skyl4rk said:
What didn't you like about it? Was there another thread about what went wrong?
Since you asked me, skyl4rk I will give you the information that you requested. Also, keep in mind that these are the things that I personally went through with my Runaway, and may not reflect other peoples experiences or opinions. But it is the truth as I experienced it.
The main thing about the Runaway was that it was very small for me, in width and height. This alone created some problems that made life uncomfortable for me.
1. Getting in and out was tricky. The doorway is very short and narrow opening. I lost track of the number of times I scraped and hit my head arms and legs getting in and out. I still have creases on my skull from that (and I am not kidding). I did get to the point that it happened a little less toward the end, but it still did, even being careful.
2. Once inside I could not do much. Except sleep. Moving around was a chore. The 4 foot height was too short for a chair because I would be bumping my head, and the sofa or what ever would be put in that was the right height to keep my head off the ceiling put me too close to the floor, so my knees were practically up in my chest. If I was a tall person I would have had lots more problems with this. I am only 5' 6", pretty short by most standards, and I had a difficult time moving around at all inside. I had to contort my body to do anything.
3. The ventilation was terrible. It had 2 sliding windows, one on each side. But....they were about 6 to 8 inches from the top of the roof. This left a dead air space on the ceiling that trapped lots of moisture. I did have some 12 volt fans pulling air in or pulling air out of the windows but for some reason the humidly in the Runaway stayed high. I could run my hand across the ceiling and it was usually wet. And the carpet that they used on the ceiling started to stink. The roof was not leaking, it was from breathing and body moisture given off. Keeping the bed dry was a problem with this humidly also. I had to lift it up everyday and stand it on its edges to let it dry out. The mattress had to sit right on the floor and the moisture collected on the bottom, next to the floor. I could have built a platform but that would have made it too tall and very difficult to get on and off the bed because of the low height, and in and out of the Runaway too.
They (the manufacturers in Ocala) used to put the fantastic fans in them but stopped doing that because they claimed that since the roof was slightly curved, that it could start leaking over a period of time. Although.....you still can pay them (the manufacturers of the Runaway) extra to install one in your unit at time of manufacture. I think it was to save on costs and add to the profit. But that's strictly my opinion.
4. I can't speak for others' Runaways but this is what the situation was with mine......The Runaway that they, (the manufacturers of the Runaways) manufactured for me was put together very sloppy. There were huge gaps around the door on the inside. So big that I could see outside through them, but only when the door was open. The crank handle for the stabilizer wheel in the front was broken with a big chunk missing. All the 2" square frame plugs were put in distorted, and the box frames would fill with water. I had to get more plugs and reinstall them correctly. The tires were dated 2 years earlier, in other words they were using out dated tires on my unit. I had to take them back up to Ocala to make them (Runaway Trailers) exchange them for up to date tires. I noticed that after I came back from my 2,500 mile road trip that the caulking along the edges of the roof and walls on the outside had big gaps all the way around and the full length. The box, roof, and walls were shifting, and the silicone seal was pulling away from the corners. In other words it's like taking a cardboard box and shifting it out of square. One of the latch assemblies completely came off the glass when I opened the window one day. I put it back on but it will come off again. Oh, and the 4 prong plug for the lights shorted out and started smoking. I had to replace that also.
To sum up, my brand new Runaway that I personally owned was like a cracker box shifting around as I towed it.
I also have noticed that Runaway Trailers have recently upped the price of their trailers about $500 on average through their different models.
Well.....skyl4rk you asked me, and there it is. That's my Runaway story and I'm sticking to it. And it's all truth. I swear it to what ever witness you want.
