Community Forums

chau · 07-12-2016, 01:11 AM

hi all,

I am newbie in TT space. After bit of a reading, was very close to pull the trigger on hideout 2017 175LHS. On one of the sites, I saw a bunch of low ratings for this model and keystone in general which has stalled the decision making.

Few questions:
1. Any one had any experiences with this model or keystone in general?
2. I have a 2015 AWD honda pilot which can tow 4500lb. What would be comparable TTs?
3. I live in WA state. Prices in here are nearly 100% more compared to prices in UT, MO, IA. Any idea why so?

Really appreciate your input.
Chau

jelag · 07-12-2016, 03:32 PM

Few questions:
1. Any one had any experiences with this model or keystone in general?

I own a Keystone 5er and have owned it 10 years... for the price so far its been a good unit... we have maybe 80K miles on the coach and have spent over 1000 nights in it... sometimes months at a time....

2. I have a 2015 AWD honda pilot which can tow 4500lb. What would be comparable TTs?

I honestly can't answer this... I have no idea what you trailer weights.... don't listen to the dealer or manufacturer... take one to a truck scale and weigh the thing with it full of propane and water and expect the wife to add 1000 lbs of STUFF.... now you have the reals story... my guess is that your HONDA WON"T WORK... but its a guess only....

3. I live in WA state. Prices in here are nearly 100% more compared to prices in UT, MO, IA. Any idea why so?

I'm looking at trading up and have been following prices of units on RVTrader.com... I'd have no problem in looking for a new/used unit and put the dealers into a war... I winter in AZ and see very deep discounts as the season closes... they want to sell them instead of move them to another location... YUMA might be your best bet... and I'd email MESA RV and see what they would sell the unit for...

But before you buy the thing... you need to know your ability to tow the thing or be willing to upgrade your tow unit.... I tow a light utility trailer with my Jeep... when I tow that utility trailer the Jeep's fuel mileage drops in HALF.... I assume you've considered that with your HONDA as well..

09 harley · 07-12-2016, 07:49 PM

I would steer clear of Keystone in general. They cut way to many corners to keep costs down. That's way they are so cheap. You get what you pay for.
You would be better off to buy a good used model of a better brand.
Everyone that I know that has had a Keystone has traded it in on a higher quality trailer.

gazingm42 · 07-12-2016, 11:10 PM

I don't have answers on the trailer except do some more research on your
towing of 4500#. Where you live in the West as I do you should reduce your weight by 20% for mountains etc. So basically your trailer, camping gear, food, water, yourself + family, fido, kids toys, gas, etc should be no more than 3600#

I know here in UT prices are very competitive because so many RV owners with so many dealers. I was shocked when I purchased mine 3 years ago
on how much they came down in price. So it some cases it can be cheaper to go to other areas to purchase a trailer, but know your sale tax rules for
your state first.

Oldelevatorman · 07-12-2016, 11:25 PM

Never mind what it says it can tow. What does the yellow sticker on the door give for a payload, 'passengers and cargo not to exceed', that is your limiting factor. From that number you subtract trailer tongue weight(13% of trailer GVWR),weight of hitch itself, everything in the SUV(you, full gas, wife, kids etc) and then stand back and say, holy s--- I need a bigger tow vehicle! Good luck!

Oldelevatorman · 07-12-2016, 11:27 PM

Oh, btw, all the keystones we looked at new had something falling apart on them so that told us to look elsewhere!

Paramedic 1 · 07-13-2016, 12:02 PM

For pulling a TT you WILL want a truck...and a 4 door truck works best. It is nice to have a covered bed to store "stuff" like a generator, tires, tools, gas can , oil, etc. And my humble opinion on TT's is Winnebago or Airstream....excellent quality and consumer service...For a truck I do like the Ford 150 with twin turbos...

sprayman · 07-13-2016, 01:42 PM

i have a 2015 outback, we just returned from a 2000 mile trip. no issues.

as for quality we find it adequate for our needs. i agree airstreams are nice,

never owned one but have been in them, too cramped for me, no slides.

in summary, no matter what you buy there are gonna be some short comings.

and airstreams are gonna be very expensive.

Jim

plasma800 · 07-14-2016, 09:36 AM

You might consider a Winnie Drop... it's 2600lbs, 17 foot, in the 15k range....

Winnie Drop Overview | Winnebago RVs

parkerbill · 07-14-2016, 10:14 AM

We just returned from a 4,600+ miles trip out West with our 2016 Keystone Bullet 269RLS ultra-lite and had zero problems with it. This included several days of boondocking and traveling over some pretty rough and gnarly roads.

09 harley · 07-17-2016, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sprayman

i have a 2015 outback, we just returned from a 2000 mile trip. no issues.

as for quality we find it adequate for our needs. i agree airstreams are nice,

never owned one but have been in them, too cramped for me, no slides.

in summary, no matter what you buy there are gonna be some short comings.

and airstreams are gonna be very expensive.

Jim

Airstream did try slides but stopped after a short time. As I have said before slides are just like skylights. They either leak when you install them or later. Airstream saw no sense in building quality trailers that would leak and cause problems for their customers. Info straight from the company.
If you have two trailers the same length and one is normal weight and the other is a so called ultra light weight you need to understand how they do that. There is no magic. We already know that all trailers are built cheaply and for the lowest cost. To build a lighter trailer you cut back on all areas, lighter frame-more flex, thinner walls-less strength, cheaper lighter plumbing assemblies-short lived, thinner roofs- can't walk on them and more prone to leaks, suspension components that are often not even rated for the gross weight of the trailer_ not safe and will not hold up, could go on but you get the idea. There is no other way to achieve weight loss.
Which is stronger? A 250 lb weight lifter or the 90 lb weakling. Same idea.