Daughter is looking at a new Keystone Cougar 359MBI bunkhouse 5er. Don't know anything about Keystone products so I'm looking for input on the Keystone Cougar line from Cougar owners. Tow vehicle is 2011 CTD 3500 Dually.

There are two sides on the Keystone "coin"... those that despise them, and those that love them, and seems most folks are on one side or the other, very few in the middle.I owned 2 Keystone Travel Trailers now, and both have been good for me. No complaints about either, but I do my share of preventative maintenance on them too and expect normal usage to cause wear and tear. Also, I don't abuse the camper either by trying to make it do something it wasn't designed to do ... like go off road or something like that.With that said, Cougar has been around for a long time. They are still a very popular camper and folks are still purchasing them. I think that says a lot. I don't think I've ever heard or read anyone complain about a Cougar. Maybe some have, I just haven't seen or read anything negative.What is important is where you purchase the camper from and where you need to go if you need help with warranty work or a repair you cannot do yourself. Then, a good service department, who will back you and work with you is more important that the 'brand' of camper you purchase. I've never owned a Cougar or a 5er before, but I have owned two different Keystone trailers. Keystone was very good working with me on both campers when specific issues came up. But, I also had a strong service center that worked hard for me too, so I may never know the real obstructions they had to move out of the way. That's why a good service department is really the most important thing when purchasing ANY camper.If I wanted a 5er, Cougar would be my first consideration. I feel that confident about them. But, now that I've owned an Outback, I think my new first choice would be a Keystone Outback 5er. Cougar would not be second.Older ones are still very popular in Central Indiana. I see them quite often, and almost always one or two in, pretty much, every campground we've been to.Good luck!

FYI, a good site to check out is the Keystone RV Forums, although not a real "super" active forum site, folks post on it, and appear to be pretty honest. I don't think negative posts about Keystone products are censored. I've been a member of that forum for many years now. Don't post on it, but read it quite often. Click here.

I'm happy with my Keystone for the most part. I do have realistic expectations though. It's a cheaply made RV intended for occasional use. I've had all the usual loose hinges and stuff like that but that's just RVs. Keep in mind Keystone sells more RVs than anyone so you will inherently find more complaints about them. RVs at any price point are a roll of the dice.

Dont know if it's relevant, but we loved our 2002 Cougar.

We have a 2012 Cougar bunkhouse model. Like most 5ers, there are good & bad ones. We have been quite pleased with ours so far with only one warranty issue. The key is to find a good dealer that will take care of you. Camping World has been less than helpful, but I knew that going into the deal.

Opinions on Keystone Cougar 5th wheels | Good Sam Community

16 Replies

Ron3rd
Explorer III
Mar 27, 2017
Thanks for all the info folks; my daughter closed the deal on a new Cougar 359MBI fiver yesterday. Her and her family are in the club now!
Lantley
Nomad
Mar 26, 2017
bpounds wrote:
work2much wrote:
You might enjoy watching this youtube channel. Ray and his wife has been full timing in a cougar for 6 years. This is a good channel for anyone the has a fifth wheel or rv of any kind. Many good tips and how to vids. Also many scenic vids of awesome boon docking locations, solar installs etc.

There are many videos of the upgrades and repairs he has made. Most of them I think you can expect no matter what brand. Here is a video he gives an overview of how he feels about the trailer after living in it for 6 years.

Cougar review

Good review! Ours is the same model year, and same length/chassis, except that we have the rear kitchen version. Most of it is the same parts as ours, just rearranged. I agree with some of his points and opinions.

Got to hand it to them for living in that for 6 years. It's not what I would consider a fulltime quality rig, which he also states in his review.

My thoughts Cougar is a average made/quality weekender RV.
As long as you have the correct expectations you'll be fine
bpounds
Nomad
Mar 26, 2017
work2much wrote:
You might enjoy watching this youtube channel. Ray and his wife has been full timing in a cougar for 6 years. This is a good channel for anyone the has a fifth wheel or rv of any kind. Many good tips and how to vids. Also many scenic vids of awesome boon docking locations, solar installs etc.

There are many videos of the upgrades and repairs he has made. Most of them I think you can expect no matter what brand. Here is a video he gives an overview of how he feels about the trailer after living in it for 6 years.

Cougar review

Good review! Ours is the same model year, and same length/chassis, except that we have the rear kitchen version. Most of it is the same parts as ours, just rearranged. I agree with some of his points and opinions.

Got to hand it to them for living in that for 6 years. It's not what I would consider a fulltime quality rig, which he also states in his review.
GPG52_
Explorer II
Mar 26, 2017
I agree with the responses. We have a 2014 326RES and are very happy with its performance both in the campgrounds and towing on the road.

Dutchmen makes a valid point "get a good dealer that will back you up" ours has been fantastic. I would just add one point to that comment, remember when dickering on the price, leave some room for the dealer to make a living. To many times deals are just to skinny for the dealer to offer much support after you leave the showroom. My 2cts worth.

Do some research before closing your deal, in our case we found out that Keystone like many have a front cap fading issue. They also had an issue with the electric power panel(tip outs, awnings, landing gear) and some had complained about a noisy water pump (due to location). We addressed these with the salesman, had our concerns in writing before signing the deal. After a few runs we brought the unit back, pointed out these issues and had them fixed with no hassle at all.

Enjoy your Keystone, Cougar... we enjoy ours.
GPG
Road_Phantom
Explorer II
Mar 26, 2017
We have a 2011 5th wheel lite and are very happy with it. It's our second cougar and both were bought used. This latest one we traveled cross country from Pa to TX and then to Calif. I pull it with a Dodge Hemi since it's very light, around 7000 lbs empty. Your buying yours new but it doesn't mean issues won't present themselves early on, so a good nearby dealer would be helpful.
md_procouple
Explorer
Mar 26, 2017
We have a '08 Montana, and have had no real issues with it. We bought it in '09, the only thing I don't like is that you are restricted to buying any parts you need or want through a Dealer, and not from Keystone direct, we lost our slide out remote, called Keystone and was told that we had to go through a dealer, and naturally they have to add there cost percentage on. ...Good luck and Happy Camping !!
downtheroad
Explorer
Mar 26, 2017
For what it is worth....I'm sure I see MORE Keystone Cougars on the road and in campgrounds than most any other brands...

At least in our area anyway.
work2much
Explorer
Mar 26, 2017
You might enjoy watching this youtube channel. Ray and his wife has been full timing in a cougar for 6 years. This is a good channel for anyone the has a fifth wheel or rv of any kind. Many good tips and how to vids. Also many scenic vids of awesome boon docking locations, solar installs etc.

There are many videos of the upgrades and repairs he has made. Most of them I think you can expect no matter what brand. Here is a video he gives an overview of how he feels about the trailer after living in it for 6 years.

Cougar review
bpounds
Nomad
Mar 26, 2017
Our Cougar has been good to us. Never been back to the dealer, although I have fixed a couple of little things myself.

Good vacation level trailer.
kzspree320
Explorer
Mar 26, 2017
It's been a long time ago, but we owned a 2001 Cougar that served us well. No real problems and we liked it a lot.