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RV review: 2023 Jayco Jay Flight 267BHS

Tony Barthel

Today’s RV review is of the 2023 Jayco Jay Flight 267BHS, an smaller bunk house that biases toward the more affordable side of the equation. Jayco has added a number of features to their products for 2023 that had been optional in the past - a nice plus.

What makes this trailer more affordable is the type of RV construction used.

This is a trailer the RV industry calls a “stick and tin” trailer. That means a wood frame with an aluminum skin. This is a very traditional way of building trailers that’s still rather common. We have an article and podcast comparing the various types of RV construction.

Jayco 2023

A number of the features that had been optional in the past are now standard features in 2023 Jayco products.

For example this model now features the solid steps as opposed to more traditional trailer steps. This is definitely going to make some people happy and, apparently, most of the trailers were ordered with the solid steps as it is. Now they’re standard.

Another big change is in the stabilizer jacks where Jayco is now including the Lippert Quick Drop stabilizers. Yay!

These are absolutely a superior corner stabilizer to the traditional models we’ve seen as they are a more substantial build that feature a fast adjustment. Further, they’re actually recommended to be used with something like an electric drill. If you can find yours, check the owner’s manual - the traditional corner jacks specifically say not to lower them with an electric drill.

Another change is to the Jay Port which is sort of a receiver hitch on the side of the RV for the barbecue. But, in theory, you could put anything in there that would fit on a two inch receiver hitch.

The Jay Port is now mounted to the bumper of this particular offering and the trailer comes with a propane flat-top griddle (think Blackstone) that mounts here. It’s a pretty convenient way of doing things.

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Bunkhouse

This week I’m looking at a number of bunkhouse offerings including a Class C model and several towables. Of all the bunkhouse trailers being featured, this is the most affordable one we’re looking at together.

Jayco has a number of cornerstone features in their bunk model trailers that make them stand out. The first of those is that the bunks are rated for 300 pound capacity per sleeping space. So a model like this, which is a double-over-double bunk, has bunks rated to 600 pounds of capacity. That’s pretty impressive and above and beyond what is customary.

I was also pleased to see plenty of windows for each occupant including windows that open.

Believe it or not this smaller trailer is rated to sleep up to ten campers, although some of those people would have to be pretty friendly or rather small. There are these double-over-double bunks, the dinette folds into a space rated for two and then there’s a choice of either a jackknife or a trifold sofa.

Maybe that’s why the front bedroom can be closed off from the rest of the camper with a door for each side’s occupant. You may want to distance yourself from the eight others camping with you. Whew!

Incidentally one of the things many of you tell me is a deal breaker in an RV is a smaller bed and the queen in this one measures 60” X 74”. That’s rather short and a proper queen could easily be fitted into this space.

In fact, since probably the vast majority of mattresses in RVs are replaced in short order it makes sense that this is a smaller mattress - it’s easy to fit into your truck and donate to a local organization.

Funny story - I used to donate mattresses to a local women’s shelter when I worked at the RV dealership and they grew weary of how lousy most of the mattresses were and asked me to stop bringing them.

Other considerations

This is a fairly standard floor plan with a dinette and the aforementioned seating options. I do like that there’s a decent sized pantry toward the bunks but Jayco has set this up that the shelves can easily be removed and there’s a bar if you’d rather hang clothing.

Another interesting thing, owing to the fact that you could theoretically have ten people using this trailer, is that the bathroom sink is not in the bathroom at all. Instead, it’s next to the bathroom. This makes sense.

Imagine if you had teenagers camping with you. While we adults have embraced camp hair, I can only imagine a teenager spending extended time coiffing their do. If the sink were in the bathroom, nobody else could utilize the facilities. Having the sink out here solves that problem.

Boondocking and travel access

Jayco has finally realized that solar is something some campers want. While Keystone, which is another division of Thor Industries, has absolutely adopted solar for all their offerings, Jayco has not done so. I think Jayco’s way makes sense.

Solar is something that absolutely can make your camping experience better depending on what that experience is. There are plenty of RVs that get sold to people who then place them in a permanent spot. These spots generally have full hook-ups so, for those customers, they’re paying for something they don’t need.

I like having the option of solar and that’s how Jayco’s doing it. But the only option is a single 200 watt panel with a 30 amp controller. That’s okay, but if you have a 12 volt fridge that panel is likely not going to be sufficient if you’re boondocking.

So a second 200 watt panel option might make sense. Of course a good RV dealership can put this in for you so there’s that.

As for travel access, this trailer is fully accessible in travel mode with the slide in. You can get to the entire kitchen along with the bathroom and one of the two front bedroom doors. Not bad.

Challenges

There are a number of challenges in this unit, many of which could easily be changed.

The first of those is that, with a bathroom that may have to accommodate as many as ten campers, it only has a four inch vent fan. These are worthless.

Also worthless is the small oven, especially if you’re cooking for this many campers. There is an outside kitchen and I suspect that will honestly be where most meal prep is done, but still. Either put a good oven or none at all. The 16” oven is like that plastic fruit in the bowl at grandma’s. It looks fine until you actually want to use it.

The Dometic thermostat that I saw in this unit was something we constantly were replacing under warranty when I worked at the dealership. I thought they had discontinued this model but there it is. It’s nice looking but uses foam as the spring for the buttons which can disintegrate as you go down the road. Naturally you always discover that this unit has failed on the day you decide to brave the freezing cold and want to actually use the heater.

But can’t.

Lastly, many RV builders have changed their bunk models into cargo bunk models with a rear access door and a lower bunk that flips up to enhance storage. Not this model. Bummer.

Tony’s thoughts

There are some things I really, really like about Jayco products. Their warranty is one of the better ones in the industry.

They have a feature called JaySMART lighting that I think should be standard in all towables. Essentially this system has a marker light at the top of the rear of the trailer that blinks with the turn signals. Further, the side marker lights blink with the turn signals.

In addition there are back-up lights at the rear of the trailer - I like this too. Honestly, this is such a simple but effective safety feature and may have prevented the accident we were involved in.

I also like that this model features a taller ceiling height at 6’ 9”. The way Jayco accomplished this isn’t by raising the roof, per se, but rather by lowering the floor. That’s smart.

Jayco is also one of the few RV companies that offer more than one choice of interior decor. I like choice and the two offerings Jayco have are different enough that most campers might find a style they really like.

One thing to note - this features a Schwintek slide mechanism and these are great on smaller slide rooms, but this is not a smaller slide room. So I would pay particular attention to how much weight you place in the slide if this RV is your choice.

While this is more likely to be considered a starter RV these stick-and-tin models can actually last a very long time if well cared for. I also like that there is not a front windshield in this offering. Overall a tidy package

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