How did you decide on which TT to buy ?

We saw our friends Arctic Fox. When they were ready to sell we were first in line. It was practically new, about 3 mo usage. Never been 1 problem except shearing off wheel bolts in N Pa.

We came from a background of canoe and tent and 18th century reenactments. Sleeping on the ground, paddling and the wilderness trips with the grandkids were a blast.

When I retired we decided to RV around the country, another great adventure. Now the bulk of our travels are sightseeing trips.

For us that meant a 25 ft TT, big enough for us but small enough to get where we want to go.

we found a floor plan we loved, was/is our first trailer, looked at a bunch of others, then looked at what mfg made that floor plan. there were several. Now the first one we saw was a sprinter, but the sprinter dealer near us IMHO was/is nothing but sleazeballs.

But previously I had made a 7x14 cargo trailer into a mini toyhauler with living quarters and had delt with another local dealer for parts etc. I was impressed with them, and they carried outbacks, very similar floorplan that we even liked better. Sales guys were nice, no pressure really wanted to help us pick the trailer we wanted. And that's what we did, with a minimal haggle on price. The sales guy spent over 3 hours with us on predelivery inspection, he found a few minor items. DW found a few, and they fixed them while we went to lunch.

That was 2010, and we've put about 30K miles on the trailer, use it almost 3 months/year and have yet to find a trailer we would replace it with. So far it has held up well.

Are there things we would like different in it? well, yes. But the same on any other floor plan we have looked at.

And for quality, virtually all the mfg use the same brands for fridge, stove, oven, microwave, ac, toilets, vanities, hw heater, tanks, and likely flooring and seating.

The structure is where most of the differences are.

I haven't bought yet, I'm still a long way off from it actually, but what I'm doing is reading a TON of forum posts and blogs. That and I'm trying to visualize what sort of camping I want to do and find a manufacturer that caters to that style.

To be more precise, I want to boondock a lot, so I want a good 4-season "home". A lot of reading has pointed me towards Arctic Fox and Outdoors RV (and to a degree, Lance). Outdoors RV has some nice options for rougher country, solar panels and whatnot.

So now that I've found a few manufacturers I like the look of, THEN I start looking at floorplans and what kind of vehicle I'd need to tow it.

We went to a lot of shows. Found what we thought we would like. Rented a similar unit.

We found, our idea floor plan was not idea, our 200 hp. pick up had the cargo capacity but not the power, 10 mpg. and 300 mile days were the norm.

Based on our rental experience, we looked for a better TV and the floor plan that was more suited to our needs. In the time it took us to find he right TT and TV, both three years old, we had saved enough additional funds to purchase both outright.

Renting before you buy, saves a lot of buyer's remorse.