As I sit before my computer on a sunny day in March 2008 to write about the 2009 Presidential Suite line of fifth wheels from Holiday Rambler, I can look out my window at piles of snow, some of which fell in 2007. Three months into this year and I am still mistakenly writing 2007 on my checks.

As I have approached old age, I have developed a theory about time. Movies run at 24 frames per second. Video is recorded and played back at 30 frames per second. My theory is that actual time runs at a certain number of frames per second and that some evil genius has been splicing out frames, causing time to run faster.

Is this how I got to be 60? Does it explain 2009 Presidential Suite fifth wheels? I don’t know, but I do understand why Holiday Rambler couldn’t wait to get these coaches onto dealers’ lots.

They are stunningly beautiful and the best fifth wheels Holiday Rambler has produced. They aren’t radically different from the 2008 models, but the few changes are terrific.

The most notable change is way up front in the bedroom. For years Holiday Rambler has configured the front wall like the rear wall of a pusher motorhome—with a huge closet fronted by sliding glass doors.

The 2009 models have done away with this design, after much consultation with owners, according to Brad McKinney, national sales manager for Holiday Rambler towables. Apparently, the consensus was that the old design sacrificed shelf space for an excess of hanging space. The new design—which features a mix of shelves, drawers and hanging areas tall enough for shirts, skirts and pants, fronted by beautiful hardwood cabinetry—provides more flexibility, along with two exposed shelves great for storing anything from toiletries to books and knickknacks.

The cabinet in the front right corner is angled for extra space. The upper portion encloses a 20-inch flat-panel LCD television that slides out and swivels. This TV storage slot is not much bigger than a briefcase, with no wasted space behind it.

As for additional hanging space for long items, like dresses or bathrobes, McKinney pointed out that most people use the floor-to-ceiling closet in the bath area. You lose this closet if you order a washer/dryer unit, but McKinney said only a tiny percentage of buyers choose to do so.

There is a tall mirror on the inside of the water-closet door you can use to make sure the fashion ensemble you’ve chosen for the evening’s all-campground weenie roast compliments your figure.

The 2009 Presidential Suite line includes five models from 33 to 37 feet. All have the same bedroom and split-bath layout, with a private water closet to starboard and a lavatory convenient to the bedroom on the port side.

A new, rounded, double shower door makes entry and exit a bit easier and looks great.

McKinney pointed out several more new features for 2009. Kitchen islands, like the one in the 37SKQ that I spent time in, now have wide-radius corners. So there’s a second reason to abandon the large bedroom closet mirror, I wouldn’t have to look at my bruised hips in it.

The designers have added a great deal of soft, indirect ceiling lighting throughout the coach. They’ve also added crown moldings and a good deal more wood trim on the valances and slideout surrounds. These accents look great in either the Newport Cherry or new Champagne Select cabinet choices.

The entertainment centers have been redesigned with 32-inch flat-panel LCD high-definition TVs on adjustable mounts that project well away from the wall and rotate for a wide range of viewpoints. In the three floorplans that include

The new [bedroom] design features a mix of shelves, drawers and hanging areas tall enough for shirts, skirts and pants, fronted by beautiful hardwood cabinetry.

computer stations, this means that the TV is now wall-mounted rather than built into cabinetry, which provides a great deal more desk space. There is still room in the cabinetry below the right side of the desk for an optional gas fireplace.

Find Your Floorplan

Let’s take a look at the five floorplans available
this year.

33SCD. This coach has the kitchen conveniently just inside the door, which is well to the rear of the coach. With two swivel chairs, a sofa-bed and dinette, it delivers a lot of livability for a couple or a family in a mid-sized fifth wheel. With both slideouts on the road side, there’s a lot of extra patio area.

36SKT. Furnished similarly to the 33SCD, but with the galley

flopped to the road side and a third slideout to house the computer station and entertainment center. Roomy and fun, with the kitchen and dinette still near the door.

36RLT. Just like the SKT, but with a huge amount of kitchen

work space. There is more counter area along the back wall, at the cost of the computer desk further aft. But the big difference is the kitchen island. If you entertain a lot, this is a great choice. It does feature the new TV configuration I described earlier.

37RLQ. The two 37-foot models are my personal favorites.

This one features a rear living room that can be shut off from the kitchen-dining area by sliding doors, set with beautiful glass panes and blinds for privacy. It’s a great idea for several reasons: your guests’ privacy, your solitude when working at the computer and keeping the noise of TV, video games, or late conversation from invading the bedroom.

37SKQ. Perhaps my very favorite. All the roominess of the

RLQ, but with an L-shaped kitchen counter that keeps the cook free of annoying through-traffic but still engaged in the party. Excellent workspace and kitchen storage. Great TV viewing angles from every seat in the house.

What Makes It Suite?

I reported on the Presidential Suite in the pages of Holidays magazine when this concept was introduced in 2006. The new design featured a frame modification that created a huge increase in basement storage space below the bath area—about 140 cubic feet. Now all Presidential fifth wheels are Suite.

This storage space is beautifully finished, lighted and unobstructed. It is floored with a special material far more rugged than the kitchen vinyl you often see in other coaches. A sliding door in the bulkhead at the rear of the basement conceals mechanicals and any appliances that used to be in cabinets or under the dinette seats upstairs.

This basement is accessible from both sides and through a bi-fold door in front that gives you access even when the coach is hitched to your pickup. The ceiling is well-insulated to keep the bathroom floor warm.

What Makes It Smooth?

A later development, in the last year, is the introduction of a new sidewall construction technique for Presidential Suite fifth wheels. Specifically, after more than 40 years, Holiday Rambler replaced their Alumaframe® construction system with a high-quality vacuum-bond lamination technique. It is the same method used to make sidewalls for the company’s most expensive diesel motorhomes.

The reasons for the change? One is weight reduction. Another is that it costs Holiday Rambler (and you) less. A third is that the exterior fiberglass walls are amazingly smooth and flat, compared to the former construction method.

The changes in Holiday Rambler’s flagship fifth wheel line aren’t as dramatic this year as they were in 2006 and 2008. Again, I mean the model years. Obviously it is 2008 and will be for a while, which is a blessing. Being well past halfway to my final reward, I have learned patience. I am happy to wait for things like Christmas, my birthday and the beginning of football or trout season. I don’t want time to pass any faster than it must.

So in the end it’s a good thing that Holiday Rambler brought out the 2009 Presidential Suite line now: All the more time to enjoy it, for the lucky travelers who will own one.

That time’s a-wasting, though. You should go see one at your nearest Holiday Rambler dealer soon.

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