Community Forums

ScoobySue · 06-06-2011, 01:00 PM

We tow with a 95 Chevy Silverado 3500 Dually BUT let me tell you...it struggles to pull it. We are actually looking to get a newer DIESEL truck and have narrowed it down to either a 2002 Chevy Silverado 2500 OR a 2003 Ford F3500 Extended Cab Dually. I'm inclined to go with the dually cause we won't have to worry about weight limitations at all. My DH on the other hand is a die-hard Chevy guy so convincing him to go with the Ford it somewhat of a hard thing.

ScoobySue · 06-06-2011, 01:04 PM

Back to the camper itself... we have taken it on 2 trips soo far. One was about 2 and a half hours away and the other was only 10 minutes. I do absolutely still love love love the camper. Everything works perfectly. We don't have any of the problems that Taken has mentioned. (Ohh, there was a small problem with the screen door handle not being on right but it was an easy easy 2 second fix.) We have gotten many compliments from fellow campers on the trailer as well. They LOVE the grey exterior and so do we.

ScoobySue · 06-06-2011, 01:06 PM

Taken -- do you ever notice little tiny pieces of what looks to be black material on the floor from time to time? I keep finding them and have no idea where it is coming from?

taken · 06-06-2011, 03:05 PM

Nope, no black stuff. White stuff from when the ceiling was trimmed, but no black. We get a lot of compliments as well. Trailer is up at our dealer now getting the furnace fixed and having them look at our other fit and finish issues while it's there. Hated bringing it back there! I actually miss looking out my window and seeing it there. Love the trailer just like you! I was a Chevy guy too, but they don't make a big gas engine anymore which is why I bought my Ford. (Dodge doesn't either.) My V10 tows the 321 like nothing's back there. The motor is amazing. Hardly ever needs a downshift at highway speeds unless your really in the hills. Actually this trailer is a couple thousand lbs lighter than our last which shows. I managed 8.4 mpg on our recent trip. About 1 mpg better than towing our last rig.

iluvcamping · 06-07-2011, 06:54 AM

TAKEN & SCOOBY SUE.....

We appreciate all of your input! Thanks so much! We just got word that we can pick up our new trailer June 14th. We're going to take along all of your information of things to check out and look for when we go. If you think of anything else please let us know. The dealer actually wants us to stay overnight at their place to make sure we are satisfied. It would be a trip to have to take it back to the dealer for any work. We have a local Cougar dealer but we got a better price at the one we bought it at. The dealer is about a 4-5 hour drive from our place. On our Open Range Journeyer we took it back to Shipshawanna (sp?) to have warranty work done. I think it's better to go back to the people who made it. Besides, most dealers don't even like to do warranty work if you didn't buy it from them...which is dumb. They get their money from the manufacturer.
We'll let you know how our Ford truck did. Weight wise I think we'll do ok. The truck is geared to pull 11,300 lbs. Looks like we're going to go with the Huskey Centerline hitch.
I hope we can all stay in touch with anything that comes up about our Cougars.....

iluvcamping · 06-09-2011, 06:52 AM

TAKEN & ScoobySue.....One more question....Did you have the second ac installed in the bedroom? We live in a very hot..high humidity area and don't know if this is something we might need to do.

majorloser · 06-11-2011, 07:00 AM

I'm still on the fence on whether to buy this trail or get a 5'er. Soon after seeing this trailer at the Tampa RV show and visiting a dealer in South FLorida who had one, my truck got into a major acident. But now after almost three months, it's ready for parole from the body shop. So now I'm back on the hunt for a trailer. My truck is a 2010 Ram 2500 4X4 Mega Cab with a Cummins. It's a little limited on pin weight for a 5'er, but no problems with towing capacity.

No matter what I get, it will have the same features and three slides like the Cougar High Country. They are definitely ahead of the game in creating a TT that looks and feel like a 5'er. The solid surface counter tops, contemporary interior design and extra space three slides provide are impossible to find from other manufacturers. I'd be willing to bet the 2012 Tampa Show will be loaded with new manufacturers trying to copy the design.

majorloser · 06-11-2011, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iluvcamping

TAKEN & ScoobySue.....One more question....Did you have the second ac installed in the bedroom? We live in a very hot..high humidity area and don't know if this is something we might need to do.

I had an opportunity to talk with the factory rep from Cougar High Country at the Tampa Show this past January. The electrical system is only 30 amp as it leaves the factory and the roof is not properly reinforced in the area of the front roof vent for an additional 13K unit. I asked about getting a special order. It would require contacting Cougar HC directly and seeing if they will make some modifications on the factory floor.

I live in Florida, so I know what you mean about humidity and heat. But I've been thinking about a cheaper and easy alternative to additional cooling in the bedroom. One of these might just do the trick for a heck of a lot less money. Just need to vent the heat out one of the windows with the flexible duct.

Home depot carries a lot of different units.
Appliances - Heating, Cooling & Air Quality - Air Conditioners - Portable Air Conditioners at The Home Depot

IlliniJoe · 06-15-2011, 07:01 AM

Newbee here. I was looking, and really leaning towards the Outback 298RE and just recently noticed the "New" Couger 321RES. Has anyone been able to compare the two and what were your opinions? Thanks

iluvcamping · 06-16-2011, 06:13 AM

IliniJoe...We also checked out both the Outback and the Cougar HC. We went with the HC 321RES because it looked like a better quality trailer. If you check closely around the interior you'll see what I mean. We just brought our 321RES home yesterday towing with a Huskey Centerline hitch setup and a 2010 F150 heavy duty tow package with no problems. The dealer said Keystone is raising the price on the the 321res $4,000 so grab one now if you want one. We traveled from the St. Louis area to Walnut Ridge west of Indianapolis for the best deal. They said they have 4 more coming in soon at the lower price. Check out their website.

iluvcamping · 06-16-2011, 06:16 AM

Majorloser....Why did the rep tell you the Cougar HC is only 30 amp? Ours is 50 but we could have ordered ours wired for the second ac...which we didn't know at the time.

ScoobySue · 06-16-2011, 06:29 AM

Wow... I didn't know we could get the wiring for the 2nd a/c unit either. That SUCKS!!!! I would have definitely done that. I live in Maryland where it is HOT and HUMID in the summertime. I did opt for the 15BTU a/c but let me tell you, the bedroom STAYS warm!!! We really only use the bedroom for sleeping at night so it is not too bad in there. I just use a small fan and that solves the problem. BUT I would have definitely opted for a 2nd a/c had I known that was an option!!!

As far as the 50amp, we have it on our 2012 High Country 321RES and I love it!!!

ScoobySue · 06-16-2011, 06:48 AM

Illinijoe -- To answer your question, we looked at the Outback 298RE and actually had one on order UNTIL I ran across the Cougar 321. I absolutely fell in love with the Cougar and here are my reasons.

1. Both slides in the living room area are FULL long slides. The kitchen slide has the couch on it along with the fridge and stove. The main slide on the opposite side has another couch (or recliners like we opted for) and the kitchen table. The slide in the Outback on the one side was only for the couch so in our opinion it would make it much smaller on the inside.

2. The slide in the bedroom of the Outback is only a closet slide where in the Cougar the bed slides which creates a ton of living space back there. Both my boyfriend and I can easily walk around the bedroom, get dressed, and do everything we need to do without bumping into each other or it feeling tight.

Honestly, both of the campers looked super nice to me and I had a HARD HARD time making my decision. We liked the outdoor camp kitchen the Outback had on it. We also like the booth dinette that the Outback had that is not avaiable on the Cougar.

In the end, it came down to the fact that we thought the Cougar had more room with the 3 full slides on it. We have camped in the Cougar 3 times now and we absolutely love it. I don't question my decision to purchase or think I should have gone with the Outback. I'm satisfied but I probably would have been satisifed with the Outback too... Just a personal decision really. Ohhh, I'm not sure the Outback has 50amp service like the Cougar but I could be wrong on that too.

ScoobySue · 06-16-2011, 07:14 AM

Ok... before I forget we did have a problem with one of our slides this past trip that was probably my own fault but I want to pass it along so the same thing doesn't happen to you. There is a cabinet door (on the left side of camper) near the main slide on the enterainment center. Well, I had put my secret stash (liquor) in there before we headed out for our last trip. Apparently, I didn't shut the cabinet door completely OR it came open during transist BUT when we went to put out the slide out, I heard a horrible noise. Sure enough when we were opening up the slide, the cabinet door got caught and tore it all up. The hinges bent and the cabinet door is all messed up. I called Pete's RV (where I bought the camper from) and they said this happens A LOT not just on this unit but lots of campers. They recommend buying cabinet straps that will ensure the cabinets don't come open during transit. The good news in all of this is that Keystone is sending me a brand new cabinet door with hardware. I'm a perfectionist so living with a messed up cabinet door with NOT be an option for me. I just wanted to pass along this tidbit so that it doesn't happen to you as well. :-)