Hi, I am new to RVing and looking at getting my first Travel Trailer. What is the general opinion of build quality of Forest Rivers. Looking specifically at a 2015 Grey Wolf 25RL. Any owners of these here? I can afford one of these new, as opposed to other brands used.

For a first timer I always suggest buying used. Save the depreciation for your next one.

Forest River has a variety of "brands" that vary in quality and price points. I'd say they are below average as a whole.The Grey Wolf is on the lower end of their spectrum and is essentially built with old technology - wood framing (if not since upgraded to metal tubing) covered with aluminum skin.Some will argue that there is nothing wrong with this technology - it's still a strong structure and can be very light weight. That is true. It's also true that there are many more places for water to get inside the walls and rot out the trailer from the inside out.If you can get a really great deal on one, it may be a good choice. I'd only buy a trailer like this if I could store it inside or under cover when it's not in use.Good luck!

You might go here http://www.forestriverforums.com/forums/, I'm sure you'll get both positive and negative replies. That's what happens when you visit a brand forum.

We've had a Forest River Rockwood Windjammer for about a year and have been very pleased with their build quality and attention to detail. Zero problems so far. This pertains to the Rockwood line and can't comment on their other product lines.

I'm still "young " in the RV / TT world. I too, came here for advice and to learn before we bought our first one a year ago. I have learned here, and through the warranty experience on a brand new unit, that they are pretty much all about the same. There's levels of "high end" or "starter" units that have better or worse fit / finish and different features. You have to decide what features are important to you and see if you can find a unit that matches that, regardless of the manufacturer. We had our list of "must haves" and ended up with a Keystone unit. IMO, you do get what you pay for to a point - 2 brand new unit, even from the same MFR, could be very differently priced while an unfamiliar person would not be able to tell the difference. Those differences can be style of construction and components chosen to build it. They both have 2 axles under them, but one has off-brand axles that are rated right at the weight of the unit while the other has top-brand axles with much more capacity than the weight of that unit. The first is "livin' on the edge" while the second may be years of trouble free use.....The devil is in the details, as they say....And for the record, I'm happy I went with brand new. Knowing more now, I'd take more of a chance on used the next time, but I like knowing there's much less chance of hidden problems lurking about and having good warranty coverage.

Forest River Travel Trailer Quality | Good Sam Community

28 Replies

PacNWChris
Explorer
Oct 10, 2014
We have a Salem Hemisphere Lite and are happy with it. It has a lot of nice features and seems to be pretty solidly built (aluminum framing on ours). We went from a Keystone Springdale which was nice, but we certainly can tell a difference between the two.
fly-swatter
Explorer
Oct 10, 2014
We have had our Flagstaff for 2 years now, bought it new and used it for 40 nights a year and couldn't be more pleased. Not a high end unit but good value for what we paid.
jbres
Explorer
Oct 10, 2014
Also, when I bought new I shopped around and looked at as many different brands as I could. Settled on a Keystone unit, as it fit us best, and was about the median in price.
jbres
Explorer
Oct 10, 2014
The biggest advantage in my eyes of buying new is you aren't having to worry/guess if your used unit has water damage.
Buying new its now up to you to stay up on maintenance to keep it from leaking water and doing damage!
MargaretB
Explorer
Oct 10, 2014
From what we can tell from our research, it's hard NOT to buy a Forest River product. They seem to own most of the marques we looked at.
old_guy
Explorer
Oct 10, 2014
I have owned a sand piper by forest river and they put different sized tires on it. 15's and 14's. had a lot of blow out before we figured out the size thing. forest river did nothing to compensate me for the problems I had. I have worked on them too. one tech put his hand through the wall just leaning on it. although building any RV is not rocket science, this you need to know. just go over any thing you are serious about, with a fine toothed comb. make sure the dealer fixes everything before you take it home.
intheburbs
Explorer
Oct 09, 2014
Have had a FR Salem for 4 years now. Got it used, but it might as well have been new. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with it. No regrets or remorse.

Some niggling issues, nothing major. I'd say average to slightly above-average quality. No exterior leaks, no plumbing issues, no major electrical issues. Cabinetry seems a little below average.

It has not fostered any sense of brand loyalty. If we go shopping for an upgrade, we'll play the field.
kellyandpatti
Explorer
Oct 09, 2014
Bought new a 2009 Forest River, Sierra. Have had no serious issues in the five years. Would definitely buy another FR product.
dadmomh
Explorer
Oct 09, 2014
We also considered it a "given" when we moved from our Rockwood ROO to our Rockwood Ultra Lite....it was just a matter of which model. We were totally satisfied.
IndyCamp
Explorer
Oct 09, 2014
We love our Rockwood. We have had ours two seasons and have used it about 80 nights and put about 5,000 miles on it.

We will definitely consider Rockwod/Flagstaff for our next trailer.

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Forest River Travel Trailer Quality

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