Considering Avenue 33RKS
- Thread starter Chuck
- Start date
LuckyDog23
Well-known member
Hi Chuck, we just joined today. Looking at that model as well.
LuckyDog23
Well-known member
No one said it be easy 🤪 Husband poo-pooed 33RKS. Didn’t like two heights of countertops. And while it didn’t bother me, I cannot do much overhead lifting - rotator cuff surgery - and a lot of the 33RKS kitchen cabinets are pretty high, definitely over my head and I’m only 5’4”. The one you guys got I like just fine. Are the wall cabinets adjacent to microwave same width? DH wants to see it first. Fingers crossed. I love the white shaker cabinetry. That’s what I just put in my kitchen at home.
New to Alliance. Purchased the 33RKS and really like the floor plan. I will say a lot of the cabinets are high. My wife will be using the step stool quite a bit. I'm 6' tall and will need to borrow it to get to the back of most of them. But we have 5x the storage that we had in the trailer we traded in.
I do have the unfortunate circumstance that after 5 days the trailer is back in the shop with an auto level issue. I am impressed, since the dealership got me right back in and I even received a call from Alliance (never happened with issues in my previous 2 trailers) letting me know that if anything comes up with delays at the dealership or getting delivery of parts.
I do have the unfortunate circumstance that after 5 days the trailer is back in the shop with an auto level issue. I am impressed, since the dealership got me right back in and I even received a call from Alliance (never happened with issues in my previous 2 trailers) letting me know that if anything comes up with delays at the dealership or getting delivery of parts.
D&L Walker
New member
We purchased a 33RKS about 3 months ago and are very happy so far. This is our first camper to own (have rented a few) so I don't have much to compare it to. Still have a few issues that were identified during the PDI and after the first couple outings, but those are being addressed. I'm also having an auto level issue but have been uncertain if it's just user error - I'll be asking when I take it back in for the remaining work.
As mentioned, the cabinets are high. My wife will also be using a step stool, but have found that we can get the stuff we need most often in a reachable location. The only other issue we've had was last week when we went out in the extreme heat (106). Wouldn't have gone but had it planned for some time to take out the GKids and didn't want to disappoint, but the AC just couldn't keep up. Again, it was 106 outside and inside we couldn't keep it below 85. Not a major issue, we'll just not be camping in TX in the summer.
As mentioned, the cabinets are high. My wife will also be using a step stool, but have found that we can get the stuff we need most often in a reachable location. The only other issue we've had was last week when we went out in the extreme heat (106). Wouldn't have gone but had it planned for some time to take out the GKids and didn't want to disappoint, but the AC just couldn't keep up. Again, it was 106 outside and inside we couldn't keep it below 85. Not a major issue, we'll just not be camping in TX in the summer.
D&L Walker
New member
Yes, we have 2 ACs as well and when we went out a few weeks before and i believe it was in low 90s and we had no problems. This time was just miserable outside. It was 106 actual temp and 113 Heat index. At night, we were able to get it down to 70 and all was good. It was in the heat of the day we could only get the living area to 85 and the bedroom to about 80. It was uncomfortable from about 2:00 to 9:00.
We were with friends who were able to keep their trailer (not Alliance) to low/mid 70s, but I assume that's due to theirs being smaller. Shorter, not a 5th wheel, so much lower ceilings.
We were with friends who were able to keep their trailer (not Alliance) to low/mid 70s, but I assume that's due to theirs being smaller. Shorter, not a 5th wheel, so much lower ceilings.
Corndog
Member
My HVAC buddy says that the best you can expect is a 20 degree differential between outside temp and inside generally. We are on the east coast where the relative humidity runs between 60 and 80 percent mostly in the summer. Not sure how much difference it makes with RV ACs in the low arid climates. Growing up in El Paso we had "swamp coolers" on the house that were simply a water fall and a fan adding both moisture and coolness. Anyone have a swamp cooler on their RV?
We just bought the 2023 33RKS because the layout checked all the boxes. My wife likes the outdoor kitchen which is rather high so it is my job to cook on the griddle. We have the king size bed option and the solar option. The refrigerator is huge, the tanks are large and the kitchen in the rear is the best use of space for what we like. We have had a couple of start up bugs with a propane leak and what looks to be a configuratoin on the converter not set to Lithium for the battery we put in it. Otherwise, its very nice.
Steve
Starrfish, I too am 6 feet tall and find many things in our 33RKS too high even for me! My wife is only 5'1" and relies on me for assistance constantly. Where the trailer's status panel and switches are over her head. and even for me, the heater-A/C thermostat on the cabinet end is so high I cannot see the LCD display. These displays have to be seen straight on or the digits fade away, so I have to stand on the first step to the bedroom.
My biggest frustration is the Furrion fridge that flops open while in transit and is blocked completely by the slide-out. On our maiden voyage, the doors flung open depositing the contents at the foot of the fridge which we could not see due to the slide-out blocking it. Worse yet, when we got to our destination we opened the slideout and to our horror heard cracking and splintering. Naturally, we stopped the slide and spent 30 minutes cleaning up spilled food. I was able to repair the damage two weeks later after our trip was over. Looking for a fridge lock specifically for the Furrion but I finally found something on eBay though I don't have much confidence in it.
I also find the A/C woefully lacking for a trailer of this size. It can barely keep the lower area at 85 degrees.
The converter has a tiny switch on the circuit board that you flip to "Li" for lithium. I got rid of the pitiful 88 Ah Interstate batteries and switched to two 200Ah LifePo4 (lithium Iron Phosphate). The solar panels keep them topped off but we'll see how the panels work after a deep discharge during usage. Because of my arthritis, I am trying to use my generator less and less now.
Corndog
Member
Pops, we had the same issue with our fridge first time out with ours. After researching decided to add heavy duty velcro on the top to keep the doors secured. (see attached) Our older unit didn't have a home style fridge and had locking doors. We were told "you shouldn't travel with items in the fridge" but that isn't reasonable for us on the road.
Unfortunately, we haven't had another trip since our initial outing but am confident the velcro will do the trick. BTW...we are also adding baskets to help hold the food more secure while on the road. Keep us posted!
Unfortunately, we haven't had another trip since our initial outing but am confident the velcro will do the trick. BTW...we are also adding baskets to help hold the food more secure while on the road. Keep us posted!
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LuckyDog23
Well-known member
In our Winnebago we had doors open only once and all that rolled out was beer. I had this dumb idea to stack the cans like firewood, which would have worked except we drove through a sink hole that rocked us four directions consecutively. None opened fortunately but they went everywhere! After that we started simply putting the beer in a Yeti with ice in the shower. I found those tension bars work really well and I put loose stuff in bins. Most of my bin storage is clear lexan like material by Home Edit at the Container Store. It costs more but the containers are virtually indestructible and have square sides. No molded corners or irregular handles. I found some exact depth for my shelves. Also I learned that bins for counter depth refrigerators are frequently usable in RV fridges. I have a counter depth at home and I’ve been able to move food directly to my RV outside. I think the biggest thing is to have a sort of double system — try to keep doors from opening in the first place but also pack fridge so if they do open you won’t have a mess. Container Store is awesome.
Corndog,
I don’t know why I never thought of Velcro before. I found some plastic clip latches for side-by-sides on eBay. They’re designed to keep toddlers from getting into the fridge. Frankly, I like your idea better because I have used Velcro for similar usages with great success. So…just to be safe I’m going to add the Velcro trick. Thanks for sharing!
