Greetings all!I am looking to purchase our first travel trailer. We have been tent camping and some AC and a shower would be nice! I went to our local RV stores and have browsed around and we think we landed on the Venture RV Stratus, model 231VRB.Problem is, I cannot seem to find much in the way of reviews of this unit. Does anyone have any experience with this unit, or their parent manufacturer, KZ-RV? Interested in any input you may be able to share. As I said, this is our first RV and will be a long time purchase. We expect to use it about 60 nights a year, with several thousand miles per year, so we want a good bang for our buck, but it has to last us and not fall apart. It will be used frequently. Our goal is to visit all of the national parks we can over the next few years plus small trips in between. We are in Texas so a warm climate, but would also like to potentially take to the mountains in the winter at times for short stays.If you don't have any experience with this, I would still be interested in what you recommend from personal experience brand and model wise. It needs to sleep my wife and I as well as our two 60lb dogs. We have max tow of 8,000 pounds bumper tow only, and I would like to keep it to 7,000 gross.Thank you in advance for any help you can provide me!

Certainly within your pulling weight. What’s your tow vehicle’s payload? Your TV needs to be rated to carry enough weight in addition to pulling a trailer. The trailer tongue weight on that model plus the hitch will be about 900 pounds. Add the DW, the dogs and some stuff and you might be too heavy...carry weight.

I have a Durango 5th wheel (built by KZ) very happy with it. While I haven't had any issues, others on the KZ owners site have had great support from KZ. I feel KZ delivers a lot for the money. They are a smaller manufacturer, although they have been bought by Thor, (who seems to be leaving them alone). Lots of Texans on the KZ site, so you should feel right at home. http://kzfamilyforum.com/

Welcome to the Forum..I took a look at the unit you are considering. From 5 trailers of experience I like a lot of what I see.Many nice touches. Lots of counter space, a pantry, an upgraded shower, battery cutoff, walk around bed, rear lounge floor plan which is great for couples.I'm not a fan of the frig in the slide, but it's very common in the industry and probably no big deal.Negotiate with the dealer for a tire swap out. Dump the stock Chinese tires and go for some Goodyear Endurance's. This will certainly be a nice, comfortable upgrade from tenting on the ground.

Thank you both! I will certainly ask them about a tire swap out.Also, can I ask what a reasonable price would be to walk out the door? They show the MSRP of course, but have them listed at about $23,994. With this being my first buying experience, I want to be fair to both the dealer and myself :)We are between the 231VRB and the 261VRL, but I think the 261 may be a tad heavy for my truck at the moment from a payload perspective.

beleave us the dealer won,t loose any money.

First RV Purchase - Need Advice - Venture RV Stratus

Lynnmor
Explorer
Jun 02, 2019
Exeter2020 wrote:
What boxes are left unchecked? I understand the steps but I see those on almost all trailers, or the dinky hanging ones. What other boxes are you referencing here? As a first time buyer, I am trying to make sure I get my value!

What I want is a trailer less than 30" overall, has two entry doors, fridge not in the slide, large wardrobe(s), axles larger than 3500lb., dinky steps, water tank larger than 40 gal., full access with slide in, a sturdy frame, larger than 10 inch brakes to mention a few. Here is an example of a useful trailer: 25W
Exeter2020
Explorer
Jun 02, 2019
Thanks for the replies all! I went today and looked at a few Grand Design Imagines. I really liked them and the dealer got to almost the same price as the Stratus for a 28’ trailer, with a GTVW of about 85% my capacity. Going to look used for a bit but may grab that one. I just can’t get past that all these travel trailers feel really cheap in their interior construction.
CharlesinGA
Explorer
Jun 02, 2019
Nice large 8cf fridge, but in the slide, adds lots of weight to the slide when operating it and that is not a good thing, plus fridges in slides require a high sidewall outlet vent which is not as effective as a roof vent.

I actually like the fold out steps, the ones that stow underneath and you flip out one step, then pull the rest out can be a finger getter, plus a hassle to operate at times. Disadvantage of the flip out type is that you MUST deploy them, even if you don't want or need them.

At 7000 lbs it probably has 3500 lb axles, and of course some of the weight will be on the hitch. I do like the 15 inch tires.

Like everything, it has good and bad points.

Charles

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First RV Purchase - Need Advice - Venture RV Stratus

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