TCM invited the entire Texas Truck Camper Rally to check out a 2013 Palomino 2910 full-wall slide-out truck camper. They came, they saw, and they said the following.
We love to do Rally Reviews at truck camper rallies. The idea is simple; bring a brand new truck camper to a truck camper rally, let everyone check it out stem to stern, and then publish their responses to the camper. Naturally the responses range from glowing and positive to, “What the heck were they thinking”, but that’s real life, the real deal, the straight and skinny, or, as I like to say, “the dilly-o”.
Do you want to know what real truck campers think of a truck camper? That’s what a rally review is all about.
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We also camped in the 2013 Palomino 2910 during the Texas Truck Camper Rally, hosted by Princess Craft RV, and have added our own comments on the camper. We’ll start with the rally attendee opinions, and then give our feedback.
“The camper looks modern. I like the heavy cutting board sink inserts, and the solid surface countertop is pretty. I also love the color of the wood cabinetry and bronze handles. I don’t like fake glass block wallpaper in the kitchen. I do love the insulated Dometic windows, especially compared to the single pane glass windows in our current Maverick. Overall I like it.” – Will and Rachel Little
“I like the exterior color. Inside, the camper is bright with big picture windows bringing in a lot of light. There is nice amount of storage in this camper, however there is wasted space in front of the refrigerator. I am pleasantly surprised at this camper.” – Mike and Cindy Schoaf
“I like the feeling of space inside the camper. I love the solid surface sink covers. They’re the Real McCoy. I like that there are electrical outlets near the bed. I also like that it has drawers in the overcab. There is a step up to the refrigerator. I like that the refrigerator is in the slide because it opens up the camper.” – Jim Schivers
“The Corian-like countertop and backsplash looks like you can wipe it off easily. I like the windows.” – Neil Womack
“The solid surface countertop has a nice look.” – Red Beers
“I like the exterior color, but there needs to be a cover over the fresh water fill and city water hook up. There’s a nice big window next to the dinette. Having the refrigerator on the slide makes it loud because of the constant fan noise. I like the bed area and the two steps up into the overcab. There is also a roominess up there with good sit-up height above the bed. The solid surface countertop is heavy, but the two cutting board sink inserts will not warp. I would like drawers under the sink. This camper needs outlets in the kitchen area. There is a high step up into the bathroom.” – Cheryl and Rick Merks
“I like the brown colored exterior. I like the open feeling of the camper. It makes it seem more roomy inside. I also like the step up to the bed. There is lots of storage in the bedroom area. The refrigerator is a good size and there is a lot of kitchen storage. I’m not sure I would like step up into the bathroom, especially in the middle of the night. I would want a dry bath. I would want to be able to walk in sideways to get through when the slide is closed up. The windows are wonderful. Oops, I just bumped my head on entry door and I’m not that tall.” – Dick and Karen Spencer
“I see there’s a door that goes to nothing on the rear passenger side wing of the camper. One propane tank is not enough for this size of a camper. You need two. From outside, the overcab doesn’t look as big as it does inside. I like how the windows open. I would like some hanging storage in the camper. I like the size of the refrigerator, but it is noisy. I would like an outside compartment door since the dinette has such a long storage space underneath, or put a pull-out drawer there. The bathroom has a medicine cabinet, which is good.” – Sue and Bill Billyard
“The outside the sticker decal is not informative as it says this camper has 51 gallons of water. Is that fresh or black or grey or combined? There’s no black tank flush. I don’t see a separate valve for black and grey. Is it a combination tank? I also noticed there is a ghost door outside with nothing behind it. I like the light interior decor. The solid surface counter top is nice. The size of the refrigerator is nice and there is good access to the bed. You could have a bigger medicine cabinet in the bathroom.” – Al Moge
Editor’s Note: The 2910 has a 45 gallon fresh water tank, plus a six gallon fresh water heater, totaling the listed 51 gallons of fresh water. The grey tank is 20 gallons and the black tank is 20 gallons.
“The interior decor nice, and there is a lot of open space in this camper. It’s a wet bath, and the wet bath is a nice size. I like the big window in the dinette. The refrigerator is loud. The speakers on the outside should be on the passenger side, where the picnic table traditionally is located.” – Marie Hebert
“The interior storage is good. I like that they have the ledge in the overcab where you can put Kleenex or a book.” – Sherri Anne Shivers
“I like the step up into the overcab. I like the exterior color, but Pat does not. I like the big windows in the camper. There is more space in this camper than I thought there would be. I like the counter top. I really feel that you need to be able to get into the camper when the slide is closed. The security strap for the television doesn’t seem like enough to safely hold it during travel. There is a lot of space in this camper for just having for one slide.” – Lee and Pat Bjornson
“I like the exterior finish. I am intrigued by the exterior door to nowhere. You can get to the dump valve easily from the outside of this camper. Under the dinette seat, there needs to be a drawer or an exterior door to get to the things stored there. The color scheme inside the camper is good. There are nice windows in this camper and I like the screens and the way they work. There is a nice open space where the bed is located. There are outlets on both sides of the bed. I would like a bigger wardrobe in bedroom. There is nice counter space in this camper. They need an exhaust fan in bathroom. The slide and jack controls are next to the door. I like that. The back up camera is also a nice feature.” – Daisy and Chip Cartwright
“I would never have an oven, but I would have a convection microwave. I like the nightstands on each side. I would rather have two smaller 20 pound propane tanks rather than one big 30 pound one. If the camper had a double recliner, I would like it more.” – Dorothy and Eldor Eisen
“It’s nicer inside than it seems from the outside. It’s fairly spacious, but I don’t like the dinette seats.” – Jim Woods
“I like the openness. I love the counter top space. I wish we had a microwave up top like this camper has. I love the windows.” – Georganna and Jim Clawson
“I like the plastic ceiling better than the carpet that is in some campers because you can wash it. I like the outside color. I love the solid surface counter top and the drawers in the overcab bedroom area. I don’t like the way the windows pop out.” – Glenn and Caite Blount
“I like that the overcab has windows on both sides. It is also easy to get up into the bed. I wouldn’t want these windows because it’s hard to not let in the bugs when you open and close them. The shower hose is in the way of the bathroom sink. I love the interior colors. This camper looks nice.” – Wanda Fuhs
The Palomino 2910 Exterior
The tan exterior color and black underbody of the Palomino 2910 really sets it apart aesthetically. The black trim, black Rieco-Titan remote electric jacks, black bumper, black ladder, black assist handle, and black rear awning really sell the “dark and tan” look. It would have been interesting to have a white Palomino 2910 and a tan Palomino 2910 side-by-side at the rally to ask which exterior color the attendees preferred.
My money would be on the dark and tan version for the more refined and higher-end look it gives the camper. Then again, many truck campers would choose the white color for heat reasons. Darker colors absorb the sun’s heat more readily than lighter colors. For this reason, white is a more practical color, but the dark and tan looks sharp.
Adding to the high-end look of the Palomino 2910 is the large European Dometic windows, Schwintek slide-out rails, and rounded front nose shape and curves. The graphics are well done, but having some stripes with three-dimensional depth and others flat is a bit odd. Personally, I think the flat stripes are classier.
We’ve been teasing Palomino about the, “door to nowhere” for years. We believe they do this because they use the same sidewall for units that have a storage area in this position, but it still seems ridiculous that they can’t figure out how to either (a) make this into a small storage compartment, or (b) get rid of it. How about suggestion (c) put a frame behind this compartment so owners can put pictures there and have some fun. “Look, it’s Uncle Ralphy! What’s he doing there?”
It also appeared that the city water connection and fresh water connection labels were reversed. We didn’t actually get to fill or connect the camper to find out, but the caps and air vent are a give away that these labels are backwards. An owner would quickly figure this out, but come on quality control. Catch this stuff.
I have to admit that I banged my head pretty good coming into the camper twice during the few days we used the camper. I’m 6’3” so part of the problem is my height, but part of the problem, I believe, is the step inside the camper. I’m honestly not sure if this is something Palomino needs to fix, or if taller owners just need to learn how to enter the camper without banging their head. Angela had no such issues.
Wet Bath of the 2910
The wet bath is perfectly functional. I would like to see the solid surface counter tops in there, but more on that later. The wood insert on the floor is a bit awkward, but may help those who are height challenged.
Dinette and Galley
The full-wall slide really opens up the camper. The full-booth dinette and large Dometic window further open up the feel of the camper. The beige and earth tone interior works well to keep the look neutral and relatively modern. With two posts the dinette table is steady and ready for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or two laptops getting out a TCM story. Under the seats is plenty of storage, but the spaces are really deep and objects may be hard to reach if they’re all the way to the wall. Did I just complain about a storage space being too big? That’s just funny.
The kitchen is dominated by a thick solid surface counter top that would be at home in a home. It’s extremely residential in look and feel and knocked out many of the rally reviewers who didn’t think Palomino could play in the high-end camper market.
We too were impressed, but I can’t help but worry about the weight of this material. Lift up one of the inset sink counter pieces and you immediately think, “Wow, that’s heavy”. Let’s just say you don’t want to drop this on your foot. Of course the weight of the counters is a non-issue if the truck and camper are properly matched, but why not use lighter weight and equally beautiful molded granite coat fiberglass? There’s the look, without the weight.
Weight police concerns aside, the kitchen is another highlight in this camper. The design, functionality, storage, and features are all excellent. I agree with Will and Rachel Little that the fake glass block wallpaper is a detractor. After putting in real solid surface counter tops (and another modern Dometic window), why do anything that looks fake? I’m not saying lay glass block in here, but find a material or treatment that looks like it belongs with the other materials.
The Cabover
I love, love, love the steps up to the cabover. Did I mention I love these steps? We hear all the time about the need to have an easier entry into the cabover. Look folks, Palomino gave you some nearly residential height steps into the cabover. What do you want, an elevator? I love these steps! Nice work Palomino!
But what the heck was Palomino thinking putting the closest outlet to the dinette on the bottom step? What a pain in the noodle! This is where we plugged in our laptops during our brief tenure in the 2910, but the wires were all over the place. Palomino, please give us at least one outlet near the dinette. Did I mention I love the steps?
Cheryl and Rick Merks commented on the height of the cabover and I agree, the height of the cabover is excellent. I was able to sit up comfortably in the cabover, even towards the front nose.
We both liked the insulated Heki skylight and two insulated Dometic windows, one on either side, giving the overcab an open and bright feel. It’s hard to see in the pictures, but both side also got a very small bedside “night table” where I put my glasses and iPod (our alarm clock) before hitting the pillow. These night tables also feature outlets for charging phones and other items over night. Storage in the overcab was also good with a cabinet and drawer on the passenger side and two drawers on the other. Overall, the overcab is very good.
There are some other details that need to be mentioned including the LED lights in the 2910. They’re a different type than I’ve seen before, but highly effective with a bright white light. I also like the stereo system in the Palomino 2910 and its iPod connection. The heat is not ducted and had some issues reaching the overcab on a few cold Texas evenings. We finally cranked the heat a bit more and added another blanket to solve that problem.
Final thoughts about the Palomino 2910
Where this camper is really impressive is when you take into account everything Palomino is offering in the unit and then take a look at the price. The MSRP for the base 2013 Palomino 2910 is $22,379. Loaded up as it was for our demo, the price reaches into the high 20s. When you take into account that our demo had a built-in propane generator and a long list of options, you begin to understand Palomino’s strategy. This is a lot of camper bang, for your camper buck.
For more information about the Palomino 2910, visit the Palomino website at palominorv.com. Check out other models in the Palomino Camper Buyers Guide. Request a free Palomino brochure.
