Heartland North Trail vs. Dutchmen Kodiak

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
T

Trevut

New member
Joined
Oct 28, 2017
Posts
2
Hi all!  First post here.  My wife and I are looking to buy a bunk house bumper pull travel trailer for our family.  We're looking mainly at Heartland North Trails and Dutchmen Kodiaks.  Why should I buy one over the other?  Is there another brand that I should be considering over these two? 

I've tried to read reviews and numerous forums about both brands and I feel like I'm not getting anywhere.  It seems like people either love their trailer and advise everyone to buy it or they've had so many problems with it that they've advised no one to ever buy it. 

Thanks in advance for your help and feedback!
 
I think it is like buying a car, and advice is going to be as varied as a persons personal experience. I had a 2001.5 Dodge that was totally trouble free. Bought a 2003 Dodge that was the absolutely worst vehicle for problems I ever owned. Yet many people have them and have no problems and love them. I had a 2006 Ford F-350 with the 6.0 Powerstroke that many people said was a piece of crap, yet when I traded that truck at 150,000 miles, I never even changed a lightbulb on that truck, totally problem free. I now have a Chevy Dually with the Duramax and it has the lowest tow rating of the other two biggest competitors, yet it tows like a dream. If I were you, do your research, but in the end buy what you really like. Anybody can get a lemon, or a very enjoyable purchase experience, no guarantees in life, that?s for sure. Both those units you are looking at are very nice. ??
 
Heartland is supposed to be the more "uppity" brand of the two, but it seems trailer build quality can vary greatly even within a brand.  We had an older Kodiak travel trailer (2005), and it was great for us.  We did have the AC replaced under extended warranty, but otherwise it was great.  Some loose trim here and there, but nothing drastic or dramatic.  My Dad had a Heartland 5th wheel, that had a bit of a leak problem, but to be fair, he put a lot of miles on that trailer before parking it and living it it full-time.  I would say go with the one you like best, and look at all the fine details like fit and finish, and comfort.  And even price.  Just because it cost more, doesn't mean it's better.
 
This is a very competitive market.  Price WILL speak to overall quality of materials used in the build.

As stated, every brand builds some fantastic trouble free units, and the same assembly line produces some real lemons.  There is no real way to tell about a specific camper without a THOROUGH inspection and some luck.

By far the most important factor is floor plan.  Get the floor plan that will work best for your family.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 536 (members: 17, guests: 519)

Forum statistics

Threads
131,964
Posts
1,388,316
Members
137,718
Latest member
urnwholesaler
Back
Top Bottom