“Pathetic quality”: RV dealers are fed up with what manufacturers are producing

[dtech]

From this article :

https://www.rvtravel.com/pathetic-quality-rv-dealers-fed-manufacturers-producing-1017b/

Wife and I have made a number of camping trips this year - staying in our tent, but I'd estimate in campgrounds 2/3 or maybe more "campers" have RVs. And according to articles purchases have accelerated greatly since 2019, f'cst was for 600k units in 2022. And I've been to some fairly remote dispersed camping areas where there are good sized RVs -areas accessed by narrow rough mtn roads.

As we sat in our tent during a lengthy downpour we had a conversation about maybe it's time to buy a small or midsize camper to tow with the ranger. Recommendations are appreciated. The keyword is smaller as we have numerous friends with large RVs or motor homes and not planning on going that route. And don't see a roof top tent as a solution for us, I am 70 yrs old and despite sleeping on a cot with an air mattress my arthritic back has been causing me grief.

thanks

 

[AzScorpion]

Depending on how small you want to go I'd check out the R-Pods. I saw a lot of them while traveling in June and also talked with an older (70's) couple who have one. They recently downsized to this from a larger travel trailer and love it as it super easy to tow and maneuver in tight campsites.

https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/travel-trailers/r-pod

 

[Stevedbvik1]

We have a 2021.5 Surveyor 19BHLE and love it. Our Tremor tows it great. It’s also a Forest River product. Grand Design is also a well manufactured product and has models in the 17-19 foot range. All of the RV manufacturers and suppliers are having issues so there’s no way to single out any “perfect “ unit. Be prepared to do some tweaking if you get an newer unit and leave no stone unturned before taking delivery.

 

[AzScorpion]

We have a 2021.5 Surveyor 19BHLE and love it. Our Tremor tows it great. It’s also a Forest River product. Grand Design is also a well manufactured product and has models in the 17-19 foot range. All of the RV manufacturers and suppliers are having issues so there’s no way to single out any “perfect “ unit. Be prepared to do some tweaking if you get an newer unit and leave no stone unturned before taking delivery.

They do have RV inspectors which is something to consider since the quality lately isn't the best.

 

[deleriumtremor]

I think I would rent for a season, see what you like, what you don't like, before you pull the trigger on a purchase. Pretty much any way you go is going to have positives and negatives, knowing which matter to you is really great, before you buy.

 

[shiresoft]

All RVs have "issues". Partly it's because each one is hand built and QA is almost non-existent. Another issue is that most are built in one county in Indiana so the workers can just "go across the street" for any reason.

The last few years have seen an explosion in demand so the push has been to get units out the door and let the dealers handle the defects. So it's up to the dealer to handle them.

We purchased a Thor Magnitude (Super C) RV last year and it spent most of that first year at the dealer (two major wild fires didn't help either). Part of that was the dealer was swamped and also not able to get parts. But fortunately nothing major was wrong. Most everything has been taken care of now.

Our plan is once we get our Ranger, that will be out "toad" that we pull behind the motorhome (we currently pull my wife's 2007 Toyota Corolla).

 

[Yinzcity]

If I were in the market for anything, I would look for something used, built pre-covid. And definitely inspect every inch. Trailer construction is generally lousy at best and COVID hit the quality of everything hard. There may be some boutique brands that do a good job, but the main ones seem to be iffy at best.

https://www.theautopian.com/rv-qual...ys-you-a-camper-with-broken-safety-equipment/

 

[dtech]

They do have RV inspectors which is something to consider since the quality lately isn't the best.

Hopefully RV inspectors do a better job than the home inspector I used on my recent home purchase, he was recommend by my realtor and when I complained to her about his lack of depth (he mostly took a lot of pics) she mentioned " he found a cover plate missing in the crawl space" . However she was very attractive and hugged (me) a lot.

 

[AzScorpion]

Hopefully RV inspectors do a better job than the home inspector I used on my recent home purchase, he was recommend by my realtor and when I complained to her about his lack of depth (he mostly took a lot of pics) she mentioned " he found a cover plate missing in the crawl space" . However she was very attractive and hugged (me) a lot.

At least you got something out of it.

 

[AdamHarris]

A road going rig (rv travel trailer, etc) can only be 2 of 3 things: Cheap, Hi-quality, Lite-weight.

If it’s lite-weight And Hi-quality, it will be Expensive

If it’s Cheap And High-quality, it will be Heavy.

I’ve grown accustomed to picking screws up out of the floor of my Coleman 18RB after a pull lol.

 

[JesseS]

My wife and I have been RV'ing for 15 years, before that I tent camped all over Europe. We started with a 32' G32 my Dad gave us when he hung it up. That was an 82, in good shape but not reliable for long trips any longer, went down to a 2000 29' class C, then our current Jayco 26AY bus.
My advice would be to rent a rig for a week to see how you like it before you buy. We toured several manufactures factories before we decided on the Jayco, a family owned company that has since been bought out by Thor, so quality went to crap (more than it was). Glad I can do all of my own work and mod's because it would have been in the shop more than out.
I no longer like to sleep on the ground, and my wife never did, nice having a warm dry bed and a bathroom close by. We Boondock most of the time so large fresh water tanks and a solar array with large inverter and battery bank a plus.
Buy used where the owner did all of the repairs, or buy new and do them yourself, or let it spend months in the shop. There are as many choice's in rigs as there are people, and only you know what you want or need.

 

[Danager]

Check out one of the A-Frame units. Comfy inside, way more safe & secure than a tent trailer, really lite. The low profile allows for them to fit inside a garage, and to be equipped with a roof rack for canoe/kayak/bike without too much difficulty loading/unloading. The downside is no indoor bathroom, low headroom is certain areas. Usually the bed and dinette at the ends, so headroom isn’t a dealbreaker.

Almost purchased one this year. Probably next year.

 

[JohnnyO]

I'm in kind of the same boat. We don't camp a lot but getting older and to where A/C would be nice instead of tenting. Mostly we go to a few races a year.
R-Pods and the A-Liner are both good suggestions, I've seen them at RV shows.
A handful of companies make slide-in campers for mid-size trucks. They're within the payload capacity but I'd still get Firestone airbags if I got one of those.

 

[9zero1790]

A road going rig (rv travel trailer, etc) can only be 2 of 3 things: Cheap, Hi-quality, Lite-weight.

If it’s lite-weight And Hi-quality, it will be Expensive

If it’s Cheap And High-quality, it will be Heavy.

I’ve grown accustomed to picking screws up out of the floor of my Coleman 18RB after a pull lol.

definitely the sad truth! 3 for 3 is not gonna happen lol.
The best quality rv overall is typically Airstream, prevost, Foretravel . None of those are cheap lol. even the smallest of the line ups is 50k plus for a new one.

 

[9zero1790]

i have been dreaming of a riverside retro. if i remember correctly they have aluminum framing instead of flimsy wood. prices are not too bad. they are not swanky though. no marble or led back lit stuff lol. i like the 511 and 135. both small and easy to tow but have ac and a bed. beats a tent for sure.