TT for retirement use

We like our Arctic Fox 25Y and think it could fit the bill at 30' I would suggest upgrading the couch or 2 chairs for extended use. We have the standard jack-knife and it is fine for our use now, but I wouldn't want to sit in it everyday. The bedroom/bath layout is great for two people.

For that kind of use, I would definitely stick with Arctic Fox, or any other Northwood brand. ORV is a close 2nd (I have one) but AF-Nash still uses better components in some areas, since the price point is slightly higher. Stuff like slideout drives and leveling jacks are just higher-end and more durable. I've had to swap out all my jacks (factory swapped the upgraded the tongue jack under warranty) and I still worry about the longevity of the Schwintek system on my slide-outs. Said slide system resulted a couple visits to the factory (they did the pickup!) and its great having their excellent warranty support, but it would have been better if those visits weren't needed.

I would appreciate input from anyone with like experience.

Sounds like us... MINUS the "snow areas" unless just passing thru. That length is working out pretty good, for us over all. But not perfect. But what set up is? To big for some forest campgrounds (with tow vehicle about 60 foot) But large enough to be comfortable on long trips. We also have an older class C that is a great travelling machine but to small (for us) on longer trips. So TT has worked out great for us. Wife found trailer used, a two year old Arctic Fox, hardly used and she honed in on. Owned for 2 years now. Arctic Fox is a lot better than any other RV we've owned. Little things that are not so noticeable with Arctic Fox until you live in them awhile. Arctic Fox are heavy though. Add to whatever ad's say. Our tow rig is older (2001) 2500 CTD. So had to add a few things like air bags, bigger mirrors, and few other minor things. (A few must haves IMO) If you don't have exhaust brake, I would highly consider one. I go from Canadian border to LA and not one mountain pass have I had to worry about brakes. And a good set of gauges. Pyro gauge and trans gauge most important. And a deep trans pan, Used to have trans temp of around 210 which is OK but on long hills, temps used to creep up. Now with deep dish trans pan temp hasn't gone over 190 on steepest hills in the west and in summer. With the pyro gauge, when I pull a hill I just blend in with other traffic when gauge hits 1200 I back off a little and keep it there. Works out fine for us.

I'm thinking on 30ft max for the TT and price up to $45000

Sounds like you're going new, if so a few options are really worth while. Keep in mind that any RV takes maintenance regardless of manufacture.

You might want to explore. http://www.nroa2003.com/forum/

When exploring keep in mind how many actual postings are problem compared to people making mods or self imposed problems due to lack of maintenance. I think Northwoods has a good design compared to others but they are still put together by humans, so you still have problems. One thing Northwoods does to prevent problems... every unit sold, some money goes into their profit sharing fund. But money comes out of that fund when they have to pay for mistakes. Hard to get a quality unit in todays times. Trying not to be an advertisement for them. When we were looking for a replacement RV, we found very few NW owners that had any major complaints. Many were second and third owners after owning other brands. We talked with maybe 30 or 40 owners before buying. Heard more complaints from camper owners than TT or 5th wheel owners for some reason. I am Not in love with their part process AT ALL. Takes on average 3 weeks for some model specific parts. Like a small trim piece.

Someone else said

Good ground clearance for the TT. Look for one where the axles can be adjusted (flipped)

Mine rides high enough that I installed a fence post sewer tube on the metal things that hit the drive way. Never scrapped. 29 inches to top of hitch ball. Actually barley clears tailgate when I open tailgate (2 wheel drive) Not in love with TT axles but no problems yet.

Hope this helps.

goducks10 wrote:
JMHO but I'd look at http://outdoorsrvmfg.com/. They're a spin off of Northwood MFG. Their new site shows that they now include dual pane windows on all but one model. The have larger tanks than Arctic Fox. Same in house built frame. Plus they have a better warranty.

I looked at their web site. Looks like some pretty impressive features. Even the dump valves are protected.

TexasChaps wrote:
Hello,
I'm looking for suggestions on an RV for our retirement.

Only YOU (two) can really determine what kind of environment you NEED to be comfortable and happy.

To that end, a rental or two might be an extremely good investment.....unless you have "camped" before.
The rentals do not have to be a pull behind like you are thinking about. I'm not sure you can even rent an actual trailer like that.

The only comment I have up front is about the word "snow" in your list of potential destinations. If you venture to a place where it goes below freezing at night, you have a whole extra bunch of things to be concerned with.....like freezing pipes and using up all your propane for heat. NOT A GOOD PLAN for most people.

I will second the Arctic Fox comment. I do not have one buy by cousin does and it is a very well built trailer and as solid as I have seen. It also is heavy which is probably why it feels that way. With your TV this won't be an issue.

"Boondocking" means a lot of things to a lot of different people. If you are going to be living in it for 8 months at a time I would say get a big one, the bigger the better actually. If you plan to park in a place where you don't have hookups then I wouldn't get all worked up about clearance. My cousin's Arctic Fox has a lot of clearance, more than I like actually as I think there are 3 or 4 steps to get into the cabin.

If you are going to drag this up mountain logging roads and out through the trees then clearance will be a big issue. I would never buy a trailer and then flip the axles unless that was all I could afford.

Northwoods Manufacturing make a number of trailers that have cold weather advantages. Look for thermal windows and a covered insulated belly pan and ducted air. My cousin's Arctic Fox has a great AC system that keeps it cool and is very quiet.

My first question is have you done this before?

If you are a boondocker and used to long weeks on the road then you know the ropes. If not it might not be as expected.

I find my TT travel limit is about 6 weeks and my wilderness canoe camping about a week.

I enjoy both my travel time and my time at home.

Good luck

JMHO but I'd look at http://outdoorsrvmfg.com/. They're a spin off of Northwood MFG. Their new site shows that they now include dual pane windows on all but one model. The have larger tanks than Arctic Fox. Same in house built frame. Plus they have a better warranty.

A Few things I look for:
Good ground clearance for the TT. Look for one where the axles can be adjusted (flipped)

A floorplan that provides space for two people to move past each other no bottlenecks.

A Floorplan that provides comfortable seating (Recliners) and space for each of you to have some alone time just in case the weather gets bad for a few days and you're stuck inside. Cabin fevers comes on quick.