[f_stop]

hey! i have a little patriot if anyone wants to ask questions, talk about how great/awful they are...share mods...

p@

[bobc]

Congratulations! We have been looking for a Patriot and wanted to know the actual size of the bed when the dinette is down. We have heard it is 44" and then 48" Could you measure your Patriot and let us known.

Thanks,

BobC

[Joe Z]

bobc, on 16 May 2011 - 08:16 AM, said:

Congratulations! We have been looking for a Patriot and wanted to know the actual size of the bed when the dinette is down. We have heard it is 44" and then 48" Could you measure your Patriot and let us known.

Thanks,

BobC

It is 44" but all you have to do is slide the lowered dinette board forward 4" and cut a 4" filler piece of plywood at the rear to make a 48" wide bed ........my 16' casita is the same bed as the 13" and that's what i have done.
Joe

This post has been edited by Joe Z: 16 May 2011 - 08:44 AM

[f_stop]

Quote

It is 44" but all you have to do is slide the lowered dinette board forward 4" and cut a 4" filler piece of plywood at the rear to make a 48" wide bed ........my 16' casita is the same bed as the 13" and that's what i have done.

well...not exactly. from the back wall to the end of the fridge cabinet on one side and the the end of the sink cabinet on the other side measures 45". true, you can extend the back cushions (the ones with the floppy ends) out a few more inches but i really can't see the benefit of an extra few inches of mattress in the isle space. oh, and the dinette table really won't extend into the isle very much before it bumps into the fridge door...

p@

[Joe Z]

f_stop, on 16 May 2011 - 11:45 AM, said:

Quote

It is 44" but all you have to do is slide the lowered dinette board forward 4" and cut a 4" filler piece of plywood at the rear to make a 48" wide bed ........my 16' casita is the same bed as the 13" and that's what i have done.

well...not exactly. from the back wall to the end of the fridge cabinet on one side and the the end of the sink cabinet on the other side measures 45". true, you can extend the back cushions (the ones with the floppy ends) out a few more inches but i really can't see the benefit of an extra few inches of mattress in the isle space. oh, and the dinette table really won't extend into the isle very much before it bumps into the fridge door...

p@

Your more than likely right as you have the 13' right there with you.
Joe

[dnalb]

I just purchased a 13' Patriot Deluxe a couple of weeks ago - haven't picked it up from the previous owner yet.
I have a couple of questions about the unit:
(1) Is there a safety issue with the battery being located inside the coach under the drivers side dinette seat? Usually the advice concerning batteries is to keep them away from any sparks, etc. due to the flammable nature of the battery gases.
(2) How does one gain access to the batterry to check fluid levels, to remove the battery, etc.?
(3) Does the toilet have its own blackwater tank? If so, how is it drained separate from the grey water tank? I only noticed a single drain valve at the side of the trailer.
(4)What's the possibility of relocating the battery to the outside of the trailer? Would that be a hard thing to do?
(5) I didn't see any safety break-away for the trailer brakes. Did I just miss seeing it, or does the 2002 trailer not have one? Can one be added?

We're looking forward to our first trip in the little trailer! We just down-sized from a 19' Rockwood trailer because we wanted something smaller to tow with our 2007 Saturn Vue six-cylinder, and because of limited space for storing the unit. We'll miss the storage space the bigger trailer had but think we can adjust to the new environment.

New owner

[f_stop]

welcome to the wonderful world of patriot camping. first of all... get used to the attention that it draws. you will grow very tired of the word "cute" (even tho it really is kinda...)

Quote

(1) Is there a safety issue with the battery being located inside the coach under the drivers side dinette seat? Usually the advice concerning batteries is to keep them away from any sparks, etc. due to the flammable nature of the battery gases.

my '05 came equipped with battery box with a lid vent hole that was connected by a flex pipe to an external vent. i'd say this is most likely adequate but the weak link is the hose clamp connection where the flex hose meets the lid of the battery box.

Quote

(2) How does one gain access to the battery to check fluid levels, to remove the battery, etc.?

"access" to the battery is thru the hole in the top of the seat base on the driver's side. the hole with the wooden filler board. "access" sort of depends on how you define it. if you mean you can actually see the battery (almost), then yes, you have "access". if, on the other hand, you mean you can actually do something like check fluid levels then "access" is limited and if, heaven forbid, you actually need to remove the battery, then i laugh at your "access". seriously, i had to enlarge that hole to remove the original battery. it was so problematic that i replaced the eom battery with one of those 6 pack looking gel batteries that require no fluid checking.

Quote

(3) Does the toilet have its own blackwater tank? If so, how is it drained separate from the grey water tank? I only noticed a single drain valve at the side of the trailer.

yes, the toilet does have a blackwater tank. the drain valve you saw on the side of the trailer is the blackwater drain. they gray drain is separate on the same side a little farther toward the rear and it looks like a standard garden hose bib with another valve. i modified my drains so that both empty out of the same drain (the original blackwater drain) this is a pretty common mod and is discussed in detail on this and the other forum. while you're at it you'll most likely want to do the famous "fast drain gray" mod which involves venting the gray tank which will actually increase your gray tank capacity and make it drain quicker. and while we're on the subject of valves & such...you may already know, but...there's a hard to reach valve under the front of the trailer (behind the propane tanks) that you need to open before you take a shower or else you'll be standing in ankle deep water. you need to remember to close this valve when you break camp or else gray water may slosh it's way from the holding tank to the shower floor.

Quote

(4)What's the possibility of relocating the battery to the outside of the trailer? Would that be a hard thing to do?

yes, you could relocate the battery. i've seen them moved to the tongue and to the rear. both methods would require a trip to the welding shop for some supports and then a bit of wiring which, as far a wiring goes, is pretty simple. it would also be an opportunity to increase the size of the wire involved which would be a good thing.

Quote

5) I didn't see any safety break-away for the trailer brakes. Did I just miss seeing it, or does the 2002 trailer not have one? Can one be added?

the breakaway on my 05 is on the curb side of the frame just in front of the propane thanks. it's just a small cylindrical affair with a pin on one end and wires on the other (going to the wheels). i have no idea when the breakaway switch became standard, nor do i know anything about adding one. seems to me tho since everything is electric it shouldn't be that hard (that kind of thinking has gotten me in way over my head more that a few times). if you find that you do not have one you might want to post a "how do i..." topic on the forums since with that device, it'd be the same regardless of trailer length.

storage is always an issue. i've pretty much worked out a system that keeps the trailer packed with "essentials", added shelves in the closet over the a/c and under the sink and even added a shelf over the curb side window for a radio, a few books, etc... the truck is packed with all the rest of the stuff.

keep us posted on how that first trip goes....have fun!!

p@

[breckenridge]

Can not add anything specifically to what f_stop posted.

After a number of years tent & VW pop-top camping wife & I bought a 13ft Casita Patriot/Deluxe in 2008 and loved it. We made numerous month+ long trips and enjoyed them all. Storage space was challenging, but found a lot of the stuff we never used/needed.

We towed our 13ft with a 2003 Subaru Forester 5spd manual and never had any problems--granted many folks did pass us but we still got where we were going and got 20MPG.

In 2010 we sold the 13ft and bought a new 16ft Casita LD as we are going to take some very extended trips to AK, Baja and points east. We posted the 13ft 'for sale' here and in less than a week it was sold for almost what we paid.

Do not know what your vehicle towing capacity is rated but a 16ft Casita is only marginally heavier than a 13ft Deluxe:
13ft
Dry WT: 1880
Hitch WT: 245
16ft
Dry WT: 2185
Hitch WT: 245

Congrats on your purchase & most of all enjoy!