as i begin my search i would like opinions on quality

My family has had many different RV's over the years from truck campers to class A motorhomes. The travel trailer we currently have is my favorite and so far the best constructed. My dad had the truck camper when I was still a teenager. He never had a trailer of any kind but moved from the TC to the motorhomes (Winnebago, Holiday Rambler to name a couple). The only one he had a lot of trouble with was the Winnebago. My wife and I have had a Forest River hybrid that we were vary happy with. The overall quality seemed pretty good. The Open Range in my signature has had literally no problems except for a bad propane regulator which was quickly replaced. It also has a two year warranty. But the reason I like it the best is that it suits our needs perfectly. Look at a lot of trailers and choose the best one for you.

Thanks guys any and all info is greatly appreciated

Farm Camp made excellent points. Usually when this question is asked, the Jayco owners will swear by Jayco. Forest River the same. Mixed in there somewhere are the ones that just by luck of the draw got a lemon....doesn't necessarily mean that whole line is junk.

First thing is to investigate exactly what your tow vehicle will or will not tow SAFELY. There should be info on a plaque on the drivers side door. If you don't find it, just take your VIN# to the local auto dealer and they can pull up everything you need + a bunch you may not understand at this point, but you'll need. Then allow yourself 1000# of wiggle room off this capacity. Suggest you don't even walk into anything that does not meet this qualification....just makes the shopping more difficult. Decide on things you definitely want, don't want or don't care and make that list. Spend as much time online as possible looking at pix/videos to help narrow down. Both RV Wholesalers and RV Direct carry a lot of different manufacturers, so you can get a lot off just those 2 sites. If you see something that looks perfect, request a price quote and then hit the streets with all this in hand. BTW, somewhere early on, you need to plan just what your budget is for this and stick to it. "Just a few thousand more" is not supposed to be part of the plan.

Suggestion.....if you have kids, drop them at Grandma's before this first few searches....they'll just complicate matters and you need to be focused. It doesn't seem like finding a trailer should be all that tough, but it usually is. Lots of details to notice and think about....take notes. RV salesmen are usually nice, cordial, friendly folks ready to help you with any little thing...or not. Their job is to get you to sign, then it's your problem. Even if they quote you a price "for today only", strongly suggest you sleep on it at least overnight. Happy shopping!

Oops, forgot....Welcome to the forum and please let us know if you need more info or how the search is coming.

Farm Camp wrote:
First of all Welcome!!!

I think you will have seen already that the answer to your question is not going to be here. Somebody else posted a link to a website that may or may not help you. Searching here or elsewhere on the internet might also give you more information.

I think in the end however your best bet might be a combination of the above and what I did:

After reading (and reading, and reading) I started to learn some about how the various manufacturers built their rigs. Found many stories (and horror stories) about different builders... What you get online seems to be the extremes. One mans trash/junk is another mans best rig ever...

So I took it all in and when we started visiting dealers and RV shows I looked for things I'd learned (mostly here) to look out for. Once I'd done this for awhile I could walk into a camper and fairly quickly at least have some idea of how it was put together. One brand I will not name got crossed off my list because I could stand in the living area and see exposed, unprotected electrical wires running along the walls and I have little curious kids... In another I walked in and found cabinet doors attached so crookedly that they could not be shut properly.

Your best bet is to learn as much as you can and then go look around and sit in the rigs that interest you with a critical eye. Every manufacturer can make the occasional lemon... Consider the warranty. A few manufacturers give you a two year warranty and that could be a important factor.

Best of luck. It is a true adventure to sort through all the noise and it can be a lot of fun.

Welcome again.

Absolutely. Looking is part of the fun, and educational, too.

First of all Welcome!!!

I think you will have seen already that the answer to your question is not going to be here. Somebody else posted a link to a website that may or may not help you. Searching here or elsewhere on the internet might also give you more information.

I think in the end however your best bet might be a combination of the above and what I did:

After reading (and reading, and reading) I started to learn some about how the various manufacturers built their rigs. Found many stories (and horror stories) about different builders... What you get online seems to be the extremes. One mans trash/junk is another mans best rig ever...

So I took it all in and when we started visiting dealers and RV shows I looked for things I'd learned (mostly here) to look out for. Once I'd done this for awhile I could walk into a camper and fairly quickly at least have some idea of how it was put together. One brand I will not name got crossed off my list because I could stand in the living area and see exposed, unprotected electrical wires running along the walls and I have little curious kids... In another I walked in and found cabinet doors attached so crookedly that they could not be shut properly.

Your best bet is to learn as much as you can and then go look around and sit in the rigs that interest you with a critical eye. Every manufacturer can make the occasional lemon... Consider the warranty. A few manufacturers give you a two year warranty and that could be a important factor.

Best of luck. It is a true adventure to sort through all the noise and it can be a lot of fun.

Welcome again.

Personally, I would never buy another Forest River product, but that's just me. Burn me once shame on you, twice shame on me. JMHO

JasoninSC wrote:
What is say the top 5 in quality for TT's. Such as best resale value, strongest roofs and furniture. I am just wanting some names that I should keep my eyes open for

If only it were that simple.
There is not a one size fits all answer to your question.
You are best to do as others have suggested. Perform the search ,plan to do lots of reading. Than form your own opinions for your own situation.
There are too many variations,in floorplans,usage,camping style,Tow vehicle, terrain and expectations to package your question into a neat tidy answer

BarneyS wrote:

Highway 4x4 wrote:
This subject has been gone over many times and the results will be no different this time. A simple search will save us all time here.

Why not just do the search and post the resulting link for the new member instead of coming off as so boorish?

I agree. I put Best TT into the search bar and 27 posts came up. OP, try this and see if any of them make sense for your situation.

"Best" is all relative to your given situation:
*Price point
*Lay out needed/wanted for your family
*Tow capacity of tow vehicle
*Type of camping you plan to do

Good luck!! :)

Highway 4x4 wrote:
This subject has been gone over many times and the results will be no different this time. A simple search will save us all time here.

Why not just do the search and post the resulting link for the new member instead of coming off as so boorish?

We've had a Keystone and now a Jayco. Keystone seemed to be a pretty good name in the industry, however, I wasn't impressed with ours. Jayco is another good name in the industry and so far I feel that it has lived up to it's name. We've had our Jayco since new in 2008 and haven't had one issue. There are two types of travel trailers that you need to consider. One is a simple 3 season camper. The other is a 4 season camper with extra insulation and designed for cold weather usage. In my opinion, the cold weather package is highly beneficial, even helps hold in cooler temps in the summer so your A/C doesn't have to work so hard.