Best and worst of 20'-25' travel trailer quality

I personally don't think it's as open and shut as you would hope. I believe that there are campers that I would not consider. But....of the campers that I did consider when buying, many, many of those have issues also. One of the trailers that I considered was a Puma. Good reports, good reviews, I liked what I read. Until I spoke to an owner of one who told me that everytime he pulls his camper, when they get to their location, it seems to be very dusty. Then he told me that there are spots in the camper that you can see light through. Around doors, windows and one bottom seam. Each camper is built the very same way, with that aluminum exception. Some come out good, some are pitiful. They are all just a large box, on wheels. The mood of the worker, on the day that it's built, I think has more to do with quality than anything else. We have a Passport Ultra Lite, that took two years to work the bugs out of. It's a crapshoot in my opinion. Many will disagree with me, because they purchased one that they love. I would never look, (for example) at a Jayco. But my son has a 4 year old camper, with not one minute of problem. Good luck...

Thanks again folks. Not as black and white as I would have hoped. I've looked at a few layouts and may
go look at this used TT. If anyone knows of a reason not to please smack me in the head now.

https://daytona.craigslist.org/rvs/d/dutchmen-kodiak-travel/6623362144.html

mskeyspirate said:

I personally don't think it's as open and shut as you would hope. I believe that there are campers that I would not consider. But....of the campers that I did consider when buying, many, many of those have issues also.

Click to expand...

Good points.  But I think it's much more applicable to new RVers or those who don't research and actively participate in Forums such as this one. 

Until I spoke to an owner of one who told me that everytime he pulls his camper, when they get to their location, it seems to be very dusty. Then he told me that there are spots in the camper that you can see light through. Around doors, windows and one bottom seam. Each camper is built the very same way, with that aluminum exception. Some come out good, some are pitiful.

Click to expand...

One off issues are common.  However, if this is a quality control issue then move on.  It's just not easy to determine which.  Information is out there, and it's generally not available at an RV sales facility.  It takes a fair amount of effort and the effort starts with knowledge.  What to look for and what questions to ask. 

Lance, Nash, the Arctic series seem to get good reviews, the shell trailer like Casita, Scamp and Bigfoot and of course Airstream. They all have one thing in common; they cost more.

Trailers are built to a consumer price point. If you have a certain amount of money, they have certain "level" of trailer for you.

Almost all the trailer makers use the same appliances and features in similarly priced models, they are almost all made by the same regional labor pool.

Spend some time at a couple of RV shows and see how much difference you find between similarly price models.

   

FLmikervn said:

Thanks again folks. Not as black and white as I would have hoped.

Click to expand...

You got that right.   As mentioned, there aren't any "always great" or "always terrible" makes or models. There are higher end and "entry level" units among every manufacturer, which are labeled as such usually based on the interior materials (fabric, counters, cabinets) and exterior options/features (outside kitchen, electric awning, slide toppers) that you may or may not care about. Buying used, the value and remaining quality almost always depends on the care and maintenance that the previous owner(s) gave the rig. I've heard tale of 2-year-old trailers being made worthless inside after big dogs were left loose to tear things up... and then you'll find 10-15 year old units that are pristine because the owners made sure to clean, maintain, and keep them that way.

You mentioned you are new to the RV world, and my best piece of advice is do NOT rush into any purchase decisions. Take your time, keep reading/researching here and elsewhere, and learn as much as you can BEFORE buying. That will save you a lot of money and hassle down the road.

I have had my Nash 17k for just over a year now. Overall I am happy with it. I had a few minor warranty repairs, nothing major. The frame is heavier duty and it has the Dexter EZ lube axles, 15? wheels.  I boondock almost exclusively and drive on some pretty rough roads and it has held well for the most part. Northwood makes a big issue of theircustom made wood cabinets. However I am learning the hard way that they are still stapled together just like the other brands. And the assembly of them is very poor. Screws stripped out on the door hinges, screws only catching a little of the frame and breaking loose. So I am gradually rebuilding the cabinets. The rough use that it gets accelerated the problem. For most people driving primarily on paved roads there wouldn?t be as much of an issue. Other than this I am very happy and think the quality of Northwood is still higher than comparably priced trailers. A Nash that is a few years old may actually be better assembled as I think the quality may have gone down after the founder was no longer involved.

I also like the Lance trailers but I did not want a slide so they didn?t have a model that would work for me. The Nash is my first trailer so it is the only one I can comment on from experience.

Since you are new to trailer and RVing, you can do what we did. We decided on the size and features we wanted and then rented a similar unit for a 10 day trip to the Ozarks.

You learn a lot in a very short period of time.
 

From Northwood Mfg. there is Nash and Arctic Fox. Both are well built tow behind trailers. Nash is at a lower price point than Arctic Fox but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend either one. We have an Arctic Fox 22G which fits within your length requirement. It does not have a slideout but if you check it out it feels very roomy inside even without one. The major differences between Arctic Fox and Nash are quality of materials used in the rigs and Arctic Fox has aluminum studs in the walls and Nash has wood. Both have wood framed roofs. Both are considered 4 season rigs. Both, now, have shocks. Nash didn't used to have shocks until this year so older models won't have them. Older Arctic Fox will.
Outdoor RV. Basically a sister company to Northwood. Check out their offerings. They might not have what you want in length.
As far as what not to buy, anything Camping World sells.

we bought a 2017 Forest River EVO last November and got rid of it in Feb of this year. 4 months old and took a $5K loss. It was junk and falling apart after a 900 mile trip. Any RV can have problems it's just that the lower priced ones seem to have more problems than the higher priced ones no matter who makes them.
Mel

We've now had 3 units. Our current Arctic Fox (Northwood) has, IMO, a number of design failings, but is solidly constructed. We bought it used 4 years ago and have been pleased with it overall. It's cargo carrying capacity is impressive, and the suspension is heavy duty with US made dexter axles, shocks, and greasable wet bolts.

mhbell said:

we bought a 2017 Forest River EVO last November and got rid of it in Feb of this year. 4 months old and took a $5K loss. It was junk and falling apart after a 900 mile trip. Any RV can have problems it's just that the lower priced ones seem to have more problems than the higher priced ones no matter who makes them.
Mel

Click to expand...

The sad part is the next identical unit off the line could have been perfect.

I suggest you go to owners forums and ask these questions. Real world experience.
I can only speak of the models I've owned.
Rockwood(32'), Skamper (20'), Dutchman(25'), and currently Sunnybrook.(30')
All were decent TT's. All required some repair.
Of these 4 Sunnybrook is my favorite for fit , finish, function.
The Skamper is the only one I towed or would tow with a 1/2 ton.
I also would not purchase new as my first TT.
Hardly anyone gets the layout right the first time.

Joereese2 said:

I've got a 18ft Starcraft and have been happy with it, previous owners prob worked the bugs out. I have been studying Sunset Park RV for awhile and am considering buying one , plain and seem simple and are extremely light, just can't find anyone on here who has any experience with them but they seem legit and I like their Toy Haulers and a couple more models they make.

Click to expand...

We have a Sun_Lite by Sunset Park. They seem rare and hard to find, especially if you have a specific one you want. We too were seeking out this particular company as well and that is what we ended up choosing. We have found that we can?t even find our exact trailer anywhere else near us. Our dealer ended up getting another one in stock shortly after we bought ours, and I believe that one sold within two weeks.

I spent the better part of a year looking at "light" weight travel trailers. Everything from R-Pods to Airstream.  I probably visited 15 or more different dealers, and climbed in and around more different makes.  Right off, the Airstream was out of my budget, how they get that much money for those things is beyond me!  They are nice, and well built, but?  We ended up deciding that the trailer we would buy needed to have access to the queen bed from both sides, what I call an island bed, and a single slide out to increase the floor area for the two of us and our dog. I then spent countless hours looking at floorplans, empty weight, standard features and options and settled the list down to six makes.  My wife and I then went to all six different dealers and opened every drawer, cabinet, storage compartment, laid on the bed, and in general, "kicked the tires"!  From the moment we boarded the Lance trailers, we were convinced that, though the most expensive we were looking at, the quality was clearly well above the rest.  Things like the foam in the cushions on the dinette, the extra touches in the interior, the double pane windows, etc, etc, etc.  Then I had to get my brain wrapped around the price and started watching RvTrader for a used one, late model, with the features we wanted.  Instead of a $46,000 retail, I found a two year old, virtually unused for $27000.  We been out twice now, and it's perfect!

^^ That is exactly how RV shopping can/should be done. You took your time, researched in great detail, decided on what you wanted, and shopped smart to save as much money as possible. Congrats!!

A lot depends on where and how much you camp.

If you take a few trips to the local state parks, and a two week venture of say 1500 mile round trip, your TT will take a lot less wear and tears that the guy who puts three times the mileage boondocking on some unpaved back roads.

In general the more you pay the higher the quality but even Airstreams have their critics.

Good Luck