Satisfied 2108FBS Owners

[Marine359]

Hi FD,
We found that if we pre-chill our 12v fridge, it is actually more efficient than we had thought. It will go for more than a day on the anemic marine battery we got when we bought the trailer. By pre-chilling, we had enough juice to run the fridge and the furnace thru the night.
We haven’t yet received the Bigbattery 170ah LiFePo4 that We ordered and paid for on 12/15. They are backordered. I called them and they said they are confident they will be able to ship mine by second week in January. That will work for us because it will be enough time to order and receive the rest of the components (inverter/Charger, bus bars, fuse blocks, negative shunt battery monitor, and different lengths of 1/0 awg wire with terminals.
I’m doing some of the upgrade myself, but I don’t feel confident enough to do all of the Re-wiring myself. So, we’re planning to haul it into a respected RV shop January 18th.
There are some excellent posts on the micro Minnie thread with lots of photos and full e plantations from people who have done this upgrade.
We’ll report back in when our upgrade is completed and we hit the road early February.

[FDrebin]

Thanks Jim, I appreciate the info! One more question - your 2021 "B" came with the 100W solar panel on the roof, right? When you were benchmarking fridge & battery, was the solar panel not getting direct sunlight for long enough to be effective? Or even with that, the power draw was too much for the wimpy battery?

[Marine359]

Our rig did not come with a solar panel. That’s not standard equipment on any MM that I know of. It is solar prepped however, meaning there are connectors on the roof to plug in a panel, and the wiring runs down and out a small cover plate in the pass through. We have decided not to add solar at this time. Instead, we’re going with an upgrade of LiFePo4 battery and inverter/charger. With 170ah on hand, we can boondock for 2 or 3 days before the battery runs down. We got a Honda eu2200i generator to recharge the battery. Because we splurged and bought a Xantrex XC2000 which can charge at up to 100amps we should be able to fully recharge the LiFePo4 at 60amps in less than 3 hours. None of this has been installed yet because we’re waiting for the components to ship. Hopefully, everything will go in and work well before the end of January, as we plan on departing on an extended trip. If we decide later to add solar, it will likely be a portable suitcase style panel, not a roof mount.
We’ll update you when we hit the road.
Happy New Year

Btw, the reason we went this route is because my wife loves the big beautiful 12v fridge. Swapping it out for combo lp/12v model would cost more than our upgrade.

[DavidG]

Upgraded from our popup going worth the 2020 2108fbs

A bit nervous for our first trip coming up and on the steps for setting up primarily concerning the black and grey water.

Has anyone seen a good checklist or YouTube video specific to this rig?

Thanks in advance

[MicroMinnie]

No worries, just don’t flush the black tank with the valve closed, you’ll flood the thing if you forget about it. rest you’ll figure out in no time it’s pretty much the same as any other camper that size. if you’re pulling it with an SUV consider turning the electric jack control 90 degrees, it may clear the trunk lid after that.

[DavidG]

Thanks so much for the reply. That would be a mistake I hope not to make. Yes I am sure once I get a couple trips under our belt it will become routine. I will be towing with my truck so that shouldn’t be an issue. Not a huge truck so I am curious how that will go too.

Thanks again.

[MicroMinnie]

Towing it with a GMC Canyon myself, pulls it fine. assuming you have something same size or bigger

[Marine359]

We have the same rig. GMC Canyon. Tows nice, but fuel tank sooo small. We take along a 5 gal gas can for fear of running out. Solved the small tank problem by mounting a 27gal thetford caddy to the back bumper. It’s lightweight, so no danger of overloading bumper.

[DavidG]

I have a 2007 Honda Ridgeline. The gas mileage was never great so I am sure I will be making frequent stops. 3 weeks from the first trip.

[MicroMinnie]

Originally Posted by DavidG

I have a 2007 Honda Ridgeline. The gas mileage was never great so I am sure I will be making frequent stops. 3 weeks from the first trip.

The AWD model seems rated for 5000lbs
It will tow it but don’t expect whiplash. you may need a weight distribution hitch on this as i’m sure the nose will point to the moon when you drop 500lbs on the hitch. I think you may want more power at some point. try it first, it’s your opinion that matters.
(also research weight distribution, if it’s allowed on your frame)
Our Canyon is 181HP and 380lbs of torgue, does ok but feel BIG difference between other SUV we have which does 245HP and 460lbs torgue.

[DavidG]

Originally Posted by MicroMinnie

The AWD model seems rated for 5000lbs
It will tow it but don’t expect whiplash. you may need a weight distribution hitch on this as i’m sure the nose will point to the moon when you drop 500lbs on the hitch. I think you may want more power at some point. try it first, it’s your opinion that matters.
(also research weight distribution, if it’s allowed on your frame)
Our Canyon is 181HP and 380lbs of torgue, does ok but feel BIG difference between other SUV we have which does 245HP and 460lbs torgue.

I think you’re right about wanting more power at some point. I am anxious to see how it handles on the first trip and go from there. It seemed to do ok when I brought it home but that was in a flat stretch of road. I will not win any races which is fine. I agree about wanting more power just not wanting a truck payment if I can avoid it.

[JoshBap]

Hola everyone! Wife and I have had our 2106DS since Sept 2020. We bought it used. Previous owner only used it 3 times. We got a Winnie for several reasons, but mainly the reputation Winnebago has. So far we have taken it on 9 trips. All but one was dry camping. Our longest stay has been 5 nights (dry camp). Our hottest weather has been 80deg daytime and our coldest has been 8deg night time in the Eastern Sierras.we have been in major thurstorms and rain in Arizona as well. We absolutely love our trailer! We haven’t had any significant leaks or problems....knock on fake wood cabinets😬. On our 5 night trip we were both able to take 2 showers on our water supply. We are slowly learning all the limitations with her. Things we have changed or improved:
-replaced Jack knife couch in slide out with custom foam mattress and pillows for back
-mattress topper for Murphy bed
-bubble insulated the pass thru storage area, below bed in slide out, and under kitchen sink/cabinet area
-installed “peel and stick” faux subway tile in all kitchen and bathroom backsplash
-additional tank valve at the end of drain plumbing
-welded a larger tray frame for an additional battery
-removed tv for additional counter space
-replaced bath faucet with residential style one
-installed a pull bar for inside of screen door + pet screen so dog wouldn’t scratch and tear screen
-replaced dining table with 2 folding dinner trays
-installed small bug screens on water heater panel and furnace exhaust
-reversed solar wiring polarity (using suitcase renogy 100watt solar instead of zamp)
-put plexiglass protection around battery disconnect in under storage area. Didn’t want it getting hit when things shifted during travel.
-installed several magnet motion sensor led rechargeable lights under kitchen sink and driver side storage compartment.
-replaced plastic toilet with porcelain one. WAY BETTER.
-replaced cheesy factory fans with Fantastic 3 speed fans and Maxx Air covers to protect them. Great improvement
-double sided taped a solar Dow light just outside the entry door for some night lighting.
-swapped the standard lock tumblers for new ones so that everyone in the campground can’t get into our stuff!

The biggest problem we had with her was the valve on the propane tanks was leaking at the crimp where the “T” is. This was on our second trip. I removed the valve and purchased a new on on Amazon while camping. It arrived at home the day we did. Replaced it and no problems since.

Things I’d like to do:
-install heating pads on tanks (ours froze in the 8deg night even tho we are “4 season” and have “heated tanks”)
-install a water miser in shower. not sure if possible. We need access to the back of shower enclosure and I’m not sure we have it.
-insulate bedroom storage area (next to beds). Super cold draft there
-place hinged doors to replace screwed in access panels under kitchen area. Like the new ones have for easier access.
-swap out factory tires with Goodyear ones
-remove cabinet door that covers controls in entry. I have hit my bald head on that door twice already. It hurts and my wife keeps forgetting to close it! 😂

Sorry that’s a lot of reading, but I tried to give the best info I could. We are extremely happy with our Minnie! I hope to have many more trips with her! Treat yours well and I’m sure you will enjoy! Safe travels!

[JoshBap]

Originally Posted by DavidG

Upgraded from our popup going worth the 2020 2108fbs

A bit nervous for our first trip coming up and on the steps for setting up primarily concerning the black and grey water.

Has anyone seen a good checklist or YouTube video specific to this rig?

Thanks in advance

@DavidG
I created my own checklist for setting up/breakdown camp with the Minnie as I was nervous about forgetting something. We also upgraded from a pop up with a cassette toilet only. No tanks. If you would like, I can post it here for u to see the list? That might help? Let me know! Thanks.

[Marine359]

Congrats Josh,
Lots of very nice upgrades. Presume you prioritized them from your early trips. We have only a few trips under our belt with our 2108ds-b. Just finished upgrading electrical system, and rear view camera. Likely will launch into some of your upgrades later this month. Thanks for the suggestions.

[JoshBap]

I laminated it and placed in trailer.
Simple, don’t wanna forget type stuff.
Hope it helps.
Josh

[eagene]

does anyone know the part # for the 2021 2108 FBS slide out (in-out) switch. Mine is faulty and needs replacement. but it isn't marked with a manufacturer or part #.