Resurfacing this thread to answer the unanswered questions about the new TM recliner.
Background: As my signature suggests, my TM trips are strenuous...it's pretty common for me to do 15 or more miles of hiking (involving 3000 or more feet of climbing or descending) or 30 to 50 miles of mountain biking in a single day. At the end of those days, I want a soft chair and the ability to get my legs elevated. The OEM chair in my '02 provided decent cush for the tush but left me without the leg elevating.
Sooo, about 2 months ago I attended a local RV show where I knew TMs would be shown, in part to have a chance to check out the recliner TM is putting in the '07 SL models. It took all of 5 seconds to know this was what I was looking for.
So I trucked over to my local TM dealer (The Car Show in Colo Spgs) the following week and put in a special order for one. After several calls between me and the dealer and between the dealer and TM to establish a price (TM hadn't yet priced this item for special order), I was quoted a dealer price of only $249 plus tax (and no freight charge since TM would stuff my chair into a new TM being shipped to the dealer...which probably saved me around $50). I was able to order it in "tan" (
not the Bordello Red).
The chair arrived in mid March but it wasn't until this past weekend that I finally had time to get the trailer out of the garage and get the chair installed. Which, I might add, isn't so simple...neither the old nor new chair will fit through the door. I wound up sliding them across the bed (bed pulled forward) and then moving them out and in through the opening under the rear shell.
Impressions after 10 minutes or so of use:
Quality...very, very good...the fabric is kind of an ultra suede that looks as if it will be very durable. The "recliner" (see below) mechanism is simple, sturdy feeling, and operates quietly.
Utility in the trailer: just perfect. Height is perfect....same as the old chair so the top shell has no clearance problem even with the chair sitting normally . It has casters under the front, legs under the back so it's just as easy as the original chair to maneuver around during trailer set up and tear down. Weight is pretty light...maybe 5 lbs more than the old chair. It's about 3 inches narrower than the old chair so it's even easier to maneuver. And there's even still some storage under the seat, which can be accessed by raising the leg rest. When the leg rest is extended toward the couch (with the chair next to the kitchen cabinet), there's some room left over. All in all, I think that TM chose this one very well! By comparison, one time when I was at Camping World, I tried moving around one of their RV recliners.
It took all of 3 seconds to decide a standard RV recliner would be waaaay too heavy and difficult to move for use in a SL type TM.
Comfort: just perfect
for me. But it might not be very good for others. Here's why: First, this is not a true reclining chair...the back does not recline at all. It resembles a recliner in that it has an elevating leg rest. Second, it's a pretty narrow chair...about 3 inches narrower between armrests than the old chair. And the seat cushion is only 18 inches wide (just a tad more than a standard airliner seat)...partly because the lever to actuate the leg rest is a flat paddle located between the seat cushion and the
inside of the right armrest. On the plus side of the equation, the back rest has a great lumbar support and the cushion provides more cush for the tush than the old chair did.
Because I do so much strenuous exercise and am very careful about always heating healthy, I'm happy to report my body is very trim and fit. My body fat is around 18% and I've maintained a relatively small 33 inch waist. In short there's almost no fat on my hips and legs and so this chair fits me perfectly. But not overly roomily...trim as I am, there's only an inch or so of unused width between the sides of my legs and the armrests when I stretch out. And since all I really wanted was a chair with an elevated leg rest, it doesn't bother me at all that the back doesn't recline.
The bottom line is this is a great replacement...for some people. It's well made and
I found it very, very comfortable. It fits perfectly in an SL TM and is easily maneuvered during set up and tear down. If, like me, all you want is leg elevation and can do without a reclining back, the comfort level is great. But...really big but (or maybe I should say butt
)...if you're a person who's "well upholstered" or has "big bones" or has trouble wedging into an airliner seat or who felt the need to buy one of the new "wide recliners" to get enough seating room....I'd
strongly suggest you try this chair out for fit at a TM dealer before ordering one.