Forum Discussion

dieselenthusias's avatar
Dec 30, 2013

Which 4 season camper would you recommend?

Which 4 season camper would you recommend?

After doing a lot of 4 season camping in our 3 season Jayco, we have decided to upgrade to a solid 4 season travel trailer. As an example, we are currently looking at the 2014 Artic Fox 22G Travel Trailer. 22 feet is about the longest we are wanting go. We prefer not to have a slide-out, but we do want thermal pane windows, heated tanks, and a high R value in the floors, walls and ceiling!

Some of you are probably wondering why I’m asking for guidance since we have already found a trailer that we like. Here’s my answer: The RV industry has changed a lot in the past several years and I’m just making sure that we are making the best decision. Now that we are in our mid to late 30’s, we’ve decided to be debt free, settle down, and be content with what we have. I’m content with everything except our 3 season trailer! :B

Our first TT was a 2006 Keystone Sprinter (27’ footer) with the thermal package. We soon discovered that it was too long to fit in some of our rural getaway destination sites and too inconvenient for many places that we wanted to go. So we downsized to our current travel trailer, a 2008 Jayco (18’ footer). And just for the record, the Jayco has been a great camper with only one minor problem in the 5 years we’ve had it. The 2006 Keystone Sprinter had several miscellaneous problems in the 2 years we owned it.

Anyway, there might be other high quality 4 season campers that I’m not aware of. The purpose of this thread is to explore other travel trailer manufacturers or tell me to look no further than the Arctic Fox. In the past, Arctic Fox was the cat’s meow and considered one of the best (if not best) 4 season campers in the industry.

Any help or criticism will be appreciated! :C

49 Replies

  • Outdoors RV is owned by the same people (Ron Nash, etc) as own Northwoods.

    Of their various lines, Arctic Fox is probably the best quality. But the things that make Nash, Creekside, etc "lower" has to with some with "splash" and some with things like the quality of the construction of the cabinets.
  • In smaller trailers, Northwood's Nash line has some really nice floor plans. And Outdoors RV Mfg (also made in La Grande OR) has smaller trailers in the Creekside, BlackRock and Back Country lines.

    Lance trailers can also be optioned with dualpane thermal windows and are well insulated 4-season trailers. They sit closer to the ground and are lighter than Northwood's and Outdoor's RV.

    All of these are western trailers, and it can be hard to find dealers elsewhere.
  • You do realize that 22G is a model designation and the actual length is probably more than that don't you?
    My last Northwood product was a 2002 Fox. Loved it, but it was just too small for our wants. Properly equipped I think a Northwood product is pretty hard to beat. Are you considering a factory pickup, or at least buying from the closest dealer to the factory? Spring is a great time of year to visit LaGrande, take a tour and pick up your trailer from Thunder RV and take a leisurely drive back home.
  • I think Arctic Fox does a pretty good job with insulation. I've read good things about Bigfoot trailers, as well. I don't know of any that do a great job with insulation, most choosing a 1.5"-2" wall cavity that is bridged to the exterior surface.
    If you can find one that has a 3" or bigger wall cavity and has the framing with a thermal break from the interior, you'll have something close to residential standards. This assumes that windows are dual pane and the floors and ceilings are insulated well. Beware of those Mfg.'s touting R-38 using a Reflectix type of plastic radiant insulation. You will not get close to comfortable with that type of insulation.
  • My take on the situation is this:

    Heavy and great - Nash (Northwoods Mfg)
    Lightweight and great (Lance)

    Lance uses aluminum framing and Azdel (not wood) in the walls which make them almost bulletproof (delamination and water intrusion), with a very high R Value) Nash/Arctic Fox are wood and much heavier than the Lance. Other manufacturers claim that they have "Polar Packages" but they are always lacking in one area or the other. Lance offers slideouts which are Lippert and really expand the amount of interior usable space.

    A lot of it depends on your tow vehicle. If you can tow heavy, look at both mfgs.

    These are the two 4 season TT's that you should consider imo.

    Here is the Lance website (I assume you already have the Nash)



    WoodGlue