"Alright..... done deal!! Bought the Hideout 308BHDS"
I think you will be very pleased with the Hideout. I had a Springdale which (was) about the same "level" as the Hideout and I had minimal issues with it.
I think the one reoccurring issue I had was, one drawer in the kitchen was not put in right. The rail that supported the drawer under it was too short. It kept coming un-attached from the wall, letting the drawer fall. I eventually got fed up with, as temporary fixed didn't work, and built a proper support for it catch on, and then I never had a problem again.
It took 7 years for the fan blade in the exhaust vent in the bathroom to crumble and had it have it replaced. And after 7 years, the linoleum floor started curling around some of the edges. The linoleum was not under the walls, it just went up to the edge. I couldn't get it lay flat, it was too curled, so in order to sell the camper I ended up getting 1/4 round trim, stained it to match the wood work and then used very thin, very long screws and screwed it over the curled edges to flatten them out and make it look like it was factory installed. It worked.
In the 7th year, the outside shower stated leaking at the turn knobs. I had that the faucet replaced, and in the 7th year hail busted out all 3 vent covers on the roof. I had them replaced.
In the 7th year, the graphics started curling all over the camper, and the skin was aluminum. I noted a considerable amount of white on the driveway around the entire camper (obviously, rain water washing down the side of the camper and either paint or wax or both coming off with it). I noticed several places where the paint was thinning on the aluminum outside.
The roof was still great! I never had to recaulk it, but I did add gutter extensions when I first bought it and at that time, I gooped up the corners and edges (that was the first year I owned it).
Talking about caulk, I did have one other small thing happen, somewhere in the 3 or 4th year. I covered the camper with a cover in the winter, and I had to removed the radio antenna. One year I noticed the entire antenna base was loose. I went ahead and removed it, cleaned off all the caulk and saw the screws were simply screwed into very thin plywood. I was also able to look in that hole and see how the roof was constructed. the part you walk on was very, very thin. I could crawl on it, but never stand. If I stood I heard popping of wood. Then I knew way, I never stood. Anyway, I put some new thin pieces of plywood under the top thorugh the hole, giving a stronger support for new screws, and then caulked the thing with a mountain of caulk (Dicor). I never had a problem with the antenna again.
By the way, maybe another difference between the "entry" levels and the "mid" or "upper" level campers is the ability to actually walk on the roof or not. My Outback can be walked on.
All the appliances and components of my Springdale never failed. They were all original when I sold, and they were still in perfect working condition.
Ours was a good camper. I have no complaints about ours. It served us well.
As with all campers, regardless of make, model, brand, entry level, class, or anything, they all have to be maintained from the very first day of ownership, and they all have to be used within the constraints of their design.
I always use the illustration, If a chair is manufactured to hold a maximum weight of 100 pounds, and a 400 pound person sits on the chair and the chair collapses, it's NOT a design defect, it's not a warranty issue, it's not manufacturer's fault, it wasn't falsely advertised. The owner misused it by attempting to make it do something it was never designed for. It was never designed to hold 400 pounds. That is definitely the owner's fault and NOT the camper.
I say this because a lot of people who complain about the "inferior" quality of (any) camper, more than likely has attempted to use them beyond the camper's intended purpose. Another sector of people just don't know anything about campers and expect them to be like automobiles, and can do extensive abuse and they should be able to withstand it. But they are not designed for anything like that. Another sector of people, are just plane stupid. They have no sense and should simply never own an RV. They expect them to be built like a house and drive like a tank, never break down, and have no mechanical abilities at all to fix even some of the most minor things that come up. These are the people who mostly complain about RV quality. And if you really asked those people on those negative posting comments, you'll probably find that 2/3rd of them have never actually owned the camper they are criticizing. You REALLY do have to read those negative comments with an eye of caution. It sounds like you did.
Bottom line here, and I've rambled enough, I think you'll really enjoy your Hideout. I think you purchased a good camper. I think you'll have many, many happy adventures with it ... if you take care of it, and don't abuse it! If the kids jump up and down on the bed, and the bed cracks... well ... you know what I mean.
Congrats! And welcome to the Keystone family!
