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Old 04-14-2023, 09:22 AM   #1
MixMizerMan
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New member with questions

Hi All,
My wife and I are looking toward retirement in 5-6 years. Once retired plan to spend a year full-time RV’ing around the U.S. Don’t think we’ll continue after that year. We figure we will buy a used 5th wheel and resell when our adventure is finished.

Right now starting to educate ourselves on trailers. We are total newbies. With the little research we’ve done we have come up with Montana High Country, Heartland Bighorn, Grand Design Reflections and Coachman Brookstone as models of interest (but, honestly, you could put our knowledge & experience in a very small teacup).

Would appreciate any words of wisdom you all may have to share.

Thanks!
 
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Old 04-14-2023, 09:34 AM   #2
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Tim,

Welcome to the forum!

All brands of RVs tend to be low quality. They are also very similar with many of the same supplier furnished parts.

Your thoughts of buying used are good. Many 1-2 year old rigs have the bugs worked out and are in better shape than new ones. Find the floorpan you like and go from there. If you plan to travel a lot, particularly in the East or National/State parks you may not want to go to the largest size. Also consider the truck to pull it.
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Old 04-14-2023, 09:56 AM   #3
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Thank you!
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Old 04-14-2023, 10:20 AM   #4
Jay & Bobbie
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Been there, done that. After months of research and hand wringing, we narrowed down to Montana High Country or Reflection. We (just like you) did not want to buy new. Fast forward, ended up purchasing a 2018 High Country 345rl (37 ft). It was actually not #1 on our short list. But after traveling many miles to look at the others, we decided on it .
I already have a dually, so tow truck was not a concern.
I was not wild about the reviews of 2020, 2021, and 2022 years due to demand during Covid (I know there will be flack for that remark). That is why we looked really hard for a pre-covid year model. Plus, cost of newer units are out the roof.
Good luck in your search, and I'm sure you will find just what you want.
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Old 04-14-2023, 10:29 AM   #5
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Thanks!
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Old 04-14-2023, 10:44 AM   #6
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First, welcome to the forums.

Second, asking folks about a specific brand (of anything) on a forum site dedicated to that brand is like asking the owner of an apple orchard what he sells at his road side fruit stand?

I have noticed, and also from personal experience, that once the initial year of ownership of a new Montana is over, folks are then pretty happy with their Montana's. It takes a year to flush out all the manufacturing problems and to customize the unit for each person's specific lifestyle and preferred camping style. After the first year, after all the fixes, after all the changes, after all the experimentation, after all the trail and errors, and after all the initial shocks of having disappointments and victories, Montana's turn out to be pretty good campers. But it takes a good year to reach that point of acceptance.

Now, I would not trade my Montana for anything, not even a new one, if it was given to me. After 5 years of changes and customizations, we have the camper that way we like it. We are not "full timers". We are long-timers. We still have our house, and we return home when we need to, but for the most part, we are on the road a LOT more than we are home.

Personally? I vote for the Montana. But then again, you've asked on a Montana forum web site too! and just an FYI. I've owned a Dutchmen, a Keystone Springdale, and a Keystone Outback too.
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Old 04-14-2023, 10:57 AM   #7
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MixMizerMan - as others have said - all RVs are going to have issues. My Chevy has been flawless for 67,000 miles (knock on wood). RVs are not that way. There is more than enough knowledge and help in this forum to help walk you thru operating and fixing nearly anything. Even if you don't pick a Montana (aka S.O.B> some other brand) - you should come here and ask questions, read and learn. There are lots of members that own SOBs. Keep us posted on your search.
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Old 04-14-2023, 12:48 PM   #8
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Sounds like you already have a truck. Hopefully, it's a diesel.

A couple considerations IMHO:

- As mentioned already, those brands will be similar in many ways, so my recommendation would be to go with a floor plan and interior design that you both will enjoy. (Edit: We checked out most of the same brands and the Solitude and this is the main reason we went with the Montana. I also like the headroom in the main area and headroom/windows in the bedroom slide.) I say enjoy bc even though the plan is to RV for a year, you might find that you really enjoy it and want to see and do even more, and go a second year or longer.

- If you'll be moving around a lot, having auto-leveling and cord retraction would be a plus but it comes with extra expense. (Edit: These two were included in my technical wants plus disc brakes, slide awnings, and dual panes but we're planning on RVing for awhile.)

Besides brands, a few comments on trailering and RVing that could impact what you buy.

- Your truck will dictate the max trailer size and weight. Factor the max pin weight will be 22%-25% of trailer GVWR (max weight on the trailer sticker). That trailer GVWR is based on carrying water and waste. Make sure your truck can handle which way you will travel with it. We don't carry water and very little waste but still run 1000 lbs over the empty weight and it puts 3360 lbs (24%) on the hitch (trailer GVWR is 16,500). Some may say it's not safe unless your truck can handle the max pin weight plus max truck cargo weight (to be conservative, that's the way I sized the truck).

- Consider buying the trailer 3-6 months in advance to get used to it and to make sure it (and the truck) doesn't have any major issues. A problem could still arise when you set out but at least you'll know what you're starting out with.

- Consider the places you want to go, for example, if you are going to do a national and state parks journey, there are length and hook-up limitations but there are also many RV parks near national parks that are within reasonable driving distance. Advance trip planning is another topic.

- For a contrarian view, consider a motorhome and a toad.

Good luck with all your plans!
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Old 04-14-2023, 01:48 PM   #9
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Yes, I realize I’m asking the fans who their favorite team is but figured there are prob reasons you all picked what did. 😄
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Old 04-14-2023, 01:49 PM   #10
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Thanks!
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Old 04-14-2023, 03:31 PM   #11
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If I were only going to use it for a year I'd find something significantly used with all the initial bugs worked out.
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Old 04-14-2023, 04:47 PM   #12
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My #1 reason for picking my current Montana? It was all about the floor plan of this specific unit. It had what we were looking for. That was:

Front living room.
Kitchen in the middle with no island blocking anything when the slides are in.
Shower only. No bath tub.
Oven.
And, a rear door on the opposite side of the camper.

The Montana High Country 374FL and the 375FL foot the bill perfect. The difference between the 374 and the 375 is, the 374 has an RV gas/electric refrigerator. The 375 has an all electric refrigerator with an inverter and 2 batteries.

Since then, they've designed the 376FL and the 377FL. The difference is, these two have a loft above the back bed room a bit of reduced bathroom space to accommodate a stair way to the loft, and the counter top makes more of an L-shape, but still, no island. The back door, front living, everything else is almost identical.

If selecting again, I'd really be torn between the 375 and the 377 now. That loft is pretty impressive!

So for us, this Montana had the floor plan and the features we were looking for. If Jayco would have had this floor plan, who knows. I might be on a Jayco forum right now instead!
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