Best travel trailer brands

I'm looking at getting a different travel trailer and looking at different brands and different levels of the brands but so far all it has done is confuse and make me wonder is there's really much difference at all in any of them. Do you you guys have any preferences? Or favorites? I don't want a bunkroom and I'm getting away from 5th wheels wich is what I have now.

I had a 31' Airstream Classic, which we used for a couple of years and LOVED! It was fantastic and extremely well built and trouble free.

Most people buy a trailer, use it for a year or two, and sometimes only a trip or two, and then sell at a deep loss. So, look at the used market for a good used one. I bought mine as a two year old trailer from a bank repo for $33,000 delivered to me from a lot in Phoenix vs. a list of almost $90,000, and it appeared like new. We used it a lot for two years and then sold it for a net of $30,000 back to me. There are some good online listing websites. Look nationally and you can save lots of money. Spend time really stepping into the various models and spend some time in them. You'll begin to really notice differences in feel, layout and quality of materials and construction.

More so than even cars, new trailers depreciate massively and the resale market really puts a premium on quality of construction and punishes flimsy construction.

A "four season" trailer has better insulation including the bottom being enclosed. My wife was adamant about the four season trailer to reduce the risk of rattlesnakes crawling into it on our then lease. There were a few snake shed skins in folks' trailers every year. Ours was buttoned up tight and never had a problem.

The one other suggestion is go for two A/C units. In the summer, it is hard to have too much cooling capacity.

If your budget is big, there are fifth wheels that are about like living in a really nice apartment. Take time to really look through lots of different designs to really assess what you need and want.

Top Ten RV's

We like Heartlands here. Started with a Trailer Runner, then went to a Prowler and now on a Big Country that is awesome!! Good quality trailers for a fair price.

We also have an Airstream and absolutely love it as well, but they're definitely not for everyone. While they are mostly well built, they can be quirky, cramped (especially coming from a 5th wheel), and they can be tough to work on or repair.

I suggest hitting an RV show or two that should be coming up here in the late winter or early spring. I think that's really the best way to take in a bunch of trailers and find out what tickles your fancy.

Nuwa is often used by fulltimers. Very well built.

http://www.nuwa.com/

Same here, looked at 3 and they are fricken nice, looked for almost 12 months and found a Heartland bumper pull we liked, been great so far.

This wont help much, but my mother had 2 different models made by forest river, both had problems for them, also had a time selling them. Wish I could recall the models, but they where fairly known for issues and poor quality.

I think doing due diligence is key, read read read on the RV/camping forums. As mentioned, you can get a deal on used, just go over every piece of hardware, make them show you it works on every system.

What we wanted after a ton of reading and looking, fiberglass exterior and rubber top, those 2 things where non negotiable for us. Found ours listed for just over 20k including 55oo Onan gold genset and one slide, toy hauler. Navy federal said it booked at around 40k, so they would be happy to give us the $$,,,for an 08 model! From what we where told, it was used 3 times for Nascar day's....

Simply AirStream

My wife and I went to the RV show in Ft Worth a few weeks ago. It really seems that there are many, many "brands" but fewer manufacturers. Different brands seemed to be separated by quality of the interior. I found myself thinking "we've seen this trailer already" only to have the wife remind me it was a few rows over and a different brand.

We are on our 2nd Jayco, no issues at all. RV show at Market hall at the end of the month.

Fantastic thread

If you're in the market right now go to this!! All the dealers with all the new models are there and it saves lots of time and gas compared to driving from place to place on your days off. I've actually bought the last two of ours at the show, it saved a little money and they threw a Yeti in both times!

well, it goes without saying that if you can afford an airstream, that is the route; however, I don't see spending the money on an airstream for the deer lease. I bought a 26' Forest River Work & Play back in 2006 brand new and have had it on 3 different deer lease in the Panhandle and have even left it out in the elements for 2 years once and have never had a single leak when my neighbors have and have never had a single mouse when my neighbors have. It is heavy and tough to pull with a half ton, but it is a solid, seamless hunk of metal with a sturdy frame and I am very pleased with it. I will be ripping out the guts up front this year and redoing the cabinets and putting down tile. The back is real simple; it has a twin bed on the left and bunk beds on the right and a rhino lined floor. The one down side to it is it is a max 2 adult trailer. I have had 2 adults and my young un and it does get crowded, but for just me and my son, it is the best.

Airstream is probably at the top, Jayco is a popular camper as well. As I mentioned earlier, you can't read enough up front, others reviews and complaints on RV forums is a gold mine of information. Some problems are easily solved, some can be a major expense. Paying extra for one that is sealed on the bottom can be a huge advantage if you camp in real cold weather.

Any recommendations for generators for RV's? I have been looking at the 5500 watt generac brand. Has anyone ever made a box out of sound board to cover it to make it quieter?

I've looked at airstreams every time we've bought a new one... But dang for the price they ask for those things with no slides or anything like that I can get a lot more for my money with a 5th wheel. Yes they last forever, but I don't keep them forever so I'm not too worried about that.

I have heard of people dong that, but you should consider a sine wave generator if you rely on clean power.

I have a big Onan Gold built in, but also bought a small backup I also use around the house.
This one and it can be paired for more power. Read reviews on many sites, it is becoming very popular, even among honda owners because of cost and it works

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-2-200-W..._-203617901-_-N

I have a Flagstaff 23FB. We bought it new about a year and a half ago and it's been great. The only complaint I've had is that the entry door was messed up when we bought it and during the walk through they promised to replace it. Well, saying it and doing it were two totally different things. It took almost 6 months and a lot of phone calls before they fixed it. The door functioned and didn't keep us from using the travel trailer but it was hard to close and out of alignment. Since they replaced it, all is well. The only other issue was my dogs chewing up the wiring for the entire electric braking system. I had to rewire the brakes from the harness to the all 4 wheels.

My little brother bought one of those new Shasta retro trailers last summer. I couldn't caution you away from Shasta enough. They have had nothing but problems, some major, with the camper since they bought it. I'd be willing to wager it has been at the dealer for repairs nearly as much or more than they have had it at home.

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Airstream

My Sister & husband bought a new Jayco a few years ago. They have had nothing but problems out of that thing. Fridge/freezer quit, bathroom/black water drainage leaks, AC crapped out, properly inflated brand new tires popping tearing up the camper, switches failed due to crappy terminations and/or wasn't hooked up properly, other electrical problems due to poor installation resulting in shorts & tripped breakers (not overloads), and lots of leaks. Then the mice moved in and destroyed the interior while at the shop being repaired again. It's now being considered a lemon and handled as such.

Me personally, I've only owned one travel trailer. A 16' 1966 Yellowstone that my Dad bought for the hunting lease when I was a baby. Made some good memories in it. It sat for years and went to hell, it was ugly. In my early 20's I started working the road and needed somewhere cheap to live. I bought that camper from my Dad and GUTTED it out. Re-wired it, all new everything inside. Insulation, carpet, tubing, paneling, appliances, everything. Wheels, wheel bearings, tires, paint, buffed & painted frame, new AC, and sealed the HELL out of it. I drug that thing all over Texas chasing that dollar without a lick of trouble. So, from my limited experience an old rebuilt Yellowstone is my favorite travel trailer brand.

I would love to have an Airstream though.

What do you plan to use it for? Drop it and leave it over a year or move it all the time?

I have a Forest River "Rockwood" brand WindJammer 3001W. It is 35' long, has two slides, and sleeps two. We've bought it new in August 2013 and have had no trouble. It's been to Colorado twice, down to the Gulf coast a couple of times, around locally a few times and to the deer lease the last 3 seasons. The quality is good, everything has worked, and it pulls pretty well at around 9000 pounds fully loaded. Plenty of room for two people, but not good for groups. It is a four-season model, fully enclosed and well insulated-- has heaters for the water and waste-water tanks to keep them from freezing up. Also has two air-conditioners for Texas summer heat. The only real shortcoming is that there isn't a lot of external storage. As an "ultralight", it is made for easy towing, so not a lot of space for extra gear. Most of that gets tossed in totes in the back of the pickup.

Airstream is the best choice