Opinions on Keystone Hideout

trail-explorer wrote:
Not a fan of Keystone (or any rig) that uses Lippert Frames.

I saw some pretty sketchy frames when I was hauling their units to dealers from the factory in Pendleton, OR

I saw multiple RV frames that the I-Beams were spliced together from two shorter pieces of I-beam.

As does 85% or more of manufacturers. Most of the Thor brands, Keystone, Dutchmen, KZ, etc less Jayco, DRV, and maybe another or two. As far as Keystone I've seen a few newer rigs on Bal Norco frames. Most if not all of the Forest River brands. All Grand Designs are on Lippert frames. The fact is you have to go out of your way to get away from Lippert frame and its almost impossible to get away from Lippert entirely. Seen a nice Oliver recently, had Lippert windows.

Not a fan of Keystone (or any rig) that uses Lippert Frames.

I saw some pretty sketchy frames when I was hauling their units to dealers from the factory in Pendleton, OR

I saw multiple RV frames that the I-Beams were spliced together from two shorter pieces of I-beam.

I had a 2010 Hideout 30BHDS that we bought used in 2013 and kept until we traded it in this winter.

I found it to be a great baseline model and served a family of four and a dog very well. It went tailgating at Bills games with 8 drunk adults and on 2000 mile trips. The only thing that ever failed was the slide out motor went just before I traded it in, but other than that, it was solid.

There are some marginally better deals out there with private sales but buying from a dealership gives me some piece of mind. Water is a nightmare for anyone but like you said keeping on maintenance is the key.

colliehauler wrote:
Own a 2009 Keystone Hideout and would say construction is average for the price range. The Hideout is less frills but the the construction is about the same.

A good service department you can trust is worth it's weight. My dealer told me when I bought a new 5th wheel (there are two types of RV'S, those that leak and those that will leak). Maintenance is the key to ANY RV'S longevity. Water intrusion is their worst enemy. Religiously check the caulking on the roof twice a year and you can get a couple of decades out of even a basic camper.

I don't agree with piddly stuff being a problem. That can easily be repaired by yourself. Water intrusion is another story.

Triangle RV and Peden RV both have good reputations. I'm from Cobble Hill and the unit in questions is at Gregs Rv in Duncan. Yeah we don't leave the island. Qualicum is about is far as we go for now.

myredracer wrote:

briggzee1 wrote:
Thanks. I'm actually on Vancouver Island so we are not far from each other.
Once again thanks. It's a big purchase for us. Going from a tent trailer to this :)

I lived in Saanich & Victoria for 20 years (miss it a lot). As I recall, the RV dealer in Sidney is reputable. The Victoria area sure is a lot drier than the mainland while other parts get high annual rainfall. At least you won't be towing it millions of miles like you might on the mainland. I wish we could take our TT to the Island but the ferry fare is so prohibitively expensive.

briggzee1 wrote:
Thanks. I'm actually on Vancouver Island so we are not far from each other.
Once again thanks. It's a big purchase for us. Going from a tent trailer to this :)

I lived in Saanich & Victoria for 20 years (miss it a lot). As I recall, the RV dealer in Sidney is reputable. The Victoria area sure is a lot drier than the mainland while other parts get high annual rainfall. At least you won't be towing it millions of miles like you might on the mainland. I wish we could take our TT to the Island but the ferry fare is so prohibitively expensive.

Own a 2009 Keystone Hideout and would say construction is average for the price range. The Hideout is less frills but the the construction is about the same.

A good service department you can trust is worth it's weight. My dealer told me when I bought a new 5th wheel (there are two types of RV'S, those that leak and those that will leak). Maintenance is the key to ANY RV'S longevity. Water intrusion is their worst enemy. Religiously check the caulking on the roof twice a year and you can get a couple of decades out of even a basic camper.

I don't agree with piddly stuff being a problem. That can easily be repaired by yourself. Water intrusion is another story.

Going to have a look at it today. If I see any issues maybe I will check back in for some opinions. Have a good day everyone.

jshupe wrote:
Our first RV was a 2014 Hideout. Good, basic rig that worked well until we were hit by the upgrade bug.

Be sure to check it out - as mentioned, quality will vary because QC isn't the greatest. Your PDI is critical, so know what to look for. I believe that applies to all of the mass producers, though, as this isn't a particularly well regulated industry and people seem to keep buying them regardless of issues. There isn't much drive except in the top tier, low production brands to improve QC.

We missed that one of our CorrectTrack bolts was missing and ended up towing our Hideout 80 miles home with misaligned axles because the rear left, rear hanger was completely disconnected. Dangerous and stupid - and because I wasn't experienced towing, I thought it might just be the "way it felt". I did stop a couple times and walk around it at the side of the road, but until I got it home didn't find the issue. Fortunately no issues with it, but had to argue with both the dealer and Keystone to get it fixed and got them to replace both tires on that axle for free though there wasn't really any damage to them.

Our first RV was a 2014 Hideout. Good, basic rig that worked well until we were hit by the upgrade bug.

Be sure to check it out - as mentioned, quality will vary because QC isn't the greatest. Your PDI is critical, so know what to look for. I believe that applies to all of the mass producers, though, as this isn't a particularly well regulated industry and people seem to keep buying them regardless of issues. There isn't much drive except in the top tier, low production brands to improve QC.

We missed that one of our CorrectTrack bolts was missing and ended up towing our Hideout 80 miles home with misaligned axles because the rear left, rear hanger was completely disconnected. Dangerous and stupid - and because I wasn't experienced towing, I thought it might just be the "way it felt". I did stop a couple times and walk around it at the side of the road, but until I got it home didn't find the issue. Fortunately no issues with it, but had to argue with both the dealer and Keystone to get it fixed and got them to replace both tires on that axle for free though there wasn't really any damage to them.

Thanks. I'm actually on Vancouver Island so we are not far from each other. The dealer is reputable and we are going back today to have a thorough go over. Check the slide, check the awning, kids are going to get in the bunks etc... Today is a good day to go have a look because it's been pouring rain for hours. The problem with the online reviews is that I can subsititue another company name with Keystone and the reviews are good and bad mixed just the same. The dealer has their own repair department and they will fix any issues on site which could be good or bad depending on their service level ( my brother in law bought from them and says the service is great )

Once again thanks. It's a big purchase for us. Going from a tent trailer to this :)

myredracer wrote:
When you google Keystone, add "quality" & "problems"...

Met a couple in a CG who bought a new Keystone TT for their retirement years. It leaked like a sieve from day one. Dealer could not fix it and it got sent to the factory who only made it worse. He ended up repairing it himself.

Know a couple with a Keystone. The quality of the cabinetry was atrocious. I repaired the dinette seating which was falling apart and cabinet drawers and doors for them. Below is a photo of the roller catch on one of their cabinet doors. The 2 pieces of the latch are over an inch apart! Also a photo of a bent catch and another showing a dealer repair on a catch.

Have seen Keystone TTs at RV shows and the cabinet doors & drawers were wonky and not closing properly. Hard to imagine they put them on display like that for all to see.

I do think though, that there is a difference in quality between the one manufactured in the east vs west. In some fairness, quality can be hit and miss and vary a lot between brands. We had a previous TT that ended up being replaced under warranty. I would either take someone with you to look at TTs that has been around them for a while or even hire an independent RV tech or at least go talk to one, on a used or even new TT. Could save a lot of grief in the end.