Opinions on Keystone Cougar 5th wheels

Dutchmen wrote:
If I wanted a 5er, Cougar would be my first consideration. I feel that confident about them. But, now that I've owned an Outback, I think my new first choice would be a Keystone Outback 5er. Cougar would not be second.

Sorry Dutchmen but 2016 was the last year for Outback 5th wheels. We just bought a new left over 2016 315FRE. Had a 2010 321FRL that served us well.

We have a 2012 Cougar bunkhouse model. Like most 5ers, there are good & bad ones. We have been quite pleased with ours so far with only one warranty issue. The key is to find a good dealer that will take care of you. Camping World has been less than helpful, but I knew that going into the deal.

Dont know if it's relevant, but we loved our 2002 Cougar.

I'm happy with my Keystone for the most part. I do have realistic expectations though. It's a cheaply made RV intended for occasional use. I've had all the usual loose hinges and stuff like that but that's just RVs. Keep in mind Keystone sells more RVs than anyone so you will inherently find more complaints about them. RVs at any price point are a roll of the dice.

FYI, a good site to check out is the Keystone RV Forums, although not a real "super" active forum site, folks post on it, and appear to be pretty honest. I don't think negative posts about Keystone products are censored. I've been a member of that forum for many years now. Don't post on it, but read it quite often. Click here.

There are two sides on the Keystone "coin"... those that despise them, and those that love them, and seems most folks are on one side or the other, very few in the middle.

I owned 2 Keystone Travel Trailers now, and both have been good for me. No complaints about either, but I do my share of preventative maintenance on them too and expect normal usage to cause wear and tear. Also, I don't abuse the camper either by trying to make it do something it wasn't designed to do ... like go off road or something like that.

With that said, Cougar has been around for a long time. They are still a very popular camper and folks are still purchasing them. I think that says a lot. I don't think I've ever heard or read anyone complain about a Cougar. Maybe some have, I just haven't seen or read anything negative.

What is important is where you purchase the camper from and where you need to go if you need help with warranty work or a repair you cannot do yourself. Then, a good service department, who will back you and work with you is more important that the 'brand' of camper you purchase.

I've never owned a Cougar or a 5er before, but I have owned two different Keystone trailers. Keystone was very good working with me on both campers when specific issues came up. But, I also had a strong service center that worked hard for me too, so I may never know the real obstructions they had to move out of the way. That's why a good service department is really the most important thing when purchasing ANY camper.

If I wanted a 5er, Cougar would be my first consideration. I feel that confident about them. But, now that I've owned an Outback, I think my new first choice would be a Keystone Outback 5er. Cougar would not be second.

Older ones are still very popular in Central Indiana. I see them quite often, and almost always one or two in, pretty much, every campground we've been to.

Good luck!