Lardners RV Trailer Sales - Saskatchewan, Canada

I am going to apologize for the length of this review. There is so much to talk about it is hard to keep it brief. The Redwood we are using is the 31SB. This is the shortest of all the floorplans. There are a few compromises in the floorplan, but all of them are to keep the length down. Considering the length and comparing to other RVs we have used they did an excellent job of reducing the number of compromises due to length. All of the compromises can be easily solved by going to a larger model.

Packing the trailer was not a problem. The kitchen storage is sufficient and only takes a little creativity to get everything in, but it was done without having things crammed in on top of each other. Access for food, cooking utensils, and dinnerware is among the best of any RV we have used. The two pantries with pullout drawers really hold an incredible amount. There are also drawers anywhere they could find space. Storage in the bathroom handled everything we needed including spare towels. The bedroom is the real winner. Besides the monster closet that has large shelves and plenty of depth, there is a dresser with four wide drawers, and a good size cupboard above. Below the bed are two drawers, and a large cupboard with shelves on the bathroom wall. The reason for the drawers below the bed is it doesn’t lift due to the European Box Spring below the mattress, another item to add to your comfort. The rear living room area of the trailer is consistent with the rest of the trailer for storage, with room for anything you would want in that area. We had a fully equipped office with us as we were still working while on this trip. There is enough storage throughout the trailer to put things where you want them, not the far end of the trailer from where you need it. The exterior storage is as large as any RV anywhere of this size. Redwood also incorporated shelves across the width of the compartment on the front wall. The shelves hold a lot, and make everything on them easy to access. Items are held in place with a bungee cord netting. We use stacking tubs due to the height of the compartment. We got everything we needed in there and had room left over. By everything, this includes: All the outside barbeque equipment, tables, chairs, and propane tanks; two sets of golf clubs; a variety of electrical cords and connectors; water and spare sewer hoses and connectors; full set of tools; propane fire pit; bike rack, and two bikes, as I didn’t want to haul them on the exterior until we got to warmer weather; and a pile of other stuff. When we get to the warmer weather the Redwood has a 2” hitch receiver to mount the bike rack in. The receiver is rated to tow a 3500 lb trailer without voiding the manufacturer’s warranty. We also had four batteries in the front compartment as we do like to do some dry camping.

We have towed the trailer over 6000 kilometers. Quite often we compare weight when talking about towing. Aerodynamics is seldom mentioned, but it should be. This Redwood is 12,000 pounds before we packed it. It has a very aerodynamic front cap. This trailer tows great. We were in side winds, corner winds, and head on winds. The handling and fuel economy for the trailer was as good as anything close to this size. This included sometimes towing with the 100 + gallon water tank full.

We have received several compliments on the exterior look of the Redwood, and this one doesn’t have the full body paint. It just has nice clean lines and the decals are not overdone. The optional paint on the exterior would really have gotten attention.

Setting up camp is easy and fast. The 6 point hydraulic leveling system is still fun to watch. Unhook from your tow vehicle in the same manner as electric jacks, but the hydraulic jacks are much faster. Then to level you press Autolevel and stand back. It starts dropping the other four jacks, and making adjustments. It takes a couple minutes to level. Blocks are no longer required under the wheels. Once it is done, just turn it off. When you are packing up to your next destination, just put it into retract mode and hit the button. Hooking up to sewer is the simplest system on the market. The sewer boom just swings out to hook up to the sewer. The Sewer Boom is attached to you trailer, with the sewer hose inside. The sewer hose stays attached to the sewer outlet, saving hassle. We added a fitting to the end of the sewer hose so we could attach an extension hose or a cap. The Sewer Boom showed up on the market about 3 years ago, it makes things simpler but is 85% of the way to perfection. Still there is nothing on the market that works better. The shortcomings can be dealt with by adding regularly available RV sewer parts. Water and cable hookups are in the Utility center. The Utility center also contains the 3 Holding tanks valve handles, Black tank flush, Outside shower, Water heater bypass, Winterizing hook up, an auxiliary water pump switch, water tank fill, city water connection, cable and satellite hook ups, an 110 volt outlet, and a light. The electrical hook up is 50 amp, but we also carry a 30 amp extension cord and adaptor as it is easier to manage than the 50 amp cord. The 30 amp is generally adequate when not using your air conditioner.

Using the Redwood has been a pleasure. The kitchen is fantastic. The island makes it so easy for two people to get around the kitchen while providing loads of counter space. The flush fitting sink lids and flush fitting stove cover that match the solid surface counter really add to the existing counter space. Redwood pantries always get a “Wow”. There isn’t room in the 31SB for the large pantry that is in most models, so they managed to fit in two full height but smaller pantries, completely full of pull out drawers. Every inch of the kitchen is cabinets and drawers. The sink is stainless steel, which in our minds is the best option. It doesn’t stain, and doesn’t scratch. The high end residential single lever faucet just makes things easier. The large pull out garbage can goes over great with many customers. Here we did a tweak to accommodate the way we use an RV. We took out the factory garbage can and frame. In its place we installed two smaller garbage cans on a shelf, so that we had room for recyclables. This also provided storage for garbage bags below the garbage cans. This might be repetitive but the kitchen is one of the places where a Redwood has been perfected. Everything is accessible without moving. Transferring from the island to the dinette and back again is very quick. The kitchen is so well designed everything you do in there is fast, easy, and in a convenient location.

There is a closet and junk (keys, flashlights, etc) centre by the entry door. The closet is large enough for two light jackets with fleece lining. Or even better, your two “Lardners “ jackets. On our trailer we made the small improvement of ledges for the shelves in the junk centre so things didn’t fall off as easy. We also added a few hooks for hanging keys on.

The bathroom in the 31SB is all in one with the aisle to the bedroom on the door side of the trailer. There is a large window in that hallway that really brightens up the trailer. The shower is large. No bumping into walls, doors, or keeping your elbows tucked in. Storage is good but not exceptional. This is one of the compromises due to length. Lighting in bathrooms is often inadequate, that is why you will see guys in campgrounds with patches they missed when shaving. Redwood did a good job with lighting the bathroom, there are two lights directly above the mirror and more behind you. Another light I do appreciate is one above the shower, it makes a difference when it is dark outside.

The bedroom is unbelievable. Loads of storage, not too crowded when two of you are up there. The 31SB has the same enormous closet as all Redwoods. You have to see this closet to appreciate it. We had one couple with a Montana Big Sky on order, when they saw the Redwood kitchen they were impressed. When they got to the bedroom and saw the closet, that finished them. They switched to the Redwood. The only bedroom compromise in the 31SB due to size is it has a Queen bed rather than the King that is in all the other models. Lighting again is exceptional. There are general ceiling lights, lights below the upper cabinets, reading lights, and a light in the closet. Yes the closet is big enough to require a light. The reading lights above the bed are well placed and have individual switches on each side. The bedroom windows are all louvered so you can leave them open at night without fear of rain getting in. The window on the bedside is fairly large and high above the headboard. This way you don’t lose the headboard to prop pillows up against while reading, but still have good ventilation. The slide in the bedroom is deeper than most, but because of the extra height in the slide it doesn’t feel like a tunnel, nor do you have to worry about hitting your head. On both sides of the bed are small night stands with storage below.

The living room area is consistent with the rest of the trailer. The leather furniture has a good look and is comfortable. The recliners are wall huggers and don’t have to be moved for transit. If fact nothing has to be moved for transit. The cabinets above the sofa, recliners, and entertainment centre are large. We had a lot of stuff in there and still didn’t use them all. There is also a lot of storage in the entertainment centre. In the entertainment centre is the desk, which you can’t even see until someone shows you where it is. The desk is a large drawer above the fireplace. It is almost 4’ wide and 4” deep. It has a flip top with storage below. The fireplace provided all our heating requirements whenever we were hooked up to power. The temperatures were generally down to about 5 degrees at night. The furnace kept us plenty warm at temperatures below freezing. The furnace is a Suburban brand and well placed making it quieter than other RVs we have used.

Ventilation is everywhere. The only windows that aren’t louvered are the ones on the ends of the slide outs, so you don’t have to worry about destroying one by forgetting to close it prior to putting your slides in. Placement of air conditioners is well thought out. The standard air conditioner is at the rear of the coach. The optional second air conditioner is in the middle of the coach. They tie into the same ducting system. This does two things. The first is the bedroom ceiling height isn’t compromised by having to leave room for a 2nd air conditioner to be under legal height limits. The second is you can have a 2nd air conditioner and not give up the bedroom roof vent. Redwood air conditioners also have the return air off to the side rather than directly below the air conditioners, reducing the noise from the air conditioner. We have two fantastic fans in this coach, one in the bedroom, the other directly above the kitchen.

The exterior storage compartment and door is so large it becomes my outside BBQ area. We carry a separate table for our BBQ which I set up near the exterior storage door. With the storage door open it provides a nice BBQ area. The awning is large, so my BBQ area is well protected from sun or rain. Awnings of course are designed for shade, not as a porch so common sense is required. Between the outside lights and the light in the storage compartment you don’t need a flashlight to check on things while BBQing in the dark. Also in the storage compartment are a 110 volt outlet, access to change the bag for the vacuum cleaner, and TV hook ups for antenna and satellite. Most manufacturers overlook the satellite hook-up. The Redwood comes with 2 TVs, the bedroom TV can transfer to the exterior compartment, so you don’t have to move the one from the Entertainment centre. There is another set of control switches for the awnings in the exterior compartment. This is simple but makes great sense. This is where you are when you operate the awning. I did mean to say awnings. Redwood offers a second optional awning that is mounted on the campground side slide providing you with exceptional awning coverage.

Features throughout the Redwood make it a pleasure to use. The windows are large, letting in lots of light even when the weather is socked in on the West Coast. Electrical plug ins are everywhere. There are more lights than any RV I have been in. No pancake lights either, mostly flush mount halogen except where the decorative lighting is. One example would be above the reclining chairs in the slide there are lights in the ceiling of the slide, as well as on the bottom of the cabinets, and on separate switches. Another would be as described earlier in the bedroom. There are light switches everywhere. The kitchen is very well lit, with lights wherever you could possibly need them. Storage is large and everywhere. The finish and quality matches the price range. For example, I noticed one cabinet that it would have been cheaper to make it straight. Instead they had about 3 angles in it to take advantage of the space allowed and increase the storage area.

There are numerous features on this RV that I didn’t mention. Some of them just make things better and easier, or prevent problems. The additions and customization we did to this RV were minor. There are comforts you don’t notice until you are in another RV that doesn’t have them such as the combination of the 6 point leveling system and the large main frame make for a very solid trailer. There are no big things we would change if we were able to design our own RV. We have used several different RVs over the years, the Redwood really is the best designed we have ever used or seen.

Kelly Lardner
February 2012

Kelly's Review