Looking for advice... (Full time 5er living)

[IronSydes]

Originally Posted by buc1908

Newmar use to build very good FW.

Thank you! I will add Newmar to the search list! Do you happen to know the year model I should be looking for?

[IronSydes]

Originally Posted by RS ODonnell

We're full timing in a 3121rl Montana. It's a Four Season rig and has been fine down in the teens.

Another option is the Arctic Fox. They are supposed to be good rigs.

If I were looking used I think I'd be looking at something like the Mortons have.

I have heard oposing opinions about the Montana's, however I have been looking at various models and floor plans. Thank you for your first hand accounting of it being comfortable when the temps dropped into the teens! (I would also love to watch video you posted as well, but youtube is unaccessable to us out here due to limited bandwidth)

[IronSydes]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

I lived in a 5th wheel 10 months a year from 2012 thru 2017. The key to me was comfortable reclining chairs and my cat.
The Big Horn you are looking at us as good as any of my recommendations.

But look at the Jayco Eagles and Jayco Pinnacle. They are warrantied for full time.
You know with a budget of 75k you can look at 110k MSRP 5th wheels right?

Thanks so much for the reply and advice! I will look into the Jayco models you suggested as well. As far as the $75k goes, I am looking at the actual sale price not MSRP. I understand that MSRP is going to be significantly different. However, being warrantied for full time living is a huge plus in my opinion!

[IronSydes]

Originally Posted by MtCamper

WOW, same duty station since 2004. You must have a very specific career field. I don't know where you are PCSing from, but if it's west coast, I'd sure look at Arctic Fox. I don't think you'll be able to buy a new $110K MSRP for 75K in todays market, but I'm sure you can find an excellent newer one for that. My favs would be the 29-5T or the 32-5M. I'm not familiar with Southern Marylands winter temps, but I'm guessing it's what we would call a shoulder season here in Montana. We've spent many comfortable days in our Fox with lows in the teens and highs in the 30s. You have plenty of truck for any of the Foxes and they would last you many years. Stay tuned to this and other forums post purchase for tips and hints.

I am an Aviation Electronics Technician so it's not such a specific career field, but is has kept me bouncing from CVN's to shore duty in the same area for the majority of my career. I am home ported out of Norfolk, VA which has one of the largest concentrations of naval bases and commands in the country.

Thanks for the suggestion for the Arctic Fox. I have looked into a few of them and the problem I am finding has nothing to do with the rig itself. There aren't any of them in my area to buy! Lol (I am reaching out to 500 miles in my searches) But I will keep looking!

However, you are spot on with your assessment of the temperatures. The averages range from the low 20's in the dead of winter to the low 90's in the peak of summer. To me, the climate isn't too extreme, but being in the aviation field has taught me to always pad my safety numbers. If the trailer is rated for 0 degrees, how does it perform at -10 degrees. If the rig weighs 16k lbs, I will have a 25k rated hitch and a truck to pull it. I know a lot of people don't subscribe to that way of thinking and that's ok with me!

Thank you again, I will absolutely stay tuned in for any tips and trick! I wholeheartedly believe in learning from the experience of others!!!

[IronSydes]

Originally Posted by r3842id

I see comments about not getting discounts today but know it is not only possible you need to be making it happen. We negotiated on over 20 rigs in the earlier months of this year and had no problem getting to 30% of MSRP in many areas.

I negotiated for my neighbor last month without issue.

We have been at it again looking at other rigs and still have had no issues getting around 30% off of MSRP (some higher). We are in the northwest but retired and shop all over so it is not a regional thing either.

I will say - once you negotiate that price lock it in if you want it because they will sell to the next guy if you don't commit.

I seriously thought about starting a business to negotiate for people as the sales people are all somehow convincing people of that narrative with the craze we are all living in.

I appreciate the advice, yeah I will not pay MSRP for anything lol. I am too hard headed and frugal!

[tuffr2]

Just to set your winter expectation it is not easy to keep warm any RV. You will want RV dual pane windows and thicker walls. RV dual pane windows will help a little because the air space between the glass is not very much. There is an Arctic Fox dealer in Pennsylvania, I looked at Arctic Fox 5th wheels and was not impressed as I saw shoddy work and rust on brand new units.

There is also an Arctic Fox dealer 35 miles east of Cincinnati.

There was a youtube video of winter camping in an Arctic Fox truck camper I watched and the guy made several comments that he was having trouble keeping warm.

I also personally tested a Lance Trailer in summer heat. It did not do any better than my current trailer.

So, that is why I think a Keystone Cougar is as good as any other trailer. Oh, on youtube there is a family living in Maryland in a Keystone Cougar 5th wheel, the channel is 'JB Reviews'.

I would suggest YouTube to view winter camping to get an idea of what to expect.

[IronSydes]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

Just to set your winter expectation it is not easy to keep warm any RV. You will want RV dual pane windows and thicker walls. RV dual pane windows will help a little because the air space between the glass is not very much. There is an Arctic Fox dealer in Pennsylvania, I looked at Arctic Fox 5th wheels and was not impressed as I saw shoddy work and rust on brand new units.

There is also an Arctic Fox dealer 35 miles east of Cincinnati.

There was a youtube video of winter camping in an Arctic Fox truck camper I watched and the guy made several comments that he was having trouble keeping warm.

I also personally tested a Lance Trailer in summer heat. It did not do any better than my current trailer.

So, that is why I think a Keystone Cougar is as good as any other trailer. Oh, on youtube there is a family living in Maryland in a Keystone Cougar 5th wheel, the channel is 'JB Reviews'.

I would suggest YouTube to view winter camping to get an idea of what to expect.

That has been my experience in the past when I was living in a 31' Salem 29BHSS (if I remember correctly) travel trailer in Williamsburg, VA for 2 years. Now granted I was an absolute newbie at that point and I didn't know what I was getting into, nor how to prepare for winter living in a camper. Hopefully over the course of the last several years I have learned a thing or two.

Hopefully I am being realistic at least in the pursuit of just lessening the effects of the cold. I don't expect it to heat as well as a house, or even a park model. I am just trying not to wake up with it being 20 degrees inside because the electric heaters tripped the breakers on the TT in the middle of the night since the trailer only had a 30A service haha.

Thanks for the great info about the Arctic Fox dealerships. There is a good chance if I go that route, I will just make a weekend trip to PA or OH and spend a day on the lot looking at trailers. I've also added "JB Reviews" to my growing list of study material. I can't access youtube out here, but as soon as I get back I will start watching their videos!

[clifford j]

Ironsydes, i'm a full time in a Presidential Suite 5er in eastern PA. I'm comfy in the winter and summer. Thermo windows , 40K btu furnace , 2 a/c's (only use one) in dead winter propane cost is prox 150/month, 5 bucks a day, I like 72 degrees.

CLIFFORD

[dblr]

Not exactly sure what the prices are but you might want to look at the River Stone Reserve line, 3" walls so a little bit more insulation, they do offer dual pane windows as a upgrade but not sure at what cost. They also have the River Stone and the Legacy upgrade that after adding a lot of options to a reserve you get into their price range so then the floor plan might make the decision. I know of dealers that are great for price then other dealers that are better for service it's up to you to decide which is best for you. Good luck and thanks for your service, I am up the road some in Delaware if you look at the River Stone line and can offer any more info let me know.

https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/fifth...reserve-series

[IronSydes]

Originally Posted by clifford j

Ironsydes, i'm a full time in a Presidential Suite 5er in eastern PA. I'm comfy in the winter and summer. Thermo windows , 40K btu furnace , 2 a/c's (only use one) in dead winter propane cost is prox 150/month, 5 bucks a day, I like 72 degrees.

CLIFFORD

Nice! I will see what is availible around me. The 3" thick walls and thermo pane windows sound like they do the trick! And I can absolutely afford $5 a day lol.

[bddadles]

Thank you for your service. I'm in full agreement about buying used. Look into consignment lots. It is a long way from you but we bought our HitchHiker (don't build them anymore) from PPL Motors in Houston. They are getting more locations but I don't know where. Their must be other consignment lots around the country.

From everything I'm hearing right now the Covid is making availability much more scarce so hang in there.


You asked about good units. I would look at Landmark, Luxe and Mobile Suites.


Just another thought that just occurred to me. It is a long ways from you but Kansas RV Center in Chanute Kansas is where HitchHikers were built. They are a big service center now and they do refurbs. You never know what they have available at any time. Just something else to check into.

[IronSydes]

Originally Posted by dblr

Not exactly sure what the prices are but you might want to look at the River Stone Reserve line, 3" walls so a little bit more insulation, they do offer dual pane windows as a upgrade but not sure at what cost. They also have the River Stone and the Legacy upgrade that after adding a lot of options to a reserve you get into their price range so then the floor plan might make the decision. I know of dealers that are great for price then other dealers that are better for service it's up to you to decide which is best for you. Good luck and thanks for your service, I am up the road some in Delaware if you look at the River Stone line and can offer any more info let me know.

https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/fifth...reserve-series

The Reserve line look like very nice 5er's! And there are 5 or 6 near me within the 400 to 500 mile range. But alas, they are out of my price range starting at about $95k for a new one (no used ones were listed at this time on RV Trader). I am going to keep it in my saved searches though, they look like amazing trailers!

I appreciate the luck and support! I will let you know if I come up with anything!

[IronSydes]

Originally Posted by bddadles

Thank you for your service. I'm in full agreement about buying used. Look into consignment lots. It is a long way from you but we bought our HitchHiker (don't build them anymore) from PPL Motors in Houston. They are getting more locations but I don't know where. Their must be other consignment lots around the country.

From everything I'm hearing right now the Covid is making availability much more scarce so hang in there.


You asked about good units. I would look at Landmark, Luxe and Mobile Suites.


Just another thought that just occurred to me. It is a long ways from you but Kansas RV Center in Chanute Kansas is where HitchHikers were built. They are a big service center now and they do refurbs. You never know what they have available at any time. Just something else to check into.

Thank you for your support and advice! I have been looking at Luxe a few Mobile Suites (they seem to be very difficult to find!). However, Landmark is new to me. I will add it to my search as well.

Yeah, covid seems to be doing a lot of weird things. I haven't gotten to experience much of it to be honest. Our first deployment started in January of 2020 before the pandemic was in full effect, and we did 206 days out to sea without a port due to it. This is our second deployment (we left in December of last year) so I've only had 3 months home before they sent us back out again.

Depending on where my search takes me, I may be making a roadtrip to Kansas! I could use seeing something other than water for a while haha.

[arcaguy]

I can't be much help on the rig but I can tell you that you will not be very cold in Maryland during the winter. I spent a winter in Bethesda and never got out my winter jacket. I live in Michigan and I would compare Maryland winters to early spring or late fall in Michigan. I think the most snow i saw was about 6 inches and it was gone in a couple of days. As far as rent goes it will probably be $2,000 a month or more so that will just about pay for a $75,000 fifth wheel in 3 years. Good luck and thanks for your service.