Best regarded brands - Generally speaking

[kentucky_slim]

Hi, great resource you all have cultivated here.

A little background...I'm a 40 something outdoorsman, life long camper, etc. Spent many, many days and weekends of my youth at various lakes and campgrounds in an old Coachman TT that was previously my grandparents and later bought from them by my parents.

Flash forward many years and I have my own family with 2 young boys and I'm looking to get a TT. I do a lot of tent camping, backpacking, etc, but my wife (a prissy city girl) will require A/C and the accommodations an RV can provide. I hope / plan on making a purchase sometime in the next year or two.

Right now it is research, research and research some more. As such I have one big question.

What are, if any, some of the generally better regarded makes/brands when it comes to TT?

Given that very broad question let me try to trim it down a bit so hopefully you wonderful guys and gals can help me focus my research.

Budget up to 25k'ish cash...could go more...could certainly go less.
New or slightly used. Not in a rush to buy. Off season purchase most likely.
Tow vehicle likely to be my 1/2 ton pickup, but certainly have thought about bumping up to 3/4 ton pickup diesel or maybe a gasser for a variety of reasons.
Under 30 foot likely preferred. Although I do have a lot of towing experience.
Most hauls will be under 700 miles round trip for foreseeable future, but the occasional long distance run until the boys are a bit bigger.
Family of 4. Kids are younger so floorplan with rear bunks is preferred/needed.
Slide(s) on non door side or no slides at all.
Interior height is a HUGE concern as I'm 6'6". This also affects the master bed i.e. no entertain system up against end of bed as I'm seen on some floorplans.
All season kit important as I do a lot of hunting all fall and winter and could use for winter trips.

Probably missing some obvious things here, but like I said hoping to focus my search a little on specific brands that seem to have better quality control, initial reliability. I've been looking on the web and stuff for months and nothing beats responses from those with real life experiences. I am an extremely handy individual and understand/practice preventative maintenance, but a TT is for enjoyment / relaxation and don't want to be chasing problems every time out.

Thanks in advance!

[Drew510]

We have a Heartland Mallard M29, which is the same floor plan as the Nash 29S. I think you would appreciate the bigger bunks it has over the 25c, especially considering with your height, your kids are likely pretty tall (or will be) as well. They will be much less coffin-like.

It's right about the same weight as ours. Not sure what your TV is other than a 1/2 ton, but I would find out exactly what your towing capacity is and go from there.

[patperry2766]

I have looked at several models by different manufacturers, and the one thing that I can universally say is that when and if we get a bunk model, it will be along the lines of Nash's 29S.

It has the bigger bunks that I think will last for many, many years longer than the more narrow beds that you find in many of the bunk models.

[Hannibal]

Wife says counter space, storage and closet space. The 25c has good sized tanks for its size. Nice midsized trailer.

[Hannibal]

Wife says counter space, storage and closet space. The 25c has good sized tanks for its size. Nice midsized trailer.

[kentucky_slim]

I knew I could count on you wonderful people!

There has been A LOT of great information presented and shared here and for that I am extremely thankful.

Because of that great information I think I have potentially found what I'm looking for....the Nash 25C. It appears to have most everything I'm looking for, and best of all there is a Northwoods dealer 95 miles from me. Not next door, but given where these are built I call that a win! The interior height specs are not published anywhere I could find so I emailed that dealer. He says it is 6'6" to 6"10" at the interior peak. Perfect! The only down side I'm seeing right now is the bed is only 74"and, like Hannibal pointed out, not extremely desirable. However, given the use of a curtain to separate that living space I could easily build an "extension" and replace that mattress with a new longer one. Everything else looks great. I could probably safely pull this with my half ton, but after some looking around found that the specs for this model, like all???, underestimate the real world tongue weight, etc.

I'm still keeping my mind open so any further input would be appreciated. In the meantime I'm going to take a trip to that dealer sometime in the near future and take a look at the Northwood offerings.

If anyone has any direct input on the Nash 25C or other Nash models please chime in or direct message me.

thanks everyone!

[Hannibal]

I've been happy with three Jayco's, one KZ-RV and an Aljo over the years. My recommendation is an 80" queen bed over the ever popular 74" queen bed found in many smaller TT's. Another thing is bath tub or shower height. I'm 6'2" and can stand in ours with room to shampoo my mop. If you get a slide model, I insist on a rack and pinion slide mechanism over hydraulic or the troublesome cable driven slides. Make sure you can get to the fridge and bathroom with the slide in so rest stops and loading at the house are easy. One of the things I like about our Jayco is, two thirds of the TT is in front of the axles for better stability while towing. I ordered ours with a factory 2" receiver out back to carry our bicycles. Just me but I'd prefer a 3/4 ton pickup for even a 26'~ travel trailer.

[falconbrother]

My vote would be to buy new. For 30 years we bought used. This time we went new. Wish we had done that a long time ago. The time to buy is early spring. All the RV dealers start having sales and this year sales have been smoking hot. Good deals to be had and lots of inventory. Sales are projected to remain strong for RVs for the next couple of years.

Get something your wife likes. Trust me on this one. You want peace? Let her have a big part in picking it out. You're welcome.

Go with the biggest unit that will meet your needs and that you can safely tow. Get the slide out. You will be happy you did.

As far as brands, I can't be much help. Most brands come and go. Lots of orphans out there. No big deal. Some of those orphans were top quality when they were made.

[coolbreeze01]

There can be problems with any of them. If you have at least a 3/4 ton, I wouldn't buy an ultra-lite. The items they cut weight on are probably important.

[RavensFan24]

My Keystone Premier has vaulted ceilings. I'm 6'3" and still have room. 6'6" might be at the top of the ceiling, but at least you aren't ducking. I haven't measured the interior height, but I Can tell you I don't think about hitting my head like I did in my last trailer. I'd think you'd be able to stand up straight and still have clearance

[normal_dave]

This particular model from Outdoors RV is keeping my attention. It is a Timber Ridge, with 2 slides, and it's a fairly short trailer. It does have the entertainment center location you didn't like...but check it out anyway. ~ $45K MSRP, and a sale price of ~ $29K. I talked to Outdoors RV, and they no longer make this floorplan with the center island, but for a small four seasons trailer, this is pretty slick, and I actually like the 2 slide setup in this design. Road trip anyone?

New 2016 Timber Ridge 230RBI closeout

and the walk-thru:
Timber Ridge 230RBI

Edit: even better...2016 Outdoors RV Creekside 23DBS, 4 seasons, bunks, outdoor kitchen, plus all the rest, still has the entertainment center, but they do advertise a true queen bed, with a little space at the end.
2016 Outdoors RV Creekside 23DBS, Mesa, AZ

[valhalla360]

The height requirement drives you towards a 5th wheel. You can certainly do a travel trailer but the roof will always feel like it's right there about to hit your head.

Assuming you get a mid-height 5th wheel, you get a lot more head room everywhere except the bedroom but in the 26-30' range, you don't really spend a lot of time standing in the bedroom anyway (if you are comfortable crawling in and out of tents, this should be a non-issue).

Are you comfortable with your feet hanging off the bed a bit? A lot of RV beds are 6-8" shorter than a household bed, so if it's critical you will want to look for a full length bed or plan to replace with a full length.

With a 5th wheel, a 3/4 or 1 ton is really preferable as the pin weight is usually the limiting factor but if you stay in this size range single rear wheel should be fine.

Assuming you go used, past maintenance tells you far more than manufacturer. Most of the equipment and construction are largely the same unless you go really high end but then you are going to find it tough to get something reasonably new in your budget and it's going to be heavy (possibly enough to drive you to a dual rear wheel).

PS: I wouldn't consider not having at least one decent sized slide in the living area. The difference in living space (particularly with a couple kids on a rainy day) is just night and day. Also, the resale value will be hurt as almost no one wants a non-slide trailer.

Go to a dealer and sit down and imagine functioning with normal daily tasks (particularly if it's rainy and everyone is inside). With your height, some of the small toilet spaces are an issue. It sounds crude but pretend you are wiping. Does your head hit the wall during the process?

[rbpru]

I would say 1/2 ton TV stay under 7500 gross TT weight, 3/4 if you want bigger.

With kids, a slide is a good idea. Floor plan remains when all else is forgotten.

Also, found the TT we thought we wanted and rented a similar sized unit for a week. You learn quite a lot that way.

[normal_dave]

Ditto: Nash (laminated wood frame wall structure), and Outdoors RV (laminated aluminum frame wall structure.)

Outdoors RV (and some Nash) has HD frame and "off-road" chassis, along with a high crown radius roof, which even after the 5" insulated crown, still markets more headroom than the competition. You'll likely have to head out West to get one, but many folks do just that.

We don't need 4 seasons construction in our neck of the woods, but I value it for strength and capability in dealing with our heat/humidity, and the benefits of the stronger frame. They are heavy, so pay attention to your loaded weight.

Here's a clip of their construction, tells a good story.
Outdoors RV construction video

Here's an "out of the box" option. Reading your post sounded familiar. (tent, interior height, A/C, 1/2 ton truck, hunting, 2 boys, and you are handy). We went from two tents and a loaded family van to a cargo trailer conversion. It has to be the most fun camping project for the lowest cost we've ever done.

Here's our basic toy hauler/camper, just one step up from the tents, but the sky, and your imagination is the limit:
cargo trailer conversion

We ordered ours with windows, RV door, jacks and step installed, along with 6" additional roof height from the factory, and we finished out the interior, added electrical, insulation, and the modular e-track system that allows us to quickly convert from camper, to hauler, to plain old trailer. You could easily install a roof A/C, but we chose to build a removable 1/2 door width "closet" that holds a window A/C unit.

While it looks fairly utilitarian, we really like the welded 1" steel square tubing on 16" centers in the walls and ceiling. It really makes for solid construction, and I don't worry about taking it down a forest service road for example.

Here's another discussion from a new builder and some helpful links to give a better idea of the conversion concept.
Cargo Conversion ideas, family of 4

Most of us here, will find the camper we like, and purchase it from a dealer ready to go. Based on your list of requirements, an Outdoors RV or Nash would still get my vote. Want to save some money on the tow rig, have a fun family project, and put in the camper only what you really need, and have cash left to enjoy the camping experience without making payments? Then consider the cargo conversion.

Edit: Speaking of finding the right "turn-key" camper. This one is all aluminum, built tough, sleeps 4, ready to go, (on sale)
Livin' Lite Camplite 21RBS

A walk-thru video on the same model:
21RBS walk-thru

Good Luck

[BizmarksMom]

Are you going to stay on pavement, or tow down dirt and gravel roads?
If you are towing down dirt and gravel roads, look at Northwood RV, Outdoors RV, and Lance.