3 1/2 season Travel Trailer

[ttsr4us]

We want to buy a new 3 1/2 season TT for my wife and I and the occasional 2 guests.

We also will be traveling 4 to 5 months rather than parking up.

We have enough truck to pull most trailers.

We live in Florida so will not consider an Artic Fox due to lack of dealers within any reasonable distance.

At this time a Jayco Eagle is high on our shopping list because of its climate and suspension systems which come as standard.

Any other brands we should consider? I've looked around a few but it seems that most trailers these days tend towards the light weight end of the market. I used to own a Sunline and then a Mountaineer so have traveled in TT's extensively but not for a few years since moving to a MH.

[Major_Dad]

ttsr4us wrote:
Update on what we bought today.

Thanks for all your views and information. It all plugged into what we put our money on but not in the way we expected!

Looked at the Open Range and Eagle's today and then DW noticed a Airstream lot near the Eagles. Well she feel in love and we are now the proud owners of an Airstream Flying Cloud 27FB. She said she just wanted a peek!

I was concerned about the lack of a slide out or two but she is sure she will not be claustrophobic. I have to say they make the most of the available room. Lucky we have a large truck which can carry her baggage!

It will curtail our planned extended camping season and was a lot more than we intended but we can afford it so here we are. She is a very happy puppy.
Brian

"Happy wife, happy life" certainly trumps all other considerations. Enjoy that shiny new trailer!

[wincrasher65]

Well I hope it works for you. They sure are pretty and have a lot of interior storage.

Not well suited for cold weather though - they only have single pane glass and there are a lot of windows. The insulation between the skins is a batten type (not fiberglass) and there are issues for some with it falling down inside the walls.

These trailers do have their quirks and need some care to keep looking great. I'd recommend you head over to airforums.com and join up. There are many helpful people over there that can advise you on the care of your new, beautiful silver bullet.

Good luck!

[GENECOP]

Great choice Brian.....

[ttsr4us]

Update on what we bought today.

Thanks for all your views and information. It all plugged into what we put our money on but not in the way we expected!

Looked at the Open Range and Eagle's today and then DW noticed a Airstream lot near the Eagles. Well she feel in love and we are now the proud owners of an Airstream Flying Cloud 27FB. She said she just wanted a peek!

I was concerned about the lack of a slide out or two but she is sure she will not be claustrophobic. I have to say they make the most of the available room. Lucky we have a large truck which can carry her baggage!

It will curtail our planned extended camping season and was a lot more than we intended but we can afford it so here we are. She is a very happy puppy.

Brian

[GENECOP]

Major Dad wrote:

GENECOP wrote:
I would Avoid Jayco and Open Range...Delam and other quality control issues....as far as dump valves,the handles Themselves can be exposed, as long as the Gate Valve is in a heated compartment......that is how the Artic Fox is setup....

I've seen plenty of delamination on RVs in campgrounds over the years but have never personally observed a Jayco delaminating, though I am sure it has happened. I have never owned a Jayco and have never seriously considered owning one, so this is just a casual observation. As far as Open Range, I have not heard about delamination being a major issue, and I am member of the Open Range users' forum so it would be obvious if it was a big problem. After three months, I have not noticed any major QC issues yet on our Roamer. All manufacturers have issues of one type or another, even Arctic Fox. I really am interested in learning more about the problems you've mentioned, in case there is something I should be looking for that my research missed.

The OP wanted suggestions about a trailer that would handle 3.5 seasons with Arctic Fox being eliminated due to the lack of dealers in the area; I had a similar experience this year, and Open Range Roamer was our best alternative given the absence of Arctic Fox in South Texas. I am not altogether sure I would have chosen Arctic Fox if there was a local dealer, mostly because of the lack of 50 amp capability (for our summer travels) in the trailer length we wanted.

Sure, just Google" Open Range Delamination problem" you will find some good reading.This summer at my seasonal site there was an O Range...I walked by every day and watched several Delam Bubbles Grow bigger and bigger, finally the owner had enough and traded it in, taking the hit....As far as Jayco, the videos they put out showing a trailer knocked together in 6 hours was enough for me...Jayco, like many of the other Big companies are more interested in volume than quality.....

[Major_Dad]

ttsr4us wrote:
Thanks for the replies. Open Range is now very much on our list.

We tried to see a dealer today, in passing, but the salesman knew nothing so we walked away. Tomorrow we look at several dealers near Orlando which represent both trailer brands.

Good point about 50 amp supply. We need it.

Brian

Jayco acquired Open Range earlier this year. The OR founder is supposed to still be in charge, and OR products are still going to be built at the same factory the same way. That should mean more dealers selling and servicing OR RVs. How it all works out is yet to be seen.

[ttsr4us]

Thanks for the replies. Open Range is now very much on our list.

We tried to see a dealer today, in passing, but the salesman knew nothing so we walked away. Tomorrow we look at several dealers near Orlando which represent both trailer brands.

Good point about 50 amp supply. We need it.

Brian

[Major_Dad]

GENECOP wrote:
I would Avoid Jayco and Open Range...Delam and other quality control issues....as far as dump valves,the handles Themselves can be exposed, as long as the Gate Valve is in a heated compartment......that is how the Artic Fox is setup....

I've seen plenty of delamination on RVs in campgrounds over the years but have never personally observed a Jayco delaminating, though I am sure it has happened. I have never owned a Jayco and have never seriously considered owning one, so this is just a casual observation. As far as Open Range, I have not heard about delamination being a major issue, and I am member of the Open Range users' forum so it would be obvious if it was a big problem. After three months, I have not noticed any major QC issues yet on our Roamer. All manufacturers have issues of one type or another, even Arctic Fox. I really am interested in learning more about the problems you've mentioned, in case there is something I should be looking for that my research missed.

The OP wanted suggestions about a trailer that would handle 3.5 seasons with Arctic Fox being eliminated due to the lack of dealers in the area; I had a similar experience this year, and Open Range Roamer was our best alternative given the absence of Arctic Fox in South Texas. I am not altogether sure I would have chosen Arctic Fox if there was a local dealer, mostly because of the lack of 50 amp capability (for our summer travels) in the trailer length we wanted.

[GENECOP]

I would Avoid Jayco and Open Range...Delam and other quality control issues....as far as dump valves,the handles Themselves can be exposed, as long as the Gate Valve is in a heated compartment......that is how the Artic Fox is setup....

[FrankShore]

Is this the Video Link or this one?

[Oasisbob]

I recently saw a Jayco factory tour video on YouTube showing workers on the line asembling. My perspective was a bunch of guys running around building with speed as the main priority. No attention to detail or quality. It kinda shocked me. Wish I could link you but not that smart

[goducks10]

If I were taking off for 4-5 months at a time I'd want some room inside. Open Range makes a nice TT with good capacities.
http://www.openrangerv.com/Unit-Spec-Sheets/Journeyer/JT340FLR.pdf

Grand Design RV also has a nice large TT.
http://www.granddesignrv.com/reflection313-floor.php

The only Jayco with a reg size queen is the 338RETS Eagle. The rest are short queens.

[Major_Dad]

We had the same requirements for a trailer we could use both in cold and really hot weather, so we chose Open Range Roamer. Here is a link to the "Construction" page on their website.

[WyoTraveler]

Are both dump valves in a heated compartment on the Eagle?