Keystone Laredo

[Roverboy]

Hi , new around here and this is my first stupid question . I'm starting to look at 5th wheel trailers to live in during the winter months. Wife and I still need to work traditional jobs but now have time to start experimenting with rv living.

 

That being said I want to get a good solid mid level trailer and then move up to a high end trailer once I find out this is something I could do.

I find lots of Laredo 5th wheels on lots here and there but not much info about them. Is this a bastard child or a diamond in the rough?

[Kirk W]

First of all, welcome to the Escapee forums. We are happy to have you with us and will do our best to be helpful and supportive.

 

On the Laredo. Keystone is a company that was formed to concentrate on the middle of the price/quality market and some years ago and they seem to have made a pretty good inroad into that market. We have known several people who owned them and most of have been reasonably pleased. There are a couple of negative reviews that can be found on the internet, but I'm not sure of the validity. I suspect that as a vacation & weekend unit, it would serve you reasonably well. There are probably others on these forums who have direct experience with the company so I'll leave any specifics to them.

[richfaa]

http://www.keystonerv.com/#

[Roverboy]

I like the higher end trailers from keystone also. Starting to figure out floor plans and like the big closet in the front cap. Could do without it and get one of these Laredos cheap. Like they didn't sell and now 3 yrs old but brand new. What gives ?

[Roverboy]

I know how to find keystones propaganda. To a novice the couger and Laredo look the same. Does one offer anything the other doesn't ? I like the insulation package they put in what keystone calls life size. But I'm seeing lots of the smaller loredos.

[Phil Saran]

You do not state where you plan to live (in the 5th wheel), but that is a consideration too. Snow area? Summer heat?

[mds1]

Here is a link to a couple who travel fulltime in a Laredo. Jump over to their blog - they have always been helping when I left replies for them to read.

 

http://livelaughrv.net/

​

[Roverboy]

You do not state where you plan to live (in the 5th wheel), but that is a consideration too. Snow area? Summer heat?

 

I plan to go south west in the winter months. I would guess I'm going to be dealing with hot weather more than snow and cold. I figure 3 months out of the year I would live in it. I kind of answered my own question with the link that richfaa posted. All the propaganda in one place was helpful. I was trying to figure out why they seem so plentiful and inexpensive. I think I want more high end features mechanically and gonna figure on moving my price range up a little.

[soos]

I plan to go south west in the winter months. I would guess I'm going to be dealing with hot weather more than snow and cold. I figure 3 months out of the year I would live in it. I kind of answered my own question with the link that richfaa posted. All the propaganda in one place was helpful. I was trying to figure out why they seem so plentiful and inexpensive. I think I want more high end features mechanically and gonna figure on moving my price range up a little.

We looked at Laredo when we were going fulltime and knocked them off the list quickly. In general I think they are a lower end Keystone product, not necessarily suitable for living in, months at a time.

 

YMMV,

Sue

[Roverboy]

That's about what I'm thinking. I'm going to try to see some hitchhikers. I'll watch the dealers here in the Chicago and Milwaukee area. I have time and this way I don't bother any private sellers till I'm ready. I think I'm going to look at true 4 season units. Not sure if that will exclude a toy hauler.

[Big Greg]

If you want to look at some HitchHikers here's a link to the NuWa website. In the upper right is access to their archives.

In the upper left is access to their current inventory. http://www.nuwa.com/

Since they stopped manufacturing new HitchHikers their name is now Kansas RV Center, still in Chanute. The manufacturing plant is now a showroom. Service and parts is across the street.

Here's a link to the NuWa Owners Forum, http://nuwaowners.org/ Greg

[Kirk W]

Reading your first post again, I am wondering how long you are thinking of keeping the first RV before you move up? Trading up in RVs is costly for most owners as it is very unusual to get a good enough deal when buying to be able to trade up without a major loss. If you are only thinking of a year or two before you go out on the road, I wonder if it would not be a better choice to think in terms of the permanent home now as you are shopping? If you have doubts about the RV lifestyle, it might be a good ideal to try renting one first, just to get a small taste of the life if you have no prior experience. There are also a large number of books about the lifestyle that might be helpful to you in making sure before you spend the money to buy one. Another way that some people test the water is to find an RV park which has RVs set up that can be rented for a short trial.

 

We love the RV lifestyle, but we also recognize that there are those who do not enjoy what we do and it can be expensive if you find you do not like the way of living. Just some food for thought.....

[mds1]

If you are only thinking of a year or two before you go out on the road, I wonder if it would not be a better choice to think in terms of the permanent home now as you are shopping? If you have doubts about the RV lifestyle, it might be a good ideal to try renting one first,

 

Kirk, we are also struggling with the decision to buy our permeant unit first, rather than taking the financial hit by upgrading later. We rented an RV. Although we learned a lot, we did not trust the brief eight day trip to be a major example of what it would be like while fulltiming. The rental trip did spark a lot of discussion between my wife and I.

 

The original poster had been asking about the Keystone Laredo. I posted earlier a link to a blog where they travel in a Laredo fulltime. Now he is posting about taking a look at the Hitchhicker. As he anticipates traveling in hot and cold climates he may be better off limiting his selection to units that are rated for all-season travel.

 

When we started considering fulltime fifth wheels, we also eliminated units that are not all season, which reduced the list considerably. Unfortunately I keep adding to the list because we are early in the process and for now, just want to know what units are out there. Eventually, floor plan selection will knock a few off the list and help us decide on length.

 

Then we got to thinking about buying a vacation unit a couple of years before we go fulltime which was why the Laredo even entered the equation.

 

My questions to you, knowing you all stuck with the same motorhome; what would be your major considerations to reduce the list of possible units that one would want to keep for the duration of our time on the road? ​Buying an all-seasons rig would be an example. I'm not asking about motorhome vs trailer.

 

I'm hoping this question does not hijack the thread but can be used by the original poster in deciding if the Laredo class of units is really what will work for him.

 

Thanks

 

Forgot to add a comment to the original poster. - Another reason we are going with an all seasons rig is because we don't want to limit where we stay or have to leave early to avoid the bad weather.

[Big Greg]

Major considerations to limit potential RV purchase:

-Budget

-New or used. Used might well have better quality for similar price of new RV

-attending Escapee Bootcamp for RV education, and talking with others in the same situation, for broader knowledge & viewpoints

-reading owners forums for general good and bad points on manufacturers

-driving through campgrounds seeking RVs to talk with

-select 2 or 3 manufactures based on your research then compare floorplans

-if unsure between a motorhome and fifth wheel select one of each you like and spend a day "pretending" to live in each to determine

which is best for you. Pretend to cook, shower, sit on toilet, walk around bed, sleep, watch TV, access storage, etc.

-visit manufacturers to see how each are built, quality, happy employees, rushed or sufficient time to construct units, impression of

manufacturing plants appearance, solid insulation or fiber in walls that will settle in time, etc.

-strength of frames, quality of suspension system, tires and wheel ratings

 

That will give you something to think about. Greg

[JPtravel]

We are owners of a 2016 Keystone Laredo for 4 months now. We are full timers and love it. We had never own a RV before we started full timing last year. We knew nothing! We bought a 2005 Everest from a dealer as our "practice" RV. We learned a lot and made a few changes in it. After one year we were ready to buy new. Most dealer wanted to take us to the cleaner on the Everest. We went back to the dealer we bought the Everest from because they just got a 2016 Laredo in the floor plan we wanted. They gave us a great trade in price and a good deal on the Laredo from my research.

 

We looked at Montana and Heartland and could not justify the cost. It will lose value quickly and boy that is a lot of money. So we moved on to Cougar and Laredo. Cougar is suppose to be better but we did not like any floor plan. We love our floor plan and since we live in it full time, we think that is important. We plan on making upgrade as time goes.

 

We have been in Texas heat and North Dakota cold already and have had no issue.

Good luck with your decision.

[Roverboy]

Reading your first post again, I am wondering how long you are thinking of keeping the first RV before you move up? Trading up in RVs is costly for most owners as it is very unusual to get a good enough deal when buying to be able to trade up without a major loss. If you are only thinking of a year or two before you go out on the road, I wonder if it would not be a better choice to think in terms of the permanent home now as you are shopping? If you have doubts about the RV lifestyle, it might be a good ideal to try renting one first, just to get a small taste of the life if you have no prior experience. There are also a large number of books about the lifestyle that might be helpful to you in making sure before you spend the money to buy one. Another way that some people test the water is to find an RV park which has RVs set up that can be rented for a short trial.

 

We love the RV lifestyle, but we also recognize that there are those who do not enjoy what we do and it can be expensive if you find you do not like the way of living. Just some food for thought.....

Ya Kirk I'm about as dumb as a stump about this stuff but getting closer I hope. I was thinking about getting in an out of a trailer because those looked so affordable.But now I understand that a Laredo won't do what I want. When I say I would wan't to trade up after testing the water I was thinking I would get what I could in the $25k range used. Something desirable so I could sell it. Then see what twice that money could fetch on the used market after a few years.Now I'm thinking the same thing but with 30k ish as a starting trailer.

 

I now have a short list I'm looking at Nu Wa Hitchhiker,Excel, and DRV Mobile suites. Any advise or manufacturers I should add to my list I'm all ears. Let me know when I say something stupid. I want to look at 4 season trailers only.Duo pane windows and all the stuff that comes with that.

[Kirk W]

My questions to you, knowing you all stuck with the same motorhome; what would be your major considerations to reduce the list of possible units that one would want to keep for the duration of our time on the road? ​Buying an all-seasons rig would be an example. I'm not asking about motorhome vs trailer.

I'll do my best to respond to your question, agreeing that the choice of what type of RV is really not an issue that is part of this question, but rather the issue is the selection process.

 

First of all, keep in mind that we did have a lot of years of RV traveling experience before we began to shop for our home on the road. In addition, we actually made the decision to go full-time at retirement more than 15 years before we actually retired and hit the road. We also were fortunate enough to have had two different friends who went on the road well before us and who shared their experiences with us. Experience is not the only way to know what to select, but it helps. The most important thing in choosing an RV that will be a good choice for an extended period is knowing what you & your partner want and actually need. By far the majority of couples who go on the road full-time and stay there for 10 or more years are not only lovers, but also best friends. The reason this is so important to your choice of RV is the fact that no matter what you choose, you will spend more time together living and traveling by RV than you ever have. As a result, the closer your relationship is, the better you will fit into a small space. We happen to be people who prefer to spend time in the same room, and so our small RV worked pretty well.

 

As Greg has mentioned, budget is of critical importance. It is very difficult to be happy, even in a rolling mansion if you worry about how you can buy fuel for it after meeting the operating expenses. This factor is more than just the price that you pay to buy the RV, but it must also include the cost to maintain that RV & tow vehicle or towed vehicle. This means matching the space and amenities that you actually need, to the budget limits you have for purchase initially and also for maintenance. It is important to realize that while a new RV will cost more to buy, the used one will cost more to maintain. As you shop, familiarize yourself with the maintenance costs for any RV/vehicle combination that you consider and make that a part of the process. We began by looking at diesel motorhomes and even had picked one to buy but when we discovered that our budget limits would mean that to buy that RV new we would either have to make payments on it or we would have to use the entire proceeds of our home sale to pay for it, we then shifted our direction. I know that many people choose to spend most of that for an RV and some go on the road with payments, but for us the peace of mind from knowing we had financial ability to replace our home if circumstances were to change.

 

I would also emphasize the importance of defining the difference between what you actually need and the things which you want. One can adapt to not having all of their wants but needs are critical. One of those critical features is space, as in that small people "need" less space than do larger folks. Gaylord Maxwell used to caution prospective RVers that they needed to measure the height and girth of all occupants before the buy an RV. He was the only RV columnist who I ever saw state the fact that very large couples are seldom happy on the road for long, but it has been my observation that he was right. Be honest with yourself about your physical abilities and limitations as you shop for an RV. A spacious bathroom is one of the features that is important to most fulltimer lifestyles and which isn't that common in RV designs.

 

Also as Greg has suggested, you need to both go to any potential RV choice and spend several hours walking through your daily activities, each doing the things that they would do at the same time. If one of you always takes a shower while the other brushes your teeth, then you need an RV where that is possible. Make sure that you can both sit in comfort while you do those things in the evening which you usually do together. If you both watch TV for several hours, be sure that you both are able to do so in comfort. We tend to Pam watch TV while I compute so we looked for a floor plan that was conducive for it. Pam even considered who normally sleeps on which side of the bed in choosing a bedroom layout.

 

Spend a great deal of time just looking at RVs and do not limit yourself. Once we had settled that we wanted a class A, we went to a major RV show with the only purpose being to find a fifth wheel to use instead. We spent a very long day and looked at a lot of trailers and the result was to reinforce our choice of buying a class A. I believe that this process with any type of RV is a good way to be absolutely sure that you will remain satisfied with the type that you have chosen. If enough time is spent in looking, most people eventually find an RV that simply feels like home to both partners and that is what you want.

 

The last thing that I found worked very effectively for us was that the day we took delivery on our fulltime home we stopped attending RV shows or looking at new ones. In nearly 12 years on the road and 14 owning that RV, I doubt that we walked through a dozen new RVs at shows or fairs. We did visit many newer, nicer RVs that were the homes of our fellow RVers, but then who has not visited a friend who lives in a nicer home than we? Since we did not have the budget to replace our RV, why would we then go an look at new ones to perhaps cause us to wish that we could trade up?

[Roverboy]

We are owners of a 2016 Keystone Laredo for 4 months now. We are full timers and love it. We had never own a RV before we started full timing last year. We knew nothing! We bought a 2005 Everest from a dealer as our "practice" RV. We learned a lot and made a few changes in it. After one year we were ready to buy new. Most dealer wanted to take us to the cleaner on the Everest. We went back to the dealer we bought the Everest from because they just got a 2016 Laredo in the floor plan we wanted. They gave us a great trade in price and a good deal on the Laredo from my research.

 

We looked at Montana and Heartland and could not justify the cost. It will lose value quickly and boy that is a lot of money. So we moved on to Cougar and Laredo. Cougar is suppose to be better but we did not like any floor plan. We love our floor plan and since we live in it full time, we think that is important. We plan on making upgrade as time goes.

 

We have been in Texas heat and North Dakota cold already and have had no issue.

Good luck with your decision.

I think the Loredos I was seeing so plentiful around here for cheap are the smaller units that don't have the upgrades that they call "life size". I'm also looking at older units than your 2016. It seems like the 2 levels of Laredo are very different.