA, '11 Aspect 30, 06View23H, '00 HHiker II 5W
Kayak73 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2019, 05:10 AM   #19
Winnie-Wise
 
Kayak73's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: NW Georgia
Posts: 358
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil G. View Post
Ken, FWIW note the partial list I posted earlier in this thread of what we carry along in our 24 foot Class C. It's not necessary to scale down too much when moving to a smal Class C - if it's just the right Class C.

chop
Our RV'ing style requires a lot of location and activity flexibility, so we have to be equipped accordingly.

Bill actually posted that quote (me), not Ken. Anyway we have been doing this thing 20 years, different folks take different strokes and equipment along on their travels. We are rarely "reservation" types either, we move on a whim or weather change and do the things we enjoy. We just do NOT take along a lot of junk. If it has no defined known purpose it is not in the rig. That was also true in the big A class rigs. Most of the time the large compartments in our A class rigs were almost empty, just tons of empty storage space. We stayed out 3 - 5 months at a time in every rig you see listed in my signature - most of the time we had what we needed.
__________________
Bill and Brenda + Mia
RIP Mobius - in our hearts
2018V24D, '13 Tiffin BR32, Tiffin 34TGA, '11 Aspect 30, 06View23H, '00 HHiker II 5W
Kayak73 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2019, 11:22 PM   #20
Winnebago Owner
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 184
Thanks Kayak!
I missed the "big" part of dp's. We have a normal size one (or maybe smaller than normal)
dick
dickb46 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
If mh's are designed to withstand 40 psi water pressure ewaldo Plumbing | Systems and Fixtures 26 09-25-2013 04:45 PM
Are TVs Designed for RVs Hype? TrailerFool Tech | Toys and Gear 19 12-17-2010 11:48 AM
about Warranty Work or Thing Missing unclesmirf Winnebago General Discussions 7 01-02-2008 05:40 PM
Water line drain in 2007 cambria 29h rtriple777 Winnebago Class C Motorhomes 6 10-06-2007 07:23 AM
Lost "door holder open thing" Bob RV General Maintenance and Repair 9 10-15-2006 08:06 AM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Winnebago Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 02:15 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.