DRV - Mobile Suites vs. Elite Suites - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

DRV - Mobile Suites vs. Elite Suites

NWescapee · RV-Dreams Family Member

Any opinions on the DRV Mobile Suites vs. DRV Elite Suites? We looked at several pre-owned models today and narrowed our choice down to 3 that we both really liked. I know the Mobile Suites have a rubber roof while the Elite Suites have a fiberglass roof. Other than that, I'm struggling to see what the real difference is and if the Elite Suites are worth the extra $$$. However, the DRV 5th Wheels in general really have our attention now, we hadn't seen one in person before and were very impressed with their quality. Especially after touring a few other pre-owned 5th wheels.

I know there are a few of you out there that owned DRV 5th wheels so would really appreciate your insight!

RickandJanice · RV-Dreams Family Member

The construction between the Mobile and the Elite Suites is exactly the same. The Elite is basically a fully optioned out Mobile Suite with different color choices. DRV will even mix and match options between the two models if you are willing to pay for it. With all the options, the Elite will weigh allot more than a Mobile. We love our Mobile Suite and did not want all the options on an Elite, especially the granite counter tops and steps.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Mark Serley wrote:
hey terry, are you responding to this right now? your name is in green on the bottom of the main page. do you have instant acknowledgement in your computer or are you related to Kreskin? LOL, i'm just kidding, not very computer litterate but amased at all of this! thanks for answering......mark

Mark,

Yes, I was responding to your first question about what DRV was. The names below are the usernames of those that are logged into the forums. Since Gene (Genecop) and I are the moderators, when we are on, our names are in green. That way you know who the bad guys are. On one of the other forums where I participate, the moderators are known to ban participants for inappropriate comments. It is a firearms forum and they even discuss religion and politics, so there are frequent references to the "Ban Hammer."

So, I picked out an image on Google Images that seemed appropriate, although I've never posted it before. So, just for grins, meet the "wielder of the Ban Hammer."

Terry

-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Monday 26th of November 2012 10:10:13 PM

kb0zke · RV-Dreams Family Member

When we toured the factory a couple of years ago, the tour guide (I think he was a VP) said that the granite on the Elite could be deleted for a savings in both weight and price, or it could be added to a Mobile for an increase in both. His comment, though, was interesting. He claimed that when you get to trade-in time, about all that they look at is the name on the front. An Elite will be worth more than a Mobile, no matter what you do to them as far as options are concerned. I don't know how true that is, but it might be something to think about if you are interested in ordering a new coach. Of course, if you are buying a used coach (as we are) you take it or leave it.

James and Cindy · RV-Dreams Family Member

I would look at the cargo carrying capacity of both. The new TL magazine has a review of a 38' Mobile Suite. With the options listed it could carry 2120 lbs. If a Suite weighs more and constuction is the same you won't be able to carry as much. I am not sure 2100 lbs. is enough for a fulltimer. Generator, solar system with battery bank, and full tank of water would not leave room for much if anything.

James

NWescapee · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks all, will continue to research. I sent Terry a PM to take him up on his offer for any brochures he has!!

Mark Serley · RV-Dreams Family Member

hey, i'm sorry and it took me a while to find howard's list of abbreviations, but there was no DRV, what is DRV? thanks, i'm trying! mark

Mark Serley · RV-Dreams Family Member

hey terry, are you responding to this right now? your name is in green on the bottom of the main page. do you have instant acknowledgement in your computer or are you related to Kreskin? LOL, i'm just kidding, not very computer litterate but amased at all of this! thanks for answering......mark

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Mark Serley wrote:
hey, i'm sorry and it took me a while to find howard's list of abbreviations, but there was no DRV, what is DRV? thanks, i'm trying! mark

Mark,

Back a few years ago, the company name was Doubletree RV, but they changed the name so as to not "infringe" on the Doubletree Hotel name. They simply changed it to DRV Suites because at the time all of their model's names ended with the word "Suite." Website is here:

DRV Suites Website

Now, they have quit production of the Select Suites (their lowest model at the time) and have started building the Tradition, the Full House (toy hauler), and recently announced the introduction of the Estates, which will be a special line of Mobile Suites that includes residential refrigerators, dishwashers, and a garbage disposal, among other things. Alicia and Slade of Rolling Retreats has an Estate on order and will stop off here in Oklahoma City when they bring it home so I can see it and take pictures of it for them. Looking forward to seeing all that they put on the Estate models.

Terry

Dave Buck · RV-Dreams Family Member

DRV is a manufacturer of fifth wheel RVs. They used to go by Doubletree RV.

MarkS · RV-Dreams Family Member

I found a mobile suites near me that is in like new condition. Two problems. King size bed and a wall between the kitchen and living room. If I go to DRV, will they take out the wall and change the base from a king to a queen?

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Mark,

I really can't answer that question for you. If one buys a used RV, I know that some dealers would likely make those modifications for you....for a price. The company might as well, but again for a price. However, the only ones that could say for sure that the factory would make the changes would be the company.

I do know that DRV is very good with making modifications when someone orders a new unit. When we ordered our Mobile Suites, we elected the option of an inverter and two extra batteries, but we requested that the inverter be a pure sine wave inverter instead of a modified sine wave one. The pure sine wave model ended up being a Xantrex SW3000, which is a 3000 watt model and was not listed as an option. No doubt we paid for the "upgrade," but it was worth it, especially considering that we just changed out the RV refrigerator in ours for a residential one. Other buyers have had the peninsula counter in some models removed for a simple island in the kitchen. So, they "might" be inclined to make those changes.

The one thing with the bed is this; when we ordered ours, we ordered a queen sized Select Comfort mattress (another of their options) and because we did, they added a nightstand to the other side of the bed. Normally, with a king sized bed, there is only a nightstand on the side closest to the bathroom. If you wanted the same, that would be something to consider when modifying. (See below.)

If the place you saw the Mobile Suites was a DRV dealership, that will make it easier for you to make modifications.

Terry

travlingman · RV-Dreams Family Member

Saw a Mobile Suites Estate this past week. Didn't care for the 2 colors of wood. Bathroom was nice, liked the Fridge, still don't see the need for a garbage disposal with holding tanks, wood plank floor was good looking, theater seating was comfortable, bedroom appeared same as a Suites. Don't know if the price difference is worth it.

NWescapee · RV-Dreams Family Member

Terry - thanks for the brochures. Is there a good place to look at floor plans of older models or to obtain spec info? Weight, capacity, etc? One their website with their current models we really liked the 38TKSB3 floor plan and I'm trying to figure out if that's available in a 2007 or 2008 model.
Thanks!

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

NWescapee wrote:
Terry - thanks for the brochures. Is there a good place to look at floor plans of older models or to obtain spec info? Weight, capacity, etc? One their website with their current models we really liked the 38TKSB3 floor plan and I'm trying to figure out if that's available in a 2007 or 2008 model.
Thanks!

Ruth,

I'm at work as I'm first reading your comment, so I don't have a quick answer. Ours is a 2010 MS 38TKSB3, so I know something of the floorplan. When I get home, I'll see if any of my documents include the weights and what not. So, you can expect a better answer after work today.

Terry

MarkS · RV-Dreams Family Member

Terry,

You're Psychic. We have a queen select comfort that my wife loves more than she does me! And I want the dual night stands. It is a private party rather than a dealer. He has had the coach listed for 8 months without much luck. It's a 2006 that was gently used while they were waiting for their house to be built. He says its only been towed 4000 miles. I can't do anything until April since I want to avoid the 401K penalty for early withdrawal. But who knows with the market being what it is.

kb0zke · RV-Dreams Family Member

One comment that Jo Ann and I both made to several dealers was that we insist on a nightstand on each side of the bed. Both of us wear glasses, both of us have cell phones, etc. One salesman couldn't understand that concept. The DRV people said that since their coaches are "semi-custom" (his words) the king bed could easily be replaced by a queen and another nightstand. Don't know what they would do on a used coach, but when we visited the factory there were coaches in there for some remodel-upgrade work, so I'm sure that they would take care of you - for a price.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

MarkS wrote:
Terry,
You're Psychic. We have a queen select comfort that my wife loves more than she does me! And I want the dual night stands. It is a private party rather than a dealer. He has had the coach listed for 8 months without much luck. It's a 2006 that was gently used while they were waiting for their house to be built. He says its only been towed 4000 miles. I can't do anything until April since I want to avoid the 401K penalty for early withdrawal. But who knows with the market being what it is.

Mark,

I'm not even the least little bit slow in observing what I read. (That is sarcasm, by the way.)

In reading this post today, it dawned on me that I missed telling you of something. If you are going to use your "home" Select Comfort, you will need to look very closely at the height of the mattress. When the bedroom slide comes in with a lot of the trailers, the foot of the bed may actually go in under a portion of the dresser. If your mattress is too high, it might not go under. In our case, we had an "extended" queen bed in our home and it was obviously not going to work with the Mobile Suites. Fortunately, one of the options with the DRV's was that they had a Select Comfort listed. Of the two made by Select Comfort for RV's, the ones that DRV chose are the ones with the better mattress "pillowtop." Actually, Jo seems to like the deluxe RV Select Comfort mattress better than the "home" bed we had.

The other thing to mention regarding Select Comfort beds in an RV is that when you travel, it is good to lower the pressure in the bed first. If you don't, and you go up in elevation, it causes the pressure in the mattress to increase.

Terry

-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Saturday 8th of December 2012 09:50:05 AM

R12 · RV-Dreams Family Member

I had the KZ factory replace the queen bed with a king bed in my Escalade last year. It was easily done by them so I'm pretty sure DRV will have no problem with doing it to a queen for you.

Cindy T · RV-Dreams Family Member

We have a Mobile Suites & love it. I expected to go to Rolling Retreats in OK to purchase a unit, but we were fortunate to find exactly the model & year of MS that we wanted here in Denver. It didn't have granite counter tops, but my husband is experienced with granite fabrication. So he removed the Corian on the kitchen island & replaced it with a nice piece of granite. He's also putting a granite countertop & vessel sink in the bathroom. So if you can't find exactly the options you want in an existing rig, it is certainly possible to make changes & modifications.

We also replaced the mattress with the king size Select Comfort we had at home.

For us, the MS had mostly what we wanted & it wasn't worth paying more for an ES.

-- Edited by Cindy T on Thursday 29th of November 2012 08:20:33 AM

-- Edited by Cindy T on Thursday 29th of November 2012 08:22:09 AM

lindy · RV-Dreams Family Member

As to wanting to have the wall removed, and the king swapped out for a queen and a night stand added, there is a company in Indiana that specialized in RV repair/modification. Their web site is "crossrv.com" . I've not used them but from other forums have heard they do excellant work, and can do any interior modification you'd like.

WestWardHo · RV-Dreams Family Member

David, we're with you and many others on the double night stands. We also mention it to salesmen (who are wearing glasses) that we don't understand why all manufacturers don't make them standard because it seems to us that most RV'ers are 50+ and most wear glasses. To say nothing of the glass of water & a place to put your books. I'd give anything to be on an advisory board for any manufacturer. Wonder if they have such a concept? There are many out here who would make great advisors, even better than us!

Terry, question, don't the suites have that awkward step on the closet bedside? What mechanicals require that?

Thanks

Sherry

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Sherry,

Well, first of all, even DRV Suites has a tendency to want to make the king-size bed as standard, thus eliminating the second night table. When we ordered our Mobile Suites, we knew that and went with the queen-sized Select Comfort bed instead of a regular RV mattress. That automatically got us the second night stand, however in doing so, the "headboard" that is attached to the wall of the slide is now "off-kilter" from the bed. I guess they make all the "headboards" for king beds but don't adjust for a queen.

Some of the Suites have that "step" at the closet, but unfortunately, I don't know what it is that makes that so. The newer models with the walk-in closet do not have that step. When one downsizes to a queen bed from the king, it does give one more room between the bed and that step. Jo is especially appreciative of that since she is the one that makes the bed. Also, because of her making the bed, she appreciates the Select Comfort bed because it is really light to lift up and put on corners of a fitted sheet.

Terry

RickandJanice · RV-Dreams Family Member

Terry,

Speaking with DRV, that small step in front of the closet is due to a cross brace on the frame to reinforce hitch brackets. I have been told it is still there with the new walk in closet but with the walk in closet, the bracket was moved farther forward and the step is "hid" by the bottom closet door track by placing the track along the leading edge of the step.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

RickandJanice wrote:
Terry,

Speaking with DRV, that small step in front of the closet is due to a cross brace on the frame to reinforce hitch brackets. I have been told it is still there with the new walk in closet but with the walk in closet, the bracket was moved farther forward and the step is "hid" by the bottom closet door track by placing the track along the leading edge of the step.

Thanks. I had never even wondered what it was about the Suites that got that "step." I suspected a cross beam, but I didn't want to say that it was when I wasn't sure.

I should further explain my previous comment by saying that the headboard is "off-kilter," meaning that it is not centered on the bed. You'll have to pardon us Okies. We sometimes have our own language and vocabulary.

Terry

WestWardHo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks Terry & Rick,
Great info from both of you. People are sure raving about that sSeep Comfort, we were planning on taking our great bdrm queen (we only want a queen) mattress but now......

Sherry

kb0zke · RV-Dreams Family Member

Sherry, I see that you have a Heartland product. Are you on the Heartland forums? Have you gone to the "Going Home (or whatever it is called) Rally" in Indiana? If you answered "yes" to either question, Heartland will listen to you. We bought our mpg in December of 2010, and attended the big Rally in Goshen in 2011. While there we toured the factory, and got to talk to several of the bigwigs. Heartland does monitor the owners forums, too, so comments there are often addressed. When you go on the Big Country forum there is an "Ask the Factory" section that will get a factory response.

R12 · RV-Dreams Family Member

I would never give up the king size bed for an extra nightstand. I would probably just add a shelf over the head board if I needed to store things or they make holders for glasses or books that can be attached to the wall. Making the bed up every day seems to be an exercise in futility and a waste of time, IMO.

Why did you accept the off center headboard? Surely it was an oversight by DRV and should have been corrected.

WestWardHo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Hi David,

Yes I've been on the Heartland forums. Im really impressed with their customer service responsiveness from most reports. Also impressed with the comfort of our rig.

No, we've never done a Rally but hope to some day. Right now, we're in the "cleaning out the house to sell stage".

We're headed to Seal Beach for Christmas as I have an adult severely disabled daughter who lives near there and we weren't able to make her flight reservations in time, so Jesse suggested we take our "home" to her so she won't be alone for the holidays. She'll love staying in our Big Country for a week. Bought some lightweight Christmas decorations yesterday to make it cheery. Now I have to figure out what to cook for Christmas dinner! Sorry for the aside, just wanted to inject a personal note for friends on here.

Sherry

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

R12 wrote:
I would never give up the king size bed for an extra nightstand. I would probably just add a shelf over the head board if I needed to store things or they make holders for glasses or books that can be attached to the wall. Making the bed up every day seems to be an exercise in futility and a waste of time, IMO.

Why did you accept the off center headboard? Surely it was an oversight by DRV and should have been corrected.

Paul,

If you go to the picture above of the bed with the two nightstands, you will see that the headboard is attached to the wall of the slide. You will also notice that unless you look VERY closely, you can't tell that the bed is "off-kilter." I have never noticed it before, but I've never made the bed to see that it was off just a bit.

Terry

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Something I forgot to mention earlier about the nightstands, at least with regards to the DRV Suites products, is that each of them also have storage behind a small door. One can easily lie in bed and reach over to open the door. Now, if whatever is stored there is towards the back of the storage area, one might have to get up to reach it.

Terry

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Out of curiosity, while Jo was changing the bed today, I went up to see what she meant by the bed being "off-kilter." The bed and headboard are aligned as they should be. Where the "off-kilter" comes from is that the bed is not centered between the two nightstands. On the side towards the nose there is about 3" to 4" between the bed and the nightstand. On the side towards the back, that distance is about 1", thus the "off-kilter" situation. It is not something that a lot of folks would even notice.

Terry