First time buyer

[SabaiGuy]

My wife and I are looking to become first time TT buyers soon. And I would love to hear from some people with experience.

We have narrowed it down so far to what we’ve looked at to:

2024 KEYSTONE BULLET 260RBSWE

2024 Keystone RV Cougar Half-Ton 25RDSWE

2024 GRAND DESIGN IMAGINE XLS 24BSE

I would really appreciate any input, or shared experience with these models or any other in the same vein/price range. We want to make the best decision possible!

Thank you!

[TampaDave]

I like the layout in the keystone cougar. The athwartships head is a good use of space. Weird bathroom with the toilet right in the middle of the room. But you're gonna spend more time in the living room, and I really like what they've done with it. Love the windows. I like the light color scheme on the manufacturer's website, it'll make the room seem bigger. Thing's built like a sailboat basically and that's a good way to use a small space. Love the fireplace, you'll be amazed how that makes a space seem cozy. They put out decent heat too. Good bedroom layout with place to put your electronics. That's gonna be a really nice layout to live with, if you plan on spending an appreciable amount of time on board.

[hamm2018]

Originally Posted by SabaiGuy

My wife and I are looking to become first time TT buyers soon. And I would love to hear from some people with experience.

We have narrowed it down so far to what we’ve looked at to:

2024 KEYSTONE BULLET 260RBSWE

2024 Keystone RV Cougar Half-Ton 25RDSWE

2024 GRAND DESIGN IMAGINE XLS 24BSE

I would really appreciate any input, or shared experience with these models or any other in the same vein/price range. We want to make the best decision possible!

Thank you!

Best to find the floorplan you and wife like. Each manufacturer has problems with the rigs. You'll find that allot of people complain about the rigs, those that don't have issues are out having fun.
So, take any reviews with a saltshaker.

[Jay D.]

go in one of your choices and you and your wife (no sales person) just set there for 15 min. or so and talk about all the things you see that you like and don't like. then go to the next one, soon you'll have your answer. what do you plan to tow with, this is important to know before you buy.
Jay D.

[Cumminsfan]

The worst thing to do is be tentative when checking out the RV. Go in and act like it's yours and do a live in test. Lay on the bed and see how easy it is to get out of. Some bedside night stands are longer making bed access tougher. Sit on the toilet and see if there's enough room. Sit at the dinette for 5 mins and see if you sink to the bottom of the cushion. Open and close all drawers and see if the feel solid enough to hold heavier items. Open and close the blinds. Is there enough room in the shower. Where will you put a trash can. Is there enough closet space for clothes. Pantry? Is the kitchen counter big enough for a cutting board along with other items like a coffee pot?

Stay away from the GD. The CCC of it is realistically too low. 700-750 lbs. You will be overloaded. The GD also only has 1" thick foam walls. Pretty sure the Cougar has 1.5" thick foam walls.

My choice would be the Cougar 25RDSWE. Large bathroom, TV across from sofa, lots of counter space, pantry.

Both Keystones should be towed with a 3/4 ton truck.

[SabaiGuy]

We absolutely love the Cougar 25RDSW, and would definitely be our first choice, but it’s realistically, probably too heavy for our truck. We decided that being able to block our dogs off from our sleeping quarters would be ideal, and Rpod was able to do this without adding excess weight by putting the bathrooms in the middle of their 198, and 202 models. Plus the dry weight to loading compactly is in our wheelhouse, and is pretty impressive. It makes me feel as though they are built at least somewhat decent.

Thanks for the advice and input!

[SabaiGuy]

Thanks, this is good to hear. It can become a bit overwhelming to read all of the bad reviews, and hear the horror stories. I’ve done a bit of research on repairing them as well, and seems pretty easy. So becoming less worried about it.

[2Bargos]

If this is your first camper I would recommend don’t go in to deep and get upside down in a camper .I’ve seen it happen many times in my area .Folks will purchase a new camper and after a little while realize that don’t really care for a camping or simply won’t take,,or have the time to enjoy it and they are upside down with something that can be hard to sell.

I seen it more than once a family buys a new camper and really like camping and after using it decide they want something else suffer a loss when trading it in or they don’t use it and it sits in the driveway losing value everyday.

Earlier this year We sold our 33ft Adventurer and purchased a new 18 ft travel trailer that we love.We used it more this summer than we did the coach the last two years .We really thought we “needed” the coach but found out the large size could be a hassle
The smaller trailer is a breeze to tow, easy to get around and better fits what we want to do.luckily for us the coach had roof damage when we purchased it and after rebuilding the roof myself I didn’t end up with a loss when selling.

I guess what I’m trying to say is what you want and what really works can be two different things .Shop around for a good used camper, get your feet wet and then decide what you want and like for it to be enjoyable

[Beamer2022]

No doubt you will find the trailer you really like. Don't be surprised if you turn out like my wife and I, and buy a different TT in 3 years because you find something better after using yours for a while. You will learn what you like and really don't like after living in it for a while.

No matter which one you chose, please tell me you will tow it with a 3/4 ton truck and not try it with a 1/2 ton.

Keystone should be fined for false advertising calling the 8800 lbs. GVWR trailer a half-ton. You will have up to, and maybe a little more than 1300 lbs. tongue weight when fully loaded. Add 100 lbs. for the hitch and subtract that from your cargo/payload capacity of your truck. What is left is what any accessories like a cap or bed cover, etc. you or the dealer add, plus the weight of passenger, coolers, firewood, tools, etc. in the truck. Not many well equipped 1/2 ton trucks have over 1800 - 2000 lbs. of cargo/payload capacity.

The towing capacity is based on engine, tranny, and rear axle gear ratio.

The cargo/payload capacity is based on frame strength, suspension, axle strength, tire load capacity, and brakes. If you overload this, the brakes and suspension are usually what fails first and that's a danger to you and everyone on the road with you.

[RVfixit]

Originally Posted by SabaiGuy

My wife and I are looking to become first time TT buyers soon. And I would love to hear from some people with experience.

We have narrowed it down so far to what we’ve looked at to:

2024 KEYSTONE BULLET 260RBSWE

2024 Keystone RV Cougar Half-Ton 25RDSWE

2024 GRAND DESIGN IMAGINE XLS 24BSE

I would really appreciate any input, or shared experience with these models or any other in the same vein/price range. We want to make the best decision possible!

Thank you!

So, I own a Cougar 5th wheel and have been happy overall with everything.

You have picked 3 radically different floor plans, all with pluses and minuses as far as my taste goes.

For the 2024 Keystone RV Cougar Half-Ton 25RDSWE- I love having windows at the back of the trailer because many campsites have great views out the back of the camp spot but for me, I don't recommend the "walk thru" bathroom, they become cumbersome if you spend any time camping on the road.

For the 2024 GRAND DESIGN IMAGINE XLS 24BSE- Its curious that they put the bedroom slide on the drivers side at the back of the trailer. Many RV's are that way but I haven't seen this layout before in a trailer. My humble opinion is that the floor plan is too busy for me and would not like the TV in the kitchen area.

Last, for the 2024 KEYSTONE BULLET 260RBSWE- This is my favorite floor plan of the ones you have selected. For longer trips I think this would be the most comfortable with the big private bathroom at the back but you do loose the windows out the back. It has an entertainment center that makes sense across from the seating area and doesn't interfere with the kitchen.

From experience I can tell you that do your own research on what your truck can pull. Salesmen will tell you anything to get the sale. As some of the other posts have already mentioned, if your truck is rated to pull 10,000 lbs, don't buy a trailer that weighs 10,000 lbs. That doesn't leave any room for error, the things you load and just general safety when traveling on steep grades or winding roads.

Last, some State Parks and most State Parks in California have length limits. Here in California, 30' is the max with some allowing 35'. Just thought I would mention that when you start deciding which way to go. What ever you decide, when you pick "the one", don't be rushed. Sit in with your wife, walk around the bed, sit on the toilet, do everything you would do when camping to make sure you are comfortable and like what you see. The salesmen can go help someone else while you get to know the trailer your about to buy. I hope I haven's said too much, I'm just trying to share the things we didn't consider when we made our first trailer purchase.

Good Luck with whatever decision you make and Safe Travels!

[MtCamper]

First time buyer? Shop used. Private party preferred but OK to look at the dealers but don't expect a killer deal on a clean one. You need to look at a bunch and see what kind of junk is out there. Pay particular attention to which brands seem to look better after a few years. Buying new shouldn't even be considered until you have some miles under your belt.

[Lantley]

Originally Posted by MtCamper

First time buyer? Shop used. Private party preferred but OK to look at the dealers but don't expect a killer deal on a clean one. You need to look at a bunch and see what kind of junk is out there. Pay particular attention to which brands seem to look better after a few years. Buying new shouldn't even be considered until you have some miles under your belt.

I will disagree with the above. Buying used is OK if you no what your looking for and what your looking at. However if you are inexperienced buying used is risky business.
There are lots of pitfalls in the RV world. If you are inexperienced you may have difficulty distinguishing a cream puff from a lemon.
Only buy used if you have adequate RV knowledge otherwise there are no bargains.
Lastly buying new has its own challenges, however you get a warranty to protect you from major failures.

[Flag22FBS]

Plenty of good advice here. What we have experienced is that the dealer makes all the difference - after sales service, and guidance is really important especially if you are new to RV'ing. Search dealer reviews. And do buy a used unit. Our first two TT were bought used from a reputable dealer, actually a smaller dealer - we are wary of the 'super store' dealers. All that fancy decor, reception people etc. has to be paid for. Finally, buy small for starters, especially if you are new to towing. And most important part of RV'ing is a capable tow vehicle. Too easy to be at / over the 'limit'.
And questions...please do ask ...lots of experience and good people on this forum!

[Cumminsfan]

It's a sad state of affairs when you have to rely on your dealer to fix the junk they sell.