Where to find TT/5er reviews

[UglyViking]

So I've been looking to pull the trigger on a TT or 5er for the past year and a half, but Covid prices have kept me from digging in real deep. Now that the world is returning to normal, and prices are slowly creeping back towards sanity, I've wanted to nail down a few options, new and/or used, to pull the trigger on once I find a good deal.

The one thing stopping me, I've got no clue what brands/models to steer clear from. I know that some brands are poor, and others are better, but I'm not finding any "reviews" or anything on forums. All the reviews I see online seem to be from dealers, and I'm hesitant to trust the shining reviews for obvious reasons.

Can anyone recommend a forum, website or youtube that has unbiased reviews on travel trailers and 5ers? I'd like to research more as I've got my eyes on a coleman but I'm not sure if it's gonna be great. Open to pretty much anything just want to read reviews.

For additional context for anyone wondering here is my list:

• 5er or TT, slight preference for TT due to cost and the fact that I won't have to install anything in the bed.
• roughly 30'
• At least 1 slide, bench style kitchen table, bunks and a separate "hard closed" master to put some privacy between us and the dogs/kid
• would be awesome if it were 4 season as I'd love to use this as a hunting/ice fishing lodge in the winter up here in New England and potentially trips to Canada

My truck is a 2500 CTD CCSB with 1" soft ride springs in the rear. Will prob need to add bags/sumo springs (likely bags) and would be more than happy to drop her down to stock height if needed for the 5er.

 

[BroKV]

I’ve been looking at Grand Design 150 series for my 2500. They do offer the Arctic Package on their units which would make them 4 seasons. My Dad has a 303RLS and it is really nice.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[BAT3500]

Seems the build quality is fairly poor across the board, you will almost certainly have a few issues no matter what brand. Most if not all the website reviews will be biased to one direction or another so good luck finding good independent reviews. There are a few facebook pages for toyhaulers or specific rv brands that may help provide some user experiences. The GD brand listed in previous post may in fact be one of the better ones. Also factor in your local dealers, quite a few are all sales and clueless on service work....

 

[UglyViking]

Well good to know they are all trash I guess?

I've heard good things about GD, they seem nice but also quite spendy. I guess it comes down to pay up front for initial quality or down the road for repairs.

There are so many brands that I was hoping to avoid the "join a bunch of FB groups" plan. I hadn't thought about looking for FB groups that share reviews/feedback. I'm mainly surprised by how little information there is on quality of trailers. I watched a video by BTBRV that he said basically "I can't recommend brands because each individual trailer is different" which to me is a total cop out. It's the "I don't want to offend anyone, any potential sponsors, or dealers who I've built relationships with".

I'll keep poking around. I was hoping to get one this summer for cheap and take it around and then use it for some hunting up north this fall. I guess we will see what the market feels about my plan.

 

[BroKV]

I have also been looking at KZ and their 150 units as well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[gimmie11s]

Grand Design is definitely one of the higher quality builders. I have an Eclipse Iconic 5th wheel 35' toybox and build quality is shlt. Not impressed.

 

[RAM_Dad]

I have a Forest River Flagstaff, build quality has been decent so far but as mentioned, you'll always have some stupid **** to fix. These things are slapped together and most of the materials are geared towards weight saving vs quality.

 

[Firebird]

So far, I've been very pleased with my Heartland travel trailer, seems to be put together well, and it tows like a dream

 

[Brutal_HO]

GDRV is a decent brand. Owned by Winnebago but operated independently.

The RV brands are all mostly built the same, some slightly better or have better customer service. The CS at GDRV sets them apart somewhat. They have a very active social media presence and a team of repair crews that travel to rally's and events taking care of customers.

That said, unless they're built in-house, 95% of them are built on Lippert (LCI) frames to spec and use various LCI branded electronics/appliances. Norcold and Dometic are the big players but Furrion is prominent as well.

Most complaints are centered around said appliances and electronics... FWIW, our Dometic 12cu fridge has been flawless as has all the other appliances - Suburban WH and heater, Coleman Mach A/C units, save the Furrion microwave/convection oven. Junk keeps blowing the fuse even after replacing the door switches with new (common problem).

Buddy is a RV repair guy. He says Forrest River and related brands are tough to deal with or get parts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_River_(company)

He also says he sees more Fuzion TH (Keystone/THOR) in for issues than any other brand. FWIW, the original Keystone owners left some time after selling to THOR and started GDRV. They claimed Keystone went to hell after they sold and THOR took over.

 

[Nova]

outdoors RV mfg. 4 seasons down to 0 temp. They are built slowly and with great quality. Not mass produced. Takes 9 months to order and are pricier. But the insulation and quality is much higher than the common TT. Check um out, very nice tt and 5ers.

outdoorsrvmfg.com

 

[Johng]

I purchased a 2017 kz Durango 1500 d292bht new it has been good. But as said they all have some issues due to how they are built. Mine has been good with very minor issues.
depends on your budget. There are some good quality trailer to be had but they are $100k plus.

in my price range I was looking at kz Durango’s and keystone cougar but right now the prices are crazy.

what is your price range if you don’t mind me asking ?

 

[UglyViking]

GDRV is a decent brand. Owned by Winnebago but operated independently.

The RV brands are all mostly built the same, some slightly better or have better customer service. The CS at GDRV sets them apart somewhat. They have a very active social media presence and a team of repair crews that travel to rally's and events taking care of customers.

That said, unless they're built in-house, 95% of them are built on Lippert (LCI) frames to spec and use various LCI branded electronics/appliances. Norcold and Dometic are the big players but Furrion is prominent as well.

Most complaints are centered around said appliances and electronics... FWIW, our Dometic 12cu fridge has been flawless as has all the other appliances - Suburban WH and heater, Coleman Mach A/C units, save the Furrion microwave/convection oven. Junk keeps blowing the fuse even after replacing the door switches with new (common problem).

Buddy is a RV repair guy. He says Forrest River and related brands are tough to deal with or get parts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_River_(company)

He also says he sees more Fuzion TH (Keystone/THOR) in for issues than any other brand. FWIW, the original Keystone owners left some time after selling to THOR and started GDRV. They claimed Keystone went to hell after they sold and THOR took over.

I'm going to look at some GDRV trailers today, I've heard great things but it also seems to have a cult like following, which is never great. We will see.

Most complaints against Forest River, THOR brand? So like 90% of trailers out there that fall under these two companies? The more I ask and look it seems the more that everything entry level is garbage and they all have their own problems. That said, it sounds like a lot of it is cosmetic or something a DIYer can fix/maintain. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that is the case.

I purchased a 2017 kz Durango 1500 d292bht new it has been good. But as said they all have some issues due to how they are built. Mine has been good with very minor issues.
depends on your budget. There are some good quality trailer to be had but they are $100k plus.

in my price range I was looking at kz Durango’s and keystone cougar but right now the prices are crazy.

what is your price range if you don’t mind me asking ?

I'd like to stay around 30k tops. Frankly I don't know how frequently we will use it, and it's just too expensive to rent a for a monthlong trip even at the more budget friendly end.

I'd like to buy something that we can keep and use for the next 10-15 years (maybe hopeful) and if we decide to upgrade that is on us with what we wanna spend. I wouldn't mind spending 80-100k on a real nice one if we were taking longer trips more than 1x a year. In the future as more WFH opportunities come up then perhaps I'll be able to justify something like that, or even just for vacation. For the moment I'm trying to stay "cheap" and see how much we like it.

To be clear, I'm looking at new and used trailers (2-4 years old) but the prices right now are insane. I think the new market looks like it's coming down faster than the used market, which is understandable. I've talked to a few guys to see if they would come down on their asking price but they were all underwater on what they owed. My guess is that will just continue until eventually they get sick of paying the monthly payments and take the hit. I'm not in a huge rush but I would love to take some trips this year, worst case I'll rent.

 

[Johng]

That will get you a good trailer. Just wait. It’s crazy right now.
just my 2 cents but I think there will be lots of trailers coming up for sale next year. Once everything opens up again People will be back to travelling and not be camping As much.
we had good luck with
rockwood
kz
and keystone


when looking keep an eye on axle capacity and tire capacity. Rv manufacturers are terrible for using barely enough axle or tire load for there trailers.
one of the reasons I bought mine

11500 gvwr
2 6000 lb axles
tires 3520 lb per tire - 14080 lbs

my axles cover gvwr without taking into account the pin weight and my tires exceed by a considerable margin. This isn’t typical.

 

[Brutal_HO]

I'm going to look at some GDRV trailers today, I've heard great things but it also seems to have a cult like following, which is never great. We will see.

Most complaints against Forest River, THOR brand? So like 90% of trailers out there that fall under these two companies? The more I ask and look it seems the more that everything entry level is garbage and they all have their own problems. That said, it sounds like a lot of it is cosmetic or something a DIYer can fix/maintain. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that is the case.


I'd like to stay around 30k tops. Frankly I don't know how frequently we will use it, and it's just too expensive to rent a for a monthlong trip even at the more budget friendly end.

I'd like to buy something that we can keep and use for the next 10-15 years (maybe hopeful) and if we decide to upgrade that is on us with what we wanna spend. I wouldn't mind spending 80-100k on a real nice one if we were taking longer trips more than 1x a year. In the future as more WFH opportunities come up then perhaps I'll be able to justify something like that, or even just for vacation. For the moment I'm trying to stay "cheap" and see how much we like it.

To be clear, I'm looking at new and used trailers (2-4 years old) but the prices right now are insane. I think the new market looks like it's coming down faster than the used market, which is understandable. I've talked to a few guys to see if they would come down on their asking price but they were all underwater on what they owed. My guess is that will just continue until eventually they get sick of paying the monthly payments and take the hit. I'm not in a huge rush but I would love to take some trips this year, worst case I'll rent.

Agree on the cult thing as we know everyone likes to justify their decision, but we really haven't had any problems with ours (Reflection line). A lot of the big complaints I see don't tend to be major like structural or build (though roofs seem to fail more than they should) are by nit-picking neophytes that don't know the difference between a Philips and Robertson screwdriver or that don't understand the builder doesn't make the appliances.

Most of those folks that are upside down probably bought without the usual discounts a smart savvy shopper would typically get (like ~30%). If they're 20 or 21 models then "covid".

 

[UglyViking]

That will get you a good trailer. Just wait. It’s crazy right now.
just my 2 cents but I think there will be lots of trailers coming up for sale next year. Once everything opens up again People will be back to travelling and not be camping As much.
we had good luck with
rockwood
kz
and keystone


when looking keep an eye on axle capacity and tire capacity. Rv manufacturers are terrible for using barely enough axle or tire load for there trailers.
one of the reasons I bought mine

11500 gvwr
2 6000 lb axles
tires 3520 lb per tire - 14080 lbs

my axles cover gvwr without taking into account the pin weight and my tires exceed by a considerable margin. This isn’t typical.

Good call out on the axle rating, not something I would have checked.

I'm in a weird spot right now. Wife and I have been talking about buying one for years and I've been checking FB/Craigslist/etc. for about a year and a half pretty diligently. I was ready to buy but dallied right before covid hit, now I'm stuck where everyone else is. I've talked to a few people about their used trailer, but they owe far too much and I'm not gonna pay over book for their mistake. I recently talked to a buy that wants 2.5k over high NADA book value because that is what he owes, doesn't matter that it's not worth it.

I'm going to either rent a few times this year (which is gonna make a deal a requirement) or I'm just gonna deal with a 15-20% off deal in the name of having it. I suppose I could always just wait it out without renting one, which I guess we will see. I was looking at a Keystone Springdale this weekend, and I was honestly pretty impressed. I know it's a low tier trailer and all that but it seemed like it would do the job well. Biggest thing I'm trying to figure out is how I can "winterize" (make ready for comfortable camping in the winter) or if I just need to buy a winter spec trailer.

Agree on the cult thing as we know everyone likes to justify their decision, but we really haven't had any problems with ours (Reflection line). A lot of the big complaints I see don't tend to be major like structural or build (though roofs seem to fail more than they should) are by nit-picking neophytes that don't know the difference between a Philips and Robertson screwdriver or that don't understand the builder doesn't make the appliances.

Most of those folks that are upside down probably bought without the usual discounts a smart savvy shopper would typically get (like ~30%). If they're 20 or 21 models then "covid".

As I said, I don't think I've heard a bad thing yet, which is surprising and suspicious. Maybe they are just that good though?

I agree with you though. My current problem is that there are just far too many choices, too many layout options, and too many brands overall.

 

[Brutal_HO]

That will get you a good trailer. Just wait. It’s crazy right now.
just my 2 cents but I think there will be lots of trailers coming up for sale next year. Once everything opens up again People will be back to travelling and not be camping As much.
we had good luck with
rockwood
kz
and keystone


when looking keep an eye on axle capacity and tire capacity. Rv manufacturers are terrible for using barely enough axle or tire load for there trailers.
one of the reasons I bought mine

11500 gvwr
2 6000 lb axles
tires 3520 lb per tire - 14080 lbs

my axles cover gvwr without taking into account the pin weight and my tires exceed by a considerable margin. This isn’t typical.

You're right, that's pretty atypical for a 12K fiver to have 6K axles as the pin weight will be at least 2K on most. Wheels are often rated less than the tires but still over the axle rating.

My 11995 GVWR only has 5200lb Dexter axles and with a 2200 average pin weight I don't have any issue with that. I replaced the factory Westlake with GY Endurance that are rated well over the wheel rating.

 

[Brutal_HO]

Good call out on the axle rating, not something I would have checked.

I'm in a weird spot right now. Wife and I have been talking about buying one for years and I've been checking FB/Craigslist/etc. for about a year and a half pretty diligently. I was ready to buy but dallied right before covid hit, now I'm stuck where everyone else is. I've talked to a few people about their used trailer, but they owe far too much and I'm not gonna pay over book for their mistake. I recently talked to a buy that wants 2.5k over high NADA book value because that is what he owes, doesn't matter that it's not worth it.

I'm going to either rent a few times this year (which is gonna make a deal a requirement) or I'm just gonna deal with a 15-20% off deal in the name of having it. I suppose I could always just wait it out without renting one, which I guess we will see. I was looking at a Keystone Springdale this weekend, and I was honestly pretty impressed. I know it's a low tier trailer and all that but it seemed like it would do the job well. Biggest thing I'm trying to figure out is how I can "winterize" (make ready for comfortable camping in the winter) or if I just need to buy a winter spec trailer.


As I said, I don't think I've heard a bad thing yet, which is surprising and suspicious. Maybe they are just that good though?

I agree with you though. My current problem is that there are just far too many choices, too many layout options, and too many brands overall.

Depending on the winter climate, even the 4-season trailers are not always up to the task. Make sure it has tank heaters. Ours just has vented underbelly and I wouldn't trust it to not freeze if it's well below zero for extended periods. Many are more like 3-season trailers. We've also found that center island plumbing seems to freeze if the cabinet doors aren't left open (design issue?) and the low point drains are also easily frozen if not wrapped.

 

[UglyViking]

I think realistically we will be mostly 3 season camping, except a handful of times I want to take it out in the winter to go ice fishing with buddies, and at that point I'm either gonna have to run a lot of propane, heaters with solar and bundle up. My main thing is wanting to see if I can have the ability, even if it means a bit of extra work and planning.

I've gotta tell you, the sheer number of TTs is insanity. I'm up to like 60 units that look like it will meet our current and future needs. Deciding and finding a reasonable deal will likely be the deciding factor.

 

[Johng]

You're right, that's pretty atypical for a 12K fiver to have 6K axles as the pin weight will be at least 2K on most. Wheels are often rated less than the tires but still over the axle rating.

My 11995 GVWR only has 5200lb Dexter axles and with a 2200 average pin weight I don't have any issue with that. I replaced the factory Westlake with GY Endurance that are rated well over the wheel rating.

How do you like the GY endurance tires ?

almosd time to replace mine. It came with taskmaster providers which have been good

 

[Johng]

Depending on the winter climate, even the 4-season trailers are not always up to the task. Make sure it has tank heaters. Ours just has vented underbelly and I wouldn't trust it to not freeze if it's well below zero for extended periods. Many are more like 3-season trailers. We've also found that center island plumbing seems to freeze if the cabinet doors aren't left open (design issue?) and the low point drains are also easily frozen if not wrapped.

This is great info. Totally agree. Most trailers are 3 season mine included.

I think if I were to winter camp I wouldn’t use the water system. But I’m sure there are people on here that have experience on how to get your trailer ready. I’ve had the bottom off of mine (enclosed under belly). It won’t do very much to keep the lines from freezing.