Hello all! This is my first post, so I appreciate all of the help and input. I am getting married soon and my fiances education is going to require us to move around often, so we are looking at living in a trailer full time. What brands do you have experience with and what brands should be avoided? (personal experiences preferable). Any tips or input appreciated, thank you.Edit:Hello everyone, sorry for being absent. I actually got engaged so I was busy with all of that. First I have a tow vehicle that can tow 8,000 pounds with a tongue weight of 8000 pounds. We will either be in north texas or florida, so winter weather won't be harsh. I am not thinking I will save much money, but we will be moving around every 8 weeks for a while, so we need the flexibility.

For "full timing" you need to give some more information. Budget, size, number of occupants, would all help. For some generalities, most manufacturers of Travel Trailers do not warranty new units for "full time" living, so your first couple of months you will likely void the warranty unless you specifically select a model that allows for it. Appliances, frames, axles, are basically similar across all the manufacturers, again with some limited exceptions. So no matter if you are looking at entry level or some mid to high end units, the warranties and quality of those components will likely be similar. Walls, cabinetry, roof, and furnishings do vary by model, and vary between lines. And basically you can see the changes in price, tin vs Filon, particle board vs wood etc. Most manufacturers build similar model across more than one price point. Go visit a few dealerships, look at construction materials in some entry level units as well as some higher end models, look at furnishings, built in is usually cheaper than a stand alone unit in things like sofas etc. Also consider what you feel comfortable in trying to repair and maintain yourself. Your in the first stage of a longer road.

If you’ve never done this before rent some kind of camper for at least a couple of weeks and see if you even like it. There are many challenges living in a space so small, many you’d never even dream of without some experience. Make sure you’re ready to do much of your own maintenance. It can save you a small fortune.

When you come across travel trailers that advertise "Polar Package", that really does not mean a whole lot. The manufacturer has just run water lines a bit closer to the heat ducts under the floor. If the furnace is not running, those water lines and drain lines will freeze.Those units that advertise Four Season, usually have a little bit better insulation on the bottom of the underbelly. But there again, if the furnace is not running, things still freeze under there.We currently have a fifth wheel that advertised "full time living". Little did we realize what that REALLY meant. "Full time living" means the unit never moves. "Full time traveling" was quite another matter. We've had this camper for a year now, and it's just been the last 5 weeks or so, the repairs have stopped. It does take a year at a minimum to flush out all the repairs, manufacturer faulty workmanship, bad construction, and cheap materials. And for what it's worth the list price on my 5er was $77,000! I've literally rebuilt this thing from top to bottom. It is a good camper NOW! and it's withstanding all the bumps and hard jolts on the road ... now! But not before. So, if you purchase, take at least a year before you head out permanently to flush out flaws, to learn how things work, to settle into a pattern, and to adjust to living in a small space, dealing with campgrounds, roads, making plans and reservations. It's much more complicated and much more challenging than just hitching up and heading out. Those days are long gone. Sometimes reservations at select campgrounds need to be made in advance, 2 years out. (I said "choice" campgrounds). State Parks, CoE, National Forests are much easier to make reservation.Meanwhile, visit RV dealerships and do lots of searching on the internet looking a floor plans. Then go visit dealerships that have those models and those floor plans. I think you'll be shocked that the reality of the unit is far different than the preceived concept of the unit via floor plans and simulated 360 degree reproductions or photos.

Buy a used one , it may have all the problems worked out plus it will be a lot cheaper . Warranty work on a new trailer will not work for fulltimers as most dealers will take weeks if not months to fix problems .

Congratulations!However, I would highly suggest that you rethink the plan of full time living in a RV for now.Marriage is a huge step in life, adding in challenges of RV limitations might not be ideal way to start things out.I personally would never ever have considered living full time in a RV when I was just newly wedd..First of all, you are not going to "save" money, get that idea out of your head (which is what most newbee RVs think will happen).Depending on where you and future DW lands for school, living in a RV in the winter may not be fun at all, in fact can be a chore to down right miserable in freezing and sub zero weather.Even when not in freezing weather, you will need to be the electric, water and sewer "authority" of your mobile domicile.. With managing the sewer authority hat being a thankless task which will need repeating weekly or so basis.You will have very limited length showers, no more 25 minute scalding hot showers which pin you to the far back wall of the tub, you and your newly minted bride will be settling for 10 minute showers with not a high volume of water if you conserve.Second of all, living in a extremely small footprint of a RV you might find to not be very good for a brand newly minted marriage especially if BOTH of you have never spent any time in the size constraints of a RV.IF there is ANYTHING wrong with your RV, YOU will need to figure out how to fix it, otherwise you will end up losing your RV to a dealer to fix it and it may take them weeks to months to fix.. You WILL have to come up with an alternate plan to live in this case..If one or both of you are planning to go for further education, you simply are not going to want to deal with fixing or maintaining a RV when something breaks..Rent an apartment or even a mobilehome in a park already setup, this way you have more space and do not have to deal with the things that can go wrong with a RV while living in it.For a couple of good laughs, I would suggest looking up the movie called The long, Long trailer.. A classic movie. It is comedy/ adventures of a newly wed couple who buy a trailer to live in.. By the end of it you will get the meaning of "Trailer brakes first" line..IF you feel you must go down this rabbit hole, I would also echo the idea of buying a used RV, much less money lost if you find that living in a RV is not working out so well.

TT for full time living or negatives of trailer brands

WVcampground
Explorer
Nov 04, 2019
frankgibbons1947 wrote:
Congrats on your marriage! Now I will directly talk about the travel trailer brands you should choose and avoid.

First, avoid these TT brands, I found a very nice stat regarding what other RV'ers are avoiding.

1. Forest River travel trailer brand: 45%
2. Keystone travel trailer brand: 26%
3. Jayco travel trailer brand: 15%
4. Coachmen travel trailer brand: 5%
5. Winnebago travel trailer brand: 3%
6. Fleetwood travel trailer brand: 2%
7. Gulf Stream travel trailer brand: 1%

The survey detail is here along with lots of key reasons to avoid these brands.

Travel Trailer brands to avoid

Now, I'm giving my list of top travel trailer brands you should stick with.

1. Airstream Travel Trailer
2. Dutchmen Travel Trailer
3. Olivier Travel Trailer
4. Starcraft Travel Trailer
5. Lance Travel Trailer

It might be a very nice stat but also a bogus stat. The #2 brand to stick with also happens to be managed under the #2 brand to avoid.

The #4 brand to avoid is a sub brand of the #1 brand to avoid.

A Dutchmen product is not even close to being in the same league as an Airstream or Oliver, an Oliver has completely different construction than anything else listed, including Airstream.

Going by what to avoid, avoid about 90% of everything available. Which may be a good idea regardless :B

The author has vast experience. He must have taken the crash course lol. He spent significant time during the last 5 years conquering beautiful pristine lands LOL. WTH does that even mean? Furthermore he does not hit on the fact that most of the long time brands he mentions went belly up @ 08 and were snatched up by either Forest River or Thor Industries which between the two hold over 80% market share. He must have done his research looking at other bloggers. Of course you have more complaints towards the brands with the majority of market presence. All RVs will leak eventually if not maintained.

"Carlos Perry’s passion for outdoor activities can be traced back to 5 years ago when he spent a significant time to conquer beautiful pristine lands and experience different cultures with his best friends. Currently working as a blogger, he takes pride in providing comprehensive contents about camping knowledge, survival skills based on his own experience. A lot of his work was published on well-known travel magazines like"
frankgibbons194
Explorer
Nov 04, 2019
Congrats on your marriage! Now I will directly talk about the travel trailer brands you should choose and avoid.

First, avoid these TT brands, I found a very nice stat regarding what other RV'ers are avoiding.

1. Forest River travel trailer brand: 45%
2. Keystone travel trailer brand: 26%
3. Jayco travel trailer brand: 15%
4. Coachmen travel trailer brand: 5%
5. Winnebago travel trailer brand: 3%
6. Fleetwood travel trailer brand: 2%
7. Gulf Stream travel trailer brand: 1%

The survey detail is here along with lots of key reasons to avoid these brands.

Travel Trailer brands to avoid

Now, I'm giving my list of top travel trailer brands you should stick with.

1. Airstream Travel Trailer
2. Dutchmen Travel Trailer
3. Olivier Travel Trailer
4. Starcraft Travel Trailer
5. Lance Travel Trailer
colliehauler
Explorer III
Nov 03, 2019
nwoodco1 wrote:
Hello everyone, sorry for being absent. I actually got engaged so I was busy with all of that. First I have a tow vehicle that can tow 8,000 pounds with a tongue weight of 8000 pounds. We will either be in north texas or florida, so winter weather won't be harsh. I am not thinking I will save much money, but we will be moving around every 8 weeks for a while, so we need the flexibility.
A lot of people move for work and live in trailers. When the refinery has a turnaround all the rv parks within 30 miles fill up. Some people don't understand this and why you do not want a house in one location. Since you will be in moderate weather I would say find a floor plan that will work for you within your budget that you can tow with your truck. The better constructed RV'S will be way beyond the capacity of your truck.
goducks10
Explorer
Nov 03, 2019
nwoodco1 wrote:
trailer_newbe wrote:
I would not recommend getting a camper and living in it full time. Your situation is not ideal for this venture. You won’t save money like you may think for starters. You’ll also have to fix everything yourself on the camper, because taking to a dealer will throw a huge monkey wrench in your plans. Managing camp sites, water, sewer, propane, etc is going to be a headache if you are moving from site to site. Full timing sounds good on the surface, but it takes planning and money. Most folks sell their home, and bank the money, and retire when they full time.

I am still here, was just busy. I did post it multiple places as not everyone is a member of all forums and I would like as much input as possible :)

"Most folks sell their home, and bank the money, and retire when they full time."

Bingo.
nwoodco1
Explorer
Nov 03, 2019
trailer_newbe wrote:
I would not recommend getting a camper and living in it full time. Your situation is not ideal for this venture. You won’t save money like you may think for starters. You’ll also have to fix everything yourself on the camper, because taking to a dealer will throw a huge monkey wrench in your plans. Managing camp sites, water, sewer, propane, etc is going to be a headache if you are moving from site to site. Full timing sounds good on the surface, but it takes planning and money. Most folks sell their home, and bank the money, and retire when they full time.

I am still here, was just busy. I did post it multiple places as not everyone is a member of all forums and I would like as much input as possible :)
nwoodco1
Explorer
Nov 03, 2019
Hello everyone, sorry for being absent. I actually got engaged so I was busy with all of that. First I have a tow vehicle that can tow 8,000 pounds with a tongue weight of 8000 pounds. We will either be in north texas or florida, so winter weather won't be harsh. I am not thinking I will save much money, but we will be moving around every 8 weeks for a while, so we need the flexibility.
DutchmenSport
Explorer
Nov 01, 2019
JRscooby wrote:
trail-explorer wrote:
DutchmenSport wrote:
I've literally rebuilt this thing from top to bottom. It is a good camper NOW!

How did you proceed with rebuilding the walls, floor and roof?
Did the factory supply you with new wall panels?

I know nothing about DutchmenSport's tool or skill set. But as somebody that has rebuilt both cars and a house from top to bottom I see no reason to question his statement.

Reattached / fixed / strengthened doors, cabinets, underbelly skirting, shelves - closet broken, falling apart, yanked from the wall, , and caulking on the roof, plumbing repairs, cracked fiberglass, electric wiring, furnace repair, water heater repair, tires (I didn't do that myself), wheels - brakes (yea, they got replaced, I didn't do that either), pull curtains (unbelievable ... every one of them needed repair), ... um ... just to name a few items. Most I did myself when the wait period was so long at my dealership for warranty work. And the first couple items I returned it back for warranty work, it was returned and the first trip after that, things broke again. That's when I took matters into my own hands. NO... I am not an aggressive driver either. Very few back roads, and I avoid interstates. But interstate bridges expansion joints is what's done the damage, shaking things literally apart!
GrandpaKip
Explorer II
Nov 01, 2019
Gdetrailer wrote:
GrandpaKip wrote:
T’would be nice if some of y’all could keep even sorta close to the topic at hand.

Hmm.. I don't really see any posts other than yours that isn't within the topic of FULL TIME LIVING OR NEGATIVES OF TRAILER BRANDS..

OP has a huge hill to climb considering they are contemplating to get married, bringing a new wife into the mix and then attempt to LIVE in a RV and further education.

Would I consider what the OP proposes? Nope, considering my DW was less than enamored with the idea of camping (although she grew up with the tent thing and I grew up camping in a TC). Never considered approaching the subject for at least 4 yrs AFTER we got married.

Besides, I suspect this was a drive by post and the OP is long gone, noticed the SAME question posted on a different forum..

But hey, gives folks a subject to banter on..

‘Twas referring to the snarky post.
I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment. My first marriage would’ve been over long before it finally tanked if I had done what is being considered. Probably after the honeymoon.
And as winter approaches, the banter will increase. ;-)
trailer_newbe
Explorer III
Nov 01, 2019
I would not recommend getting a camper and living in it full time. Your situation is not ideal for this venture. You won’t save money like you may think for starters. You’ll also have to fix everything yourself on the camper, because taking to a dealer will throw a huge monkey wrench in your plans. Managing camp sites, water, sewer, propane, etc is going to be a headache if you are moving from site to site. Full timing sounds good on the surface, but it takes planning and money. Most folks sell their home, and bank the money, and retire when they full time.
Gdetrailer
Explorer III
Oct 31, 2019
GrandpaKip wrote:
T’would be nice if some of y’all could keep even sorta close to the topic at hand.

Hmm.. I don't really see any posts other than yours that isn't within the topic of FULL TIME LIVING OR NEGATIVES OF TRAILER BRANDS..

OP has a huge hill to climb considering they are contemplating to get married, bringing a new wife into the mix and then attempt to LIVE in a RV and further education.

Would I consider what the OP proposes? Nope, considering my DW was less than enamored with the idea of camping (although she grew up with the tent thing and I grew up camping in a TC). Never considered approaching the subject for at least 4 yrs AFTER we got married.

Besides, I suspect this was a drive by post and the OP is long gone, noticed the SAME question posted on a different forum..

But hey, gives folks a subject to banter on..

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TT for full time living or negatives of trailer brands

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