Shakedown Cruise! Our New Cape Cod Motorhome
We just returned from a two-week, six-state shakedown cruise of our new Embassy RV Cape Cod Motorhome, and… we're still friends.
The biggest adjustment for us to this 25-foot-long Class C? The small space, especially when compared to our Montana High Country Fifth Wheel, which remains our main RV for tours and longer RV stays.
We survived that, after remembering the two most important rules about small motorhome life: 1) A place for everything and everything has a place, 2) One at a time when going down a hallway, working in the kitchen, or from the cab to the living quarters.
Here's a video that pretty much documents the highs and lows of our shakedown cruise.
The Worst Part of the Entire Trip
It had nothing to do with the Cape Cod.
It was the traffic on the drive south. On our first day, road construction in Indiana had us in stop-and-go gridlock for FOUR HOURS, with no easy way off or clear detour around the bottleneck.
Construction on US 31 near Kokomo was the first bottleneck.
But in and around Indianapolis was the worst.
The temperature that day was 93 degrees. It was a horrible drive, maybe the worst we've experienced on a trip.
What We Most Liked About OUR Cape Cod Motorhome
Driveability – The AWD Ford Transit averaged 12.6 mpg before the traffic jam. Factoring in the hours spent in stop-and-go traffic, it dropped to 11.6. Not bad at all.
Comfort – While the space between the driver's seat and the passenger seat could be a little wider (to accommodate our Norwegian Elkhound, Bo), Embassy is equipped with very high-end leather-like seats, and the Transit suspension, with added Sumo Springs by Embassy, handled the bumpy roads just fine.
Battery Power – The 920 amp hours of lithium batteries, coupled with a 3,500-watt inverter (the largest in the industry we've ever seen on a Class B or C motorhome), delivered ample power. On a hot and steamy night in Northeastern Indiana, while boondocking in a farm pasture at an RV Overnights spot, we ran the ducted AC all night long and still had seven hours of use time remaining the next morning. That's one reason we bought the Cape Cod. Our Montana Fifth Wheel is a little too big for off-road boondocking. The Cape Cod couldn't have performed any better on one of the hottest nights we've ever experienced.
Maneuverability – We easily stopped at fast food restaurants, grocery stores, and other places too small for a 35-foot fifth wheel and a full-length Ford F350. The Cape Cod can fit into a single parking spot in a pinch, like those found at restaurants.
Exterior storage – There are storage bins along the bottom of both sides toward the rear, and a massive pass-through storage “garage” has so much room. We got an optional slide-out tray for our unit that holds our Blackstone Grill. But even with it, we had room for lots of chairs, including Jennifer's favorite gravity lounge. If you fold it up or break it down, I think we could probably fit an eBike or two in there. I haven’t tested it yet, so no promises—but we’ll check before our next trip.
Water Sanitation System – We always use filters at the spigot when we fill with water, but Embassy is the first in the industry that we know of to include an Ozone water system as standard equipment. This system is the first of its kind in any RV. The massive 36-gallon fresh water tank can be sanitized in about 7 minutes, which really gives peace of mind. Other users say they run the system about once a week when camping.
Powered Lounge Chairs – We chose, as an option, two electric loungers. Constructed from an Amish furniture business in nearby Shipshewana, these loungers are so comfortable they could double as two beds.
The alternator System for charging the lithium batteries – When I drained the lithium batteries in Florida (see below), starting the engine saw the alternator system bring me to a 36 percent charge in about an hour's time.
What Challenged Us About Our Cape Cod Motorhome
No off-on switch for 360-degree camera monitor – We absolutely love the optional 360-degree camera system we had installed in our Cape Cod. I believe we were the first Embassy production unit with this system, which shows amazing 360 degrees of what's around the motorhome from all sides, front and rear, and even up above. However, while the screen can be dimmed a bit, it can't be turned off. And that created a parasitic drain on our lithium batteries while parked at a condo in Florida. Even with the batteries turned off, the monitor drained the batteries down to 2%. Getting a switch installed will be one of our first tweaks now that we're back.
The rear twin beds are narrow and short. The mattress was plenty comfortable, but the width of the bed is about ten inches narrower and three inches shorter than a conventional twin bed. If you are much taller than six feet, you wouldn't be able to stretch out fully.
The pantry – The multi-drawer pantry in the galley of the Cape Cod is deep, but the drawers are too short. It's impossible to stand most packages and boxes up on end. To put them in the pantry, you have to lie them down, which then limits the amount of items you can store.
But these are all relatively minor issues (unless you are really tall). For us, we just need to get a bit more familiar with it and figure out just what goes where. From past experiences with new RVs, that will take a few more trips.
What About the Compost Toilet?
We did a whole video on our Separett Tiny Compost Toilet, but you keep asking, so let us just say, we're going to give it a few more trips to see if we will keep it. In case you missed that video, here it is:
Embassy RVs – besides being made of all composite materials and no wood – have no black tank. We think that is really a pretty good thing, especially for boondockers. But, getting used to the two styles of waterless toilets Embassy offers is a big change from what we have had with traditional RV toilets.
We're still figuring it out.
What We Wish We Had Done Differently
I think just one thing is lacking: Solar.
Embassy's superb insulation and the efficiency of its air conditioning system, along with those 920 amps of lithium batteries, can easily run the AC all night long.
But… there is a lot of real estate on the roof of that Cape Cod, easily room for lots of solar, say 800-1,000 watts. If we had solar, I think the Florida sunshine would have topped off my batteries during those six days in Florida.
And it seems to me that for boondockers who want to stay off grid for days at a time and don't like the idea of running their motorhome engine to have the alternator charge the batteries, solar would also be a welcome option.
So solar and the on/off switch for the 360-degree camera monitor are two things I'll be looking over now that the shakedown cruise got us acquainted with this amazing motorhome.
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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