At long last, Northern Lite debuts a dry bath model. According to Keith Donkin, General Manager of Northern Lite, the 10-2 RR Dry Bath is now the lightest dry bath camper on the market.
Ask Keith Donkin, General Manager for Northern Lite, if he will ever debut a slide-out camper and you always get the same long winded answer, “No”. That’s right, Northern Lite is a hard-side non-slide molded fiberglass truck camper company, period. Technically, they also build a travel trailer, but we won’t hold that against them.
With their product description carved in stone, the opportunities to advance the product come not from new product introductions each year, but rather continuous refinements. Every year Northern Lite finds some way to refine their products and make what was already a well thought out product, even better. Just this past year, Northern Lite introduced both their all-LED lighting package and raised their 10-2 molds by three inches. Where other manufacturers are rolling out another all-new floor plan or two, Northern Lite is obsessed with the details, and their execution.
With that in mind, the introduction of a dry bath option for their 10-2 RR is big news. After all, this is the first time in history that Northern Lite has offered a dry bath option. When we talked to Keith last week, he was clearly excited about it and making his rounds to show Northern Lite dealers the new camper.
2012 Northern Lite 10-2 RR Dry Bath Specifications:
The 2012 Northern Lite 10-2 RR Dry Bath is a hard-side, non-slide, dry bath truck camper that is made for long bed trucks. The interior floor length of the 2012 Northern Lite 10-2 RR Dry Bath is 120″ and the interior height is 6’8″. Northern Lite is reporting the dry weight of the Northern Lite 10-2 RR Dry Bath at 2,440 pounds with standard features. The tanks in the 2012 Northern Lite 10-2 RR Dry Bath are 36 gallons fresh, 40 gallons gray, and 18 gallons black. The camper accommodates two batteries and two twenty-pound propane tanks. The MSRP for the Northern Lite 10-2 RR Dry Bath is $31,059.
At the time of publication, a floor plan of the the 2012 Northern Lite 10-2 RR Dry Bath was not yet available.
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The following is an interview with Keith Donkin, General Manager of Northern Lite, about the 2012 Northern Lite 10-2 RR Dry Bath.
TCM: Why is Northern Lite debuting a dry bath model?
Keith: Over the years we have had many requests from customers and dealers inquiring if it was possible to get a separate tub/shower dry bath in one of our campers as they needed one that was lighter in weight and loved our two piece molded designs.
TCM: Does the RR Dry Bath feature the new taller 10-2 molds?
Keith: Yes. The RR Dry Bath utilizes our new 10-2 mold with 6’8” of headroom which has been very well received at the shows and at dealers lots.
TCM: What is the dry weight of the RR Dry Bath?
Keith: The base dry weight comes in fifteen pounds heavier than our wet bath option; 2,440 pounds. When nicely equipped with thermal pane windows, Heki thermal skylight, promo package, large rear awning, stereo DVD, it has a dry weight of 2,900 pounds. Even when you add a 10’ side awning and TV package, the 10-2 RR Dry Bath will still come in under 3,000 pounds dry weight. This makes the new 10-2 RR Dry Bath the lightest dry bath camper on the market.
TCM: Fifteen pounds doesn’t sound like much for a dry bath. How were you able to keep the additional weight down?
Keith: One way we accomplished a minimal weight difference was by changing the propane tanks from horizontal to vertical. The vertical tray is one-third the size of the horizontal tray helping to reduce weight. We also removed some cabinetry to allow for the increased size of the bathroom. When we weighed the prototype, we were happy to see the weight only increase fifteen pounds for the dry bath option.
TCM: That is impressive. Does the dry bath change the center of gravity?
Keith: The Dry Bath option moves the center of gravity four inches to the rear on the 10-2 RR. The center of gravity for the 10-2 RR Dry Bath is 46 inches. With a wet bath, the 10-2 RR center of gravity is 42 inches.
TCM: What is the MSRP for the RR Dry Bath?
Keith: The base MSRP on the RR with a dry bath is $31,059.
TCM: Will you be bringing the 10-2 RR Dry Bath camper to Louisville? And will we be seeing the camper at RV shows in the near future?
Keith: Yes, we will be displaying one in Louisville. We should have this camper at all of the upcoming RV shows that Northern Lite attends including the Portland, Oregon RV Show in November and the Springfield, Massachusetts RV Show in February.
TCM: When will the RR Dry Bath be at dealerships for people to see?
Keith: We will be shipping dry bath models in October so people should start seeing them by the end of October, beginning of November. Please make sure you call your local Northern Lite dealer ahead of time and ask them when they will have a 10-2 RR Dry Bath in stock.
TCM: Will the RR Dry Bath be available as a Special Edition?
Keith: Not at this time, but you can order the camper with all of the features of a Special Edition. If you want an RR Dry Bath with Special Edition features, you would order a camper from your local Northern Lite dealer with the following options; Dometic thermal pane windows, 10’ side awning, 4000R Fantastic Fan, an additional battery box, battery disconnect switch, sliding propane tray, rear bumper with step, remote controlled electric jacks, removable interior carpet, pre-wire for solar panel, three way, switch for bunk lights, stereo CD/DVD player, LCD television with antenna, Dometic Heki lighted skylight with escape hatch, Dometic microwave (in cupboard), outdoor awning, privacy drape, bedspread/pillow/shams, roof air conditioner, and our promotional package.
TCM: Will you be putting dry baths into the 10-2 CD and 10-2 RD? Other models?
Keith: This is the only model we build that we will be putting the dry bath in due to the size restrictions. On our other models the bathroom and dinette are on the same side of the camper. This does not allow enough room for a dry bath. The RR has a unique floor plan in our line up allowing us to remove some cabinetry and fit a dry bath.
TCM: Will there be any changes to the existing Northern Lite campers for 2012?
Keith: We are always looking at new ideas that we can incorporate into our campers based of feedback from our customers and our dealers.
One customer suggestion we have already started offering is our LED lighting package. The LED lighting package has been a big hit and is available on all of our campers including the new 10-2 RR Dry Bath. The LED lighting allow you to draw significantly less power from your batteries for extended dry camping.
Of course we’re also offering the taller molds on our 10-2 models. At Northern Lite, we focus on refining the quality and function of our campers rather than debuting new models every year. Take one step into a 2012 Northern Lite truck campers and you will experience that refinement everywhere you look.
TCM: Thank you Keith. I’m looking forward to seeing the 10-2 RR Dry Bath at Louisville. Might there be another Northern Lite surprise awaiting us at the show?
Keith: It’s possible. We’ll see you there.
