We towed ours with a 5.3L burb, and now have a 6.2L Denali, the burb did fine, the only reason we changed was we wrecked the burb. Obviously, the denali is better, but still a 1/2 ton with more torque.
We love ours as well. A couple of quality issues, mainly the underrated axles that came on it. Cruiser took care of it, new axles and tires all the way around. It does seem the quality is commiserate with the price range. It's not high end, but nothing major here, some loose screws, inadequate bracing on the bathtub, etc.
The one thing everyone should know is if you're over 6', I wouldn't recommend it. The ceiling is shorter to save weight, and the master bed is 74". I'm 6', and I wouldn't want to be taller, it's just about perfect, but a little tight on the bed (ceiling isn't an issue).
As far as the weight, CRV had wrong info on theirs. My yellow sticker for a fully loaded (outdoor kitchen, everything else) is 5720 with a cargo capacity left of about 1700lbs.
We're currently snow birding in ours for a little over a month, and the floor plan and superslide has been fantastic for our family of 4 (2 teen girls). Love the rear dinette.
If you want a rear setup like that, especially in a lighter weight, this is about all you can get.
Full disclosure, I'll be selling mine when we get back home, just because it'll be a year or more before we use it, and I hate to see it sit. If that wasn't the case, I can see us keeping it for the duration we need a TT (kids at home).
The outdoor kitchen is awesome, btw, never thought we needed it, but wouldn't be without it now.
KD
Trip of a Lifetime Blog - 12000 Miles, 100 Days, 34 States, 4 Humans, 1 Mini Daschund...FUN!
2007 GMC Yukon XL Denali - 6.2L, 6-speed
bchecker wrote: Just ordered one myself. Went to the madison Camper show this weekend and confirmed my opinion the 28QBS by far the best designed bunkhouse out there in that size. I'm glad I'm only 6 ft tall or might be a little tight in spots. My dealer hooked me up with some owners that bought one last season and nothing but compliments. Only neg were no light switch on the wall in the bathroom for the kidos. Easy fix though.
I have the exact one and this is my only complaint as well.
Yes, you can get to everything with the slide closed.
One last question: Can you access the bathroom and rear bunkroom with the slide closed?
Yes, but you can't fully open the bathroom door, so it's a sort of step around deal. You can also open the "pantry" cabinets too, so it's pretty ideal for a quick meal or even an overnight.
A couple of other notes, if any one decides to buy from a bargain dealer like Gillette (who is really good, btw,) be aware that some things you'd normally expect like tp holders, towel holders, etc. are not included. I actually paid extra for propane tanks and all of that, so make sure you ask so you aren't surprised.
Another note on quality, we had an absolutely driving pouring Florida rain last night, and no water infiltration, no leaks, good to go.
I currently own a 2012 Shadow Cruiser 280QBS and use a Chev Avalanche 1500 4X4 with tow capacity of 7500 lbs and have no problems what so ever. I actually find it easier to tow than my old 4600 lb Westwind that I had last year. The travel trailer seems to tow really nice even though this trailer is 900 lbs heavier than the last one.
The only thing I find is the length difference as this one is 32 feet compared to the old one which was 28, but stilll easy to tow and park.
A couple of other notes, if any one decides to buy from a bargain dealer like Gillette (who is really good, btw,) be aware that some things you'd normally expect like tp holders, towel holders, etc. are not included.
This was a shock to me as well... It is very strange that it does not include those items when you buy the trailer.
Hey Hootravel I dont know if you purchased one yet. We just purchased a 280 Shadow cruiser and are towing with the Ford Expedition. We have taken it on one big trip and did not experience any sway with our Reese Dual Cam hitch. The only issue was chugging up the hills, but that seems to be common enough problem. We kept to 55mph and got about 11mph. Our expedition is a 1/2 ton SUV.
It seems fine. We took it to a weigh station and with all of our stuff it weighed in at 5500 pounds for the trailer, so the weight seems accurate. The tongue weight we measured at 600. Good luck! Let me know if you have any questions. We are happy with our purchase!
We picked up our 280QBS in April 2012 (new 2012 model) and have several issues with it. The latest being the addition to the long list of axle failures on this model. We also have had a floor seam pop since we picked it up. The dealership said that they know about the issue, but have not provided a fix for it yet. (seam pop means that the edges will wear out and create an opening for air/water/and bugs over time) Also discovered that the dead bolt is completely below the latch on the door frame. We also have a screw coming up out of the floor, pushing up on the flooring. Just glad that it is still under warranty. We have only traveled a total of 1200 miles.
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