Andee Fagan and her family are proud owners of a Jayco Eagle. We caught up with them to ask some questions about their experiences with their Jayco RV, some of their favorite memories, and advice they would give to new RVers or those thinking of joining the lifestyle.
Which Jayco RV do you own?
We own a 2018 Jayco Eagle HT 30.5MBOK fifth wheel. And we love it!
Is this your first Jayco RV?
This is our first Jayco RV, but our second RV that we have owned. We have been Jayco owners since July 2017. But we have been stalking Jayco owners’ groups since February 2017 when we ordered our fifth wheel.
How long have you been RVing?
I was very lucky to get to spend my childhood camping. From what my parents tell me, I started out camping in a pop-up (I was too young to remember), then we camped in a travel trailer and then a Class A motorhome. I have also enjoyed doing some tent camping with friends. After I got married and had children of my own, I decided it was time to get my own family out camping. We started off by renting a destination trailer and in a blink of an eye, we were buying a new tow vehicle and shopping for a travel trailer. We purchased our family’s first travel trailer in 2013.
Who travels with you when you take your Jayco out?
I travel with my husband and two sons (who are ages 9 & 8). We also bring our two RV-loving dogs with us. Our camping trips are a good balance of trips with just our family, family & friends, and occasionally an extra kid comes along with us.
How do you typically travel – long trips or weekend getaways?
We don’t do too many weekend trips. We will do some long weekends in the spring and fall, especially when the kids have time off from school. Mostly we camp for a week at a time. We average about 40 nights a season. Since we live in the Northeast, our prime camping season is from June to September. If we are camping with friends, we will typically stay at a resort type campground for seven nights. But when we travel by ourselves we like to stay five nights at a campground near lots of hiking and sightseeing, especially in the mountains. Then we reward the kids and ourselves with a few nights at a resort-style campground with lots of scheduled activities so we can just enjoy ourselves and not have to leave the campground.
Since owning your Jayco, what is your favorite memory, destination or trip?
One of our favorite campgrounds is Moose Hillock in Fort Ann, NY. It is near Lake George. We really love the big sites at that campground. We recently got back from a camping trip there and we loved having all the window shades up in our fifth wheel and being able to have mountain views and also the privacy from the other campers thanks to the large, beautiful trees. We really got to enjoy our fifth wheel in all its glory! While we were there, we went white water rafting, hiking, saw waterfalls, did some cliff jumping, swam in the pool, went to several very entertaining shows at the campground, and played family dodge ball with friends and lots of other guests at the campground.
What is your favorite thing about your Jayco?
We love the rear living space in our fifth wheel, but we also love having the privacy of the bunk rooms and the master bedroom. We recently went camping with a very large group and we had some very rainy weather. It was so nice being able to still spend time with our family and friends inside our fifth wheel and not feel cramped. Also, we love the outdoor kitchen, storage, water hose locations, and the way it tows.
What made you choose Jayco?
We loved the floorplan of the Eagle HT 30.5MBOK and we haven’t seen anything else like it on the market for that size and weight. We also joined several groups and owner forums and we discovered there was such a supportive Jayco Family vibe. We had such a good feeling going into this purchase from all the wonderful things other Jayco owners have said about their RVs.
What is the one thing you won’t leave home without?
I wouldn’t leave home without my knitting or camera. I have to have both! I love knitting and photography. I do leave my alpacas at home when we go camping, but I can’t leave without their yarn. As a knitwear designer, I get a lot of my knitting done on the road and at the campground. I also do a lot of photography and I do plan a lot of our camping around places I want to photograph. See I told you they go together!
If someone is on the fence about purchasing a Jayco, (or an RV) what would you tell them?
I would tell them to talk to other Jayco owners and see what they have to say about their experience with Jayco directly. Most likely they will have very positive things to say. We have only been Jayco owners for a few months, but so far I have only wonderful things to say about Jayco and I would highly recommend purchasing a Jayco.
Anything else you’d like to share with Jayco Journal readers?
The advice I would like to give to Jayco Journal readers is plan ahead and you’ll have more time enjoying and relaxing on your trip. I try to take all the big stressors out of camping before we leave such as directions, rest stops, activities, and having our RV stocked for the season.
I really enjoy planning our camping trips. I make an itinerary for almost all of our trips so I don’t have to do much thinking when we are at our destination. Here is a breakdown of how I plan my trips after I have booked my campground. I keep everything in a file folder and I take that same folder with me on the trip.
- Book the campground and print the confirmation.
- I get our directions. I use several apps and sites to check for RV warnings such as Good Sam’s Trip Planner and Smart Truck Route.
- Then I plan our rest stops. I know we need to stop about every 200 miles for gas, stretch our legs and take bathroom breaks. I like to research where we are going to stop and I will even Google Earth them to see if they are easy to fill up at. I don’t like to leave our rest stops to chance. Sometimes that 200 mile mark is in a big city and it is easier for us to stop earlier than 200 miles and then get through the tunnels, over bridges and through cities with a full tank of gas.
- I then check out the nearby attractions. I make a schedule of all the places we want to go and I have it all written down.
Sample from our Lake George Trip-
Wednesday - check-in, Magic Show at campground
Thursday - White water rafting
Friday - Lunch in Lake George, flash light sugar rush at night at the campground
Saturday - campground pool, candy bar bingo, comedy show
Sunday - hiking, waterfalls, cliff jumping
Monday - depart
Of course we also have trips that just involve showing up and never leaving the campground. But for the trips that you do plan on leaving the campground, having a plan ahead of time really helps you to enjoy the time you have in the destination you are at. Also knowing all your rest stops ahead of time is a huge help. Having everything printed out before you get there means more time sitting back in your comfy camp chair knitting and having coffee in the morning and not trying to find a good wifi signal or internet connection and looking up where and what to do. You are on vacation so be sure to make it feel that way.
