Why we upgraded to the Vanleigh Vilano

You would think that, after owning 7 different RV's in 10 years, we would be able to select a new RV that would satisfy our needs for years to come. After all the Keystone Avalanche is a large well appointed RV, one of the nicest in the whole RV park, as you can see from this special Keystone Avalanche photo gallery. So why after just one year of owning the Keystone Avalanche, did we feel the need to switch to the Vanleigh Vilano? After all they are about the same size, more or less, same basic floorplan... the front living room design. This page is a brief attempt to explain our decision. In summary here are the bulleted points:

more headroom for my 6'5" frame
3 fully ducted roof air conditioners
4 seasons insulation - roof, walls, underbelly
slide toppers on all slides except patio slide
larger bedroom w/ sixth opposing slide
much improved clothes closet space
mid-cabin dual entry bath convenience
bedroom ceiling fan for comfortable sleep
full length 6'+ opposing living room sofas
easy clean vinyl floor thruout except dining area
Splendide stack washer/dryer
electrically operated dump valves
Dirt Devil quiet central vacuum
Tiffin quality all wood cabinetry & trim

Here is some more detailed explanation of these significant enhancements and why we made this decision:

First and probably most importantly, we bought the Avalanche in August 2019 as our entry into Fern Ridge Shores RV Park. We knew this park well... we stayed in it several times some years back. It is the ONLY RV PARK anywhere near Fern Ridge Lake, and the lake is our whole reason for being in the Eugene area... we keep our Catalina 22 sailboat at the marina and really enjoy the steady and consistent winds that grace the lake from April until October. Overall, it is without a doubt the best sailing lake in the western U.S. For the 2019 season we stayed half an hour from the lake at Premier RV Park in Coburg. Beyond the sheer distance, there is the inconvenient reality that unless you are at the lake you cannot be sure what the wind is doing at any given moment.

So when the opportunity presented itself to secure a long term space at Fern Ridge Shores RV Park, we jumped at it. They do not rent short term any longer and they have a 3 year waiting list to get in, UNLESS you buy something already situated here. Which is why we bought the Avalanche... it was already on the largest and one of the best spaces in the park, it was virtually brand new and we really liked the floorplan. This was probably NOT the 5th wheel we would have chosen had we bought one on the open market, but it was a nice entry into the park.

The Avalanche was our introduction to the front living room design... and we love it. More commonly 5th wheels have the bedroom and bath in front and living room in the rear. The problem there is that the headroom in the forward bath is just too low for me. And while the living room in the Avalanche was a little lower than optimal, The Vilano is just a couple inches taller and so it fits me to a tee. The bathroom in the standard layout is worse yet... ducking while taking a shower or standing at the sink is very uncomfortable. No problem in the Vilano with 9' ceilings in all areas from the kitchen to the rear.

Overall, the Avalanche had suited us pretty well. It isn't the highest end RV on the market, but for the money it's pretty darn nice. Definitely not the level of quality we had grown accustomed to in our Tiffin Allegro Bus, but it fit the need. UNTIL we discovered the Vanleigh Vilano line of 5th wheels. Vanleigh is a division of Tiffin Motorhomes in Alabama and the difference in quality and attention to detail is evident. In addition, it has some major upgrades such as the optional 3 fully ducted roof air conditioners, compared to just 2 in the Avalanche.

Three A/C's in a 41' RV makes a HUGE difference in hot weather. In the direct sun, two A/C's just cannot keep the interior temperature below 80 degrees when it gets really hot. In addition the black sides of the slides absorb a lot of heat... the sides of the slides in the Vanleigh are cream like the main exterior color. So summers should be a lot more comfortable in the Vilano. And fully ducted means the system runs a LOT quieter, compared to the Avalanche which is partially ducted, but the A/C grates in the living room and bedroom are still noisy, especially when you open those grate vents to maximize cooling from the two A/C's.

The Vilano is essentially brand new, in showroom condition, but discounted for the model year. Besides 3 fully ducted roof A/C's, the Vilano boasts 4 seasons insulation with a heated underbelly meaning we can use it year round whenever we want... without winterization. And it is particularly noticeable when it is cold and windy outside. Inside we barely notice what is happening outside and we stay warm and cozy. The large mid cabin bath is much more convenient... it has two access doors, one from the bedroom and one from the hallway, so no one has to walk through the bedroom to get to the restroom... important if one of us is sleeping in the living room for any reason.

The Vilano has a Splendide stack washer/dryer... more desirable and more efficient than the all-in-one Splendide we had installed in the more limited space in the Avalanche. The Vilano has a central vacuum, which is REALLY nice in a small space, so much quieter and it vents the smelly vacuumed air outside the rig. The bedroom is larger with the addition of a sixth opposing slide, and it features a large real hanging clothes closet with dual sliding doors, something sorely lacking in the Avalanche. The bedroom also has a ceiling fan, a feature we love. And there is more headroom not only in the front living room (so I do not have to duck), but also throughout, as the kitchen, bed and bath and are on one level.

Sofa length may seem like a minor issue, but for us it is really important. The Vilano has two opposing 74" sofas in the living room, a foot longer than the Avalanche, so much better for napping, guests, or middle of the night babysitting with a sick dog or grandchild. And because the entry door is in exactly the same place as the Avalanche, it fits perfectly into the same space relative to the deck... no reconstruction necessary. That was a real break that clinched our decision! Also there is attractive vinyl flooring throughout; carpeting in an RV is hard to keep clean. The only carpeting in the Vilano is in the Dining area, and we went ahead and replaced that as well.

The Vilano has slide topper awnings on all slides except the one covered by the patio awning as that one would interfere with slide topper operation. Slide topper awnings keep the tops of slides clean and are generally only found on higher end RV's.

And finally, the Vanleigh Vilano 5th wheel is built with the legendary Tiffin quality we came to appreciate in our Allegro Bus... all cabinetry and woodwork is ALL real wood - no fake woodgrain veneers like Keystone products and so many other RVs.

Additional advantages realized by this upgrade

All in all this trade was one we could not resist... and although the 2018 Vilano is a one year older model year, it is really newer as it appears to have been used a lot less than our 2019 Avalanche which we've owned for a year. And the price was pretty comparable. To see our 2018 Vanleigh Vilano 375FL, please visit this webpage with 20 large photos of the Vilano inside and out:

http://www.wind-seeker.com/vilano