Travel Trailers Picking the right one

RV forums can be so helpful and informative.... :B

BossCamper wrote:
Looks like the OP took this advice ... hasn't been back to comment since first posting:D

Gdetrailer wrote:
Do yourself a huge favor..

Walk.. No make that RUN FAR AWAY from this and any other forum..

You are going to get nothing but other peoples PERSONAL IDEAS of "quality" based on one or several experiences with one or several different "brands"..

You are much better off going around to some of your LOCAL dealers and start kicking tires..

Agree on making the lists. But before you start, get definite specs on your tow vehicle, allow some wiggle room and that will tell you about size. Decide what the budget is for this and that answers the other big question. Now to the lists...how many people on a regular basis? Do you plan on camping with utilities or dry camping? Do you absolutely want a dinette AND sofa? Is an oven a definite yes? Do you need a bunkhouse style camper? Go from there. Make a separate list of things that would be nice to have but not a requirement. Know that you'll likely have to make some compromises along the way. Also agree on shorter, weekend trips fairly close to home vs long distance trips most often.

Advice is that if you decide that your trailer cannot be more than 27' and cost no more than $X, don't even go inside the ones that don't qualify. Remember that the cost of the trailer itself is just the beginning, so don't dig yourself into a hole before you're even started. You're bound to see some things you'll love and the salesman will help convince you that you can't live another day without them. Steer clear! Stay focused on your plan.

Quality to one person is not quality to another. Can only go be our experience, but we've had 2 Rockwood trailers and were pleased with both. I would consider them middle of the road. Every manufacturer is going to turn out a lemon once in a while, so price/quality is not a guarantee. Good luck.

Looks like the OP took this advice ... hasn't been back to comment since first posting:D

Gdetrailer wrote:
Do yourself a huge favor..

Walk.. No make that RUN FAR AWAY from this and any other forum..

You are going to get nothing but other peoples PERSONAL IDEAS of "quality" based on one or several experiences with one or several different "brands"..

You are much better off going around to some of your LOCAL dealers and start kicking tires..

I had a pup and hybrid. Pup was royal pain in the a$$

Hybrid was a winner. Spent about a $3k on boondocking year round comfort/usage upgrades.
I use it for weekend camping, family amusement park trips, state parks, and boondocking off season. Have all sorts of doodads from fresh water and waste water pumping, generator, bunk end covers, mattress upgrades, and 12vt upgrades. It was $10k used. The pup was $14k new. Lost $7k in 2 years usages on the pup. Lesson learned buy your second or third TT first.

Start a list, what you have to have, what you want, what you don't want, etc. take some notes as you study floorplans and mfgrs. Know what your Tow vehicle can handle. have an idea of where you are going camping (boondock or always full hookups?)...

Once we determined our needs, we got serious about finding one, it took some time and when we found it, it did not take long to seal the deal. We sold that one and got a slightly larger (but with slides) used one.. we knew our truck specs, the trailer specs and had looked at many, both on dealer lots and RV shows. We also looked on craigslist and that is where we found our current trailer.

It seems overwhelming at first, but once you get your list going, it gets easier.

Hope you enjoy your Puma 25RS. We bought a new 2015 25RS last October. Every time we take a trip in it we like it even better. Great RV!

If you've already narrowed down a style I'd start by going to local dealers and an RV show if possible. It will really help when comparing the construction from one brand to another. Getting advise online is a great start, but nothing beats seeing several brans in person and comparing.

What we did, we look at several different brands, got lots of literature. We sort of decided on what we wanted for us...storage, layout of the trailer etc. We had a Palomino PUP which we liked the quality of...we were looking at some different trailers and went to one dealer. We were trying to decide on this and that....he said why don't you walk through that one. We did and liked the layout. I looked at a dealer near us and they had just sold one like we were looking at. I found another one that was used at a dealer about six miles from home...when the gates opened at 8:30 AM I waiting to look at it. 2 days later it was sitting in the driveway. Decide what you want in a trailer and then go looking. We love to sit in bed in the morning and drink a cup of coffee...we looked for a trailer that had a place to set our coffee cups. DW side as a place...I have a cabinet on my side but added a holder. Everyone has what they like...decide what you want and go for it. We bought a used Puma 25RS that we love. It was what we wanted.

We're happy with our Forest River Windjammer. Jayco has a big following too. Lance has a good rep also.

If you are still here..

Perhaps a few other thoughts that you NEED to read and understand..

No matter how much a RV costs, they ALL will rot at the same rate if YOU fail to do routine maintenance.. From a $10K pop up to a $60K "5ver" they all can and will suffer from water damage IF you don't check and replace the caulking on a yearly basis..

That means you NEED to get up on the roof, visually check all the caulking, you need to check the corners of the side walls to make sure the caulking is OK, you will need to check around windows and doors and such..

You NEED to be proactive..

Keeping water out can make even the cheapest poorly build piece of junk last longer than the most expensive "high quality" brand that isn't maintained..