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03-10-2017, 07:55 AM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 5
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Recommendations for TT with bunks for family with kids
Good morning,
We are reaching out today to ask for your opinions about TT with bunkhouse floor plans and how they have held up for those of you with children. We have three, 12, 10, 9 (two girls and the boy - ) How do the floors sound after a month of jumping, opening and closing of the fridge 20 times an hour, you know, the regular kids stuff.
We plan on using our TT for full-time living. We are downsizing and selling our home. This is our first step towards getting all of our debts paid, lower our living costs, and using the savings to take more frequent and longer family trips.
We are looking for a TT with a dry weight up to 7k lbs. We've researched a few and are planning to visit a few dealers to look at the actual models. My wife loves the floor plan on the Jayco Flight 31QSDB and the Forest River Vibe 308BH.
Jayco has a 24 month manufacturers warranty where most other manufacturers only have 12 months.
Your input would be awesome, as we believe that word of mouth by those who use the products is so much better that the literature the vendors have. Real world better that happy talk.
Thanks in advance.
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03-10-2017, 02:04 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Outdoors RV Owners Club
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Warman, SK
Posts: 790
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My daughter and her husband have a Jayco Whitehawk 32DSBH and they are pleased with it. It's the second Jayco they have had. Previous was was Jayco Flight 25 DSBH if I recall the model right. They have two children and wanted a trailer that their kids could bring a friend along so they went to the larger model. I haven't heard them complain about it once.
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John & Linda
2023 Imagine 2970 RL
2019 Ram 3500 Bighorn 6.7L Cummins
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03-10-2017, 02:38 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Outdoors RV Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 855
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You don't mention where you live. If it is where it gets cold in the winter then I would look real closely at a 4 seasons rated trailer.
You mention that you plan to live in it full time. Most travel trailers will not last real long being lived in full time by a family with active kids. Not sure how this will effect your long term debt reduction plan but I would plan that the trailer will be well worn and pretty well depreciated at the end of five years. Most trailers just are not built very well.
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2019 Outdoors RV Timber Ridge 27 bhs
2017 Ram Cummins 2500
Soggy side of Oregon
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03-10-2017, 07:52 PM
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#4
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Member
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Farmer, N.C.
Posts: 73
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For what it's worth,
Check out the Apex by Coachmen
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Todd/Dorothy '16 Coachmen Apex 250RLS Ultra Light/ '11 Toyota Tacoma Dbl Cab Prerunner (40)Days in'16
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03-10-2017, 08:27 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Outdoors RV Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Hillsboro, OR, USA
Posts: 1,293
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If you are on the western side of the country. Look at Outdoors RV and Arctic Fox. They are well built but might be heavier than you would like. Also most TTs are not meant for full-time use. Even though people do it.
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2017 Chevy 2500HD LTZ DuraMax Diesel Silver Ice Metallic
2017 Outdoors RV Timber Ridge 25RDS Mountain Series 4X Off Road Suspension Pkg
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03-10-2017, 08:46 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,194
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Jayco would be my first choice but, 2nd the caveats re: full time use on travel trailers. If your family is hard on stuff you need to be handy at fixing things.
My other piece of advice is to buy a size that fits your kids when they are on their late teens. (I.e. Bunk sizes).
We bought our first TT when our kids were that age. Within a year things changed dramatically as they got older and we realized we had outgrown the TT
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Brian
2016 RAM 3500 6.7L DRW
2018 Chaparral 360IBL, Andersen Ultimate II hitch
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03-10-2017, 11:03 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Jayco Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 160
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Jayco Jayflight 28 BHBE
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03-11-2017, 12:04 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 138
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Keystone Passport 3350bh - under #7000 dry -- 2 slides (1 in bunk room) and 1.5 baths! Owned it for 8 months and love it - but will upgrade to 5th wheel when my first set of twins turn 10 and other set is 5
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03-11-2017, 05:56 PM
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#9
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Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Florida
Posts: 44
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We've had the Keystone Passport 3320BH for a little over three years now and love it. Very similar to the 3350BH mentioned above. But it's a three slide trailer, 1 living, 1 kitchen, and 1 in the bunk.
Got over 4K miles on it and nearly 5 months of time living in it. It has taken it all in stride and shows little wear given how much we've been in it.
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03-12-2017, 05:38 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Oregon
Posts: 1,052
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Like someone mentioned, a standard grade RV will not last long with full time use - especially with kids. The materials and mechanical systems are just not the quality of a house... not even close. Less annoying things like cabinet doors and whatnot will start to fail. More annoying things like plumbing leaks and appliance failures will happen before long.
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03-14-2017, 04:20 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 366
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Jayco is fine for the occasional camping trips but IMHO fit and finish is horrible and I wouldn't expect them to stand up to full time living. Airstream is second to none in quality but no slides equals less space. Plus remember with Airstream length measurement is taken hitch to bumper. Buy a top of the line Outdoor RV Mfg. i.e. Blackstone/Creekside, Timberidge or Northwood Mfg. i.e. ArticFox/Nash, both companies started by Ron Nash and first rate quality. I advise spending a couple days on YouTube, look at manufacturing and components, watch the one titled don't buy an RV, it's tongue and cheek but very honest information from an attorney. Most TT come with cheap Chinese tires that WILL leave you on the side of the road. Outdoors RV companies comes with Goodyear, they don't skimp anywhere but they are heavier but that's the price of you want quality. Winnebago Minnie line is a compromise a little lighter but still appear decently constructed. I don't know if the Minnie'swould stand up to full time use though so I would stick with Airstream, Northwood or Outdoor, just my two cents.
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03-14-2017, 06:42 PM
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#12
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Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 11
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We have owned the Dutchman Aerolite 28DBHS (double bunkhouse model) and do not recommend at all due to such poor quality, the manufacturer replaced the end cap on their dime (and then it failed again 6 months later). Now, we will never, ever, ever own any product that rolls up under Thor Industries again (which seems to be most TT lines here in the western half of the US). We learned a lot about TTs through that experience as we watched ours go to pot in under 4 years....and my sisters, and my other sisters, and my aunts along with them (we all bought the same time). This with regular care and maintenance. Insurance and attorneys have been involved. The commonality - they were all made by Thor.
We have an Outdoors RV Timber Ridge 27BHS (again a double bunk house TT) made by Northwoods Mfbg on order with the factory. It is the same layout as the Aerolite we had, and I do recommend that layout for 3 kids. Having the back bathroom door was really nice and the huge slideout made the interior very spacious.
However, for living in, I agree with those who say consider a 5th wheel instead. I think they are made better than TTs (a hefty cardboard box and a tarp would hold up as well as most of the TTs I have had personal experience with ).
After much research, it appears to Northwoods Manufacturing is definitely among the top for highest quality for TTs, so we are hoping they deliver! And this time around, we are taking no risks - it's going under a shelter.
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03-14-2017, 06:43 PM
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#13
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Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 11
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Thor just bought out Airstream too so I predict their quality may plummet.
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03-14-2017, 06:48 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Outdoors RV Owners Club
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Warman, SK
Posts: 790
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I thought Thor has owned Airstream for a long time already
__________________
John & Linda
2023 Imagine 2970 RL
2019 Ram 3500 Bighorn 6.7L Cummins
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