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Jazy11 · 02-09-2016, 12:43 AM

We are looking to make our first RV purchase but are limited due to our tow capabilities (2010 F150). I believe our tow limit to be right around 5700. I wanted something with more room than a pop up and came across a 2015 Keystone Passport 171EXP. My concern is the bad reviews I've seen for Keystone. Has anyone on here had any experience with them? In particular the 171? Since it's a light weight I'm worrying if they skimped on a few things to make it so. I've also considered a Wolf Pup even though a little smaller the reviews seemed more positive. I've heard great things about Jayco and just came across one a few years older that I'm going to try and look at tomorrow. Prefer to stay with a hybrid if possible, at least I think so...lol. Without true experience I'm going off of what I do know and that is that we love tent camping but need the convenience of a trailer so a hybrid seems to fit the bill. Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

coldfusion · 02-09-2016, 10:04 AM

Not familiar with Keystone but I bought a new Jayco Jay Flight SLX 264BHW last summer. Dry weight is only 4600#. I tow with a Ram 1500 and it's light enough for your F150.

Tundra53206 · 02-09-2016, 10:49 AM

I've owned Jayco's and Keystone TT's in the past and without question, the Jayco is light years ahead of Keystone as far as quality and customer support.

daveRG · 02-09-2016, 09:26 PM

I also have a Jayco 264BH and its great so far. Not to open a can of worms here, but what do you mean your "tow limit" is 5700? There are a lot of weight variables/limits involved (GVWR, GCWR, payload, tongue weight, tow capacity, just to name a very few) in figuring out what your vehicle is capable of. I only bring this up so that you don't shortchange yourself on the TV capability, thus unnecessarily limiting the amount of TT's on your radar.

If you've already considered all this and done the research and are certain on your TV limits, sorry, and ignore what I've said. But if not, you might open yourself up to many more possibilities. I myself knew nothing in the beginning, and assumed that since my truck manual said I could tow 10,100 pounds, I was all set. I quickly learned there was a lot more to it.

RPr · 02-09-2016, 10:37 PM

Just watch the max cargo capacity on your F-150. Mine is 1411 lbs. With 600 lb tongue weight, that leaves 800 lbs for me, the wife, dog, truck cap and tools.

Jazy11 · 02-09-2016, 10:39 PM

Thank you for the feedback. This just confirms my gut feeling to go with a Jayco if possible. Looking at a 2012 Jay Feather 171exp through a private seller. He seemed to be as honest as possible imo, said this was his first trailer as well and probably put 8K miles on it. Said he hasn't had any problems other than something falling on the floor and puncturing a hole in it that he had fixed right away and a small leak in canvas that was also repaired and hasn't leaked since over a few years. He mentioned he hasn't done any type of preventative maintenance though or ever even looked at that roof. I'm nervous about purchasing only because I don't know anything at all about RVs from personal experience. All has just been from online research. Price he's asking seems fair and the unit shows beautifully but don't know how to even begin to inspect it, what to look for, except for things that would be obvious. That being said, does the story about the floor and canvas sound like anything I should be concerned with and also the fact that nothing seems so have been done to the unit? Granted it's only 4 years old, I was under the impression that roof should be checked often, winterizering unit before winter, and so forth. It has been kept outdoors without overhead coverage as well. Any advice on what to look for?

scbwr · 02-10-2016, 05:17 AM

You want to examine every seam and every spot on the roof where lap sealant has been used. Look for bad cracking and any evidence that water could have leaked through the sealant. Then, inside the trailer, examine every opening (vents, tv antenna, etc) and around the perimeter of the ceiling and look for any evidence of water leaks. After four years, it may be fine, or there could be an issue. If you're not sure, consider arranging for a local RV service shop to inspect the trailer. It will require the owner being willing to tow it to the shop and you cost you the cost of the inspection, but dealing with any leaks and subsequent damage could be far more costly.

If you buy the unit, thoroughly clean the roof and apply sealant where needed. If cleaned properly, you can apply new sealant over existing sealant. If you are more meticulous, you can carefully remove old sealant, clean the surface and then apply new sealant.

Be sure to inspect and check EVERYTHING for proper operation including the refrigerator, stove, furnace, ac unit (if applicable), water lines/faucets, toilet, etc.
Jayco makes a pretty good product for the money.

Since this is your first hybrid trailer, buying a used one makes a lot of sense. You can use it for a season or two, and if you find out that you want something else, you will do fairly well on a trade/resell. Hybrids are a great way to have more living space in a smaller trailer and have less weight to tow.

Good luck!