Newbie looking to buy

You are just about 2 - 3 hours away from RVW. Definitely suggest you spend some time on their website....might find just what you want and save a bunch of $$$$. They're in Lakeview....north on I-75 to Hwy?? near Lima (UGH!), head east a few miles and there you are. Indian Lake is all of 10 minutes from RVW and the perfect place for the first night or so to really go over everything. Their full hookup sites leave something to be desired but the water/electric are very nice. We found a couple of minor things on our Rockwood 2604, called RVW that afternoon, went by the next morning and we were out in maybe 30 minutes....one speaker wire not connected and a crack in a piece of exterior trim. They connected the wire, got a pix of the crack to forward to FR and we were done. Had the new trim piece in about a week. IF we ever changed from Rocky - which isn't going to happen - it would likely be another Rockwood and from RVW again. If nothing else, they will email you prices on anything you're interested in and it's a good bargaining tool for local dealer. Figure about 30 - 35% off their listed MSRP...maybe better this time of the year.

As mentioned, the best one is the floor plan that fits your needs.

In general, Forest River has had good reviews. All of the manufacturers build a bad one, occassionally. I have had four travel trailers. Two, including the current one, have been Flagstaff's (by Forest River).

The key is how they are maintained. An entry level unit, that is well maintained, will last longer than a high end unit that is neglected.

When you drag these things down the road, at 60+ MPH, things are going to come apart, doesn't matter who built it.

Look at both the Rockwood and Flagstaff line from Forest river The Classic super lite offers many nice features. I have owned FR Sandpiper in the past and just purchased a 2015 Flagstaff. If you look at Platinum edition or Diamond you will get some nice upgrades including the electric awning with roller protection. I think this is our last purchase so I went New (rocks in my head) I wanted what I wanted. In the midwest it is a good time to deal as the RV dealers want to clear inventory and make so cash flow. I had RV direct price a unit for me that I thought was a fair price. The local dealer came down to within $100.00 of that price. Don't be shy in walking out the door if they don't accept a reasonable offer. I got about 40% off the MSRP but I pretty much expected that. Good luck and happy hunting

Thanks for the replies. I have the hitch, bars, and plenty of truck. I recently sold my racing operation and have towed enclosed trailers for 18 years or so. Very familiar with towing. My grandparents has a fifth wheel and I use to camp all the time with them. Just time to make memories with my young family.

Steeljag wrote:
Welcome! For specific answeres on a FR you may want to visit their forum ( Forest River forum). The best TT is the floor plan which serves your family the best! Electric awning.....yes! While you await some replies use the search function here, tons on info.

What type of vehicle will you be towing with?

Towing with crew cab 2500 duramax.

Sorry. Local is Southwest OH. Jeff Couch RV Nation

Hey Stan, we're actually on our first trip with our new BH; our first TT. We bought our Jayflight 32BHDS in Oct after spending several months looking hard but a couple of years poking around. Yes, after a while they all look the same; on the surface. We looked at just about every manufacturer and zeroed in on Cougar and Jayco, ultimately going with the Jayco. I was sold on the construction and the willingness for the company to back it up with a 2 year warranty. There is an incredible markup but I feel we got a good deal buying new.

As for the trailer it just depends on how you want to use it. We normally vacation (5 plus days) three times a year and wanted the trailer to meet that demand. Plus the occasional weekend get-a-way. Completely replacing hotels/condos/rental houses. Plus we wanted the option to be able to camp in colder weather (it's gotten in the teens here and nothing's froze). All of that drove the options package we picked.

Your tow vehicle is the next limiting factor. We were lucky in that our desire matched our capability with this regard.

We haven't used all of our options but we have used the electric awning. It was nice to kick out from inside before a light snow started falling to keep the steps from getting ice.

I am very happy with the Jayco on our shakedown trip. No major issues and pleasant suprises on how useful some of the features are.

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Actually, they are pretty much the same. We are on our second FR (Rockwood) trailer and have been very pleased with both. No major issues. Just regular maintenance. Jayco has a good reputation. Manual awning on our HTT and electric on the current one. LOVE the electric!!! Also electric tongue jack that you can likely buy after purchase and do the 30 min max install yourself and save a bunch. Absolute "Gotta Have"!

Suggest you start a list with the things you must have, don't care either way and don't want. Know ahead that the things on your must have may not actually happen, so be prepared to be flexible. Agree on a floorplan that works for you. Consider how many will be camping on a regular basis and try to have beds available at all times for those....making up a sofa or dinette on a regular basis gets old very quickly.

You don't mention what your tow vehicle is and it's capacities. Also consider that you'll need a WDH with sway and a brake controller. Several good hitches - Equalizer is very popular. Had that for our first trailer and changed to a Blue Ox 1000 for this current one and prefer it over the Eq. Prodigy is pretty much the standard brake controller for most.

You mentioned a local dealer selling wholesale...would that be RVWholesalers or RVDirect?? We bought both from RVW and recommend them highly. We saved over $4000 after travel expenses to pick it up on our first trailer and more on the current one. We live in West TN. Regardless, you can do a lot of searching on their websites...lots of models, floorplans and pictures. Saves driving all over the country until you've got some definite ones to look at.

Good luck in the search. Lots to look at and ponder. You can get answers to most questions right here. Happy Thanksgiving.

Stan3718 wrote:
Locally, we have a place that sells Forest Rivers at wholesale. Thoughts on them?

Where is "locally"?

Teach

Welcome! For specific answeres on a FR you may want to visit their forum ( Forest River forum). The best TT is the floor plan which serves your family the best! Electric awning.....yes! While you await some replies use the search function here, tons on info.

What type of vehicle will you be towing with?