First "Official Trip" in the Coyote

The kids & I left last Wednesday and spent 4 nights, 5 days in the new KZ Coyote. This was the first official trip, so I feel I can legitimately give a review. Robert & I camped in it one night after we first got it, as our trial run, but this was the first real trip.




We love it. It's just really nice. From what I can tell, compared to the other 5 travel trailers I have owned, KZ has nice quality workmanship from the cabinets to the fabrics and color scheme. Our color scheme is a nice array of fall colors--perfect for me--deep browns, dark greens, etc. We had looked at a few Rockwood Roos, and the blue color scheme really held me back. I'm a girl. What can I say? I also don't notice as much "bounce" in the floor as the Cabana had...most hybrids have some bounce as part of their lightweight nature.

The mattress on the hybrid bed is super comfortable. I have pressure point pain from most mattresses, and pain from fibromyalgia, but this bed is wonderful. At some point on Saturday night, I traded places with Robert, and it took about an hour before I was in extreme pain from the dinette bed. My mom stayed Saturday night at the campground with us and she slept on the bottom bunk. She has pressure point issues, too, and she was miserable the entire night. They must have used lower quality foam on the dinette and bunks. My kids sleep great on the bunks and the sofa bed, and Robert didn't have any complaints of hurting from the dinette so I'm assuming it's just those of us with sensitive bodies. I sleep like a BABY on the hybrid bed though.

The only REAL complaint that I have with the Coyote is the closeness of the bathroom...it's much easier to leave the door open. My only other issue is the big cabinet to the left of the stove/oven wants to fly open going down the road. I solved this problem by bungee cording the door shut, but I will just replace the latch and hope it works.

The outdoor cooktop was wonderful and we used it twice--once for boiling water, and another time for cooking sausage. This kept us from adding unnecessary humidity and smells to the inside of the trailer. :-)

And this picture--if you squint, you can see our new camping table. I love it--I think I got it from Ebay because it was cheaper there, but it's so worth it. If you'll recall, our other table was stolen on Memorial Day weekend camping, so we needed a replacement. I love the storage--it zips, both sides...and both ends have pockets just right for bug spray bottles, sunscreen, etc. It's called The Big Easy Table, by Pacific Outdoors. It was $65, but again--totally worth it. If someone steals this one, I will hunt them down. . .



I especially like the cables on the hybrid bunk end as opposed to the poles that we had with the Keystone Cabana. Set up is super easy with the cables--I'm done in 3 minutes or less. With the Cabana it was sometimes difficult to hold up the end and get the poles lined up. I don't miss it. The velcro all the way around the bunk end makes me feel more secure, too...the Cabana used a bungee cord every so many inches, and left noticeable gaps for bugs, etc. I feel like the bed is sealed up nicely on the Coyote. The bungee cords inside to hold the mattress up during travel is easy to use and I prefer it over the velcro straps that the Cabana had as well. Our Coyote still has the "old-style" latches on the hybrid end, but we've camping in pouring rain, and it's set in pouring rain, and has not leaked or been wet. The seal around the bed is much puffier and heavier than the Cabana. (Sorry to keep comparing, but I feel it helps if you're used-hybrid shopping to compare different features.)

I also like the rear storage and side storage on the Coyote--no slide-through tray though, and that would have been nice, but the entire back area is storage (under the bunkbeds) so that makes up for it. My only wish is that it was a WEE bit taller as it's a tight squeeze to get my Weber Smokey Joe grill inside there.

My sister, BIL, and mom camped with us, and my nephew came out with his girlfriend and their new baby. It was so much fun!

The new-to-us 2003 KZ Coyote 23 hybrid

I have taken the plunge into the hybrid world--face first. For a brief period of time we owned a 17' 2001 Keystone Cabana, but after spending 4 days at the campground in the rain with 3 kids and a dog, I realized I had grossly underestimated our camping needs. After all, we did have a 32' before...17 feet? What was I thinking? I was TRYING to be earth-friendly, gas-friendly, and driveway-friendly. I achieved that, but I lost my sanity in the process. I did decide that I am fully sold on the HYBRID travel trailer though.

So..on the way home from the campground, we stopped at the dealership and looked at this adorable 2003 KZ Coyote hybrid. It was 23' long, about 27 with the front hybrid end out. Two bunks in the back, a full 3-piece bathroom again, an outside cookstove, a nice new awning, and get this--a SLIDE. We may have achieved camping bliss, folks!

So..I am up to my ears in carpet cleaning today (trying to take advantage of the cooler weather) but I wanted to share pics...Enjoy!