Buying our first Travel Trailer

[grumpysmurf]

New to the forum and in the process of buying our first travel trailer. After a few months of looking to include a recent RV show, I think we have narrowed it down somewhat. Here I go North Trail, Kodiak, Flagstaff V-LITE, Mesa Ridge, Outback and Denali. Now when you get done laughing at our amount of narrowing down, I will continue! We don't need a bunky or a toy hauler so where staying in the 26-31ft. range. My question would be does anyone have experience with any of these and would you share? Are there others you would suggest looking at.
God Bless!

[Gsturner]

x2 on the positive comments on Forest River products (including Rockwood and Flagstaff). I have never experienced such a robust, positive customer service transaction as I did with Forest River as part of the FROG Rally in August. They totally repaired/replaced the 5 items on my list, then continued to effect repairs I hadn't even considered, replace light fixtures, change out light bulbs--went thru every system with a fine-tooth comb and fixed any problem--all at no charge to me! Outstanding, and unmatched in ANY industry, IMO.

[dadmomh]

If you haven't taken a look at the Rockwood/Flagstaff lines, might be worth a peek. We're on our second Rockwood and have no complaints. Our first was a HTT with the change to a TT. Note the model in our sig. I am not sure that they make the standard 2604 any longer, but the 2604WS, which means that it has a large 4-door wardrobe on a second slide in the bedroom. We would not have chosen that since we didn't need the space, saw no reason to haul around the extra weight and didn't feel compelled to spend the extra $. It has a real bedroom, an awesome bathroom and a large living area with rear window + a sofa bed with air mattress for guests. We are very pleased with both of ours.

The dealer we have bought both through normally orders 13K A/C, but it happened that this had a 15K....being in TX, would strongly suggest the 15K. We can set our thermostat at 78 and be very comfy....75 and you can hang meat in there. If you like the basic plan of the 2604, but not interested in the 2604WS, start checking the gently used models - maybe a year or two old. You'll save a bundle of $ and any kinks will have been worked out. Happy shopping.

[goducks10]

I wouldn't get any of them. I'd look at Jayco. I read about too many Thor problems and have owned a Heartland North trail. Jayco offers a 2 year warranty.

[Dick_B]

To help you decide on what RV to buy you could go to www.rvknowhow.com and read Joe and Vicki’s suggestions and/or download their e-book `RV Buyers Homework’, which walks you through the process of choosing the best RV for your needs, selecting the right floor plans and features, determining the RV’s cargo-carrying and towing capacities and evaluating its livability. (Nov-Dec Highways, pg. 21)
RVtravel.com and the Better Business Bureau have a DVD that covers the same subject
(http://rvbookstore.com/shop/detail.aspx?p=710&m=2) and Chuck Woodbury has an ebook with similar advice that can be instantly downloaded from www.rvbookstore.com.

[Dog_Folks]

We have lived and traveled full time in our 27 foot Outback for eight years now.

We love it.

[anaro]

When looking, sit inside the trailer and imagine your usage. Think about where you will put things ie moms clothes in this cabinet, pots & pans in that cabinet, kids toys in that drawer, outside chairs in this compartment. Act out daily activities, i.e. mom cooking, kids playing, dad watching tv or walking to the bathroom, sit on the toilet, stand in the shower. Make sure you fit. Think about what type of camping you will be doing. Rv resort with full hook ups most of the time, tank size won't matter, state parks with w/e hook ups, then pay attention to black and grey tank sizes. Dry camping or boondocking, then pay attention to all tank sizes and consider needs for a generator. If you are camping mostly in the national parks out west pay attention to size as the longer rvs tend to have issues with not fitting. Remember the longer the rv, the more limited the sites are for you to choose. Slides are great for creating room but remember opposing slides do eat up campsite space.

Once you decide to buy, do not give them anything more than the required down payment to hold the trailer until after the pdi and any repairs have been completed to your satisfaction. Video tape your pdi.

Before buying any trailer come here and ask questions about whether said trailer is truly within specs for your tv. Do NOT believe the dealership on this, they don't really know and don't care, they just want to sell the unit. Take the time to truly understand towing specs and how they relate to you.

Finally, research your dealership, find out if they have good customer service after the fact. The question us not if you will have a problem requiring service but when will you be needing to go in for service. All brands make really good trailers and all brands make lemons. Unfortunately, there is no one manufacturer that stands out as problem free. They all have QC issues. The key is to do a really good pdi, have a reliable dealership, and a manufacturer that stands behind their product. Going to the individual owners forums will tell you a lot.

I can tell you from personal experience that my dealership has been very helpful with my problems. I can also tell you that forest river stands behind their products. They are taking my Sabre back to the factory for repairs all on their dime. They also hold a factory (FROG) rally every year. At this rally they fix anything that is wrong with your trailer or motor home for free. It doesn't matter how old your unit us or if the problem was self induced, they will fix it. You have a 2001 trailer that you hit a pole with? No problem, here is a new fender skirt. This is good customer service. This us what you need to look for.

[DutchmenSport]

I've had a Dutchmen, Springdale, and Outback all Thor Industries TT's. Some minor initial bugs were fixed by warranty and they all were / are good campers. I think a good camper is dependent upon how well the owner cares for them. There are some issues that can turn up with any brand. If you read these forums long enough you will read about problems with EVEYY brand and tv type out there. In the next thread someone else will be singing praises for the exact same model.

[hddecker]

Ain't 20/20 hindsight a wonderful thing. The first thing I would do with your list is cross off all of the Dutchmen products. They put lots of eye candy in them and very little quality and craftsmanship.

Look around you tube for videos on the build of a camper your are interested in. Watch for the methods used and how much care is taken in the assembly. Some assembly lines remind me of the auto industry in the 60's, you had 15 seconds to install and tighten 5 bolts, if you only get 4 oh well somebody else might get them, if not to bad for the customer.

[donn0128]

Highly suggest you stop looking at new and start looking used. Will save you a ton in depreciation next year when you sell it for one reason or another.

[scbwr]

Highly suggest looking at Winnebago Winnie or Winnebago One travel trailers.