We love our RV, but we’ve talked about downsizing for years. So we were excited to see the Newmar New Aire, which promises to provide the quality of a larger rig in a more compact size.
When asked what the “right size” RV is, our standard answer is “Buy the smallest RV you think you can be comfortable in.” Now, we know this might sound a little disingenuous coming from a couple of guys touring around in a 43′ big rig, but needs do change over time, and nothing is 100% perfect for every situation or every RVer. But take it from us… we’re talking from experience… if we could go back in time and do it over again, the one change we’d make is to go smaller.
Don’t get us wrong… we love our Mountain Aire. Our 13 years on board is hands down the longest either one of us has ever owned any single home our entire lives. And it is just that… HOME. But when we bought it, we accepted that its length would be a hindrance to getting into many places.
Since we’d spent a frenetic first two years on the road visiting literally every National Park in the Western US (many of them repeatedly), we decided that we’d be okay visiting them less often, and in a different way…. parking outside the parks and using our toad to get around inside.
Now there are a lot of National Parks that any RV can fit in. But even in those, the longer you are, the fewer site choices you’ve got. So we haven’t had any shortage of return visits to many of our favorite places. But the trade-off for “luxury” is just that… a trade-off. We long ago decided that ANY new RV we got would be smaller.
Of course we know lots of people travel full-time in far smaller rigs than we’ve got. But we do have our limits, which makes us tip our hats to the full-time-travel-trailer crowd. Do they keep a lot of belongings in a relative’s basement or in a storage facility? Do they wear smaller clothes than we do? Are they simply okay with far stricter limits on stuff than we’re comfortable with? Whatever the differences, we’ve developed a particular affinity for some of the things that, simply put, require space.
For example, we had a queen size bed in our first rig, a Fleetwood Bounder. Now we have a king, and would rather not give that up. We also had a typical combo washer-dryer in the Bounder, and Hated it (with a capital H). Not only was it tiny, but you (obviously) couldn’t run a second wash load until the first load was done drying. We’ve had our fantastic apartment-size separate washer and dryer for 13 years now, and Love it (with a capital L). We hate resorting to laundromats, and the ability to do real life-size loads of wash while we’re here working on board is something we’re not willing to do without. Luckily, the same type of separate washer & dryer we have is now far more common… as is our residential fridge, which we also would not want to be without. But all these things do require space.
So chopping 9 feet off our current RV without losing certain features that we’ve found to be highly desirable for us personally… hmmmm. It’s all about floorplan, but you still can’t defy the laws of physics. How small can we go while still keeping the minimum features that we want?
We’ve also gotten a bit spoiled by Newmar’s quality. We think our RV has higher-quality materials than most of the other “comparable” rigs we’ve seen. But with so many manufacturers cutting corners over the years, to save both weight and cost, has Newmar maintained the level of quality we’re used to?
Also, technology has come a long way since 2005 (thirteen years is an eternity when it comes to tech). So this new RV brings with it all sort of upgrades that weren’t available back in ’05: glass dashboard, multiplex wiring for lights & window shades, 360° “birds-eye-view” cameras, and more. These are the kinds of things that get our geeky hearts fluttering! ?
With all the whiz-bang new features now available, will we even care about size & quality?!? We address these questions in this video, during our first look at a 2018 Newmar New Aire.
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Featured & Related Products:
We looked, but Amazon doesn’t stock Newmar New Aires ? … so, instead, here’s a list of a few of our favorite products that any new RV owner might want to stock up on.
- Viair 400P-RV Portable Compressor
- LevelmatePRO Bluetooth RV Leveling Device
- Utility Blocks – Single
- Utility Blocks – 4 Pack
- 20′ Heavy Duty Sewer Hose
- 20′ Sewer Hose Support
- 45° Clear Sewer Elbow
- 25′ NeverKink Drinking Water Hose
- Adjustable Water Pressure Regulator
- Meguiar’s NXT 2.0 Wax
- Aerospace 303
- Invisible Glass w/Rain Repellent
- 360 Siphon Vent – White
- 360 Siphon Vent – Black
Dan Morean
Thursday 27th of September 2018
Do you know if air leveling is an option on the New Aire? That is the primary issue pushing me toward a Tiffin Breeze. That, and fuel economy. Otherwise, I like the layout, basement size, luxury of the New Aire.
Cory
Thursday 27th of September 2018
Dan,
I don't think that Air suspension can be added. There is a very big difference between a Breeze and New Aire . Two very different Coaches. If you have any questions feel free to give me a call. Cory 239-633-3711
TheRVgeeks
Thursday 27th of September 2018
Hi Dan. It’s not listed in the brochure, but since Newmar allows you to order customizations to the coach, you should call them to ask if that’s something they would do.
MarkV
Wednesday 8th of August 2018
Hey guys - Peter, you are a tall guy - how was the ceiling height for you in the New Aire? I was looking at the Tiffin Breeze but I'm 6'2" and the ceiling felt a bit tight. New Aire better?
TheRVgeeks
Wednesday 8th of August 2018
Hi Mark! Our '05 Mountain Aire has 80" interior height... just before they added 4" up to 84" in '06. I (Peter) am just over 6'2" and John is about 6'1" and maybe it's just because we're used to it, but we're very comfortable in our rig. The Breeze is only 78", and we do think that would start to feel too low. But the New Aire felt plenty high enough for us, at 81.5" since it's more than we have now. A lot of it may depend on what someone is used to of course, but we liked the New Aire just fine in that regard.
Cory
Sunday 6th of May 2018
Geeks,
I am a proud owner of a New Aire 3443. This is my third Newmar ,first new one. (16 Canyon Star 3710 and 15 Dutch star 3736). I enjoyed the video and glad to see you approve will definitely help with resale value.(LOL) This is a very heavy coach weighing almost the same as my Dutch Star which was four feet longer. The ride is superior because of the weight and the independent front suspension. Also a must was side mount radiator. I would like to clarify about the size of bed. Remember a a queen bed is the same length as a king. It is a foot narrower. If you widen the bed by 12" there will be may sacrifices made. The Ventana is 12" inches longer the model with the King bed cuts size of refrigerator and living area. Remember the goal of this project was a high end short coach. Once you start going bigger you might as well get the Dutch Star. The finishes and options are very high end. My coach has 360 camera,adaptive cruise,heated floors and integrated awnings all the things you would expect on a high end longer coach. The storage is much better than the Dutch Star. If anyone has any questions feel free to contact me at crozen363@aol.com. Keep the videos coming.
Cory Rozen
Saturday 27th of October 2018
K and P feel free to contact me Cory 239-633-3711
TheRVgeeks
Sunday 6th of May 2018
Hi Cory, and a big "congratulations" on your new rig! Always great to hear from a fellow Newmar owner... even one that we're jealous of! ? Thanks for all the feedback and input. We also like the idea of staying as small as possible, but even though John mentioned our height (I'm 6'2" and John's 6'1"), and you're absolutely right about the length of a queen & king being the same, it's more about the amount of space available. Not sure if we're restless sleepers, or what, but we're definitely more comfortable in a king. We stay in queen beds whenever we visit family & friends away from the RV (we don't know anyone with a king bed in their guest room), and we're never as comfortable as we'd like. We're okay with that compromise when we're short-term guests in someone else's place, but not in our own home. We could do it if we had to, but a really good night's sleep is a tough one to compromise on! We'll hope that a new 34' 10" floorplan might include a king bed without bloating things too much by adding that one extra foot (of course we've drafted our "dream" floorplan, including king bed. ? Now that we've heard how much you like your rig, we're more interested than ever! And we're with you on the side radiator. We love ours.
Russell & Lea Ballard
Friday 20th of April 2018
We have been watching your videos and are new to comment. We were at the FMCA Expo in Perry, GA. this year and were looking at the Newmar New Aire too. It is the one that we will be trading for this August. We have a 2003 Newmar Mtn Aire. 40.5 ft. We know you will love the New Aire, have fun.
TheRVgeeks
Friday 20th of April 2018
Welcome to the comment section, Russell & Lea! And thanks for watching! You must be so excited to be getting into your new New Aire this summer! We know if it was us, we'd be busting at the seams. We'll have to live vicariously through you, though, because there's no New Aire in OUR future (unless we win the lottery, that is! LOL!)! Keep us in the loop!
nikki wynn
Thursday 19th of April 2018
Loved the video! You guys have gone from talking hands to fantastic on camera hosts. Really enjoyed seeing your take on the new coach and it looks like they have done a good job of balancing size/space.
TheRVgeeks
Thursday 19th of April 2018
Thanks so much, Nikki! Means a lot coming from the consummate on-camera host.?