OUTDOORS RV--Soon to be new Blackstone owner

[schrod]

Hello everyone!

I am Rod and my wife is Valerie. We live in Iowa and I have searched and searched for the finest of travel trailers. From Google searching, I think I finally found it with the Blackstone. Our problem being they are made and marketed on the west coast and the closest dealer for us is Stewart's RV in American Fork Utah some 1175 miles away.

I guess this years vacation trip is to Utah. We have put down a deposit on a 2015 Blackstone 280RKSB. I am trading in our 2013 Cougar High Country 321RES which we got in August 2012. I know, I know. Only two years old but what a let down in quality from the 2006 that I had. 45,000 dollar trailer and the interior doors and frames are the paper covered crap like you get with assemble yourself furniture. And it seems like almost no insulation in it for the way it heats up in the summer. Time to get rid of it before the repairs start hitting us hard.

Anyway thru long and serious negotiations via phone and email, we have come to an agreement on price. We hope very much to be able to keep this one for a very long time. I am only a couple years from retiring.

Thanks to each and everyone of you who has written on a thread. I think I have read almost every thread that has the words Outdoors RV in it. A trip to the 2015 get together is a small possibility. Such a long long way but I won't give up on it! We shall see.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Rod

[Lac]

Schrod..Thanks for the post and welcome. I hope your pleased with your purchase.
We are very pleased with our Windriver..a few minor hiccups..as one person said on this forum no trailer is perfect. Would be interested in your opinions and comments on your unit once you take delivery.

Welcome and congratulation on your purchase.
Coops

Coops

[kayakcrazy]

Originally Posted by schrod

Hello everyone!

I am Rod and my wife is Valerie. We live in Iowa and I have searched and searched for the finest of travel trailers. From Google searching, I think I finally found it with the Blackstone. Our problem being they are made and marketed on the west coast and the closest dealer for us is Stewart's RV in American Fork Utah some 1175 miles away.

I guess this years vacation trip is to Utah. We have put down a deposit on a 2015 Blackstone 280RKSB. I am trading in our 2013 Cougar High Country 321RES which we got in August 2012. I know, I know. Only two years old but what a let down in quality from the 2006 that I had. 45,000 dollar trailer and the interior doors and frames are the paper covered crap like you get with assemble yourself furniture. And it seems like almost no insulation in it for the way it heats up in the summer. Time to get rid of it before the repairs start hitting us hard.

Anyway thru long and serious negotiations via phone and email, we have come to an agreement on price. We hope very much to be able to keep this one for a very long time. I am only a couple years from retiring.

Thanks to each and everyone of you who has written on a thread. I think I have read almost every thread that has the words Outdoors RV in it. A trip to the 2015 get together is a small possibility. Such a long long way but I won't give up on it! We shall see.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Rod

Welcome Rod and Valerie to the family. You are amongst friends now and the help here is tremendous, so use it. Couple of suggestions from someone who was in a somewhat similar position (my dealer was 5 hours away). Your PDI is important anything you don't catch with the dealer will be up to you to fix or wait till you can get back. I have a very good one that I will send to you if you send me a Private Message (PDI is 16 pages long). Second suggestion would be to book a campsite very close to the dealer where you can camp and use your unit. Things will show up as you spend time in it.
Dw and I are already making plans for next years campout so hopefully we'll see you there.

[BandC]

Originally Posted by kayakcrazy

Welcome Rod and Valerie to the family. You are amongst friends now and the help here is tremendous, so use it. Couple of suggestions from someone who was in a somewhat similar position (my dealer was 5 hours away). Your PDI is important anything you don't catch with the dealer will be up to you to fix or wait till you can get back. I have a very good one that I will send to you if you send me a Private Message (PDI is 16 pages long). Second suggestion would be to book a campsite very close to the dealer where you can camp and use your unit. Things will show up as you spend time in it.
Dw and I are already making plans for next years campout so hopefully we'll see you there.

Good advice, KC! Rod, if you've never camped in Utah before, there are a lot of campgrounds, however, 'tis the season, so you will have to make some phone calls and see if you can pick up a cancellation.

[Highway 4x4]

Congrats on the new Blackstone. Other than a New Horizons, probably the best out there. Sounds like you've really thought about everything. I would forward that 16 page PDI to your dealer and have him go through it before you go pick it up. Also have the factory set up a warranty repair dealer in your area. If you have not called the factory, you can call them and let them know of your plans. Enjoy!

[IdahoBob]

Originally Posted by schrod

Hello everyone!

I am Rod and my wife is Valerie. We live in Iowa and I have searched and searched for the finest of travel trailers. From Google searching, I think I finally found it with the Blackstone. Our problem being they are made and marketed on the west coast and the closest dealer for us is Stewart's RV in American Fork Utah some 1175 miles away.

I guess this years vacation trip is to Utah. We have put down a deposit on a 2015 Blackstone 280RKSB. I am trading in our 2013 Cougar High Country 321RES which we got in August 2012. I know, I know. Only two years old but what a let down in quality from the 2006 that I had. 45,000 dollar trailer and the interior doors and frames are the paper covered crap like you get with assemble yourself furniture. And it seems like almost no insulation in it for the way it heats up in the summer. Time to get rid of it before the repairs start hitting us hard.

Anyway thru long and serious negotiations via phone and email, we have come to an agreement on price. We hope very much to be able to keep this one for a very long time. I am only a couple years from retiring.

Thanks to each and everyone of you who has written on a thread. I think I have read almost every thread that has the words Outdoors RV in it. A trip to the 2015 get together is a small possibility. Such a long long way but I won't give up on it! We shall see.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Rod

Rod,

Congratulations and welcome to our little forum within a forum. I endorse what our other members have said before me on this thread.

I will also add a wild idea for you to chew on. Since you will be traveling more than 1000 miles to pick up your new beauty, and since it will be brand new, and thus will have a few things that need "adjusting", consider spending a few days in it while traveling to LaGrande, OR to get those "adjustments" made by the experts.

The record seems to be clear that the OutdoorsRV factory is the best place for adjustments (fixes ). And if all goes well, you can attend the 2015 OutdoorsRV Rally. American Forks is just a little over 500 miles via I-15/I-84 to LaGrande.

Cheers!

Bob

[Highway 4x4]

When/if I get a new ORV TT, I plan on taking the factory tour the day it gets built. There is a dealer in La Grande to pick it up from. Then camp at Wallowa and Eagle lakes at the rally. Probably not going to happen for a few years.

[schrod]

Originally Posted by IdahoBob

Rod,

Congratulations and welcome to our little forum within a forum. I endorse what our other members have said before me on this thread.

I will also add a wild idea for you to chew on. Since you will be traveling more than 1000 miles to pick up your new beauty, and since it will be brand new, and thus will have a few things that need "adjusting", consider spending a few days in it while traveling to LaGrande, OR to get those "adjustments" made by the experts.

The record seems to be clear that the OutdoorsRV factory is the best place for adjustments (fixes ). And if all goes well, you can attend the 2015 OutdoorsRV Rally. American Forks is just a little over 500 miles via I-15/I-84 to LaGrande.

Cheers!

Bob

Thanks Bob for the thought of traveling on to La Grande but I am of the thought that I have a good dealer and he will take very good care of me. We have worked long and hard on this deal (almost 6 weeks) and they have been really great working with me. By the way, Stewart's RV in American Fork has the only 2 2015 280RKSB's in the country! I have asked them to do a very thorough inspection since we are coming 1175 miles to purchase this fine specimen. After a 3 day journey just to get to American Fork Utah we will be ready to see the sites.

[IdahoBob]

Originally Posted by schrod

Thanks Bob for the thought of traveling on to La Grande but I am of the thought that I have a good dealer and he will take very good care of me. We have worked long and hard on this deal (almost 6 weeks) and they have been really great working with me. By the way, Stewart's RV in American Fork has the only 2 2015 280RKSB's in the country! I have asked them to do a very thorough inspection since we are coming 1175 miles to purchase this fine specimen. After a 3 day journey just to get to American Fork Utah we will be ready to see the sites.

There are LOTS of great places to visit within a day of American Fork where you can check out your new rig in its "camping" mode. It will be a wonderful time for you and yours!

Bob

[schrod]

Originally Posted by Highway 4x4

Congrats on the new Blackstone. Other than a New Horizons, probably the best out there. Sounds like you've really thought about everything. I would forward that 16 page PDI to your dealer and have him go through it before you go pick it up. Also have the factory set up a warranty repair dealer in your area. If you have not called the factory, you can call them and let them know of your plans. Enjoy!

I had checked into them and they don't make regular travel trailers. 5th wheels and toy haulers are their piece of cake.

[Trump5]

Originally Posted by schrod

Hello everyone!

I am Rod and my wife is Valerie. We live in Iowa and I have searched and searched for the finest of travel trailers. From Google searching, I think I finally found it with the Blackstone. Our problem being they are made and marketed on the west coast and the closest dealer for us is Stewart's RV in American Fork Utah some 1175 miles away.

I guess this years vacation trip is to Utah. We have put down a deposit on a 2015 Blackstone 280RKSB. I am trading in our 2013 Cougar High Country 321RES which we got in August 2012. I know, I know. Only two years old but what a let down in quality from the 2006 that I had. 45,000 dollar trailer and the interior doors and frames are the paper covered crap like you get with assemble yourself furniture. And it seems like almost no insulation in it for the way it heats up in the summer. Time to get rid of it before the repairs start hitting us hard.

Anyway thru long and serious negotiations via phone and email, we have come to an agreement on price. We hope very much to be able to keep this one for a very long time. I am only a couple years from retiring.

Thanks to each and everyone of you who has written on a thread. I think I have read almost every thread that has the words Outdoors RV in it. A trip to the 2015 get together is a small possibility. Such a long long way but I won't give up on it! We shall see.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Rod

Hi Rod - My wife and I bought a 2014 Blackstone 280RKSB this spring and are absolutlely loving it!! We have had it out 2 long weekends so far and this Friday leave for a 2 week tour down to Colorado and back, and we are looking forward to the extra room and comfort that this trailer has. I am really impressed with the quality of the build on my Blackstone. You can tell it is that extra step above some of the other brands that we had looked at. At first we weren't sure if spending the extra money would be worth it, but it a short time we have found it was well worth it.

So far we have not had any major issues with it (knock on wood!!). There is always some minor issues that we have had to have fixed up but there is always those. The biggest issue we have had was the countertop came with a series of scratches on it. The dealer got a buff/repair kit from ORV and tried to buff them out but they are still noticeable so they will replace the countertop this fall when I am done camping. It's not something that is going to keep me from enjoying the trailer.

Have a great trip out to pick up your trailer and I am pretty confident that you are going to love it!

[IdahoBob]

Originally Posted by Trump5

Hi Rod - My wife and I bought a 2014 Blackstone 280RKSB this spring and are absolutlely loving it!! We have had it out 2 long weekends so far and this Friday leave for a 2 week tour down to Colorado and back, and we are looking forward to the extra room and comfort that this trailer has. I am really impressed with the quality of the build on my Blackstone. You can tell it is that extra step above some of the other brands that we had looked at. At first we weren't sure if spending the extra money would be worth it, but it a short time we have found it was well worth it.

So far we have not had any major issues with it (knock on wood!!). There is always some minor issues that we have had to have fixed up but there is always those. The biggest issue we have had was the countertop came with a series of scratches on it. The dealer got a buff/repair kit from ORV and tried to buff them out but they are still noticeable so they will replace the countertop this fall when I am done camping. It's not something that is going to keep me from enjoying the trailer.

Have a great trip out to pick up your trailer and I am pretty confident that you are going to love it!

I really love seeing this kind of positive report! Thanks!

Bob

[ZMasterFish]

Hi Rod.

Congrats on your new purchase. I think you'll love your new Blackstone.

I hope you've enjoyed working with Stewart's RV. Have you been working with Brian there? I happen to know him and in talking to him about the guys there, they do a great job testing the trailers out prior to anyone taking ownership and they don't even charge you for your walk-thru. (The nerve of some dealers...)

If you're looking for some place fairly close to the dealership check out Granite Flats campground up American Fork canyon. They have sites that can't be reserved and if you go mid-week you may have a great chance at snagging a site. They DO NOT have hookups there but it is quite pretty.

For a campground with hookups you're going have to seek out a state park. Deer Creek is the closest to the dealership and it is up Provo Canyon, however it's not the most "scenic" campground.

Good luck with the trailer. All the best and safe travels.

[schrod]

Originally Posted by ZMasterFish

Hi Rod.

Congrats on your new purchase. I think you'll love your new Blackstone.

I hope you've enjoyed working with Stewart's RV. Have you been working with Brian there? I happen to know him and in talking to him about the guys there, they do a great job testing the trailers out prior to anyone taking ownership and they don't even charge you for your walk-thru. (The nerve of some dealers...)

If you're looking for some place fairly close to the dealership check out Granite Flats campground up American Fork canyon. They have sites that can't be reserved and if you go mid-week you may have a great chance at snagging a site. They DO NOT have hookups there but it is quite pretty.

For a campground with hookups you're going have to seek out a state park. Deer Creek is the closest to the dealership and it is up Provo Canyon, however it's not the most "scenic" campground.

Good luck with the trailer. All the best and safe travels.

Hey! And thanks for the encouraging words regarding Stewart's RV. Yes, I have spoken to Brian on the phone a couple times. He is in finance and is completing our deal. I am feeling very positive about this purchase as they have been wonderful to deal with via e-mail and phone conversations. We worked on this deal for 6 weeks or more.
As to needing a scenic campgrounds just for overnite we don't. Deer Creek would be great. However I already have our reservations in at the Moab KOA so once we get the trailer we will be heading out. ONly a short 3 hours away so if we have problems won't be too far. Keeping our fingers crossed there are no problems to be had!!

Thanks again for the very encouraging words about Stewart's.