click to view floorplan

by Dave Bessmer

The 28 to 29-foot fifth wheel has been a staple of the RV industry for many years, for good reason. It's small enough to tow comfortably behind something less than a locomotive, and it's big enough to be quite livable. Smaller fifth wheels have tended to feature a kitchen, bath and bedroom without much in the way of living and lounging space.

In short, this category has for years represented the smallest fifth wheels that didn't require some serious compromises in livability. But today, all the rules have changed, and those old, just-adequate sub-30 fivers are obsolete. Sterling evidence of this trend is the new Alumascape 29RLT, introduced late last fall at the Louisville RV trade show and showing up in increasing numbers at Alumascape dealerships.

What happens with the 29RLT, of course, is that three slideouts turn this 29-foot fifth wheel into a traveling vacation home with more interior space and storage than you used to get in a traditional "tube-type" 37-footer. Which proves once again that the difference between men and boys is the price of their toys, although I'd add that women may like this new Alumascape even more than the guys will.

Making the most of it
I've got to say the 29RLT is the coolest floorplan I've ever seen in a fifth wheel under 30 feet. The layout isn't unique in the industry, but Holiday Rambler has pulled it off exceptionally well.

The center of attention here is the L-shaped kitchen counter made possible by the two slideouts on opposite walls in the rear half of the coach. The curbside slide houses the range, refrigerator and entertainment center and tucks in behind the L-counter for travel. A longer slideout on the roadside houses the dinette and sofa. Two swivel chairs sit in front of the rear picture window.

Both slideouts are the patented Holiday Rambler flush-floor variety, with flexible plumbing in the kitchen slide.

This arrangement has great sight lines. Everybody can see everyone else and the TV as well. And the galley slave gets to be the center of attention, instead of a drudge stuck in a corner with his or her back to all the action.

The unit I saw had the Sandstone décor with Colony Oak raised-panel cabinetry (the raised panel feature is a low-cost option you'll probably want.) Sandstone is a light earth-tone motif with a leaf pattern in the fabric that is echoed in the horizontal wallpaper "stencil" pattern. It's contemporary and outdoorsy, and the perfect choice if you've been arguing over whether to go for a tastefully feminine look or straight camo in your next rig.

Other available interiors are Briar Rose, Blue Atlantis and Evergreen. Cabinets are also available in optional Walnut and standard Western Oak.

Getting it all right
Of course, with RVs the genius is often in the details, so let's take a closer look.

My unit had the optional swivel recliners, and they are definitely worth the tariff if you're going to spend a lot of time kicking back in your Alumascape. The chairs sit in the rear end of the coach, which takes on the appearance of a large bay window area due to the slideouts and the five tall windows (two side, two rear and one big picture window dead center.) There is a reading light for each chair and a telephone stand.

In fact, lighting is excellent throughout, with three fluorescent fixtures in the ceiling, a light over the sofa, a decorative light above the dinette with a matching sconce light.

The Fantastic attic fan in the great room is a good option to choose, and an optional ceiling fan will help keep air circulating in this high-ceiling room.

I especially liked the entertainment center. The 20-inch TV is set fairly low in the enclosure, so seated persons can view it comfortably. (It's just high enough to be viewable across the kitchen counter from the dinette.) Above the TV is a large cabinet with mirror doors. The optional sound system is a nice compact AM/FM/cassette/CD unit with remote control, and there was an open storage space on either side of it for CDs and tapes.

The optional television was a 20-incher; a 27-inch model is available in some models. In a cabinet below the TV are three shelves – one holding the video switching box that lets you choose input from the antenna, cable, or digital satellite system. Below that are two more shelves for the VCR, DVD or digital recorder you might want to add.

Good galley!
RV kitchens are usually straight-line affairs. They're built along a wall, or maybe in a rear corner – which forces kitchen laborers to move around a lot: this way to the sink, that way to the stove, and often all the way across the trailer to the fridge.

So the novelty of the 29RLT's U-shaped kitchen is that everything is within easy reach, despite the fact that there is ample counter and storage space.

The fridge is aft, right next to the entertainment center. (Hmmmm... I wonder if my wife would let me remodel our house this way...) Because of the lower ceiling in the slideout, the fridge is mounted lower than you're used to, so the vegetable crisper is near the floor as in your home refrigerator.

Next to the fridge is the recessed range. A slight drawback to this arrangement is that there is very little counter space adjacent to the cooktop—only enough to set down your ladle or spatula—but there is plenty of counter space right behind you. The microwave oven is mounted above the range; there's a vent fan and light, but not the usual range hood.

There's a nice carpeted storage area under the oven for items like frying pans and griddles, and another flat cabinet space above the microwave.

Kitchen storage is excellent for a rig this size. There are three roll-out drawers. Under the sink is a generous space for pots, pans, appliances and cleaning supplies. To the right is another large lower cabinet that needs a shelf. You'd be best off using wire-rack shelving to fit your needs best. An upper cabinet—this is next to the entry door—makes a perfect pantry.

When working on the open counter space or at the sink, you'll be facing outward and can join the party. An optional folding counter extension provides additional work space. Countertops are laminated but have the look of sold-surface counters. The designers have thoughtfully angled the corners so you won't bruise your hips while moving about. The large double sink is white and has a single-handle faucet.

The dinette sits opposite the kitchen. A free-standing table with chairs is standard, but the unit I saw had a booth dinette with large doors opening onto the storage areas beneath the benches. (I suspect a lot of children and grandchildren are going to spend the night in this model, so the booth dinette should certainly be a popular option.)

There was an unusually good print on the wall (a sort of photo-realist rendering of a New England harbor scene – a nice departure from the normal starving-artist fare) and a mirror by the door, so you can check your hair a last time on the way out.

And speaking of privacy...
One of the great things about a fifth wheel is the large bath that usually separates living quarters from the bedroom. This unit is no exception. A new floorplan, the 29RLT is a scaled-down version of the Alumascape 33SKT. This downsizing consisted of shortening the living area and kitchen (which was in some ways an improvement – the 29RLT has the entertainment center in a much better location); the bath and bedroom are pretty much identical to the larger model's.

The bathroom is the standard Holiday Rambler layout – which is to say that it's roomy and beautifully thought out. The private water closet has a four-bar towel rack on the door and a wide towel rack and a cabinet over the toilet. The magazine rack (who'd be without one?) and the toilet paper spindle were mounted high on the wall, where they don't crowd your knees or hips.

One oddity: the 29RLT's monitor panel is mounted in the water closet. (Because of the unusual stove-microwave arrangement in the galley, there is no room there for the normal monitor-panel/vent-hood.) I would make a joke here about how I could sit in the bathroom of my 29RLT and actually monitor my progress, as it were, in real time, but I'm sure the editors of Holidayswould delete it.

The roomy, angled, skylit shower has a seat and detachable sprayer; there are two more towel bars on the door, so there's plenty of room for guest linens. The washstand is well lit by a bank of three clear make-up lights; below the good-sized sink is a cabinet with two shelves. The medicine cabinet has three shelves tall enough for shampoo bottles and the like.

A wardrobe in the corner includes standard plumbing and wiring for a washer-dryer.

This bedroom rocks
A bedroom slideout allows for a huge amount of storage – and a cozy yet spacious feeling.

There's a shirt closet that's tall enough for coats and medium-length dresses. Below it are two bin-size drawers. A dresser opposite the foot of the bed holds six drawers; the broad counter on top has an outlet and a phone jack at hand. Above are two overhead cabinets and a TV shelf (13-inch TV with remote optional).

Across the front is a 7-foot closet with sliding mirror doors, a full-width shelf and carpeted floor. And of course, the bed raises up on gas-filled struts for access to another large, storage area. (The slideout mechanism is boxed in and carpeted over to isolate it from the stuff you store here.)

The reading lamps on the wall at either side of the bed are the tulip design that I like because you never have to look at a naked bulb, especially while your reading in bed.

Built like a Holiday Rambler
Like other Holiday Rambler fifth wheels, The Alumascape 29RLT features Alumaframe construction with interlocking aluminum C-channel framing, five layer sidewalls and nine-layer roof. The underbelly is enclosed between the frame rails with a rugged honeycomb material that's more durable than aluminum skin. This area houses the holding tanks, plumbing and heat ducts so it's fairly freeze-proof as long as you keep the heat on.

The roof is made of RV2000 material that is virtually streak-proof and far more rugged than rubber roofing.

The trailer's exterior features a great deal of storage: a pass-through basement with lighting at both sides; trunks under the floor on both sides; an exterior trunk door under the sofa.

A single bay houses plumbing service, including an optional exterior shower. There are three holding tanks (bath, kitchen and toilet).

The 2001 Alumascape is a fantastic-looking fiver, with new endcaps, big radius-corner windows and attractive graphics.

Who wants to buy a 29RLT?
Having checked out this unit from end to end, it may be a good time to ask who this model is really for? Fifth wheels this size are usually used for vacationing and weekending by couples or families, for mobile hunting or fishing cabins and so forth. Full-timers and snowbirds are normally found in rigs over 30 feet.

But I'm not so sure about the 29RLT. Certainly, traditional buyers for this length of fifth wheel will be crazy for the extra livability they get from the triple slide configuration. But by my figures (caveat emptor: my calculations involve applying a ruler to floorplan sheets and using algebra I learned 40 years ago) this rig gives you about the same space as a 37-foot model with no slideouts would.

With all that living room and storage and an optional washer-dryer, this wouldn't be a bad rig to spend a sunny southern winter in.

So, just as the Holiday Rambler Alumascape 29RLT fifth wheel morphs from modest-sized towing package to sprawling living quarters at the campsite, it may be highly morphable in terms of suiting many different styles of RVing.

Dave Bessmer is a freelance writer living in East Grand Rapids, Michigan. He has spent 25 years in or around the RV business. He has authored several features for Holidays magazine.