RV Brand Quality

I have a Unit made by Keystone. Yes Thor owns Keystone but Thor is so far from the end user that I never thought of it as a Thor product but a Keystone. Under Keystone there are quite a number of brands.

In the end, I tend to go with what the local shop or two carries. If I found the ultimate unit but it was not close by then I would never own it.

Good luck.

I can only speak from my on personal experience, from the campers I have owned:

Camper Model/year purchased/would I purchase again/comments

Nomad-1996-No
Innsbruck-1999-No
Terry 2000 Yes (Fleetwwood out of trailer MFG)
Sunline-2006-Yes, definitely, (out of business)
Jayco-2009-Probably
Open Range-2011-NEVER AGAIN!

All were purchased new, all were trailers except for the Innsbruck which was a fifth wheel. Wife did not like the 5th wheels, and I like having my truck bed free. Downsizing on my next & last camper. Probably will get a Lance or PrimeTime or something similar.

3oaks wrote:

DutchmenSport wrote:
.................How many nay-sayers actually own the camper they are complaining about?...................

EVERY brand of camper produces good ones, and occasionally, a lemon.

A person doesn't have to actually own a camper to complain about the quality of certain brands. That's why we do our research and actually do a hands on inspection before making a purchase.

The last thing a person wants to do is to purchase a brand new RV and have it be a "fixer upper" right from day one. Defective appliances are one thing, but sloppy workmanship, using the cheapest materials, and cutting two many corners during construction is another.

Glitz and glitter is the smoke and mirrors in the RV industry today. What is most important is craftsmanship and quality built!

x2, if I step inside a RV and notice shoddy work, stupid floor plans, etc. I won't buy it but I feel competent to voice my opinion here.
bumpy

DutchmenSport wrote:
.................How many nay-sayers actually own the camper they are complaining about?...................

EVERY brand of camper produces good ones, and occasionally, a lemon.

A person doesn't have to actually own a camper to complain about the quality of certain brands. That's why we do our research and actually do a hands on inspection before making a purchase.

The last thing a person wants to do is to purchase a brand new RV and have it be a "fixer upper" right from day one. Defective appliances are one thing, but sloppy workmanship, using the cheapest materials, and cutting two many corners during construction is another.

Glitz and glitter is the smoke and mirrors in the RV industry today. What is most important is craftsmanship and quality built!

camperforlife wrote:
Eliminating Thor leaves you out of many good brands:

Airstream,Bison, Sequoia, Cameo, Carriage, Sunset Trail, Cruiser, Zinger, Z-1, ReZerve, Rushmore, Elevation, Redwood, Hampton,Enterra, Fun Finder, Radiance, Shadow Cruiser, ViewFinder Signature, Stryker, Mobile Suites, Mobile Suites Estates, Elite Suites, Tradition, Aerolite, Aspen Trail, Coleman, Denali, Dutchmen, Kodiak, Razorback, Rubicon, Voltage, Landmark, Bighorn, Big Country, Gateway, ElkRidge, Sundance, North Trail, Wilderness, Prowler, Trail Runner, Fairfield, Cyclone, Road Warrior, Torque, Breckenridge, Montana, Springdale, Hideout, Sprinter, Outback, Laredo, Alpine, Bullet, Fuzion, Raptor, Passport, Cougar, Durango, MXT, Sportsmen, Spree, Venom, Venture, Vision, Quicksilver, Camplite, Axxess, Quicksilver VRV, Bearcat,Four Winds, Hurricane, Windsport, Chateau, Challenger, Tuscany, Outlaw, Axis, Vegas, Palazzo and A.C.E.

I'm curious as to why so many brands are off limits for you.

I guess it is like throwing the baby out with the bath water. Yeah I shouldn't necessarily lump all Thor in with Crossroads. Thanks

DutchmenSport wrote:
I've started a response to this post about 4 times now and deleted each. Sometimes it's best that things are NOT said.

So, suffice it to say, I've had 3 different Thor Industries RV's and each one was a good camper. How many nay-sayers actually own the camper they are complaining about?

EVERY brand of camper produces good ones, and occasionally, a lemon.

Yes you are right. I guess I should not automatically lump all Thor together just because of Crossroads. Thanks

Hama wrote:
This might help you

http://www.rv-coach.com/rv/rating/rate_your_rv_results.html

Thanks!

I've started a response to this post about 4 times now and deleted each. Sometimes it's best that things are NOT said.

So, suffice it to say, I've had 3 different Thor Industries RV's and each one was a good camper. How many nay-sayers actually own the camper they are complaining about?

EVERY brand of camper produces good ones, and occasionally, a lemon.

Eliminating Thor leaves you out of many good brands:

Airstream,Bison, Sequoia, Cameo, Carriage, Sunset Trail, Cruiser, Zinger, Z-1, ReZerve, Rushmore, Elevation, Redwood, Hampton,Enterra, Fun Finder, Radiance, Shadow Cruiser, ViewFinder Signature, Stryker, Mobile Suites, Mobile Suites Estates, Elite Suites, Tradition, Aerolite, Aspen Trail, Coleman, Denali, Dutchmen, Kodiak, Razorback, Rubicon, Voltage, Landmark, Bighorn, Big Country, Gateway, ElkRidge, Sundance, North Trail, Wilderness, Prowler, Trail Runner, Fairfield, Cyclone, Road Warrior, Torque, Breckenridge, Montana, Springdale, Hideout, Sprinter, Outback, Laredo, Alpine, Bullet, Fuzion, Raptor, Passport, Cougar, Durango, MXT, Sportsmen, Spree, Venom, Venture, Vision, Quicksilver, Camplite, Axxess, Quicksilver VRV, Bearcat,Four Winds, Hurricane, Windsport, Chateau, Challenger, Tuscany, Outlaw, Axis, Vegas, Palazzo and A.C.E.

I'm curious as to why so many brands are off limits for you.

As mentioned the clubs or RV sites are a good source of info.

Heres a experience I had last year. My wife and I wanted to start camping again. We bought a Jayco hardside pop-up (looks like an Aliner) at the Knoxville show last Feb. The camper was put together nicely and the fit and finish was good.

One big problem.....the camper had a heat pump / AC unit in it made by Dometic. That's where the problem started. The unit condensated bad and the water accumulated in the rear storage box where the unit was located.

Four times back and forth to the dealer and the issue couldn't be resolved.

They made us a good trade in offer on a KZ travel trailer and we bought it. Very happy with the new camper. They had 2 of same models we bought so I got to pick the one I liked best. And yes there were slight differences on the fit and finish. Same company, same model.

Now back to the Jayco. IMO the camper was fine,the heat pump / AC unit was a poorly engineered design.

So how do judge quality? Does a bad piece of equipment make the quality of the camper bad?