Funny, I have never heard of anyone saying the a Ram Promaster was an “off road” van. The axle is so low on them. I’ve owned many RVs over the last 40 years, they are all poor quality. And for 40 plus years people have been saying that manufactures need to be held to a better standard. Nothing has changed. They don’t care, we keep buying their junk rvs. Lol
Awesome video! Very informational, I’d suggest filming the video in landscape mode next time so when you’re viewing the video in fullscreen! But interesting video nonetheless 🖤😀
Stumbled onto this CZcams and want to comment on your Top 10 Dislikes. Have owned a Solis Pocket since September 2021. I live in the western US and all my Pocket trips have been in the Four Corners region. Many of your dislikes should have been know factors prior to purchase. For example, the lack of onboard hot water. Not sure what your requirements were when looking at a RV but the hot water issue should have eliminated the Solis Pocket from consideration. The same with clearance, bed size and batteries. Winnebago does a good job posting specifications on their website. The stock tires are LT and aren't intended for off road. A lot of folks will upgrade to AT tires first thing like you did with the BFGs or Wildpeaks for off road. However, I agree with your build quality dislike. Not great but being a 'budget' camper van I did not have high expectations. Sounds like you would have had less dislikes with a Winnebago's Solis, Travato or Revel models (I do not represent Winnebago). Or from a different Class B RV manufacturer. Wish you luck with your custom build. 20/20 hindsight that's what I would do today.
@@Vanpaths The Pocket was my first RV too. Think we are all a bit naive in the beginning, brother. Looking at the MSRP today of $140k versus $97k when I bought mine, I probably wouldn't have purchased it today. Safe travels.
It's really amazing that within the RV industry, Winnebago is considered a leader in quality, and yet their vans still have many weak points in terms of materials. I shudder to imagine what Thor owners go through, as I've read their quality is even lower! Great video!
@@Vanpaths you didn't mention the cassette toilet in either video. What's your take on it? Do you use it at all, and if so how easy is it to use and maintain?
Ahh yes the Thetford toilet is a champ. Just be sure to use only Thetford products so far we have found them to be so SOOOO much better than a lot of other brands. We simply full the flush tank with water and use the triple enzymes for the waste collection (4oz of product with about 12oz of water). That seems to work great. No spills, no odors.
I don’t know that I’d consider them a leader in quality per se. Just a good solid product, but relatively inexpensive compared to say Roadtrek or Pleasure Way. Certainly not as bad as other things I’ve seen and heard about that look nice and have bells and whistles, but start to fall apart as soon as you drive them. (See the Vancaskeys channel and all the problems that had with their two Thor Class Bs - they had a window fall out!) I think Winnebago is like the Ford or Chevy of the car industry. You get a fair amount for your money, but the fit and finish do suffer.
@@Heritage367 If we swap the Travato for a Pocket, I’m planning to get a larger Thetford - one of the comfort height models. It will be 99% for yellow stuff, but every once in a while there might be one of those times. And my husband is 6‘2“ and 82 yrs old, so I don’t want him to have to squat on something that’s 12” tall when they make 16-17.5” ones. They also hold a couple of gallons more. Secure it under the Murphy bed when driving.
I just subscribed. I want to buy a Pocket and get rid of our Travato G and I love to see people’s experiences with theirs. I’m disheartened by things like the finish coming off your cabinets already. Sigh… But perhaps this is one of the downsides of buying a pandemic vehicle. There’ve been more quality issues than usual the last couple of years, I’ve heard. Thanks for sharing your issues and I look forward to catching up on the rest of your videos.
Thank you so much!. All in all it's not a bad vehicle, I mean all of these vehicles are mostly used like 2-4 weeks per year.. We live 24/7 in ours. But that still isn't any excuse for the cheap material quality. Thank you for subscribing !
How did I miss the part about your not fitting in the bed the last time I watched this and commented on it? Maybe my pup was distracting me. You know how they are! That’s very disheartening. I want to get one but my husband is 6’2”. The bed is theoretically 6’3”, but there’s pillow allowance, etc. As far as usable space, it has more than our Travato G, but that bed could be a deal killer. I am banking on him fitting diagonally. I would be sleeping on the lounge anyway. But he’s a tosser and a turner (which is why I would be on the lounge!) and I don’t know how he would fare with a short bed. With regard to the clearance, I believe that adding Sumo Springs will lift it up a couple of inches. And a lot of people add Sumos for stability anyway. They come standard on our Travato, so I have nothing to compare it to, but it does feel relatively stable. That’s the easy and cheap DIY way, although some people spring for a professionally lifted frame.
Thanks for sharing. I was looking at used pockets but am worried about build quality issues. I'm now leaning back towards a smaller builder like Vanworks. Similar pricing but on a Transit trail chassis. Thanks again....
I wonder if I can order it without a sink and plumbing? The 2nd is to have bed lower so you dont need a stool to get into bed. With no plumbing I would think the bed can then be lowered?
I think that our next one will definitely be a custom built. Even if just done ourselves slowly over 6-8months we will have a much better quality build.
We don't either but we can use CZcams university lol. For the past two years, we were just looking at videos of being on the road, and now we are on the road, with a small youtube channel, and are pursuing our dreams.. so who knows what the future brings. Positive input from viewers like you is a HUGE driving factor for us. Jo & Barry
No Airbnb‘s for us. I’m so sick of hauling our stuff up to get comfortable for the night - sort of - and then realizing that in the middle of the night that I want something that’s outside in the car. And then we have to lug it all out again the next day to hit the road. I am so done with that. There will be times maybe when/if we fly that will be the only solution, but I like just having my stuff, having my comfort items around me. We bought our Travato 3/20, just as the pandemic hit and I feel like I never want to go into a hotel/Airbnb again. Ever.
The first two gripes were enough to convince to go no further than 1:29 into this video. No hot water, but the mentioned alternatives ad though they are good options. What else did you expect? Didn't you specify your needs at the time of order? And yes, usually portable hot water requires propane, solar, or electric hookups. How else were you going to heat the water? And then the gripe about the tires. HELLO! That's a common fault when purchasing, which is to just go with the dealer specified brands of tires. They are not going to mount the best ones on the market, unless you specify them. They are going to mount average, serviceable tires that meet the Department of Transportation requirements for common tires per load rating and size of vehicle. It's on the buyer to purchase YOUR choice of tires that fit your needs and the code requirements. So, I don't think you're qualified to suggest anything that I can trust for my own needs. Enjoy learning as you go in your otherwise nice van.
Funny, I have never heard of anyone saying the a Ram Promaster was an “off road” van. The axle is so low on them.
I’ve owned many RVs over the last 40 years, they are all poor quality. And for 40 plus years people have been saying that manufactures need to be held to a better standard. Nothing has changed. They don’t care, we keep buying their junk rvs. Lol
Very true! This is what our new experience has been. Sad it’s been going on.
Awesome video! Very informational, I’d suggest filming the video in landscape mode next time so when you’re viewing the video in fullscreen! But interesting video nonetheless 🖤😀
Thanks for the tip!
Stumbled onto this CZcams and want to comment on your Top 10 Dislikes. Have owned a Solis Pocket since September 2021. I live in the western US and all my Pocket trips have been in the Four Corners region. Many of your dislikes should have been know factors prior to purchase. For example, the lack of onboard hot water. Not sure what your requirements were when looking at a RV but the hot water issue should have eliminated the Solis Pocket from consideration. The same with clearance, bed size and batteries. Winnebago does a good job posting specifications on their website. The stock tires are LT and aren't intended for off road. A lot of folks will upgrade to AT tires first thing like you did with the BFGs or Wildpeaks for off road. However, I agree with your build quality dislike. Not great but being a 'budget' camper van I did not have high expectations. Sounds like you would have had less dislikes with a Winnebago's Solis, Travato or Revel models (I do not represent Winnebago). Or from a different Class B RV manufacturer. Wish you luck with your custom build. 20/20 hindsight that's what I would do today.
We were very naive for sure with our first RV purchase. Definitely have learned our lesson to say the least.
@@Vanpaths The Pocket was my first RV too. Think we are all a bit naive in the beginning, brother. Looking at the MSRP today of $140k versus $97k when I bought mine, I probably wouldn't have purchased it today. Safe travels.
It's really amazing that within the RV industry, Winnebago is considered a leader in quality, and yet their vans still have many weak points in terms of materials. I shudder to imagine what Thor owners go through, as I've read their quality is even lower!
Great video!
Thank you for watching. It is crazy what the quality is for the cost of these things.
@@Vanpaths you didn't mention the cassette toilet in either video. What's your take on it? Do you use it at all, and if so how easy is it to use and maintain?
Ahh yes the Thetford toilet is a champ. Just be sure to use only Thetford products so far we have found them to be so SOOOO much better than a lot of other brands. We simply full the flush tank with water and use the triple enzymes for the waste collection (4oz of product with about 12oz of water). That seems to work great. No spills, no odors.
I don’t know that I’d consider them a leader in quality per se. Just a good solid product, but relatively inexpensive compared to say Roadtrek or Pleasure Way. Certainly not as bad as other things I’ve seen and heard about that look nice and have bells and whistles, but start to fall apart as soon as you drive them. (See the Vancaskeys channel and all the problems that had with their two Thor Class Bs - they had a window fall out!) I think Winnebago is like the Ford or Chevy of the car industry. You get a fair amount for your money, but the fit and finish do suffer.
@@Heritage367 If we swap the Travato for a Pocket, I’m planning to get a larger Thetford - one of the comfort height models. It will be 99% for yellow stuff, but every once in a while there might be one of those times. And my husband is 6‘2“ and 82 yrs old, so I don’t want him to have to squat on something that’s 12” tall when they make 16-17.5” ones. They also hold a couple of gallons more. Secure it under the Murphy bed when driving.
I just subscribed. I want to buy a Pocket and get rid of our Travato G and I love to see people’s experiences with theirs. I’m disheartened by things like the finish coming off your cabinets already. Sigh… But perhaps this is one of the downsides of buying a pandemic vehicle. There’ve been more quality issues than usual the last couple of years, I’ve heard. Thanks for sharing your issues and I look forward to catching up on the rest of your videos.
Thank you so much!. All in all it's not a bad vehicle, I mean all of these vehicles are mostly used like 2-4 weeks per year.. We live 24/7 in ours. But that still isn't any excuse for the cheap material quality. Thank you for subscribing !
How did I miss the part about your not fitting in the bed the last time I watched this and commented on it? Maybe my pup was distracting me. You know how they are! That’s very disheartening. I want to get one but my husband is 6’2”. The bed is theoretically 6’3”, but there’s pillow allowance, etc. As far as usable space, it has more than our Travato G, but that bed could be a deal killer. I am banking on him fitting diagonally. I would be sleeping on the lounge anyway. But he’s a tosser and a turner (which is why I would be on the lounge!) and I don’t know how he would fare with a short bed.
With regard to the clearance, I believe that adding Sumo Springs will lift it up a couple of inches. And a lot of people add Sumos for stability anyway. They come standard on our Travato, so I have nothing to compare it to, but it does feel relatively stable. That’s the easy and cheap DIY way, although some people spring for a professionally lifted frame.
Thanks for sharing. I was looking at used pockets but am worried about build quality issues. I'm now leaning back towards a smaller builder like Vanworks. Similar pricing but on a Transit trail chassis. Thanks again....
Solis line is not really off road vehicles...
@bass monk, yes we agree and wanted to share that with other’s.
This video was very informative. May I make a suggestion? A good microphone will help. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you. We were thinking the same thing.
I wonder if I can order it without a sink and plumbing?
The 2nd is to have bed lower so you dont need a stool to get into bed.
With no plumbing I would think the bed can then be lowered?
I have finally come to the Conclusion that just about all RV's are CRAP. Less hassle and money to just AirB&B it. No RV's in our Future. We are Done.
I think that our next one will definitely be a custom built. Even if just done ourselves slowly over 6-8months we will have a much better quality build.
@@Vanpaths I am happy for you. We don't have the time, money or expertise to accomplish that.
We don't either but we can use CZcams university lol. For the past two years, we were just looking at videos of being on the road, and now we are on the road, with a small youtube channel, and are pursuing our dreams.. so who knows what the future brings. Positive input from viewers like you is a HUGE driving factor for us.
Jo & Barry
No Airbnb‘s for us. I’m so sick of hauling our stuff up to get comfortable for the night - sort of - and then realizing that in the middle of the night that I want something that’s outside in the car. And then we have to lug it all out again the next day to hit the road. I am so done with that. There will be times maybe when/if we fly that will be the only solution, but I like just having my stuff, having my comfort items around me. We bought our Travato 3/20, just as the pandemic hit and I feel like I never want to go into a hotel/Airbnb again. Ever.
@@TrishBenedict Good for you!
Too bad Winnebago didn't use the Truma combi vs the vario heater. Got water is a comfort that many folks want in an RV.
When you buy a rv from mass production manufacturers, this is foreseeable .
Very true
wait..didnt you buy your van knowing its limitations? or were you not paying attention?
The first two gripes were enough to convince to go no further than 1:29 into this video. No hot water, but the mentioned alternatives ad though they are good options. What else did you expect? Didn't you specify your needs at the time of order? And yes, usually portable hot water requires propane, solar, or electric hookups. How else were you going to heat the water? And then the gripe about the tires. HELLO! That's a common fault when purchasing, which is to just go with the dealer specified brands of tires. They are not going to mount the best ones on the market, unless you specify them. They are going to mount average, serviceable tires that meet the Department of Transportation requirements for common tires per load rating and size of vehicle. It's on the buyer to purchase YOUR choice of tires that fit your needs and the code requirements. So, I don't think you're qualified to suggest anything that I can trust for my own needs. Enjoy learning as you go in your otherwise nice van.
Can't help. Cheap is cheap.
This is true.
Pressboad and paper panels for $100,000
🤣
@@mp412cutube an emoji? How fun