Travel Trailer: Recommendations/Reviews/Advice

[Dgreen0101]

Hi everyone,

Wife and I are newbies looking to purchase a new trailer within the next 2 months.
Plan: Live full time in trailer while we attend nursing school (16 months), probably stationary for the 16 months. After graduation we will head to Cali or Oregon. That's when we're gonna really adventure around. Lots of camping, all seasons. Especially winter, plan on parking near ski resorts for snowboarding/skiing all winter.

We live in Florida now. Getting through the first 16 months is key. Local dealership has a lot of Forest river and Palomino Puma trailers. We were going to go with one but I haven't found a lot of reviews but the ones I did see were horrendous. Im super nervous now. Seen a lot of stories of things breaking/falling apart.

We are looking for the best quality. We don't want a ton of problems from the beginning bc with school we wont have time to deal with it. Willing to spend more money on quality.

Questions:
- What other brands does everyone recommend for full time living and why?
- Experience/tips with living full time in a travel trailer.
- Anyone have experience with forest river/puma? Hows the durability/quality, any problems?

Look forward to listening and talking with everyone. Thanks!

[Spdracr39]

First : Make sure you are dealing with a reputable dealer that has great customer service reviews. A huge quality issue can be made right by a good dealer and a minor issue can be made much worse with a crappy one.

Second : Floor plan is more important than brand. You can upgrade and replace a lot of things but you can't really change the floorplan.

Third : Don't buy new and expect to use it issue free right off the lot. It may happen but chances are it will not and it doesn't matter what brand. This is why the first one is so important.

Fourth : Do not take delivery of the unit until you are satisfied EVERYTHING works perfectly and all appearance items are as you expect them to be. Once you sign it is yours and going back on things will take longer and be harder to get fixed.

And finally, remember the warranty that comes with the unit and especially the one they will try to force you to buy isn't worth the paper it's written on. Sad but just a reality. If you go in expecting nothing from it you will not be disappointed and anything it does work for will make you happy.

This is why so many people buy used units. I'm not saying don't buy new just remember it's your money and you control the deal not the dealer up to the point you take delivery.

[shane_the_ee]

Originally Posted by Dgreen0101

Especially winter, plan on parking near ski resorts for snowboarding/skiing all winter.

There are many, many trailers advertised with "arctic package" and "4-seasons" packages. But there are very few trailers designed for true winter use: Outdoors RV, Lance, and Arctic Fox. What's the difference? Well, you need to make sure that the dump valves are in a heated, insulated compartment, otherwise you'll go all winter without being able to dump your holding tanks. *All* the plumbing has to be in a heated/insulated compartment or it will freeze. The "4-season" packages on most trailers are almost always just a bigger furnace and a heating pad around the water and holding tanks. It's enough for camping into late fall when the temperatures might dip down into the upper 20's at night. But they're not nearly enough for spending weeks below freezing...

[Persistent]

Excellent advice above.

The horror stories are true and they happen often enough to be a major concern. Buying a new TT in the US and Canada is a crap shoot. You never know what you are going to get.
On the other hand, many people have good experiences. They just don't have an overwhelming urge to write about it. Either way it is not like buying a car or small truck. Be prepared to spend a lot of time.

Here is a link to more iRV2 experiences. The following list is not complete, but will point you in the best direction.

https://www.irv2.com/forums/f50/best-value-quality-brand-443427-2.html

I wish you good luck and happy trails ahead!

[Persistent]

Most TT's are not suitable for camping in freezing weather in spite of what advertising says or implies. There is no truth in advertising in the TT industry. Also, Federal "lemon laws" do not apply and state laws almost all do not apply.
I know this from personal experience. In my case the manufacturer is in one state. Dealer is in another state. I live in a third. No lawyers would take my case.

North of St Louis, most campgrounds that stay open, close dump sites in the fall and reopen in the spring. In Wisconsin I have found two in the whole state that remain open in the winter and neither has water available in the winter.

Stay south or close to the California and Oregon coast in winter. Avoid mountains even for just passing through.

Some people report good experiences using TT's as ski lodging. I don't know how they do it. Maybe just for short periods.

[TIME2CAMP]

Two completely different situations, don't plan on one trailer doing both well. If your school is in florida, buy a big roomy unit with good AC. Leave it in one location to avoid the hassle of moving it.
When you graduate, sell it and buy something smaller and well insulated. Though honestly no RV will be comfortable in those conditions. This is coming from someone that camped at the base of a ski resort in 10 degree nights. We ended up with a class B and an apartment.
Bottom line, a trailer while you are going to school needs to give you enough room to be comfortable, that won't be the same issue on the road.

[tuffr2]

I am looking for my 4th RV. So I have purchased all new 2008 Gulfstream StreamLite 22SLB, a 2011 Sunnybrook 3510 RE Bristol Bay 5th wheel, and currently own a 2013 Keystone Vantage 25RBS.

I will probably trade the Vantage on a new Flagstaff or Rockwood travel trailer. Look at the Flagstaff 29RSWS as this is one of my favorites. Things I like - a couch I can lay on, a good mattress that I would not have to change, kinda enough closet space, torsion axles, laminated roof, can be ordered with dual pane windows. This is a 3 slide travel trailer with opposing slides in the living area and a small slide for the wardrobe. Rockwood makes the same identical trailer model number 2906RS. Check these out on YouTube.

If you are now in Florida there are tons of dealers. More than in most states so that is good.

I will also add I have not had any problems with any major components of the trailers I have owned. I have had lots of smaller issues that I was able to fix myself.

[tuffr2]

Found the best YouTube video of the Flagstaff 29RSWS which is the same as the Rockwood 2906RS. These are the 2nd best travel trailers made by Flagstaff and Rockwood.

The best travel trailers made by these companies are the Flagstaff Classic and Rockwood Signiture..these trailers are taller and loaded with features like the aluminum awning protector and auto leveling systems.

Here is the video of the Flagstaff 29RSWS


https://youtu.be/gKDXOy2fW7g

[Reevesfamily]

Originally Posted by Dgreen0101

Hi everyone,

Wife and I are newbies looking to purchase a new trailer within the next 2 months.
Plan: Live full time in trailer while we attend nursing school (16 months), probably stationary for the 16 months. After graduation we will head to Cali or Oregon. That's when we're gonna really adventure around. Lots of camping, all seasons. Especially winter, plan on parking near ski resorts for snowboarding/skiing all winter.

We live in Florida now. Getting through the first 16 months is key. Local dealership has a lot of Forest river and Palomino Puma trailers. We were going to go with one but I haven't found a lot of reviews but the ones I did see were horrendous. Im super nervous now. Seen a lot of stories of things breaking/falling apart.

We are looking for the best quality. We don't want a ton of problems from the beginning bc with school we wont have time to deal with it. Willing to spend more money on quality.

Questions:
- What other brands does everyone recommend for full time living and why?
- Experience/tips with living full time in a travel trailer.
- Anyone have experience with forest river/puma? Hows the durability/quality, any problems?

Look forward to listening and talking with everyone. Thanks!

Well generally all you will hear on the forums is bad news from disgruntled owners of a particular brand who haven't got the guts nor knowledge to repair their own units or negotiate a purchase. So with that off my chest, we have a Flagstaff Classic and it's a great camper. We are completely satisfied with it, it does what they said it would do, it is made well, and fits our needs. The camping lifestyle requires that you learn to make minor repairs yourself and accept that enjoying the outdoors comes with some work. Keep basic tools with you and you will be fine. If you live in the unit full time for a long time things will wear out. Fix them! If you want to pull a heavy camper get a tow vehicle that will handle it, don't try to drag around an over sized camper with an under sized vehicle. The lifestyle costs money, invest in the use more than the resale value and you'll be happy.

[bneukam]

Agree, no matter the manufacturer, repairs, major or not will be made on all brands. What is important is support from the manufacturer.
Some people make a crisis out of problems, others fix it and move on.
Maybe a used one will get you more familiar without all the depreciation cost. Plus they usually have most bugs worked out.
If you don’t know what to inspect for when buying new or used it’s best to hire someone.

[Freqz]

1). What is the tow vehicle?

2). Budget?

[JG]

Wife & I are retired & we were like you, scared of getting junk. We looked at Class A through Trailers. Like you the reviews scared me. She found
Fiberglass Trailers. Full Fiberglass Trailers are built for you at the factory. So you order what you want and options. The wait time can be 2 months to a year. So the build quality & service is very good. They don't like & last forever. They hold their value & resell is in days. The brands are BigFoot, Escape, Casita, Oliver, Northern Lite ( Truck Camper ). We are not living in ours, so we got a 17 foot Casita. Wish you the best. PS If you buy Canadian you save 30% vs US Dollar.
https://www.trailerlife.com/rv-gear/...lass-trailers/

[JG]

If you find a used Fiberglass be prepared to buy it right away after you inspect it. They go very fast. I read someone sold their 5 year old Casita the same day for the price they paid new for it. If I was going to live in one, this one is rated very well. This is a Escape 5th wheel. https://www.trailerlife.com/top-stor...-ton-hideaway/

[paulette1007]

I looked at a Crossroads Sunset model 26ft. It is reasonably priced. Has a heated underbelly, ducted air, king size bed, & many other standard options that other brands didn't seem to have. I liked the 26ft because it has seating area, but the 24 ft was also nice. Just a suggestion