Hello, I currently have a Casita 17'travel trailer and it works for me for part time traveling.I'm considering going full time and looking for a larger TT in the 23-24 foot range because it is only me and I don't stay in one place for more then 3 months.I'm looking for a well made/durable TT that I can live in. It should be well appointed since I'm living in it.I'm looking at something like Snow River 23' or 24'http://northwoodmfg.com/index.php?page=makeplans&make=snowriverThey appear to be well constructed and furnished well.http://www.absolutenorthwood.com/?page_id=16251http://www.absolutenorthwood.com/?page_id=16515There are several negatives, they are relatively costly, few used in the market place and mostly located on the west coast. I live in Georgia.Can you suggest other manufactures I should look at with similar quality to the Snow River? They don't have to be 4 season.Thanks in advance.

Can you suggest other manufactures I should look at with similar quality to the Snow River? They don't have to be 4 season. Airstream. You won't look back.Northwood makes nice RV's. They are reasonably priced for what you get, well insulated, and heavy. Be sure you have the tow vehicle for the weights. With Airstrem you will have quality and relatively light weights for the size you are looking at. If the entry fee new is too steep for you, there are preowned units available. Something like 70 percent of all Airstreams made since the mid 1930's are still doing what they were made for. This is almost incredible when so many travel trailers barely last the length of payments.Here is a little video of Airstream owners describing Airstreams and their love for them. https://roadtrippers.com/stories/airstream-alumapalooza-video

If you were not interestedin quality several units come to mind. Honestly if it were me I would look at Airstream, Camper Lite or Lance.

Thanks for the replies - I'm not specifically looking for a aluminium trailer and Air Streams are great but pricey.

Northwoods are well built but not trouble free. I have a Snowriver and my main complaints were nose cap fading, (I notice they have moved to light colored cap now) and sloppy drainage plumbing which I suspect would trace back to a single employee who did not know how to do ABS bonding. Not disastrous leaks, but occasional drips. I fixed them myself. My other complaint is the kitchen faucet which is cheap and can rotate 360 degrees, creates a scenario for disaster if you forget to turn the pump off and hit rough enough road for a tap to open (speaking from experience). I have now changed mine out for a decent one. I have now designed & installed a trailer wide leak detection system with sensors under all plumbing joints that will shut off the pump & city water, if a leak happens. (I have a company looking at that to see if it is marketabe) I am now paranoid.They also use the Schwintek slide which is OK, except for the common issue of wear underneath, something Lance owners are also complaining about. The fix is cheap & easy (see http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/28528786.cfm)Now despite all this the trailer is better built than most and the frame is certainly more robust. It seems better built than Lance. I looked close at both.

jmtandem wrote:Can you suggest other manufactures I should look at with similar quality to the Snow River? They don't have to be 4 season. Airstream. You won't look back.Northwood makes nice RV's. They are reasonably priced for what you get, well insulated, and heavy. Be sure you have the tow vehicle for the weights. With Airstrem you will have quality and relatively light weights for the size you are looking at. If the entry fee new is too steep for you, there are preowned units available. Something like 70 percent of all Airstreams made since the mid 1930's are still doing what they were made for. This is almost incredible when so many travel trailers barely last the length of payments.Here is a little video of Airstream owners describing Airstreams and their love for them. https://roadtrippers.com/stories/airstream-alumapalooza-videoAirstreams are not light. I had one on my caravan last spring. It was lower & shorter than my Northwood Snowriver and weighed more. A nice trailer to be sure, but very pricey. Also a bit claustrophobic inside, but nothign youc na't get used to. No slides.

Going Full time - need recommendations for quality TT MFG

31 Replies

stufarmer
Explorer
Sep 18, 2015
Love Bigfoot TT's...But

(1) No slide available (2) no headroom. I'm 6" and cant wear a ball cap inside. (3) Virtually Zero storage room unless you consider the box on the tongue. (4) Ground clearance. (5) Limited sizes.

Huge Pro's...

(1) Quality...Hands down one of the finest. (2) It's also a true 4 season RV. (3) The Biggie...Resale.
trail-explorer
Explorer
Sep 18, 2015
dextersp1 wrote:

That 22H is a nice size - Thanks

What is a GQ?

22GQ (Arctic Fox)
campingken
Explorer
Sep 18, 2015
We owned a Bigfoot 21.5 trailer that was user friendly, easy to tow, and very well built. Recently I saw an Escape brand 21 ft. model that looked like it was built like a Bigfoot.
dextersp1
Explorer
Sep 18, 2015
wannavolunteerFT wrote:
I have agree with Mike Up that Jayco Flight is a well built TT. True the Northwoods are great, but finding one here in the SouthEast is almost impossible and then service is MILES away. I have a JayFlight 24RKS - 24ft box, 28ft overall- and I could live FT in it. It has more storage that I need and it well laid out. It is a little more to haul than your Casista, but I do tow with a F150.

OP you mention looking at TT's out west, not sure how much you travel that way, and how you plan to bring back to ATL, but if you plan to stay in SouthEast, you need to consider what you can get serviced here. Remember RV dealers aren't like car dealers, they don't have to service what they don't sell.

Thanks - I'm out west once a year. And I'll ask about the service issue.
wannavolunteerF
Explorer
Sep 18, 2015
I have agree with Mike Up that Jayco Flight is a well built TT. True the Northwoods are great, but finding one here in the SouthEast is almost impossible and then service is MILES away. I have a JayFlight 24RKS - 24ft box, 28ft overall- and I could live FT in it. It has more storage that I need and it well laid out. It is a little more to haul than your Casista, but I do tow with a F150.

OP you mention looking at TT's out west, not sure how much you travel that way, and how you plan to bring back to ATL, but if you plan to stay in SouthEast, you need to consider what you can get serviced here. Remember RV dealers aren't like car dealers, they don't have to service what they don't sell.
deltabravo
Nomad
Sep 17, 2015
dextersp1 wrote:
This place in Az. Has a couple 2016s --- 25K & 26K
http://www.sstautorv.com/pre_owned_list.asp?newused=B&ParentMfg=0&mfg=3199&industry=3

Those prices are all higher than the prices I see in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Part of that could be due to higher costs to transport them since they are further from the factory.

Check out these dealers:
Some don't have prices on their website, so email them and they will get back to you - The first three dealers have been very responsive when I've contacted then. The fourth, I haven't contacted them.

Dealer in Boise, ID

Dealer in LaGrande, OR

In Pendleton, OR

Dealer in Pasco, WA

Also, don't assume that the price on teh website is the price they will sell it for - some price quotes I've gotten via email are lower.

Thompson RV says they have people come from all over the US and Canada to buy TTs.
dextersp1
Explorer
Sep 17, 2015
deltabravo wrote:
RVcrazy wrote:
I would look for an Arctic Fox 22 H or GQ. They have been manufactured for years and are good, 4 season quality, better than their Snow River for a full timer. (The current 22H is a Nash, but there are used 22H Arctic Fox units available.

Ditto on a 22H, unless it's too small for your needs.

My thread: I want a second RV, either a Nash 17k or a 22H

Here's a gentleman that full times in a 17K. He camps in the back country a lot. He upgraded from a smaller Casita to a Nash 17k about 2 years ago:

http://www.simplelivingandsimpletravel.com/2013/05/one-trailer-two-trailers-one-trailer.html

Do RV dealers negotiate much on new RVs such as Nash?

This place in Az. Has a couple 2016s --- 25K & 26K
http://www.sstautorv.com/pre_owned_list.asp?newused=B&ParentMfg=0&mfg=3199&industry=3
dextersp1
Explorer
Sep 17, 2015
Mike Up wrote:
dextersp1 wrote:
I found this on building a Jayco
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXMJrRQ3SVk

This on building a Nash

http://serenitysys.com/rv/arctic_fox_29v/29v_assembly_line/building_an_arctic_fox_29v.html

Wow, looks like a bunch of lazy guys building the trailer out in the elements at Artic Fox. Doesn't look to be a high quality build from the pics. But then again, where's the VIDEO?? Pics show nothing but people sitting around and putting a piece here and there when they feel like it.

If you go to that Jayco production video, and read the comments, you'll see most there that "OWN" a Jayco, love it and have had very little problems with their trailer. Just like here on this forum. That Jayco video sure wasn't 6 hours so some of it was speeded up.

BTW, I have done a tour of the Jayco factory and while the way things are done is similar, the speed at which they are done is much slower.

I stand by my opinion that Jayco offers one of the best campers out there, at any price.
dextersp1
Explorer
Sep 17, 2015
deltabravo wrote:
RVcrazy wrote:
I would look for an Arctic Fox 22 H or GQ. They have been manufactured for years and are good, 4 season quality, better than their Snow River for a full timer. (The current 22H is a Nash, but there are used 22H Arctic Fox units available.

Ditto on a 22H, unless it's too small for your needs.

My thread: I want a second RV, either a Nash 17k or a 22H

Here's a gentleman that full times in a 17K. He camps in the back country a lot. He upgraded from a smaller Casita to a Nash 17k about 2 years ago:

http://www.simplelivingandsimpletravel.com/2013/05/one-trailer-two-trailers-one-trailer.html

I read your thread - the 22h is the way to go. That couch in front of the bed does make a difference. I only have a dinette and that gets tiring - you need to slouch sometimes.
I live in Georgia, so I will need to check them out the next time I get out west. I see some good prices in Arizona.
Mike_Up
Explorer
Sep 17, 2015
dextersp1 wrote:
I found this on building a Jayco
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXMJrRQ3SVk

This on building a Nash

http://serenitysys.com/rv/arctic_fox_29v/29v_assembly_line/building_an_arctic_fox_29v.html

Wow, looks like a bunch of lazy guys building the trailer out in the elements at Artic Fox. Doesn't look to be a high quality build from the pics. But then again, where's the VIDEO?? Pics show nothing but people sitting around and putting a piece here and there when they feel like it.

If you go to that Jayco production video, and read the comments, you'll see most there that "OWN" a Jayco, love it and have had very little problems with their trailer. Just like here on this forum. That Jayco video sure wasn't 6 hours so some of it was speeded up.

BTW, I have done a tour of the Jayco factory and while the way things are done is similar, the speed at which they are done is much slower.

I stand by my opinion that Jayco offers one of the best campers out there, at any price.