I love this. Having grown up in a tent camping family, I like the idea of sleeping under canvas-or whatever hybrid material they are using. There’s nothing cozier than sleeping with the sound of a gentle rain, especially with this where there’s no worries about leaking from the floor. Of course, this will require maintenance.
A thing to keep in mind about hybrids is they can't be used in some National Park campgrounds with the beds out due to bear restrictions. I have friends who happily own hybrids and one thing they all recommend is to get the covers for the bed tent ends. They say it not only helps with rain but they also help keep the bed areas cooler during the day.
@Wander Woo I don't know how big of a danger it is but some campgrounds in bear habitat do not allow tents, popups or other trailers with soft sides such as hybrids. Also not all campgrounds in a National Park will have the restriction. It is just something to be aware of and to check into when planning a visit that hybrids are closer to a popup than a hard sided travel trailer when it comes to restrictions.
We've had this model for 3 years and we absolutely love it. We've had 3 couples and 6 dogs in it at a time and there's still plenty of room to walk around. The dinette when open, fits 2 grown adults comfortably for a total of 4 couples. We recommend getting the pop-up gizmos for insulation. The best investment we made for this. BTW, the little hammock on the top of the beds, we call them the "baby hammock". Love, love, love this camper.
I do love this kind of rv, being awfully fond of our old popup trailers. This is a fantastic step up, and the extra space the estensions give you inside are significant.
Hybrid got me and my wife camping. The hybrid is also the reason we went to the dark side. The preventive maintenance on these is huge once they start getting a few years old. Soggy decks and replacing tent ends are very common issues & reason for selling. And yes, the outside noise was a huge issue for my wife's sleep quality. As far as Hybrids, this is one of the better ones out there.
Josh you are welcome! We love it just what we wanted works great!!! Big at the campsite small on the road... and holding the beds airplane rates cables. Love our Roo and went ahead and ordered the extras..
If you only camp in areas that are in the 45 - 95 degree temp range areas and you need sleep available Hybrids are great. You get 35-45 ft living area on a 20-25 ft tow platform. 2 problems talked about a lot on RU-vid are: 1) weight of the extended bunks putting up and down (20+ years you think they’d have come up with lift assist). 2) Heat shield over the bunks … there are DIY hacks, but after 20+ years you’d think the manufacturers would’ve come up a solution. We went from hybrid to 5th wheel, and many times I miss our Hybrid.
Our camping friends have this with their family of 6. It’s a great camper and their 24’ hybrid camper has more floor space than our no-slide 30’! They swear by their heated mattress. To the point where at night they hardly use their furnace! RW does a great job using every bit of space for any type of storage possible. I’m very impressed with it. Their one big gripe is the lack of kitchen prep space but there are plenty of ways to negate that so it’s not all that big of a gripe.
Wish they would add back the cabinets over the dinette. With storage being at a premium in these I’d trade a little more storage for smaller windows on the non camp side. Not an owner, but we rented an older version. The bathroom is surprisingly fluffy friendly, and we loved the cabinet space. With smaller kids on a rainy day you can put the dinette into sleeper mode and pile them all on there with snacks for movie time.
Our first camper was a 2014 Rockwood Roo 183 and it served us well for 6 seasons towing with an Explorer. While we can't replicate the 3 queen beds, our Alpha Wolf 26DBHL is a lot less work, which makes travel day a lot more relaxing to still have time to cook breakfast, plenty of storage to clean up, push a button for the slide, come home and unpack...and feel relaxed at the end of the day.
Honestly love how you have a three queen setup in something that's so easily 1/2 ton towable and not super long. The only downside in my opinion is as you said with either hot weather or if the weather turns sour/rainy. I know you can "turtle" them and close up the beds but that's not ideal for everyone inside. Still I think this little camper is pretty amazing.
Not sure how I missed this walkthrough until now, but great video! We still love our 2021 233S and all it offers. I love the updated latch mechanism on the bunks. Please update the kitchen sink to a farmhouse - I think that would be a huge upgrade. These hybrids are really top notch. Great alternative to a bunk house and offers that tent-like experience on a hard side camper 👌 - Mike
Thx Mike! Hybrids seem to be more and more rare. I wouldn't be surprised if one day they're just kinda.. gone Rockwood seems to be the last builder doing much of anything with them
We used a pop up on our "big round trip" out west when I was a kid, it was fun. I thought about getting one for my travels. Then I found out about hybrids. I like them because they are so much like tent camping, yet has the benefit of including things I prefer (like a real bathroom!) I have heard there are some places in bear country where you have to be in a hard sided RV/trailer. I figured I can just leave the sides up. And sleep on the tiny uncomfortable dinette. It would be tight though, hard to move around. But with the side there is so much room! I'd just set the dinette up as a bed and leave it that way. I've seen the Roo before, it's still on the short list. This one may have pushed it to the top (sorry Ember). The kitchen sink debate. I'd have to see it, but I bet I could live with just 1 side of that double sink. At home I have a double, I've never used a farm sink. I really like this one. I'm glad you were able to review it!
Love the multiple seating areas and the abundance of quality “standard” features👍my only concern would be the very limited storage in the kitchen for the plates, cups, utensils and the pots and pans and food needed to feed those 8 people😬
Ready for the 2023 235S Video! We currently have a hybrid and camped at a gorgeous spot with a creek behind it that you would not have been able to hear inside the camper if it were not a hybrid and it just reinforced that we will be upgrading to the 235S when we get to upgrade! 233 is great we just don't need the 3rd tip out with the kids growing up, just one for the grand kids when they sleep over!
We have a 2006 Rockwood Roo 233. Same exact layout but without the slideout. We LOVE it. I like the idea of the slideout but if we had that, we would lose the closet beside our refrigerator which we use to hold all 4 of our clothes for trips. I really like how rockwoods new latch system is. When ours is parked and not in use we did the pvc shield hack to protect the top seal from wind and water intrusion. Does it work? IDK but it feels like good insurance to me. And seeing that rockwood poured money into this new latch system makes me feel like the pvc hack is worthwhile. These hybrids pack so much in them! Its like having a 32 foot trailer all in a 24 foot package! Gizmos for the bunk ends with pug paws and reflectix in the bunk windows makes it so much more comfortable too. My favorite part is that if the trip is short and its just us, we can pull in and just drop the front bed where we always sleep and leave the other 2 sealed shut. So setup and takedown is a breeze and its super easy to keep heated and cooled. The only con i can think of is when packing up in the rain. You just dry it the best you can and open if back up when you get home and let it dry up before storing. Weve had a regular popup, then a highwall popup and now this. It really is the best of both worlds and i don't see how we can improve any. Which is probably why rockwood still makes this floorplan almost 20 years later!
@@JoshtheRVNerd yessir! And another item to add to the lengthy list of maintenance items for a hybrid. Keeping those seals checked and in good shape is a MUST for a hybrid. So if a person is lazy with maintenance, hybrids should be avoided. Oh and double sink for sure!
I hope they fixed the bed end leaking problems. The floors are foam also and need supports in high traffic areas. They get soft. Where the roof membrane meets the front fiberglass seam, is a very top spots for leaks.
Ya know Josh, I am really glad to see a recent Roo Hybrid video. Great job buddy, Except it would have been 20x better if it were a 23IKSS. We own one and would buy another newer one if possible. They are the biggest Hybrid out there. 25ft. Keep up the great work.
I generally agree. Since you're cramming more stuff into a smaller space anything that provides multi-function is a winner in my book. That's why I like those light weight folding legs for tables - they may not look fancy but MAN they're handy. Need extra counter space? Got a big belly? Makeshift Picnic Table? One thing has you covered.
Always intrigued with the vehicle design around the pop-out campers. But the "skooch-n-climbover" nature of sleeping in them is just a show stopper for the wife and myself. But I do appreciate that what are, effectively, bunk beds, are outside the main living area and thus don't take up room there.
The beds are a pain to make and you hear all the outdoor noises like in a tent. The bed ends get condensation dripping if its cold out and you run the heater and if its hot and you run the air then the conversation drips. You can help this with pop up Gizmos. This unit doesn't have much storage and counter tops. If you just want to sleep a crowd then this is good for that. Easier to tow than a full size trailer. Needs a lot of up keep with caulk and cleaning and weather prepping.
Hybrids definitely have their downfalls, which I suspect this part of the reason they have been falling in popularity in the marketplace. But for some folks, through the only or best solution for sure.
in mine 2022 i sleep in the front bed my son and his wife sleep in the side bed my 2 grand sons sleep in the rear bed and my grand daughter sleeps on the table!oh my dog sleeps with me in my bed! its 7 total!
It’s not impossible but generally speaking that’s not a regular issue. if raining when you pack up, then you definitely need to get it opened up and dried out asap
This one focuses pretty heavily on the living area and open space for rainy days. They had a large front kitchen style model that just wasn't popular sadly
I enjoy watching your videos, but I wouldn't consider a 23 foot TT "compact".. I presently own a 2016 Jayco 16 XRB, this is a compact TT, under 3000lbs and seven feet wide.
