Opinions -- Keystone VR1 or Cougar, vs. Forest River Rockwood or Surveyor?

[NMK62303]

Hi All,

We are looking to buy our first TT. We have 3 six-year olds so looking at BH models. Looking for advice on a few brands, Keystone and Forest River. We are looking at 3 new models, Keystone Cougar X-Lite 29BHS, Rockwood Ultra Lite 8317SS and Surveyor SV 304. Also considering a used Keystone VR1 310BHS (which would be considerably cheaper which helps since we have to buy a TV too! ). Any advice on pros/cons of these manufacturers or models appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

 

[29bhs]

You have a beautiful family. Taking them on numerous camping trips will be so much fun.We go someplace every month . Pick the floorplan that works best for your family. You are looking at big ,heavy trailers. Proper tow vehicle is a must,hitch requirements,etc.Learn as much as you can. RV.NET is the resource we used on going to a large tt. But dont let so much info scare you. ,it aint rocket science, but the safety of your family is most important.They all have their critics, just do preventive maintenance regularly. They all leak , if you dont check the roof regularly, etc. JMHO, have fun while looking and learning. See you at fort wilderness on oct 22.

 

[NMK62303]

You have a beautiful family. Taking them on numerous camping trips will be so much fun.We go someplace every month . Pick the floorplan that works best for your family. You are looking at big ,heavy trailers. Proper tow vehicle is a must,hitch requirements,etc.Learn as much as you can. RV.NET is the resource we used on going to a large tt. But dont let so much info scare you. ,it aint rocket science, but the safety of your family is most important.They all have their critics, just do preventive maintenance regularly. They all leak , if you dont check the roof regularly, etc. JMHO, have fun while looking and learning. See you at fort wilderness on oct 22.

Thank you! Yes, we will be at the Fort for Halloween -- either in an old pop up or in a new TT! Looking forward to seeing everybody there, we're bringing our Halloween decorations! (though if we have a TT by then we can bring a lot more! )

 

[becky1960]

We bought a Forest River TT to help a Elderly relative after huricane Ike, it was brand new 18k and had roof leaks after 6 months and it now has had toilet repaired and more leaks on roof. This roof is supposed to a 10 yr warranty against leaks. The hot water heater has also been repaired. I would get a good warranty if buying new..

 

[Tygansmom829121]

We have a Keystone Cougar Xlite 29BHS 2009 model with 2 kids under the age of 5. We bought ours earlier this year and have been on several trips since then. We love it. We do have a few small problems, the tub leaks and the door to the bunkhouse will not slide open because a screw came loose, but it is in the shop right now getting fixed. I think with any trailer you are going to have some small issues.

We love all the room in it. Ours has 4 bunks the kids love that they have their own room.

You need to find the floorplan that works for you. We decided on ours because we wanted the separate room for the kids and I wanted doors for the bedrooms instead of the curtains.

Whatever you decide, Happy camping!!!

 

[tlh0726]

Not sure if I searched the models correctly, but based on floor plans that I found for the choices you listed, if the decision were mine I would with the Keystone Cougar X-Lite 29BHS because of the U shaped dinette. It would allow all of you to sit together to eat.
It also has the table in the bunk area for the kids to play board games etc. (one of your other choices had this feature also)

One other question did not notice when looking, but does the bunk room in any of the models have a TV?

Keystone VR1 310BHS looks like the bunks may be wider in any of the other units. Which would be a benefit as the kids get older.
Surveyor SV 304 has the outside entrance to the bathroom, would be nice to have instead of tracking stuff in and out of the camper everytime someone needed us to the restroom.

Tough decision.

If the price between new and used is a major one, the $$ can buy you alot of nice camping accessories. Just make sure you have the unit checked out.

 

[BradyBz12]

We've been shopping a bit and looking at the Surveyor too - lots of space for us and the pups, and lower weight than a lot of others we've looked at. So I'd love to hear feedback on these as well.

There are a couple of BH models with room for an armoire/TV. Depends on how many bunks you want.

SV-300
SV-303

 

[CampingBandit]

those are both great floorplans in the Keystones - if you can get a good price and the dealer is reputable, why not? Any brand has it's issues, but we did ALOT of research especially on RV.net before we decided to go with Keystone.

 

[jaysbabe]

We bought the Surveyor 304 in June and we LOVE It!! We also wanted the bunk floor plan.

We like that the bunk area has it's own door to close, the bunk area has a table for games and such to free up the living area when other adults come with us. The big sell for my hubby was the second door into the toilet from the outside.. It saves everyone running in and out through the living area and tracking up the place. Just remember to lock the door at night and when in use!!