What’s new at Rockwood-Flagstaff for 2027 - RV podcast 377
What’s new at Rockwood-Flagstaff for 2027 - RV podcast 377
This week we get to speak with Duane Yoder, the Operations Manager for Rockwood and Flagstaff. Duane tells us about some improvements in the RV industry that Rockwood and Flagstaff have implemented. Some are visible, some are more “behind the scenes,” and they all help new owners of these travel trailers and fifth wheels become StressLess Campers.
Other places to hear the podcast
Mentioned on this episode
The NoPane propane tank handle - it’s pretty cool!
Liquified RV Tank Treatment for grey tanks as well as black - now with the new RV sewer hose!
Weigh Safe hitch for safe towing: know before you tow
Watch Tony’s review of the Puma by Forest River 220FK
If you’re confused about solar, battery power or just want to upgrade your RV we have found the solutions from ABC Upfitters are both reliable and exceptional.
We have a podcast episode and video where you can learn more here.
Automated transcript of StressLess Camping RV podcast episode 376
Peggy
What the heck are Rockwood and Flagstaff doing?
Tony
We snuck into their world headquarters and captured our friend Duane Yoder, head of operations, and found out all of the new and exciting changes that are happening to the 2027 Rockwood and Flagstaff trailers, especially the Mini Lite and Micro Lite, which we have.
Peggy
We are flying by the seat of our pants this week and have no notes, but we do have, we will have notes and links and all those other things we always talk about for episode 377 of the Stressless Camping RV podcast.
Tony
Don't forget to like, share and subscribe. We have full details at our home on the web at stresslesscamping.com. And most of all... Stressless camping.
Peggy
Stressless camping.
Tony
I'm Tony.
Peggy
I'm Peggy.
Tony
And we're two RV industry veterans who travel part-time-
Peggy
In a Rockwood Mini Lite
Tony
... nope, and looking to share big adventures and help you with great tips-
Peggy
Tricks
Tony
... and discounts. You already think of Matt when you poop.
Peggy
And now you can think of Matt even longer.
Tony
20 feet longer.
Peggy
Da, da, da, da. Introducing the gravity hose kit from Prime RV, the new name for the company that brought you liquified waste tank treatments-
Tony
And Liquishine RV cleaning products. Now brings you the gravity sewer hose kit.
Peggy
Doesn't crush.
Tony
Doesn't crack.
Peggy
Built to last. Easy in, easy out.
Tony
Easy out. And comes with a clear elbow.
Peggy
And using the link on our website, you can get a discount.
Tony
Get yours today. Stressless dumping.
Peggy
Stressless dumping. We are doing this completely without notes this week. We got a rare opportunity to sneak in to the Rockwood and Flagstaff plant. And so we're gonna talk about the changes that Rockwood and Flagstaff, which is the same company, have been making over the past few... You know what would be so much better? If somebody was here to tell us instead of us talking about it.
Tony
Y- you know what? Or you know who would be a great someone? Duane Yoder.
Peggy
Duane Yoder would be awesome.
Tony
I wish I could conjure up... Wait, watch, I'm gonna rub my magic bald spot. No. We are very fortunate to be joined by our friend Duane Yoder, who's the operations manager for Rockwood and Flagstaff. Duane, welcome.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Thank you.
Tony
Uh, welcome back, I should say.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yeah.
Tony
He's, uh-
Peggy
Well, and he should be the one saying welcome, 'cause he's letting us use the Rockwood facility, as maybe you might notice by our backdrop.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
What?
Tony
Oh.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
This isn't, oh, this isn't yours? I'm just kidding.
Peggy
Oh. That's how we always feel.
Tony
Hey, don't, don't, don't, uh- ... let your eyes off us.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
You never know what might disappear from here.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Well, welcome to Rockwood and Flagstaff.
Tony
Well, thank you.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Photo stu- the studio and...
Tony
We like having Duane because he can answer the kinda under the skin, behind the scenes questions. So for those of you who don't realize, uh, as things change over time, particularly Rockwood and Flagstaff really do make things newer, better. So we thought, especially since a lot of you have Rockwood or Flagstaff trailers, uh, we'd kinda highlight what's new for 2027.
Tony
Okay. So first of all, if you don't know, Rockwood and Flagstaff are part of the Forest River RV family.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Right.
Tony
And Forest River makes a whole lot of travel trailers. Everything from really price-focused trailers that are meant to be very affordable, to very premium trailers, which is, in my opinion, what Rockwood and Flagstaff are. But sometimes on the forums we read, "Don't buy a Forest River product." And I don't think... Well, first of all, a lot-
Peggy
Well, you said, sorry, you said Forest River makes a lot of travel trailers. Forest River also makes a lot of class As-
Tony
Yeah
Peggy
... a lot of class Cs, and a lot of class Bs. So Forest River is a really wide company that has a whole bunch of children, I guess.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
Right? If that's the parent company.
Tony
And one of the things that people don't realize, I think, one of the most important things in any RV shopping is to shop your RV dealership first, because that's your first line of contact with any warranty, repair, education, training. But then it goes, you know, from there, the dealer's contact is with the various manufacturer. And can you explain a little about how autonomous each of the brands are at Forest River?
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Well, each division, each brand is kinda run as its own division. There's a lot of differences amongst the divisions, but there's also a lot of similarities. There's, you know, we have corporate standards that we all follow. We have, a lot of our units are run through the same, uh, PDI facility that checks for codes, checks for a lot of that different stuff. So there's, uh, uh, a lot of, uh, things that we all work together to make better as a whole, as a company, but there's also a lot of individuality within the divisions that, you know, where we all try to set ourselves apart.
Tony
One of the things you'll find later this episode, this week's RV review is of a Puma, and the Puma has a very similar layout to a Rockwood, but the number of differences in design decisions that are made just kinda really brings to the surface how differently
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Forest River enables each brand to do what they think is best for their own customer base. It also depends a little bit on what your customer base is. Rockwood and Flagstaff is a little bit more of a premium brand. We spend a little bit more money on different parts of the trailer, different, uh, you know, components of the trailer. Everybody knows that Rockwood and Flagstaff is more of a premium trailer, and therefore you're gonna spend more for it. But if that's out of your price range, then there are cheaper options, and that's what, like, uh, some other brands are for.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yeah.
Tony
Yeah, sort of, uh, as I say, it's 31 flavors at the ice cream store for a reason. Although, really, chocolate with peanut butter is the one to get. But that's just me.
Peggy
Carmel sea salt is the one to get.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yeah, I'm... Mm, yeah, that's true. That's a good one.
Tony
So we wanted to kinda highlight some of the new things, and I think the first place I'm gonna stop is in the wiring department. And it's not new, but it is new.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
The label is new.
Tony
Yeah.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Um, we added the label, and we've g- gotten some questions on it. We added a label this past year that says, uh, "Color-coded wiring," and it's something that we've been doing for a while, uh, for years, actually. We have what we call our own matrix, wiring matrix, and it's, each, uh, production line follows, you know, a certain color is, like a blue and white is the appliance, uh, 12 volt appliance circuit. Um, we were actually the ones that, uh, Rockwood and Flagstaff, not me personally, but-
Tony
Mm
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
... were the ones that, uh, worked with a vendor to develop the color-coded Romex wire.
Tony
Hmm.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
So we use color-coded Romex wire, like, uh, you know, pink and brown and black, and, uh, and that's just for the- the dealer to, the- the ease of troubleshooting, and I think there's six or seven colors total of that. But then the 12 volt wiring, we also follow a certain matrix, where we try to- to make so the- the Rockwood and Flagstaff family all uses the same colors for the same things as much as possible.
Tony
I can tell you, as someone who managed the warranty department at a dealership, knowing that- ... a pink and blue wire, whatever it happens to be, that one always does the radio or whatever it is, first that intentshiet- intention... Muh, muh, muh. This new mouth, man, I'm telling you. That intentshie-
Peggy
Intentionality
Tony
... intentionality, that's what she said. Reduces the number of challenges. And then as a dealer with, you know, doing warranty work, knowing, "Well, that wire always does this," really is, it really cuts down on service time. So it-
Peggy
That's like two steps ahead of some of the problems you used to find at the dealership, where they'd start at the battery and say, "Blue wire, follow the blue wire."
Tony
Oh, yeah.
Peggy
And the blue wire would turn to red somewhere in the middle when they ran out of blue wire.
Tony
Oh, yeah, yeah. It was-
Peggy
Not, not necessarily. But that, I mean, it is-
Tony
Oh
Peggy
... total wild, wild west-
Tony
Yeah
Peggy
... out there.
Tony
Oh, I could tell you about-
Peggy
And you-
Tony
... tearing the nose cap off a fifth wheel. It was nuts. But anyway. So, good.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yeah. Yeah, it's something we've been doing for a little while, but we just started advertising it.
Tony
And then another kinda under the surface thing to look at, plumbing. You guys have changed some of the fittings too.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yeah, we, uh, we, I think it was about two years ago, we, maybe it was longer than that.
Tony
Duane thinks in the future.
Peggy
Yeah.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yeah, I don't think in the past.
Tony
Right, yeah. You're looking forward.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Uh, but we, it was a while back. We switched to all PEX, uh, line with, the, anything that's pressurized, we use PEX line. And then in areas where, like with water pump install, it requires that you use a f- a flex line, uh, for vibration, and any of those areas will, if it has to be pressurized, it has to be a flex- flexible line, then we, uh, buy it a third party, which every hose is then tested, uh, pressurized and tested before it gets to us.
Tony
Yeah, so the connectors are put on differently.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Right.
Tony
So again, one less thing to worry about.
Peggy
That was something... So I- I've said in the past, like, we've seen i- in the, you know, seven years that we've been RVing, or 10 years that we've been RVing- ... things like, uh, refrigerators have made a drastic change over the last few years. Air conditioners are starting to make a drastic change. Battery technology has gone insane over the last few years.
Tony
Oh my gosh, right.
Peggy
And, and things like intentional wiring and intentional plumbing, they seem like they're a little slower, but maybe they're just a little quieter.
Tony
Mm-hmm.
Peggy
You know? Or maybe they don't s- they're not on the surface, they're not as visible, so they're not so obviously big changes, but for the people who seven years ago had to fix those plumbing concerns, it's a big deal.
Tony
Yeah, it is. We've had zero issues with-
Peggy
Yep
Tony
... our current trailer. It's been great. And I'm, uh, you know, I go back far enough, I've got water sensors under every sink and all that stuff.
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
On the wiring and the, and the water lines, you know, that's- that's more in the guts of the trailer. It's not the, the pretty stuff you see, you know, all the time.
Peggy
Yeah.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
So, uh, it is, but as far as, you know, in production, to implement that stuff takes a lot of hard work.
Peggy
Yeah.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
And it takes a lot of intentionality.
Tony
Yeah. And it's not, it's not free, right? Those upgrades cost labor and materials. And well, Peggy mentioned air conditioners.
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
And if you're shopping for a 2027 Rockwood Mini Lite or Flagstaff Micro Lite, you're gonna see another big change.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yeah. Uh, in 2027's we switched to the, the Furrion 18,000 BTU Chill Cube on, uh, the Rockwood Mini Lites and Flagstaff Micro Lites only at this point, so.
Peggy
Excellent.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
We're, that's, we've gotten a lot of customer feedback, a lot of people that were switching out their, their-
Peggy
Okay
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
... air conditioners with Chill Cubes, uh, and getting a lot of feedback that people really like the Chill Cube. And, uh, it's been on our radar for a while, but we were making sure they were up to Rockwood Flagstaff quality-
Peggy
Sure
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
... before we started selling them.
Peggy
Yeah. That makes sense.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
So we did a lot of testing before we switched to them.
Tony
So did we. Yeah. We had one and we really liked it. It was... And then we switched again because that's how we roll. But- ... that Chill Cube was, it was-
Peggy
They're not, we didn't switch because we didn't like-
Tony
There was nothing we didn't like about it
Peggy
... the Chill Cube.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
We switched for other reasons.
Tony
It was a, yeah, because we're nuts.
Peggy
Okay. Here's something else that's sort of visible, but sort of not, but super important. Uh, you have Starlink prep now.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yes.
Peggy
Yay.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
We do from, uh, Mini Lite, Micro Lite on up as far as size-wise. We did Starlink prep starting in 2027, and that was also based off of a lot of feedback from customers, um, that were using them, that said, "Hey, we really would love to have Starlink prep." And, and what, uh, differentiates ours a little bit, and, and there's other, uh, brands now using it as well, but, um, we use the one where it has a, um, power port on the outside for the Starlink Mini, and then it has a switch on the inside-
Peggy
Okay
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
... um, to where you can, it basically powers that power port for the Starlink Mini to where it's just a, a 12 volt plugin. And, uh, it's a, it's way easier to use. Like, if you have the Starlink Mini, this is gonna be easy to use. It's a simple plug and play.
Peggy
Nice.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
And it, and it's-
Peggy
Nice
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
... it's also a plug and play for Starlink. I actually, this weekend when I used a proto, I actually, uh, used our Starlink antenna that we have here for testing.
Peggy
Oh.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
And it works great.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
Cool.
Tony
Oh, by the way, that, don't let Duane pass that he was camping this weekend and testing out a prototype of a Rockwood or Flagstaff, he won't say. But-
Peggy
So while we still maintain that there's a great majority of people who work in the RV industry who don't RV, not everybody fits that category.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
Fortunately.
Tony
But we see a lot of that in, in how our units have, have worked out in the real world.
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
So that's a, that's a good thing. Well, another thing on the outside, you now have the rail lights.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yes.
Peggy
Yes.
Tony
We were the first customers of ABC Upfitters to install that.
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
And I, I understand from Ben that it was a big deal to get that red, a very specific red. Um, and we'll show, Peggy'll cut in a, a video of what that is. But-
Peggy
Because it has to be DOT approved.
Tony
Right.
Peggy
And so they worked with reds, and reds, and reds, and reds until DOT finally said, "Sure, you can use those for your brake lights."
Tony
Yeah. But it's not just brake and turn signal.
Peggy
Not anymore.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Nope. Not on the ones we install. Um, you do see a lot of them, um, on the rail, the rear rail, where it's brake and turn signal, and it's just red. Um, and if you look at ours and you see it brake and turn, you might think the bottom 24 inches does, it's not working, but it's actually the reverse lights.
Tony
Yeah.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
So, uh, for I think the first time ever, we've had, we have reverse lights, and, uh, we added that to the wiring and, and it works great.
Tony
And is that, that's across the board, or?
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
That is, uh, Geo Pros, uh, not the LE Geo Pros, but the regular Geo Pros on up, um, except for the Traveler fifth wheels.
Peggy
I'd be curious, so obviously they help people know when you're gonna back into them. Are they, like, I haven't seen them actually in use yet. Are they bright enough if you foolishly end up at a campground after dark, are they bright enough to help you see the site that you're backing into?
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yeah, for sure.
Peggy
Oh, fantastic.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
It's actually, it's, it's a, it gives off a nice, nice-
Peggy
A glow
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
... good glow.
Peggy
Okay.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
And, and the red part of it really shows up at night.
Tony
Oh, yeah.
Peggy
For sure. Yeah.
Tony
Yeah.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Definitely grab your attention.
Tony
We love those things. Yeah, having been rear-ended, we, we really appreciate those rear lights.
Peggy
Yes.
Tony
Well, I guess we're circling around outside. Another thing you've added to Mini and Micro, and I think on up, is a whole-house water filtration. But the way you've done it is really different.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yeah. We actually, we started working with, um, an outside source that does a lot of water filtration for, um, irrigation and, like, um, the, it's the same company that, uh, like Walmart and some of those places use to filtrate their water that, that mists their vegetables.
Tony
Hmm.
Peggy
Oh, okay.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
And, uh, we worked with them, um, through, uh, an internal source. We, we were working with them on developing this, and it took well over a year that it took-
Tony
Yeah
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
... to develop this. And, 'cause we developed the housing. We had a couple of different, um, additions of it. Um, but the nice part of it is it's a, it's sealed off to the inside, and then all you have to do is open the outdoor, uh, door to it, and the filters are simple. You pull it out, you turn it a quarter turn, and you remove it, and as you remove it, it actually puts it in bypass mode, so it's ready for winterization.
Tony
Yeah. That's, that's pretty cool. If you don't wanna use the filter at all, you just don't. Right? It just, without the filter in place, it just bypasses that fitting. But then if you do choose to use the filter, you just, as you said-
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Mm-hmm
Tony
... boom. It, uh, and it's outside the RV sort of. It's in a compartment, and you just open the compartment door and and you're-
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Everything's outside. Your mess is outside. You don't have a mess inside. Um, but there really shouldn't be a mess because-
Peggy
Right
Tony
Yeah
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
... it's a simple quarter turn.
Tony
Yeah, it's a quarter turn.
Peggy
It seals itself as you take it off.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Right.
Peggy
Not like the old ones that the-
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Under the sink
Peggy
... filter was sitting in a big cup of water.
Tony
Yeah. It was really full.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
Oh, yeah. So-
Peggy
Does it go through the system then for city water and for filling a tank?
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yes.
Peggy
Okay.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Um, no.
Peggy
No?
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Let me... It goes in, city water would run through there, and then as you fill your tank, it would, uh, filter it as it pulls out of the tank.
Peggy
Oh, okay, okay. Between the tank and the pump.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yeah.
Tony
Right.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yeah.
Peggy
Okay.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yeah. And yeah, that's a, that's been a good addit- And it's a good filter. Like, it's a top of the line. I don't know all the, the specifications to it, but off the top of my head, but, uh, it's a, it's a really good filter. It's not just a cheap filter.
Tony
And are they available online or-
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
The filter's gonna be purchased through our parts department.
Tony
Okay.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
And I'm sure some dealers are probably stocking them as well. The filter itself, the whole housing and filter, is exclusive to Rockwood and Flagstaff.
Tony
Interesting. Huh. Rockwood and Flagstaff have really stepped up their telephone support system-
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Mm-hmm
Tony
... recently.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yeah, we've, we've, our customer service, we've put a lot of focus on customer service. Um, we realize that in a world where, you know, everything's going AI and you're talking to machines a lot, people sometimes just wanna talk to a person. So, um, we've tried to really step up our customer service to where, um, you know, we answer the phone and we, you're talking to a real person that can get you help. We also, on the parts department, you know, as far as shipping out parts, we know everybody's used to Amazon.
Tony
Mm-hmm.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
And while we don't claim to be Amazon or as, as fast as Amazon, we, we, we try. We try our best to, to get-
Peggy
Yeah, we're all very spoiled-
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
... packages out
Peggy
... by same day delivery.
Tony
Well, we had, uh, first of all, if you're designing RV parks, don't put trees where the dump station is- ... that knock off vents off roofs. But we were at a dump station, and there's a tree that was low enough. Imagine having a fifth wheel, and it pulled the, that vent cap off our vent. I just called in and I got a replacement vent cap. I didn't even have to reseal it 'cause it was just this screw on part, and it was great.
Tony
It was just bing, bang, boom, got it in the mail, or...
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
And we do a lot of, uh, pull from the line, is what we call it. So if there's a part that we're using in production today, um, instead of ordering it from the vendor, waiting a week or two before it shows up, and then shipping it to the customer, we'll go to the production line- ... pull it from the production line, and s- ship it to the customer.
Peggy
And hopefully, hopefully they
Tony
I needed that air conditioner.
Peggy
... need it.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
But we also stock extra in the production line then to make sure-
Peggy
Sure
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
... we have
Tony
Yeah
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
... multiple.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
Makes sense. By the way, right adjacent to, uh, where we're sitting right now is where they do a lot of the pre-delivery inspection, where, uh, these people see stuff I, I don't know how they even see it. They're so particular, and they put this little tape that indicates whatever it indicates, and I'm amazed to watch them go through the, these unit-
Peggy
The color-coded tape
Tony
... the color-coded tape.
Peggy
And then, yeah, like, I've been, like, walking over there like, "I see a piece of tape. I cannot figure out what's wrong."
Tony
I don't see what's wrong. Yeah.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
There's a whole language-
Peggy
Yeah
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
... with tape.
Tony
Yeah. It's-
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
And that you only know if you're in the RV industry. I mean, certain ways of hanging the tape-
Peggy
The right direction
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
... signifies certain, um-
Peggy
Or a certain loop or-
Tony
Oh, yeah. The, the loop and the, oh, it's... But the things that they see, I, I have yet to see. Like, I've seen the tape, and I'm like, "I, I don't see what's wrong." So these people are eagle-eyed.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
They're, they're impressive. And then they f- they make sure that it's right, so.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yeah. We inspect the majority of our RVs with a flashlight, you know, doing the shadow effect, doing straight on, uh, just trying to find everything we possibly can.
Tony
Well, and another thing I like that you do is every RV you build, at the end of the line, gets air pressure te- So they have a, like, a fake door, and it pressurizes the RV, and then you spray it with soapy water to make sure there's zero leaks. And then you also test the propane lines-
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Mm-hmm
Tony
... as well, the same thing. You pressurize the propane line, lines and make sure there's no leaks, so.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yeah, the propane lines are tested multiple times throughout the process. Uh, but the, the air, what we call the air makeup system, uh, we basically pressurize and, and anywhere where air can get out, there's a good chance water can get in. So we'll make sure we fix that.
Tony
Yeah. It's, it's impressive to see.
Peggy
Something else I think that I heard is that there are no longer outside speakers, or they're not holes in the wall that where air can get out and water can get in.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yeah, we, uh, had a lot of, you know, we always had these big blobs on the side of our wall, and with outside speakers, so we decided to hide them. We didn't eliminate them. We just hid them.
Peggy
Okay.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Um, so, uh, most of them are either in the skirt metal underneath or on the frame underneath, and we've actually gotten pretty positive responses from them because people are saying that, you know, a lot of times you sit outside your camper while your noise is coming from behind, kind of underneath.
Tony
Yeah.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
And it's, it's where you can hear it, but not every neighbor can hear it.
Tony
Yeah. Mounting them up is you're just blasting into the next campgrounds. And I mean, maybe you might find someone at a campground who doesn't like Jimmy Buffett. I don't know what's wrong with people.
Peggy
Crazy people.
Tony
But yeah, that, having them underneath just makes so much more sense. And it's one fewer place where water can get in.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Right.
Tony
'Cause it's-
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yeah
Tony
... under the skirt or in the skirt molding.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yep.
Tony
So it, these little things just amaze me that, you know, that it's like, ah, you know, so they moved the speakers, but you realize then it's like, oh, now they are less likely to disturb the neighbors. There's not a leak point. It, it, these things always have consequences. And so as I tell you, shop from the road up.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
Oh, and speaking of the road up
Peggy
I, wait, I have a question, though. How, like, uh, it's gonna be obvious to you that I've t- haven't used the outside speakers in a long, long, long time. On our 2016, they worked off the radio.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Mm-hmm.
Peggy
But now you don't have radios, right?
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Well, the radios are in-
Peggy
In the TV
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
... in the TV, correct.
Peggy
Yeah.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
On the Mini-Lites, well, on the Geo Pros, e Pros, Mini-Lites, Micro-Lites, uh, they're all on the TV. And then on Ultra-Lites and Super Lites and Classics and Signatures, they're, uh, there's a Bluetooth module where, uh, you can connect to your phone and run-
Peggy
Right
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
... run it through there.
Tony
And it's a 12 volt TV, too.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Right.
Tony
Which is a lot more expensive than a household 120 volt TV. And I have to say, we have that JBL, we have the Connex TV with the JBL speakers. I'm always impressed at how good that sounds. I mean, yeah, it's not a concert sound system and it's a TV, but it-
Peggy
Right
Tony
... doesn't stink.
Peggy
Right.
Tony
It's, it's actually pretty good.
Peggy
Yeah.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yeah.
Tony
So.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
They're actually very good. Like, with the built-in radio and everything, it actually, you can listen to music and not, you know, hurt your ears.
Tony
Yeah. Again, you, you, you get the full concert experience.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Listening to Jimmy Buffett music.
Tony
Or whatever.
Peggy
So we were-
Tony
Oh, or the Stressless Camping RV Podcast.
Peggy
Or that.
Tony
What am I thinking?
Peggy
Yeah. We were at a campground one time, uh, across from-
Tony
Oh
Peggy
... someone who was very, very obviously- ... on their first couple nights of owning a travel trailer, because they're, all their outside, like, awning light was on all the time, and their- ... outside speakers were always on.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
And we didn't wanna embarrass them. We weren't mad. It didn't bother us. But we recognized that they probably didn't even know that they were on.
Tony
Right.
Peggy
So I assume that the newer systems, it's a little easier to know that you're using your outdoor speakers. But if you don't know and they're out there-
Tony
Yeah
Peggy
... they're not as loud anyway.
Tony
Yeah.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
At least they weren't listening to adult content.
Peggy
That's right.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
So whatever they were watching was, like, movies and TV.
Peggy
Yeah.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Not, you know- ... air, chicka bow bow.
Tony
Terrible. We had talked about shop from the road up, and Rockwood, for years, has had tire pressure monitoring systems. They also use Goodyear Endurance tires with balancing beads, and it's just a best in class. But you've even upgraded the tire pressure monitoring system for 2027.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yeah. It, uh, we changed it to where you can use, uh, CarPlay. Instead of having a separate monitor, you can, it plugs into your CarPlay, runs off an app, and, uh, you have it on your CarPlay screen. You don't have to have a separate monitor. Um, you, if you choose to have the monitor and that's how you prefer it, then you can still buy the monitor-
Peggy
Okay
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
... and use it that way. But, and, and that's-
Peggy
So when we get our 2027 trailer, we're gonna have to get a new truck, 'cause we don't have CarPlay. Our truck's too old.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
It depends if you want a new truck or not. If you don't, then you can just get a new monitor.
Peggy
Oh, no.
Tony
Oh, uh, nothing?
Peggy
We're getting a, a monitor built around a new truck.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Oh.
Peggy
Built into a new truck.
Tony
Well, or we could use our phones.
Peggy
Or we could use our phones. So.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Right, right. It'd be on your app. Yeah.
Tony
Yeah, it'd just be on that RoadTech Connect app, which we've downloaded already.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
True.
Tony
We're anticipating.
Peggy
That's true.
Tony
Well, and then another thing that's a big change for 2027, you offer auto level on Mini-Lites.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yeah. That's new for 2027. We, um, on the bigger stuff we, we've optioned auto level for, uh, quite some time. And then Super Lites and Ultra Lites, I think two years ago we started optioning it on that, and then just this last year, 2027, we started optioning the auto level on Mini-Lites and M- Micro-Lites.
Peggy
So it's still-
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
So it's pretty exciting
Peggy
... an option throughout the whole line?
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yes.
Peggy
Okay.
Tony
And it's the BAL 5.1 system, right?
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yes.
Tony
So I know Tony and Tina have that from T&T RVing. Shout out. Uh, and love it. So. But they have the larger trailer, too, 'cause they're bougie.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yeah, everything's on the tongue jack. Like, all your controls are on the tongue jack, where you just hit auto level. It's, it's one of the nicest things.
Peggy
It, that tongue jack is, like, a whole computer in itself.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yes.
Peggy
I was watching Tony from T&T, uh, I was helping him, you know, back up to his trailer, and I was gonna lower the tongue for him so he wouldn't have to hop out of the truck. And I'm like, "I don't know what buttons to push." I don't wanna mess up.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
It he- actually helps you troubleshoot. If s- if it's throwing an error or anything, it actually pops up with a QR code on the screen.
Peggy
Oh.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
And you can scan it with your phone, and it'll actually either s- show you a video of how to correct it-
Peggy
Hmm. Nice
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
... or it'll show you contact information on how to get a hold of them.
Peggy
Okay.
Tony
Interesting. That's something, again, going back to my warranty days, which was a few years ago, auto level, like calibrating it, was always ... I mean, I used to have hair. So if BAL has made it an easy recal and ch- troubleshooting, that's, that alone is a night and day difference. So.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
So are you saying our hair is gonna grow back?
Tony
I hope.
Peggy
Oh.
Tony
Hair today.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
I haven't gone full head of hair in a while.
Peggy
I know.
Tony
I know, it's been a while for me, too. Well, you know, they only make so many really good-looking heads, and all the rest they just have to cover with hair.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yeah. I agree. No offense.
Peggy
I'll have a lot.
Tony
And then the other-
Peggy
Unless, since I met Tony. Oh. Sorry.
Tony
The other big thing, uh, you have another option, the touring coil suspension.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yes.
Tony
So you've always had the torsion axle, which I really like, but I kinda like the touring coil suspension even better.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yeah. We decided, uh, w- we've been testing it for a while. W- we call it the Black Diamond package.
Tony
Okay.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
And it's, uh- Shock, coil spring suspension with, with gas shocks, and it takes the place of the torsion axles. Standard is still torsion, but you have the option to upgrade to the Black Diamond
Tony
Which is, which is cool. And then when you consider a lot of the Mini Lites have the optional power package, which is the solar and lithium system that we have on our trailer, and you take that touring coil suspension, let's say you're like, "Oh, I'm gonna go to Alaska," a lot of people. And so many people report, not Mini Lite owners necessarily, but people with leaf springs, they report busting leaves and having to replace several of them on that trip. Get that touring coil suspension and a power package, man, you are Alaska ready.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Mm-hmm.
Peggy
Ooh.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
It, it definitely adds... It has a lot of movement. Uh, you have a lot of travel up and down, but just the s- the ride is, is so smooth.
Tony
Yeah, and then the s-
Peggy
I could start napping while Tony drives.
Tony
Yeah. The fewer-
Peggy
In Alaska
Tony
... jounces and bumps that go into the trailer, the less it's shaking around, the longer it's gonna last.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Sure.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
So I mean, that's been the, the torsion axle story for years, and now you've just, as Walt Disney would say, you've plussed it as an option for those who want that.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
I might put that on my option list. Okay, who said, "My"?
Peggy
Don't you also have Power Pro in some of the units?
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yes.
Peggy
Okay.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
We, we've used Power Pro I think two or three years now in the Geo Pro and E-Pro.
Peggy
Okay.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
And just in, in 2027, we introduced it into the Mini Lites and the Micro Lites. Uh, and it's for power. For those don't know what it is, it's a, it's a monitoring system that, switchboard where you can talk, uh, to turn on your lights, turn off your lights, turn on your water pump, turn off your water pump, and you basically, you know, just like, "Hey, Siri," you say, "Hey, Power Pro," and then it'll respond and-
Peggy
Did all your phones wake up?
Tony
So I've tested this, and yeah, you could be sat... For example, last week's review, uh, that Geo Pro, I was sitting in the recliner at the back of the trailer, and I said, "Hey, Power Pro, turn off the lights," and bink, it goes dark. Or you can set scenes too, so you're like, "Hey, Power Pro, I wanna watch a movie," and certain lights will come on and off or dim or... Hey, Power Pro. Turn off the lights.
Tony
Hey, Power Pro. Turn off the lights.
Speaker 4
All of the lights are turned off.
Tony
See? She works just as well as the devil that lives in my phone. Hey, Power Pro. Turn on the lights.
Speaker 4
All of the lights are turned on.
Tony
And you can also do other things with that. You can dim the lights. I won't show you that, 'cause then on the camera, they get all flickery. They're not flickery in real life. Um, other, other functions are available with that voice command. So if you're just sitting here looking at the TV, which by the way is a 12 volt TV, those have become very expensive, so not a lot of makers are still including them. And it's nice, right? If you're off the grid and you wanna watch TV, you don't have to kick on the inverter, but there is an inverter just the same.
Tony
So a lot of nice little features. But if you're just sitting here watching TV and you wanna dim the lights, you can also set scenes, like, um, "I wanna relax," or whatever, uh, that Power Pro will, uh, allow you to do that. So you can customize some of the scene settings and light settings and, and all of that. And I don't wanna say that device's name, just like I don't wanna say Shlomo, who lives in my phone, because she will, "Yeah?
Tony
What do you want?" But the good thing is if you're like, "Dude, I don't want any voice activated. I don't wanna mess with my phone," there's still buttons.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Right.
Tony
So it's really, it can work the way you like. So, you know, like a couple, there's always one who's like, "Woo-hoo, I have voice activated," and the other person is like, "I, I just wanna press a button," and it's all there, so.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
It is. And if you prefer not to use the voice activation or you, you know, for whatever reason you don't want it, you can always go in the app and shut the mic off.
Tony
Oh, there you go.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
And then it just functions like any other switchboard.
Tony
And it's not relating back to, like, some, or headquarters. It's all local on the trailer.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Right.
Tony
It-
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
It's, it's not connected to Wi-Fi, correct.
Tony
The other cool thing is you can go, "Hey, Power Pro, check my tanks," and it's like, "The gray tank is at 50%."
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
"The black tank is at, you know, empty," whatever it reads back. So you can see just how well that liquefied is working, huh?
Peggy
Oh.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Another thing it, they changed just recently in the latest rendition of it is, uh, it responds quicker. So if you say, "Hey, Power Pro," it'll, it'll respond faster, uh, than the old original version used to. Um, now when you're used to the new one, you walk into an old one- ... it's like, "Is it not working?"
Peggy
You're like, "It's not working."
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
And then it responds.
Peggy
Oh, there it goes.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yeah. Yeah, it's, the new one is way more responsive.
Peggy
Oh, okay.
Tony
And I think the last item we have is we had talked about that the speakers are under the skirt molding or in the skirt molding, but you've changed the way you do the skirt molding too.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Yeah, our, our skirt metal is, is, um, we used to do a transist- transition piece, and then our skirt metal attached into that, and we basically hid the transition piece where you just see the skirt metal. It's-
Tony
Doesn't do much, you know, structurally or anything like that, but it does have a way sleeker, cleaner look. It's, it's less of a transition from your wall to your screw metal.
Peggy
Okay.
Tony
It's just a cleaner look. I mean, you think about how many changes they make just year to year, and you look at how many of these make the whole RV-ing experience better, it just shows why we've been fans of Rockwood and Flagstaff for as long as we have. We've now owned four of them-
Peggy
Yep
Tony
... and just really like what you guys are doing. So Duane, thank you, brother.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Thank you.
Tony
I mean, it's, uh, it's not just haircuts that make you awesome.
Duane Yoder - Rockwood-Flagstaff
Ah, yes. Thank you. I appreciate the time you guys put into giving us feedback, because we take that seriously, and you guys have been great partners as far as, um, if we have a question, we can call you, "Hey, how's this working for you?" Or whatever it may be. And we really appreciate the partnership.
Tony
Oh, yeah.
Peggy
Likewise.
Tony
As do we.
Peggy
Very much.
Tony
Well, thank you. You know, Ben, I don't know if you remember, but this is now our third Rockwood.
Speaker 4
Yeah.
Tony
And the first one we had was only a few months, and it was a sad, sad day when we got rear-ended. The lady didn't see our brake lights.
Speaker 4
Yeah, I remember.
Tony
Ugh.
Speaker 4
Yeah.
Tony
It was, yeah, and it, it totaled that trailer.
Speaker 4
Yeah.
Tony
And our bikes. You know, I, I wish there was something we could do to make the tail lights better or brighter.
Speaker 4
You know what, Tony? I got an idea.
Tony
Oh. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 4
Look at that.
Tony
Wow. Boy, no one's gonna miss that.
Speaker 4
Yeah.
Tony
But that looks... Wow, it looks like a big change. How, how hard is that to put in?
Speaker 4
So Stellar Lighting is one of our companies. We sell lights to the RV builders, and we developed a linear light that goes into the track on the corner of a travel trailer. It just slides right in here in pla- in place of the screw cover. We call it rail light, and that goes in. And, uh, this particular unit, we have it tied into your brake lights and your turn signal, so when you stop, people are gonna see you.
Tony
Oh, yeah. They're gonna see that. So they also work with the turn signals?
Speaker 4
Yep, absolutely.
Tony
Huh.
Speaker 4
Yep.
Tony
Wow. So in those states where you're actually supposed to use turn signals- ... 'cause I know some of you, I've watched some of you, uh, that is gonna be very noticeable. And these are, the color is brake light red.
Speaker 4
Yes.
Tony
Right? So it's a actual-
Speaker 4
Yeah
Tony
... legal color.
Speaker 4
It is. It is. You still have to have the tail, the SAE tail light in place, but all this strip is doing is complementing your, your SAE turn signals and brake light.
Tony
That is awesome. I, uh, just think everyone's gonna want that.
Speaker 4
Yeah.
Tony
How do I get these?
Speaker 4
Well, you can call ABC Outfitters, because this can be part of our package that we install, uh, for the customer when they come in.
Tony
Okay.
Speaker 4
Uh, we do ha- we will have lights avail- available soon. We have them in many other colors, but red is something new that we're just starting. Uh, so customers can call us at 574-333-3225.
Tony
That's 574-333-3225, a number I know well.
Speaker 4
Or, uh, y- you can reach out on abcoutfitters.com, we have contact info, and ask about, uh, our rail lights and, uh, we'd be able to give you some information.
Tony
That is an amazing piece of safety gear.
Speaker 4
Yes.
Tony
And it just goes right into the, what's called the insert molding. It's what they put to go over the screws on the corners of these RVs, and this just slots right in there. It's a, it's a brilliant solution, both literally and figuratively.
Peggy
Hey. So how'd you like that magic trick?
Tony
Right? Duane, the, just the whole crew here is just great. I mean, there are just so many things they're doing right already, and then they make all these improvements, and they truly are improvements. They've also introduced lines of more affordable fifth wheels and, uh, travel trailers. So Duane kinda hinted at that. That's coming.
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
Just a, a good group of people doing a, a really good job. So hopefully you learned something this week, and, uh, if you're not already a Rockwood or Flagstaff customer-
Peggy
Why don't you-
Tony
Maybe, yeah, maybe it's time to upgrade
Peggy
... um, since we're here, do you wanna talk about some of their competition?
Tony
I do. And the thing I wanna show you is my video review of the Puma 220. I'll, Peggy will put a link of- ... specifically, I did these quite a few weeks ago, and I've just been kinda doling them out. But-
Peggy
Remember we told you we're here with no notes, we just-
Tony
Right
Peggy
... snuck into the building and started recording
Tony
And some of you might go, "You guys usually have notes? Dear me." "Wow. Who'da thunked it?" Um, but seriously, this Puma is very much similar to a Rockwood or Flagstaff floor plan. And in the video, I cite which one that is. And you can really see the difference of how these two are made, but this Puma is a stick and tin front kitchen with, uh, two slides, a queen bed, a full rear bath, washer, dryer prep.
Tony
It's a relatively affordable trailer, and by gosh, when I stepped inside, I was like, "Wow, this is really nice."
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
And a lot of the things that Puma is doing So there are different ways of building RVs, and we'll put a link to RV construction types. This Puma is what's called a stick and tin, wood frame, aluminum skin. It's the most affordable way to build an RV, but then even within that category, you can do things better or not better.
Peggy
Or not better.
Tony
And a lot of the thing, like the Puma still had an Alphaply roof, and it still had really good sealant where there's windows and baggage doors, and a lot of little details like that. But conversely, off-brand tires, leaf spring suspension, no tire pressure monitoring. So if you're j- just camping two or three weeks a year, which is a lot of people, this gives you a really nice floor plan at a lower price. If you want something more for the long term or you do more camping, or you s-
Peggy
Or long travel
Tony
... yeah, longer traveling-
Peggy
Yeah
Tony
... then it makes sense to upgrade and get a better suspension and better build quality, things like that. So, uh, check out that review of the Puma. I really liked it, and I think for what it is, an affordable, really nice couples camper, I was pretty impressed. So there you go. And you can find that link on our YouTube channel. So Peggy will put a link in the show notes and a link here and all of that.
Peggy
So, well, I think the next thing we're gonna do is questions of the week. I don't, um, I forgot what the last week was, but, and weirdly, we just recorded it yesterday, so we are recording a week early-
Tony
Yeah
Peggy
... because we're gonna both be out of the camper
Tony
Yeah. I'll-
Peggy
Out of the house next week
Tony
... I'll probably be in Hershey, and Peggy will be in Minnesota.
Peggy
Wi- Wisconsin.
Tony
Same. Not really. I'm kidding.
Peggy
So we are filming a little bit early, but I have kind of a question of the week, and I have to word it very carefully. What improvement or change would you make to RVs in general? But either, I want you to either be realistic and really think about your thought, about your idea, and don't come up with something ridiculous that they, that RVs just can't have, or I want you to be over-the-top ridiculous, you know, I want a spiral staircase going up to my-
Tony
Brick chimney
Peggy
... a brick chimney. Uh, y- explain why. Explain your, I mean-
Tony
Yeah. We-
Peggy
Where hopefully we'll be, it'll be obvious if you're being ridiculous. But if there's something that you really feel like RVs, all RVs in general could do better, explain why, like talk about it with us. And, and because, as Duane said, they listen.
Tony
Yeah. They really do.
Peggy
And if there's something that really makes a lot of sense that maybe no one has thought of but you, you might be the one to t- prompt next year's changes that Duane tells us about.
Tony
Wow. Anyway, you can find the answers to that, submit your own questions, all of that. Just have a good time at our fun and friendly Stress Less Campers Facebook group.
Peggy
And you can, as we always tell you, remind you, sign up for our once a week newsletter. You're gonna get deals and discounts, and probably stuff that happens in the next week that we don't get to talk about 'cause we're filming early will be in the newsletter. And we'll start having more information on when and where we plan to be camping on our Route 66 trip in October.
Tony
Yeah, you can come-
Peggy
It's getting close to that
Tony
... come get your kicks. So with that, thank you as always for joining us. We hope you got something out of this, and, uh, we really appreciate your likes, your comments, your shares, all of that. It really makes a difference to us, and we appreciate you, of course. Uh, and of course, don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe. And with that, uh, we bid you adieu from Elkhart, from Millersburg, Indiana.
Peggy
That's right.
Tony
And, uh-
Peggy
Grease for peace and stress less camping.
Tony
Stress less camping.
Speaker 5
We hope you learned a lot, and had some fun, and got some tips for your next stress less camping adventure. We're honored by your reviews on Apple Podcasts, which helps others find us too. Don't forget to subscribe so you won't miss out on the adventure, and we look forward to your joining us next week. Until then, happy camping.
Tony
Grease for peace?
Peggy
I don't know.
Tony
That was funny.
