New Travel Trailer Question....Update 1st Post..We Bought One

[4cruisin]

DH and I are looking to upgrade our travel trailer. We have an older model that is in perfect condition but is just too small as it does not have a slide out. I have been doing extensive research and we are planning on purchasing our new tt at the RV show at the end of this month but after reading a lot of reviews on the new tt's, I am starting to panic. It seems like most are poorly made and have major problems from the start. Is there anyone here that has a newer tt, say 2004 and up with at least 1 slide out and has not had problems with roof leaks or poor workmanship?

I'm starting to have 2nd thoughts about upgrading. We do not travel over the road...we have a lot that we keep it on so towing is not an issue at this time.

Please give me some feedback to ease my mind.

TIA
Nancy

Edited to add: I posted this on the CB but another poster said maybe the camping community would have some answers for me.

Edited:
Well, we spent over 7 hours at the RV show and settled on a 2006 Keystone Sprinter 300FKMS. It has the floor plan we wanted and tons of storage which is important to me. We gave up shower space in this model but I can "skinny up" for the amount of time I need to be in the shower. DH and I are thrilled and hope that this unit will serve us well.
Thanks for al the help.
Happy Camping.

 

[lovethemouse]

We have a KZ TT with 2 slides. We've been camping in it for 3 years- more nights than I can count and it has been rock solid- 0 problems. When we went to FW last summer we got there at the tail end of the tropical storm-can't remember the name , anyway torrential downpours - never had a leak. Just do your homework and you'll be fine.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

I think if you stick with the name brands that have been around forever and you keep up on maintenance, there shouldn't be a problem. It seems there are a lot of fly by night companies trying to cash in on the RV boom post 911 making cheap rigs.

 

[We4mickey]

Glad to see you took my advice. I am sure you will get some good help here on the camping board. Wish I could help, but we only have a pop up. Good luck!

 

[wildernessfamily]

If you upgrade, remember slide outs add a lot of weight. Make sure your SUV/truck can handle it. Lots of dealers will tell you this and that to get you to buy, but study what you can tow ahead of time. You don't want to be pushing your weight limit. So many choices available now with floor plans, sleeping arrangements. Have fun!!

 

[4cruisin]

Thanks for the info. We are going out this weekend to a couple of dealerships. Can't wait.

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

If you upgrade, remember slide outs add a lot of weight. Make sure your SUV/truck can handle it. Lots of dealers will tell you this and that to get you to buy, but study what you can tow ahead of time. You don't want to be pushing your weight limit. So many choices available now with floor plans, sleeping arrangements. Have fun!!

Thats probably the best advice anyone can give you. Just because the book says your vehicle can doesnt mean it will do it well. Avoid the "white knuckle" ride and only buy what you can reasonably tow.

Scott

 

[4cruisin]

Thats probably the best advice anyone can give you. Just because the book says your vehicle can doesnt mean it will do it well. Avoid the "white knuckle" ride and only buy what you can reasonably tow.

Scott

Dh and I have been discussing that. The trailer will stay on our lot in NH so it really won't be towed (unless we have a radical change in our lifestyle) except to the dealership for repairs etc. We will still make sure that it is something that our p/u truck can handle just in case. Thanks for the advice.

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

If you dont plan on moving it maybe you should consider a park model.

 

[29bhs]

As previously noted, stay within the limits of your tow vehicle. We studied quite a few web sites, rv.net,etc,.before deciding. Ended up buying the largest tt my f150 could safely tow at the time. Problem was, my dw was limited on how much disney stuff she could bring along. We knew we would be getting a bigger truck soon. Now we have a 05 2005 2500hd long bed crew cab. , and dw can bring all she wants. Our tt is the 05 29 bunk house with the sofa slide out., jayco. We have not had any(knocking on wood) problem with our jayco, and we camp at least 1 long weekend a month, and spring break weeks are always at FORT WILDERNESS.Enjoy looking,and good luck.

 

[WorknFires]

Everyone has had such great thoughts, I'm just gonna share a positive feeling. We bought our 05 Coachmen Chapperel w/ 2 slideouts (one for a king-sized bed) from Lazy Days in Tampa a year ago this month. We've been very pleased with our purchase in the quality of workmanship. We've towed it to Disney once and about to do it again as well as a planned trip to San Antonio in the spring. We lived in it for a period of time after Hurricane Katrina when we were without power (air conditioning is a wonderful thing isn't it?!) and it's been a wonderful purchase for us. We went a little crazy (okay a lot crazy) because it's a huge monster but thankfully we've got a monster of a truck that pulls it just fine. So rest easy, if you look for problems, you'll find them. Just make the best informed decision you can and realize you can't control everything.

Happy trails,
Cheryl

 

[DMRick]

We have a Holiday Rambler, and I love it. It's 5 years old and still like new, which is not bad, since we had a tree fall on it a few years ago, and the entire roof and back cap and inside cabinets were replaced. Never had a leak, in spite of this..I just love my baby! I would suggest if you are in one place, you pull the slides in and out now and again. We did order ours, and one of the best things we did, was pay extra to have linoleum from the door to the kitchen, instead of a small area, rug, and then kitchen linoleum. It's great for going in and out to get drinks, food, etc. Also, be sure to (in addition to gas) get the electric water heater, and larger hot water tank. I wish we could have gotten ours with a heat strip in the air conditioner, but couldn't at the time we ordered it. Oh, and a flusher..makes "that" awful job a lot better. We also got florescent lights in addition to the lights the trailer came with..much cooler and lots more light when we needed it.

If you want a lot of trailer info, I would suggest you visit IRV2.com. And while you are there, scroll down to the Nor Easter section, and feel free to join in. Several of us are meeting at the Springfield RV show, and then going out Saturday night and again Sunday morning to eat and meet. We have a lot of fun going through the trailers and motor homes together. It looks like you are in MA. Several from MA (and NY, NJ, PA, NH, VT, CT, LI) meet a couple times a year to camp together, in case you ever decide to tow.

 

[Teamfour]

There is a wealth of info on the Open Roads Forum at rv.net.

 

[DMRick]

There is a wealth of info on the Open Roads Forum at rv.net.

Yes, there too. We are also going on a rally with a group of 50 or so rigs from rv.net, in May.

 

[Fiddich]

Wow.

Just tried to make my first post as some helpful advice to this thread and although I removed all the dot Cs and Ws, apparently I have URLs in my post still. Too bad. Nothing like making you feel welcome.

 

[FletchFab5]

We have a 2004 Jayco Jayflight, 30 ft TT with sofa slideout and haven't had any problems, it's been great!!

 

[4cruisin]

We are headed to the RV/Camping show in Boston tomorrow with the intention of purchasing a tt. I'm really nervous and excited at the same time. Will check in after we buy it.

 

[DMRick]

Keep the figure 75% of MSRP in mind and you should do well. I had no idea you could bargain that much for a TT, until I frequesnted the RV boards. I sent out to 8 dealers within 500 miles, just what we wanted on ours, and they send back quotes. I couldn't believe how much lower than our own local dealer..who by the way, went down another $4000 from the original discount, to come within $50 of our lowest quote. Be sure you have the brochure on the TT you pick in hand, and go through the options, before you offer a price..it's much cheaper to get the options on the TT, rather than add them! Good luck!