FMCA welcomes owners of other wheeled, self-contained RVs to join our friendly, fun, helpful community.
By Pamela Kay
Director of Communications, Publishing
February 2018
The FMCA family is about to get bigger! The FMCA membership voted to welcome owners of other wheeled, self-contained RVs into the association. We’re branching out from a 54-year history of requiring motorhome ownership for membership. FMCA welcomes RVs of all shapes and sizes! No matter how you voted, rest assured that the FMCA you know and love will still be here for you. We’re just sharing all of the good things FMCA has to offer with even more RV enthusiasts.
This month for the first time, we are featuring both a motorized and nonmotorized RV on the cover of Family Motor Coaching (soon to be known as Family RVing). We wanted to share a bit of information about each of them. Thanks to the folks at Total Value RV in Elkhart, Indiana, for their assistance with this cover shoot. And to the photographer Gary Riggs of Gary Riggs Photography for capturing this image on a snowy Indiana afternoon.
Forest River Flagstaff Classic Super Lite
With Flagstaff — a Forest River brand — the focus is on building lightweight travel trailers, fifth-wheels, and camping trailers. The unit photographed at Total Value RV was a Flagstaff Classic Super Lite fifth-wheel with the 8529IKBS floor plan. It featured the optional Champagne exterior with a color-keyed roof. The standard exterior color is glossy white, but company representatives note that the Champagne scheme tends to be the most popular.
The Classic Super Lite is available in eight travel trailer floor plans and eight fifth-wheel floor plans. The fifth-wheel comes standard with a Reese Revolution pin-box hitch. That makes it possible to tow with almost any size truck bed and provides more space to carry camping gear. The hitch allows for full 90-degree turning. The Classic Super Lite 8529IKBS has a hitch weight capacity of 1,581 pounds. Power stabilizer jacks come standard.
Hallmarks of the Classic Super Lite include open floor plans and ample windows for enjoying the view. Spacious countertops, plentiful storage, and a residential look and feel are also included.
The Inside
The 8529IKBS floor plan incorporates a front bedroom with a 60-inch-by-80-inch bed topped by a Serta residential mattress. A 72-inch-by-80-inch king-size bed is available as an option. The head of the bed is set in a slideout that extends out on the street side of the RV. A full bath is adjacent to the bedroom, with a pocket door connecting the two. Additional sleeping space is available in the rear of the fifth-wheel on the 67-inch-long sofa bed.
The living area also includes a pair of recliners and an entertainment center. Dining space is provided by a table and freestanding chairs. To add another touch of home, a fireplace is an available option.
Galley amenities include: flush-mounted stainless-steel sinks on the island, a 12-cubic-foot double-door refrigerator, a three-burner gas cooktop, a 22-inch gas oven, and a microwave oven. The raised-panel cabinet doors have hidden hinges, and the drawers have full-extension soft-close guides. Solid-surface countertops and a backsplash complete the space.
The Outside
In addition to the aforementioned bedroom slideout, the 8529IKBS floor plan incorporates two others in the living area. The street-side slideout houses the sofa bed, the refrigerator, the stove, and the microwave. On the curbside, a slideout accommodates the table and the entertainment center. This creates spacious living and galley areas.
Most of the exterior compartments on the Classic Lite feature slam latches for easier closing.
Flagstaff builds its trailers using six-sided aluminum framing, vacuum-bonded walls. Also, a vacuum-bonded radius roof with a vaulted ceiling for added interior height. The units feature all-steel I-beams and an enclosed underbelly to protect components and increase aerodynamics. The Dexter Torflex axles have independent wheel suspension and self-damping action.
The Flagstaff Classic Super Lite 8529IKBS fifth-wheel measures 33 feet 10 inches long and 13 feet high. It has an unloaded vehicle weight (UVW) of 9,505 pounds. The suggested retail price is $51,678.
Forest River Inc., 201 W. Elm, Millersburg, IN 46543; (574) 642-2640; www.forestriverinc.com/flagstaff
Entegra Aspire
The motorhome featured on this month’s cover is the Entegra Coach Aspire 44W. Entegra Coach builds luxury motorhomes and is part of the Jayco family of companies. It is now an independently operated subsidiary of Thor Industries.
The Aspire is built using a Spartan K2 raised-rail chassis, powered by a Cummins ISL turbocharged 450-horsepower engine that is coupled with an Allison 3000 MH six-speed transmission. The coach comes equipped with a Reyco Granning independent front air suspension and a Reyco Granning rear suspension, as well as Bilstein shocks. All of this rides on Michelin tires. An automatic hydraulic leveling system is standard.
The Inside
The Aspire comes with a choice of eight floor plans. The 44W floor plan features four slideouts — two in the living and galley area and two in the bedroom. It features a full bathroom at the rear of the coach adjacent to the bedroom, as well as a half bath on the other side of the bedroom, near the galley. The bedroom has a king-size bed with a foam mattress, vanity and dresser, and a 32-inch TV. The rear bathroom includes a washer and dryer.
The 44W features opposing sofas, one of which is a sofa bed. The one opposite the sofa bed can be switched out for a theater seating option with two power recliners. The living area boasts a 32-inch TV in the front overhead area and a 50-inch TV on a lift behind the sofa bed. A table and freestanding chairs are standard furnishings, but buyers also can opt for a booth dinette.
The galley comes equipped with an induction cooktop, a convection-microwave oven, and a residential refrigerator. The LED-lit solid-surface countertops have an integrated stainless-steel sink. A pull-out countertop extension adds to galley workspace. The solid-surface backsplash with tile accents is both attractive and functional.
The Aspire is an all-electric coach, with heat and hot water provided by an Aqua-Hot 400D hydronic heating system.
The Outside
Entegra Coach uses its exclusive X-Bridge frame, which welds onto the chassis, to provide added floor strength and structural rigidity. The 5-inch-thick floor incorporates plywood decking. The roof combines crowned aluminum-truss rafters on 16-inch centers with both Flexfoil and fiberglass insulation, along with 3/8-inch plywood backing. The walls and the front and rear caps incorporate tucked-and-glued fiberglass-batting insulation.
Six exterior paint schemes and four interior décor options are offered, as well as two wood options, plus a third wood choice for the bathroom.
The exterior entertainment center boasts a 40-inch Samsung LED HDTV mounted on a bracket that enables it to extend, tilt, and swivel. It also incorporates a Samsung sound bar.
The Entegra Coach Aspire 44W is 44 feet 11 inches long, 12 feet 8 inches high (with A/C and satellite), and has a gross vehicle weight rating of 49,000 pounds. It carries a suggested retail price of $435,345.
Entegra Coach Inc., 903 S. Main St., P.O. Box 460, Middlebury, IN 46540; (800) 517-9137; www.entegracoach.com
