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!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
First "Official Trip" in the Coyote
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1 comments:
Thanks for sharing your review of your camper. Ours is similar to yours. We don't have the bunks like yours does. From the pictures, our stove, sink and microwave are on the opposite side that yours is. We have a small (2 person) table in that area that also drops down into a bed for 1 person.
I do agree that the bathroom is a little tight. Ours is directly across from the 2 person table where your stove/sink are located. I love the bathtub in it though because it works perfect for my daughter who was 1 1/2 this past summer when we went camping.
We have only ever had one problem with leaking around the hybrid bed end 1 time. And we were in a very heavy rain storm where the rain was pretty driving at us on it's side. The winds were pretty high that evening. But it only trickled in and no damage was done.
I have not had the issue with the big cabinet doors opening either. I put one of those plastic 3-drawer things in there since ours does not have shelves. And even though those bounce around and are partially open when we stop, they've never pushed the door open.
I also sleep really well when we go camping in the Coyote. Even on the dinette sofa area all scrunched up next to the pack-n-play!
I use the outdoor cooktop all the time. The only cooking I've done inside the camper is to heat things up in the microwave. We have a coleman gas grill, but most of the time its a hassle for me to pull that out and start it up. There are 2 propane tanks on the front of the camper that don't really get much use. Usually only to run the fridge while we are traveling.
There is plenty of storage for us with the Coyote. we have a smaller compartment in the rear that works great for fishing poles and baseball bats and those kind of things. Then there is a larger compartment near the front on the passenger side that holds quite a bit of stuff. Plus all of the storage inside... there is storage under all of the benches for the U-shaped dinette as well as under the smaller 2-person dining table. And then there is the large stoage cupboard, cupboards above the 2-person dining table & back hybrid bed as well as the kitchen cupboards - both upper and lower. I also have a shelf above the U-shaped dinette. I do not lack for storage!
I'm glad to see that you had a great camping trip this past summer. We didn't get out as much as we wanted in ours, but they were longer weekends and very relaxing.
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