freestoneangler Posted September 28, 2016 Report Share Posted September 28, 2016 In our search for a TT, we recently looked at the StarCraft Autumn Ridge 245DS and really like the layout. At only 7500 lbs GVWR and under 28' hitch to bumper, it keeps things compact while still offering the key elements we want. Many years ago, I owned a StarCraft truck camper (which I purchased used) and it seemed to be of good quality. The company has been in the RV business since 1964, but with all the mergers and shake-up within the industry in recent years, it's getting hard to know how they rank with respect to quality and service. They do come with a 2 year warranty whereas most others offer only 1 year. On another of the forums threads, North Wood, Artic Fox, and Heartland were noted among the top TT mfg's. Does anyone on the forum have experience with StarCraft TT's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freestoneangler Posted November 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2016 In speaking with two different StarCraft dealer sales personnel about how StarCraft compares to Jayco, they are telling me that quality is basically the same. To the Jayco TT owners on the forum, what has your experience been with overall quality & reliability? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 Starcraft took on that name in 1964 when they began to build tent-trailers but they existed in other markets since 1903. In 1991 the company was purchased by Jayco and on July 1, 2016 Thor announced their purchase of Jayco. Good travelin !...............KirkFull-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjim Posted November 2, 2016 Report Share Posted November 2, 2016 I looked at StarCraft and like it for the money and it seemed pretty well put together. The key thing that would make me dig harder is any comment from a dealer sales person. They may be straight up and honest but I litterally would not trust a single thing they say without verification. I think you are wise to be inquiring from other sources but even the other sources could be right or wrong. Some Coleman TT's looked pretty good to me and seemed about the same as StarCraft. Who knows they could be exactly the same and the same manufacturer but just a different name in a different part of the country. That seems to be a common practice. I first realized this years ago when I found my exact Sunnybrook 30FK going by Mobile Scout in a different part of the country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freestoneangler Posted November 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2016 Starcraft took on that name in 1964 when they began to build tent-trailers but they existed in other markets since 1903. In 1991 the company was purchased by Jayco and on July 1, 2016 Thor announced their purchase of Jayco. I too noted the "since 1903" in their website. Hard to say whether that longevity has anything to do with product performance and quality or having merely made the right business model decisions. Of course, it could be both. The next big question is, who will be purchasing Thor Industries? I looked at StarCraft and like it for the money and it seemed pretty well put together. The key thing that would make me dig harder is any comment from a dealer sales person. They may be straight up and honest but I litterally would not trust a single thing they say without verification. I think you are wise to be inquiring from other sources but even the other sources could be right or wrong. Some Coleman TT's looked pretty good to me and seemed about the same as StarCraft. Who knows they could be exactly the same and the same manufacturer but just a different name in a different part of the country. That seems to be a common practice. I first realized this years ago when I found my exact Sunnybrook 30FK going by Mobile Scout in a different part of the country. I too am a bit weary of sales folks. A funny example is that one of the salesman at a Heartland dealer in WA, who talked our ears off as to the benefits of buying that brand over Keystone, was at the Keystone dealer a year later. We overheard him with customers gushing about how Keystone has set the industry standards for 5th wheels. This scenario probably plays out more often than we know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaH Posted November 5, 2016 Report Share Posted November 5, 2016 On another of the forums threads, North Wood, Artic Fox, and Heartland were noted among the top TT mfg's. Just an FYI. Northwood is the name of the manufacturing company, Arctic Fox is one of the lines they make. http://northwoodmfg.com LindaH 2014 Winnebago Aspect 27K 2011 Kia Soul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freestoneangler Posted November 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2016 Just an FYI. Northwood is the name of the manufacturing company, Arctic Fox is one of the lines they make. http://northwoodmfg.com Has NW Mfg. always owned Arctic Fox? For some reason, I thought they were a stand alone company at one time. Or perhaps it was the name change from Outdoor RV Mfg. that is confusing me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaH Posted November 6, 2016 Report Share Posted November 6, 2016 Has NW Mfg. always owned Arctic Fox? For some reason, I thought they were a stand alone company at one time. Or perhaps it was the name change from Outdoor RV Mfg. that is confusing me? Outdoors RV Mfg., is a separate company from Northwood, although both are owned by the same person, Ron Nash (Ron took over the old Fleetwood manufacturing plant in 2009 when it went kaput and started Outdoors). http://outdoorsrvmfg.com As far as I know Arctic Fox has always been a Northwood brand. If Arctic Fox was a stand alone brand at one time, I'm not aware of it. Ron started Northwood back in 1993, so *maybe* he took over an existing manufacturing facility that was making Arctic Fox and kept the name? LindaH 2014 Winnebago Aspect 27K 2011 Kia Soul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaH Posted November 6, 2016 Report Share Posted November 6, 2016 Here's an interesting article I found in Truck Camper magazine about Northwood, Outdoors, and the two men who took over after Ron Nash's stroke in January 2010. It was written in August 2010: http://www.truckcampermagazine.com/leaders/jim-jones-ceo-and-ward-king-coo-of-northwood-manufacturing/ LindaH 2014 Winnebago Aspect 27K 2011 Kia Soul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spindrift Posted November 10, 2016 Report Share Posted November 10, 2016 Here's an interesting article I found in Truck Camper magazine about Northwood, Outdoors, and the two men who took over after Ron Nash's stroke in January 2010. It was written in August 2010: http://www.truckcampermagazine.com/leaders/jim-jones-ceo-and-ward-king-coo-of-northwood-manufacturing/ Linda....thanks so much for that article. We're former Arctic Fox owners and still wish we were. Unfortunately, at the time we purchased our last RV, AF had a rather limited offering. I've always wondered how Ron was rehabbing. 2012 F350 KR CC DRW w/ some stuff 2019 Arctic Fox 32-5MCindy and Tom, Kasey and Maggie (our Newfie and Berner) Oh...I forgot the five kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaH Posted November 10, 2016 Report Share Posted November 10, 2016 Linda....thanks so much for that article. We're former Arctic Fox owners and still wish we were. Unfortunately, at the time we purchased our last RV, AF had a rather limited offering. I've always wondered how Ron was rehabbing. You're welcome. When I found that article, I looked to see if I could find anything more recent about Ron, but couldn't. I didn't spend a lot of time on it, though. We used to have an Arctic Fox fifth wheel, the 24-5N. LindaH 2014 Winnebago Aspect 27K 2011 Kia Soul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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