Travel trailer comparisons

[jules2go]

My last post in the other forum was about Class C's. I've decided that a trailer is what I want, so I'm curious about thoughts on the following brands if you have experience or knowledge about them. This is for full-timing. I'm trying to keep it under 25ft-ish. I want something with good resale value and relative ease to sell eventually. Some of these are pretty costly, but I'm selling my house and this will be it for me. I have to upgrade my truck from a 2018 Tacoma, too. Thank you. 

--Intech "Terra"

--Airstream Bambi line, but they are single axle which I think it's not the best for lots of road miles...?

--Lance, not sure which model.

--Winnebago -- unsure which model. 

--Oliver 

[Kirk W]

The Intech "Terra" is not only very expensive but used ones are pretty rare. RV Trader has a few that are a year old starting at $20k+.

The Airstream Bambi line are high quality but lack in storage. A new one that is only 16' long has an MSRP of only $59,300. RV Trader has one of the 16' ones that is 2 years old for $43k.

The Lance travel trailers are back down in the price range that most of us could afford. They have a reasonably good reputation for the quality/price market they are in and a 20' model will weigh about 5k  and RV Trader has one like it in a 2016 model for $15k.

Of the names you listed here Winnebago has in my opinion the gest reputation and record of support. They make a range of price/quality travel trailers but the 20' new Hike model has an MSRP of $38,495 and RV Trader has a 2021 model for $25k.

[jules2go]

26 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

The Intech "Terra" is not only very expensive but used ones are pretty rare. RV Trader has a few that are a year old starting at $20k+.

The Airstream Bambi line are high quality but lack in storage. A new one that is only 16' long has an MSRP of only $59,300. RV Trader has one of the 16' ones that is 2 years old for $43k.

The Lance travel trailers are back down in the price range that most of us could afford. They have a reasonably good reputation for the quality/price market they are in and a 20' model will weigh about 5k  and RV Trader has one like it in a 2016 model for $15k.

Of the names you listed here Winnebago has in my opinion the gest reputation and record of support. They make a range of price/quality travel trailers but the 20' new Hike model has an MSRP of $38,495 and RV Trader has a 2021 model for $25k.

Hi Kirk, thank you. I need to find a Winnebago dealer and go see a few. I've never been in an Intech or a Lance. Airstream -- I've been in one, not sure if it as a Bambi line. I really appreciate it. 

[TXiceman]

Our daughter had a Winnebago Minnie Plus and they were very pleased with it compared to the trailer some of their friends had.  It seemed to be reasonably well constructed for the price point.

We have looked at Lance and they seem to be reasonably well constructed. 

Oliver is higher dollar, but seem to be well constructed.

I think that Air Stream is way overpriced and overrated now.  They have a cult-like following.

 

Ken

[jules2go]

4 hours ago, TXiceman said:

Our daughter had a Winnebago Minnie Plus and they were very pleased with it compared to the trailer some of their friends had.  It seemed to be reasonably well constructed for the price point.

We have looked at Lance and they seem to be reasonably well constructed. 

Oliver is higher dollar, but seem to be well constructed.

I think that Air Stream is way overpriced and overrated now.  They have a cult-like following.

 

Ken

Thank you Ken

[sandsys]

Oliver is very well constructed and has a good reputation but there are not a lot of them out there. It is a cousin of the Scamp/Casita trailers which tend to hold their value.

Winnebago also has a good reputation and has been around forever but they are known for their motorhomes. I think their trailer lines are new but don't know that for sure.

Airstream's reputation is that they tend to be well built but have little storage and are more expensive than justified because of their cult-like following.

I know Lance truck campers are well built but I am not familiar with their trailers.

I know nothing about Intech. 

Linda

[duraduk]

Another line to look at is Northwood.  They make the Nash and Arctic Fox.  They build their frames in house.  A sister company is Outdoor Recreation.  They both are manufactured in Oregon and have limited production.  Dealers are usually located in the west.

 

[sandsys]

6 hours ago, duraduk said:

Another line to look at is Northwood.  They make the Nash and Arctic Fox.  They build their frames in house.  A sister company is Outdoor Recreation.  They both are manufactured in Oregon and have limited production.  Dealers are usually located in the west.

 

Arctic Fox is known for being a well-built four-season trailer. Most people keep them a long time but, if you can find one for sale, it is worth checking out.

Linda

[Kirk W]

I just now returned from visiting an RV show and had a close look at the Winnebago Micro Minnie FLX and it is a very impressive trailer for one who is thinking of real boondocking where you get more than off of the pavement but well into the backcountry where we hikers & horsemen consider to be bookdocking. It has the high ground clearance for backcountry travel and is built with durability and power conservation first in mind. But the catch is that it also comes with an MSRP of $64,421 for a 22' travel trailer.

I should add that having last shopped for a new RV 10 years ago, I was rather surprised by just how high the prices are in spite of having been involved with the RV internet community. 

[chiefneon]

Howdy!

For a fulltime RV travel trailer I would suggest looking a the Bigfoot RV Travel Trailers. They are a well built and a true four season TT. They are built to withstand cool and hot temperatures. I personally will be looking to buy one when we downsize in the near future.

https://bigfootrv.com/rvs/travel-trailers
 

“Happy Trails “

Chiefneon 

[fpmtngal]

In the one-person’s-opinion category, I spent some time this summer looking at new Winnebago, Arctic Fox, ORV, Ember and one Lance trailer.  They were all new 2022 models, not older, used ones.

I haven’t looked at Airstream since 2015 and at that time I thought there was a big disconnect between price and value.  Small holding tanks, lack of storage space and so on.  At the time the one I was looking at had “bluetooth ready” on the radio, while Lance and others were putting in bluetooth capable radios.  No idea what they are like now.

In many ways, I wasn’t impressed with any of them.  The Arctic Fox and ORV were better built than Winnebago.  Both had models in the size I was looking at but both had things that were deal-breakers for me (though I’m still thinking about checking into special-ordering a particular Arctic Fox model, if I can talk myself into a 27’ trailer).  Those deal-breakers might not matter to anyone else though.

I looked at the FLX line as that’s the size I wanted and it would be nice to not have to completely upgrade the 12v system like I would with other trailers (I’m looking for 400Ah battery power, 3000W inverter and as much solar as I can manage to get on the roof).  I liked their interior design, but wasn’t as impressed with their construction as I had expected to be.  I’ve talked to a number of people who have owned older Winnebago trailers and loved them.

I recently saw a couple of Ember trailers and was impressed.  I didn’t look at them that closely, but they seem well built and if I ever get serious about replacing my trailer, I’ll give them a second look.  They are designed more for rugged use and can be ordered with a large lithium battery bank, a big inverter and extra solar.

Which has left me looking at Lance.  I currently own and full-time in a 2016 Lance 1685 that I bought new in December 2015.  It has held up well, though starting to show it’s age - it’s an RV with close to 70,000 miles on it after all.  It’s an outstanding floor plan for a solo traveler, with a ton of storage space, though the payload is somewhat limited (GVWR for mine is 5500 lbs).

However, Lance made some changes for the 2022 models that are deal-breakers for me, especially as far as the 1685 goes.  They are now heavier, with a higher GVWR.  They lost some storage space I use constantly and re-arranged things so that there’s more space in the front pass-through but less space under the bed (my main storage).   I’m going to wait and see what they do for 2023 before I go looking at trailers again.

[jules2go]

On 9/24/2022 at 10:01 PM, fpmtngal said:

In the one-person’s-opinion category, I spent some time this summer looking at new Winnebago, Arctic Fox, ORV, Ember and one Lance trailer.  They were all new 2022 models, not older, used ones.

Thank you for this information. Very helpful. 

 

[jules2go]

On 9/22/2022 at 8:16 PM, chiefneon said:

Howdy!

For a fulltime RV travel trailer I would suggest looking a the Bigfoot RV Travel Trailers. They are a well built and a true four season TT. They are built to withstand cool and hot temperatures. I personally will be looking to buy one when we downsize in the near future.

https://bigfootrv.com/rvs/travel-trailers
 

“Happy Trails “

Chiefneon 

They look solidly built. Thanks. 

[sandsys]

On 9/22/2022 at 7:16 PM, chiefneon said:

Howdy!

For a fulltime RV travel trailer I would suggest looking a the Bigfoot RV Travel Trailers. They are a well built and a true four season TT. They are built to withstand cool and hot temperatures. I personally will be looking to buy one when we downsize in the near future.

https://bigfootrv.com/rvs/travel-trailers
 

“Happy Trails “

Chiefneon 

Those corner beds are frustrating when it comes time to change the sheets. Or even to get into and out of since the inside person has to crawl over the feet of the outside person. In fact, everyone has to crawl to get in since you can't just sit down on one side then lie down. Still, your needs may be very different from mine.

Linda

[chiefneon]

4 hours ago, sandsys said:

Those corner beds are frustrating when it comes time to change the sheets. Or even to get into and out of since the inside person has to crawl over the feet of the outside person. In fact, everyone has to crawl to get in since you can't just sit down on one side then lie down. Still, your needs may be very different from mine.

Linda

Howdy!

Bigfoot makes a 25B25RQ that has a queen size rv walk around bed in the rear. That’s the one I like the best.

” Happy Trails “

Chiefneon 

[Jinx & Wayne]

My eldest daughter and her husband are full timing in a Forest River R-Pod 192. They've been in it since April and love it. They are Escapees members so they may chime in.

 

[sandsys]

16 hours ago, Jinx & Wayne said:

My eldest daughter and her husband are full timing in a Forest River R-Pod 192. They've been in it since April and love it. They are Escapees members so they may chime in.

 

Looks, good. I could live in that one except you still need to be able to crawl to get all the way into the bed and my tendonitis won't allow that.

Linda

[TXiceman]

50 minutes ago, sandsys said:

Looks, good. I could live in that one except you still need to be able to crawl to get all the way into the bed and my tendonitis won't allow that.

Linda

We had one RV with the corner bed.  We called those RVs, "Beginners Models".  I will never have another one.

 

Ken

[fpmtngal]

19 hours ago, Jinx & Wayne said:

My eldest daughter and her husband are full timing in a Forest River R-Pod 192. They've been in it since April and love it. They are Escapees members so they may chime in.

 

Forgot about the rPod - I’ve always liked them and the 192 has a good floor plan.  I haven’t looked at them this time around (in the past they were smaller so not what I wanted), but I probably should check them out again.

As far as full-timing - I’ve met 2 different people (both singles) who were full-timing in TAB 400 trailers.  I wouldn’t be able to do it, but they were happy with them.  

[vermilye]

I spend 6-7 months a year in an Escape 21C.  Full size bed, table converts to another, wet bath, light weight (4700 lbs loaded).  Not 4 season, but does OK with nights down to the 20's as long as the day gets into at least the high 40's.

[kb0zke]

I suspect that jules2go has already purchased something, but I thought I'd chime in anyway. Might help someone else.

We weren't planning to buy a new trailer, but that's what we ended up with. We were looking at used Airstreams, somewhat longer than what the OP wanted, and weren't finding much that we liked. I asked for other suggestions, and Grand Design was mentioned. We also looked at some others, but the Grand Design Reflection 315RLTS seemed to meet our needs. We stopped in at a dealer on our way back to The Ranch and looked at one. A few weeks later we bought it.

I'm not sold on slides, even after having this one for several months, but it is what it is. The sink is in an island, so no flexible plumbing to leak. There are only two small windows on the street side and the dinette area is on the curb side, so we have a view of our campsite when eating. We looked at a similar trailer that was pretty much identical to this one, but with the kitchen and living/dining slides reversed, and didn't like that as well.

Grand Design customer service is great. We've had dealings with two dealerships and one was good, the other not. Before you buy do your research on the dealer!

[Tulecreeper]

On 7/7/2023 at 11:41 AM, kb0zke said:

I suspect that jules2go has already purchased something, but I thought I'd chime in anyway. Might help someone else.

We weren't planning to buy a new trailer, but that's what we ended up with. We were looking at used Airstreams, somewhat longer than what the OP wanted, and weren't finding much that we liked. I asked for other suggestions, and Grand Design was mentioned. We also looked at some others, but the Grand Design Reflection 315RLTS seemed to meet our needs. We stopped in at a dealer on our way back to The Ranch and looked at one. A few weeks later we bought it.

I'm not sold on slides, even after having this one for several months, but it is what it is. The sink is in an island, so no flexible plumbing to leak. There are only two small windows on the street side and the dinette area is on the curb side, so we have a view of our campsite when eating. We looked at a similar trailer that was pretty much identical to this one, but with the kitchen and living/dining slides reversed, and didn't like that as well.

Grand Design customer service is great. We've had dealings with two dealerships and one was good, the other not. Before you buy do your research on the dealer!

Grand Design is made by Winnebago, and as Kirk said earlier, Winnebago has a solid reputation.

[Steven@146]

We've had our Grand Design Solitude S-Class now for 4 years almost 5 years now. It's been great but was built in the fall of 2018.

GD makes the Momentum, Solitude, Reflection, Imagine, Transend. Their customer service has been great the only couple of times we needed. Our RV has never been back to a dealer, never will be!

Edited July 19, 2023 by Steven@146