We are soon to retire and will be ready to do more camping. We are looking to buy a travel trailer but keep hearing about leak and poor quality issues. What advice do you have for a travel trailer buyer and are there brands we should avoid. I do not want an Airstream. We like a slide out as there will be times the grandchildren will go with us. We have a diesel truck but want to stay under 6,000 lbs if possible for easy towing. Thanks for any advice you can offer!!

What is the truck's payload? Other than the driver, what will you carry in the truck? What's the max number that will sleep in the TT?

Our experience has been that there is no such thing as The Perfect Camper; there's always some feature that's missing or quality that's a bit less than desired, etc. For reliability, I'd choose to buy new rather than used, if your budget allows; otherwise my advice would be to choose a dealer near you that has a pretty good service reputation (you may need to ask around) and pick something they sell that fits your needs (floorplan, size, budget, etc.) Other than Airstream and a few other specialty brands, it seems to me that quality issues are about the same across the industry. Many components - fridge, a/c, water heaters, furnaces - are made by only one or two manufacturers, no matter which brand of camper you get.

I can't tell you what to stay away from. The list is too long.What to look at?NashArctic FoxSnow River LanceI just bought an Arctic Fox and I am very happy at the quality. Good luck.

If you're buying new and have no interest in typical maintenance or are physically unable to do any repairs, the dealer you choose and the quality of the service Dept. will be important. I can wander into a service garage and within 5 minutes assess the quality since I've worked in these environs. If you haven't ask the dealer's sales person and the manager about the service Dept. "How long does a typical warranty repair take?" may be a good question. Has the dealer had problems with a certain make or model? What models shine because the service Dept doesn't often see them? Asking the right questions and observation can save a lot of heartache going forward.Good luck with your purchase. There seem to be brands that shine as durable. Others can advise on them. My Starcraft is 46 years old if that is any indicator.

westend wrote:If you're buying new and have no interest in typical maintenance or are physically unable to do any repairs, the dealer you choose and the quality of the service Dept. will be important. I can wander into a service garage and within 5 minutes assess the quality since I've worked in these environs. If you haven't ask the dealer's sales person and the manager about the service Dept. "How long does a typical warranty repair take?" may be a good question. Has the dealer had problems with a certain make or model? What models shine because the service Dept doesn't often see them? Asking the right questions and observation can save a lot of heartache going forward.Good luck with your purchase. There seem to be brands that shine as durable. Others can advise on them. My Starcraft is 46 years old if that is any indicator.Good advice however does not really apply currently. Unless it's a small, really good, mom and pop dealer. Even if the service dept is exemplary, good luck getting any type of warranty repairs in a timely manner for most brands. Especially Forest River, Thor, Winnebago, etc. And if it's fixed right the first time that's just a bonus. Their is no shortage of people who have waited many weeks or months for warranty service to be completed.Sales are high, units are being pushed out the factory door with multitudes of build issues due to sloppy assembly. Service departments are overwhelmed, the manufacturers warranty procedures suck, and techs, especially good ones, are in short supply. Mostly because of the pay structure. Some make a good living, most don't. Our local dealer has had a techs wanted sign out for over 3 years. The techs they do have spend more time doing the PDI's and turnovers of new units more than they do on warranty service. And they advertise "RVIA certified technicians" and advertise the he'll out of it. They have one certified tech, and most of the other 10 or so are young kids with little experience and no certifications other than they turned a wrench once, put in a screw, and picked their nose.

Travel Trailer Buying Advice | Good Sam Community

Bumpyroad
Explorer
Oct 12, 2017
Turtle n Peeps wrote:
theoldwizard1 wrote:
Bumpyroad wrote:

I wouldn't want aluminum if I frequented hail country.
bumpy

I would live with the dents. Who looks at a roof any way ?

My biggest concern would be sealing between panels. Butyl tape ? Also, how is it attach to the roof decking ?

thanks for the photo. saves me some typing. :)
bumpy
Turtle_n_Peeps
Explorer
Oct 12, 2017
theoldwizard1 wrote:
Bumpyroad wrote:

I wouldn't want aluminum if I frequented hail country.
bumpy

I would live with the dents. Who looks at a roof any way ?

My biggest concern would be sealing between panels. Butyl tape ? Also, how is it attach to the roof decking ?
theoldwizard1
Explorer II
Oct 11, 2017
Bumpyroad wrote:

I wouldn't want aluminum if I frequented hail country.
bumpy

I would live with the dents. Who looks at a roof any way ?

My biggest concern would be sealing between panels. Butyl tape ? Also, how is it attach to the roof decking ?
Bumpyroad
Explorer
Oct 03, 2017
LarryJM wrote:
Bumpyroad wrote:
theoldwizard1 wrote:
Bumpyroad wrote:
no rubber roofs
bumpy

So what material do you recommend for a roof ?

(Most crago trailers use aluminum, but they typically have no vents or other items going through the roof.)

aluminum/fiberglass, TPO in that order.
bumpy

And I would submit ALuminum is head and shoulders above anything else because it's impervious to sun damage and more impact/tear resistant than fiberglass or any of the membrane roofs like rubber/TPO. Biggest downside of aluminum is if not coated you can get nasty run off issues unless you install something like the RainKap system.

Of course S/S would be perfect except for the weight and cost:E

Larry

I wouldn't want aluminum if I frequented hail country.
bumpy
LarryJM
Explorer II
Oct 03, 2017
Bumpyroad wrote:
theoldwizard1 wrote:
Bumpyroad wrote:
no rubber roofs
bumpy

So what material do you recommend for a roof ?

(Most crago trailers use aluminum, but they typically have no vents or other items going through the roof.)

aluminum/fiberglass, TPO in that order.
bumpy

And I would submit ALuminum is head and shoulders above anything else because it's impervious to sun damage and more impact/tear resistant than fiberglass or any of the membrane roofs like rubber/TPO. Biggest downside of aluminum is if not coated you can get nasty run off issues unless you install something like the RainKap system.

Of course S/S would be perfect except for the weight and cost:E

Larry
Bumpyroad
Explorer
Oct 03, 2017
theoldwizard1 wrote:
Bumpyroad wrote:
no rubber roofs
bumpy

So what material do you recommend for a roof ?

(Most crago trailers use aluminum, but they typically have no vents or other items going through the roof.)

aluminum/fiberglass, TPO in that order.
bumpy
Grateful_Camper
Explorer
Oct 03, 2017
We narrowed it down to floorplan, then shopped for brands. Apparently, there is a lot of hit and miss, so to speak with quality of new trailers. So we decided we would go with somewhat reputable of trailer, but more concerned with quality of service and dealership. We went with a forest river vibe - dealer has fixed a few minor warranty issues, with never more than an 2 day turn around. But again - knowing your needs and what floorplan you want is 3/4 of the decision - then go with a mix of quality and what is available locally with a trusted dealer.
theoldwizard1
Explorer II
Oct 03, 2017
Staying with a lighter weight trailer is always a good idea ! However, finding one under 6,000 lbs (loaded) is going to be difficult.

As others have said, the dealer and their repair department have a lot to do with your experience. After 3 trips back to the dealer for the same problem (each spaced 4-6 week apart because they were so busy) they gave up and I "living" with the issue. (Intermittent water heater. I helped make it less intermittent be simply removing, cleaning and reinstalling the thermostatic switches.)
theoldwizard1
Explorer II
Oct 03, 2017
Bumpyroad wrote:
no rubber roofs
bumpy

So what material do you recommend for a roof ?

(Most crago trailers use aluminum, but they typically have no vents or other items going through the roof.)
jhaslag
Explorer
Oct 03, 2017
Thank you all for the advice! Much appreciated!

Forum Discussion

Travel Trailer Buying Advice

About Travel Trailer Group

Related Content

Buying a travel trailer

New Travel trailer

Travel trailer necessities

Travel Trailer for Two

Travel Trailer Purchase