For those considering a travel trailer (Shop Around)

[Kavoom]

A lesson I learned when purchasing my first trailer in 2005 was that the core manufacturers often make identical units with different colors and badging under different brand names. Think GMC and Chevrolet trucks. AND most important, is that they often have different prices. So the lesson here is shop around. Find a floorplan, see if the manufacturer makes it under different brand names and know what your local dealers have available and on the lots.

The second lesson I learned is that MOST buyers seem unaware of this fact.

My first pop up was a "Forest River" Flagstaff. I had found a floorplan under the Rockwood name and was focused only to realize that the Flagstaff was the same camper...and like two thousand bucks less. WHAAAA??? Guess which way I went.

So, I basically I did the same thing this time around, first finding the floorplan under the Coleman name (16FQ) and starting my search with Dutchmen and ending up finding an Aspen Trail 1700BH about six miles from my home AND at a great price. Just like the Flagstaff/Rockwood thing, The Coleman/Aspen Trail are identical units with different colors and badging.

First thing I noticed in my shopping is that the Coleman branded units generally run a thousand or two higher (although ranges encompass both). Why would that be? Well, I'm thinking its because Dutchmen is paying a licensing fee for the Coleman name to Sunbeam (the holding company for the Coleman name) and needs to get their money back. The Aspen Trail name is free... Dutchmen also has a Kodiak branded version of the trailer with a laminated exterior and some other amenities and a black tank flush. So, if you want pretty go Kodiak but for all intents and purposes all three of these are the same unit.

So, advice for newbies? Shop around assiduously. AND, before you buy, check out RVTrader.com with your specific model number. You will find units from across the country and can judge generally what kind of a deal you are looking at. Just do it only takes a minute and you can tell if you are getting the shaft or not and I'm not talking axles.

[Kavoom]

"Glad you found that. BTW Coleman makes NOTHING. They only allow others to use their name for a fee."

Yep on that. I read the story on the Sunbeam company. Some guy bought it over a decade ago and has sort of made it a "brand" company. He hollowed it out and licenses old names that still have some cachet. Sears is about to go belly up. I cannot figure the guy out that owns it or runs it, but I believe he has had a strategy to take a historically powerful company and slowly hollow it out while sucking it dry until there is nothing left but a husk. He's there with Sears. And I remember when I worked there in the 70's and at that point they told us 1 in 5 people in the country would work for Sears at some point in their life. It had the best paint in the country and great tools lawn mowers etc.

The Coleman name was a part of destroying Fleetwood trailers. They had a long fight over the name with Sunbeam, had to quit using it and I'm pretty sure that fight kind of sucked them dry and then when the great recession hit, that put them under.

[Terryallan]

Glad you found that. BTW Coleman makes NOTHING. They only allow others to use their name for a fee. I always amazed me that campers would really cut down Fleetwood popup campers. and praise Coleman. never realizing the Fleetwood, and Coleman were the same camper. Yep. Fleetwood made ALL of Coleman's campers.

[gbopp]

Badge Engineering seems to be a common practice with many different products, cars, RV's, power tools, generators and appliances to name a few.
I'm starting to think everything is made in a big factory in China and given different names by the companies selling the products.

[Lwiddis]

The “look” is important to many. It is to me. Aluminum siding is...old style, while fiberglass is the current favorite. My advice to newbies is buy what you like.