Looking for feedback on trailer brands

Hi all.

Sold my 1994 24' dutchmen a few weeks ago and now in process for a newer or brand new travel trailer.

Went to an rv weekend show and got a feel for the floor plan i want.  Queen front bunk house style.  Not opposed to a shorter dual axle or single axle setup, but have also looked at trailers in the 26-27' range.

I've walked around some keystone (hideout), wildwoods, jayco, Springdale, wilderness by heartland,  , evo by forest river and their wolf pup.

Prefer to not go any older than 2015, and I also feel like my dollar will go much further on the floor plan i want with a 2-3 year old trailer.

Mostly looking to hear from experienced travelers about any brand to avoid or if there is anything about a particular brand that is overall better construction than the majority of trailers out there. Again mostly concerned about overall quality of build and integrity of structure.  All the other little bells and whistles are nice but not a priority, I'm pretty plain.

Budget is capped at 21k, nothing over 27' and no fifth wheels.

Thank you!

https://northwoodmfg.com/ 

They build a pretty good trailer.

All those you mentioned are basically weekend entry lefel trailers.  In other words, junk.
You need to step up if you want a decent trailer that will last more than a few seasons.
OutdoorRV and Northwood both build stout trailers.

donn said:

All those you mentioned are basically weekend entry lefel trailers.  In other words, junk.
You need to step up if you want a decent trailer that will last more than a few seasons.
OutdoorRV and Northwood both build stout trailers.

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Well that's what was at the show, and that's why I asked...the markdown on prices was incredible but to the point that it felt some feedback was necessary because it seemed too good to be true.

I'm not retired and have plenty time before that happens, this purchase won't be my last trailer but looking for 5 years of trouble free and standard maintenance.


Again budget is capped at 21k, so that may eliminate some of the higher quality trailers.

All you mentioned are indeed weekend style campers, not built to travel and live for weeks on end. I have a Forest River Puma,  quality is middle of the road in the entry level.  IMO, Keystone seems lower end with quality. I would highly recommend a 2-3 year old one, all the bugs are worked out , and you will get way more for your dollar. And again, IMO, I would not ever step foot on a Camping World lot to buy a RV or trailer.  Their sales practices are lacking in ethics more often than not.  Just sayin, RV industry sales people do not have a great reputation for having knowledge or expertise, but many are great liars.  Don't let someone talk you into pulling something the size you are looking at with a 1/2 ton either, not going to happen in the real world.  25' tops for a 1/2 ton, unless well ordered for the task.  Good luck, and buy the way, what is your tow vehicle?  Are you comfortable figuring out realistically what you can drag around?  If not, we'll be happy to help, just ask.

SpencerPJ said:

All you mentioned are indeed weekend style campers, not built to travel and live for weeks on end. I have a Forest River Puma,  quality is middle of the road in the entry level.  IMO, Keystone seems lower end with quality. I would highly recommend a 2-3 year old one, all the bugs are worked out , and you will get way more for your dollar. And again, IMO, I would not ever step foot on a Camping World lot to buy a RV or trailer.  Their sales practices are lacking in ethics more often than not.  Just sayin, RV industry sales people do not have a great reputation for having knowledge or expertise, but many are great liars.  Don't let someone talk you into pulling something the size you are looking at with a 1/2 ton either, not going to happen in the real world.  25' tops for a 1/2 ton, unless well ordered for the task.  Good luck, and buy the way, what is your tow vehicle?  Are you comfortable figuring out realistically what you can drag around?  If not, we'll be happy to help, just ask.

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2010 chevy 2500 HD...its setup to tow.  I've pulled all sorts trailers (equipment, kettles, car hauler) no issues there.  I pulled my dutchmen with it.  I am not a mechanic by trade but I work on a lot of equipment and I have been through almost every nook and cranny on my dutchmen. 

My knowledge on campers is from repairs and maintenance, not on what brand is superior or which brand to stay away from because well...this will be my first camper less than 3yrs old.  So up until recently I haven't really paid any attention to what out there, was happy with my old dutchmen lol.

Suffice to say my previous 20 year old trailer and models from that era are not what I'm gonna base my choice off...

I'm sure I could read every mfg website and get the info I need to base an opinion  but real world experience I value. There is such a market presence with these "entry level" weekend warrior brands that it's hard to filter though and find some that are quality built.

Totally with you on camping world.....i am not that green.  35 years old with lot to learn but ive learned a lot too.

Honestly just recommendations of quality mfgs is what I'm looking for bc I feel like it's ford vs. Chevy vs. Dodge type topic etc but clearly the people that have responded have listed some brands in particular and that's what I'm looking for.

Thanks again!

Sounds great  )  I have heard and that Nash campers are much better built than the average weekend camper.  (link above northwoodmfg.)  They are hard to find used where I live in the midwest.  Might be a find it online and drive a few hundred miles, but we all do what we do to get what we want.  Good luck, hope you find what you are looking for.

I'm in the PNW

A really well built RV trailer is going to be expensive, more than most people are willing to spend on a leisure time item. A high-quality build requires top-notch materials throughout, a robust vehicle frame, excellence in craftsmanship at all levels, and plumbing/electric/HVAC systems that have residential standard capability and also built to withstand the rigors of highway travel.  If I offered to build you a fully furnished house for $15,000 you would rightly be suspicious that it was a low-ball deal, but folks seem to leave their suspicions at home when they shop for an RV. Yet even a 20 ft RV has all the complexities of a small house plus the complications of being mobile and carrying its own water, electric and propane sources along with it.

Every few years a new RV company is formed to cater to those who want a better quality experience. And every one of them soon learns there aren't enough buyers to sustain the company, so they branch out into less-capable but lower-priced models. Some of that is probably the dealers influence - they all want the low prices that makes an RV attractive to entry-level buyers (who also happen to be uninformed buyers). Evergreen was a recent case in point (they are gone now). Teton and Travel Supreme were some others.


Many RVers deride what they call the exorbitant price of Airstreams, yet even those have their share of defects or design shortcomings. It's one of the few premium brands that has managed to survive.

Going to take a look at a 2017 Nash 23b this week.

We had a Nash 22H years ago. Great trailer.

Our only complaint was it didn't have a walk around bed which meant someone had to crawl over someone.

Arch Hoagland said:

We had a Nash 22H years ago. Great trailer.

Our only complaint was it didn't have a walk around bed which meant someone had to crawl over someone.

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Yes..my sentiments too.  This is a bunk house with the queen bed in front ...it has the walk around on each side.  I'm definitely done with crawling over my gf.  The other thing too is it's shorter than most bunk house floor plans that have the larger bunks, I think a dry weight of 4300#.  I'm excited to check it out. Private party listed at 19k

I've got an older SunnyBrook 30 footer that's outstanding!
Solidly built and great floor plan.
I believe Winnebago now owns them.
Might want to give them a look see.

I can attest that our 2020Grey Wolf 26DBH Limited is very well made and has many great features. At $23k it may be above your price point, but well worth it.

https://www.rvusa.com/rv-guide/2017-forest-river-grey-wolf-travel-trailer-floorplan-26dbh-tr31118 just an example

I have a 2106 Dutchman Aerolite 29 ft; bought it new, my first camper.  We found out right away the AC was miserably inadequate so we spent $800 to have the skylight removed and a 2nd AC unit installed.  We really enjoy having dual slide outs and rear entertainment TV, although the Furrion electronics are garbage and seems to work at will.  Its nice having some extra room in the event there is bad weather and our camping friends all want to hang out in one camper and watch a movie.  There was a leak in the bathroom skylight when it was brand new which prompted me to go up on the roof with sealant and find the factory job of sealing was woefully inadequate. After 2 years of usage and maybe 4K miles the cable on one of the slide outs frayed and snapped, that would have cost $930 to fix, the extended warranty covered it.  A couple months later one of the cheap tires blew out with around 5K miles on it which happened to be close to a bundle of wires hanging down to operate the slide out (some brilliant engineering there, Keystone) so all the wiring to the outlets, hot water heater and refrigerator were ripped out.  The extended warranty wont cover any of this since it was an "accident", not the fault of junk tires and bad engineering; but they will however give me another junk tire as part of the tire road hazard portion of the warranty.  Instead I spent $1200 and replaced all the load range C tires with load range E tires and practiced my creative profanity with the dealer service dept.

We like the floor plan, the king size bed is a bit much, would rather have more closet space.  I'm by no means an RV expert but I know I'm done buying anything made by Keystone, and never again from this dealer.  2 more years until the extended warranty runs out then it becomes someone else's headache.

grassynoel said:

I have a 2106 Dutchman Aerolite

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Years before its time, and they still are having general RV construction issues, glad I won't be around.  ;D ;D ;D

got another Nash 23b looking at sunday?.2014.  I think this is the one!  Pretty excited!

donn said:

All those you mentioned are basically weekend entry lefel trailers.  In other words, junk.
You need to step up if you want a decent trailer that will last more than a few seasons.
OutdoorRV and Northwood both build stout trailers.

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This is our fourth year of 6 months full time in our weekend entry level Heartland trailer.  We have had a few minor issues but nothing that was not fairly simple and inexpensive to fix.  Long may that continue.

I have a 08 KZ BH34 LE no problems or leaks for the last 10 yrs. I would like to update, but, I am having the same thoughts/concerns as you are.

I've been looking at trailers as well, trying to find a good one that will last a decade or more.  One thing I've noticed - many of the trailers that seem to be entry level have water tanks in the 40-50 gallon range.  Others that I consider to be better quality have fresh water tanks in the 80 to 100 gallon range.  For those who have more experience with RV's, does this observation hold up?