Matt Rewis and his family are proud owners of a Jayco Jay Sport. 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?
Jay Sport 8SD camping trailer
Is this your first Jayco RV?
Yes, it is our first Jayco and our first RV as well.
Who travels with you when you take your Jayco out?
Myself, my wife (Lori), and our four-year-old son, Lucas.
How do you typically travel – long trips or weekend getaways?
Due to our family’s hectic work and school schedules, we are primarily weekend warriors and love squeezing in quick getaways every chance we get. However, we do have some longer vacation plans in the works!
Since owning your Jayco, what is your favorite memory, destination or trip?
We dreamed and worked for a long time towards our goal of buying our first RV. On the day we were scheduled to pick up our Jayco from the dealer, my family arrived excited to finally get started. The dealer gave us a full walk-through demonstration of how to work all of the various gadgets. We were so excited to try it out for ourselves for the first time, we had a spontaneous idea: Why don’t we book a campsite tonight and practice setting it up! Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground happens to be one of the closest campgrounds to our house, so we called and they had one site left! So completely unplanned and out of the blue, we towed our new Jayco directly from the dealership to Fort Wilderness and spent our first night of RV ownership camping! We roasted hot dogs, watched fireworks from the beach, and generally celebrated achieving our family’s dream of buying an RV. It was truly a magical experience, and we’ll never forget that first night with our Jayco!
What is your favorite thing about your Jayco?
My favorite thing about our Jayco is its compact and manageable size. It was imperative for us to find an RV that was lightweight enough to tow safely with our daily-driver family SUV, and important that it also be able to fit inside our garage when not in use due to HOA parking restrictions. Despite being easily towable by our family SUV and fitting into our garage with room to spare, when it’s set up it doesn’t feel small or cramped inside. The Jay Sport 8SD was the perfect fit for our small family and we couldn’t be happier with our choice!
What made you choose Jayco?
I researched RV models for months before we made our purchase. I was always drawn to the Jayco brand because the quality and aesthetics seemed to simply be better than the competitors. Word-of-mouth by other owners seemed to repeatedly point to the fact that Jayco owners were consistently happy with their purchase. Also, the fact that Jayco offers better warranty coverage than competitors points to the fact that there is confidence in the product. When it came time for us to buy, there really was no doubt that Jayco was the brand we wanted.
What is the one thing you won’t leave home without?
One thing we won’t leave home without on our trips: a well-stocked cooler! After all, what’s a camping trip without some good beverages and food for sitting around the campfire!
If someone is on the fence about purchasing a Jayco, (or an RV) what would you tell them?
Making the leap into RV-ownership for the first time can be intimidating and daunting – we know this from first-hand experience. If you’re anything like we were, you’re probably thinking: I don’t know anything about RVs or camping – will I be in over my head? Will we use it enough to justify the cost? Will we try it once or twice only to find out we actually hate camping in an RV? These are natural thoughts to have when making a decision as impactful as an RV purchase – trust me, even though I dreamed of owning one I still questioned the decision the entire way through.
Five months after making the purchase, our family agrees whole-heartedly on one point: Buying the RV has been the best decision we’ve ever made for our family. In this short time of ownership, we already have several trips and tons of lifelong family memories under our belts. We spend more quality time together. We have become stronger and more bonded as a family. And most importantly to my wife and I – our four-year-old son is getting outdoors, assimilating to the wonderful campground culture, and fostering impactful and positive memories he will carry with him for the rest of his life.
I truly can’t express how happy and grateful we are to have made the decision to leap in to RV ownership, and I now can’t imagine a future without it playing a part of our lives. I’m willing to bet you’ll feel the same.
Concerning purchasing a Jayco RV specifically – this part of the decision is a no-brainer. Just ask around, you’ll find that Jayco owners have nothing but the best to say about their rigs. Jayco’s quality and reputation speaks for itself.
Anything else you’d like to share with Jayco Journal readers?
My advice to first-time buyers like us would be to take your time to do your research and ensure you’re getting the RV that makes sense for your family and situation. There are so many great options that work best for different instances, and the great thing about this is one of those options likely fits your situation and lifestyle perfectly!
