Were older travel trailers built better?

I had a 1991 Prowler 15 footer back in the day. It was bloody heavy for a 15 footer. There were things about it that were better. It had a metal (probably tin) roof that would way outlast a rubber roof. It felt more solid. My 2017 is probably more refined but, not as solid feeling. Better made?? I'm not convinced.

ksbowman wrote:
I have an old Coachman 1987 5th wheel (18') that I use for hunting that is still going strong. The last 5th we had before our newer GD was a Keystone 2004 and it was getting tried with quite a few problems popping up. I think some at least were made better.

Like you I have a 1989 Coachman 5th wheel that I have basically rebuilt just to update to my liking but the meat and potatoes of it were and are still structurally fine. Mine was a leaker but I remedied that and repaired anything suspect from water infiltration. I would put my little 5ver up against almost any new unit.

Another good example of old vs new is look at other threads currently on travel trailers about a 2017 Lippert frame braking and 1964 Red Dale still being used after 56 years. While the construction of stick and tin is basically the same some are not. Earlier TT a metal roof was common now they use rubber.Very common for Lippert frame failures very rare in vintage TT unless you count rusting out with age.

I know I would not want to give up the amenities of a modern travel trailers. Early TT rarely had a bathroom and no A/C. Hand pump for water instead of a electric water pump. Who would want to go back to those odd trailer wheels the attached by the outside edge of the wheel?

Chiming in here. When I was a kid in the 70’s we had an old Apache pop up. I don’t think there was any wood and that thing was a little tank made of nothing but steel, aluminum, and fiberglass.

As an adult with kids of my own we had a KZ 2003 model Frontier. Owned it for 12 years and it had its share of problems, worst being water leaks. But, we used the heck out of it and I was always playing Mr fix it. The issue to me is the wood and fiberglass construction being used as once water gets in through a seam, rot and mildew is inevitable. An older brand called Evergreen came up with a model that used no wood rather used Adzel which would not rot. Of course these units were a premium cost and I think that is what did them in.

Systems such as axles, fridges, ac units are the same throughout and all will fail at the same rate independent of the RV manufacturer and date made.

So in conclusion, I think the materials of construction (design) dictate the failure rate not necessarily the manufacturer.

Our first travel trailer was a 18.5 Aljo Deluxe. Very nice small TT. No trouble in the six years we owned it. We’re now on our fourth Jayco with a KZ in between. All have been satisfactory but none exceptional. They’re all obviously slapped together in a hurry. One brand new Airstream we looked at had a soft spot in its particle board floor after a roof vent leaked and water soaked into the floor around where the dinette was screwed into the floor. I was ready to buy one. After that, I’ll trade for a nice new stick and tin every six or seven years. I have a crush on a 2020 Winnebago 2106FBS at the moment. Ready to go back small.

Big Katuna wrote:
Newer CAN be better but you have to educate yourself.

Wood frame vs aluminum?

Wood layer on roof and exterior walls vs no wood ?

Axles under spec’d at capacity empty.

Look at how they strain relief plumbing at the hot water heater.

Look at the quality of the wiring at the breaker panel.

This is pretty much it in a nut shell..................

ScottG wrote:

colliehauler wrote:

ScottG wrote:
My 2004 Wildcat was built just as good but not as sloppy as my 2018 Arctic Fox.

I always thought Artic Fox was a better built unit, was it fit and finish issues?

Asking because I'm considering one of their models.

It was lots of workmanship issues. Cabinets poorly assembled with trim work popped loose. About 80% of all the screws installed for hinges and latches were stripped out. Awning's misalligned. Tons of little stuff.
The fiberglass caps have a terrible finish. It went back to the facotry for a new roof (another story but it was replaced in ONE DAY) and they "fixed" the caps - they still look terrible. They told me most of the units that leave the facotry have blemishes in the caps. Obviously a process issue that they just dont care to fix.
Then there's the warranty guy. No bigger liar was ever born.
Had it not been for my dealer, they would have blown me off.

Personally, I wont buy another NW product, mostly because of my dealings with the factory.

Thanks for the update, kind of disappointing to hear.

It may not be a valid comparison, but our 2019 Forest River Cherokee has better materials and better fit and finish than our 2006 Starcraft.

There's no rhyme or reason to which RV comes off the assembly line as a POS or a keeper.
My 2013 Fox Mountain was keeper but we needed more room and comfort so we went with a 2019 ORV. Not a POS but not quite the level quality of the Fox. Only issue from NW was a bad water connection part at the manifold.
As compared to what I've seen about other newer RV's our ORV is above average.

colliehauler wrote:

ScottG wrote:
My 2004 Wildcat was built just as good but not as sloppy as my 2018 Arctic Fox.

I always thought Artic Fox was a better built unit, was it fit and finish issues?

Asking because I'm considering one of their models.

It was lots of workmanship issues. Cabinets poorly assembled with trim work popped loose. About 80% of all the screws installed for hinges and latches were stripped out. Awning's misalligned. Tons of little stuff.
The fiberglass caps have a terrible finish. It went back to the facotry for a new roof (another story but it was replaced in ONE DAY) and they "fixed" the caps - they still look terrible. They told me most of the units that leave the facotry have blemishes in the caps. Obviously a process issue that they just dont care to fix.
Then there's the warranty guy. No bigger liar was ever born.
Had it not been for my dealer, they would have blown me off.

Personally, I wont buy another NW product, mostly because of my dealings with the factory.