Not all RV's are junk or poorly constructed.

[mennonite]

After a ton of research for years, I have concluded that there are several "much better quality RV's out there". 

But MOST are poorly constructed.   Honestly. 

ANYTHING from Indiana are unfortunately poorly constructed.  This is because there are tons of Amish builders that are paid by the piece.  If you watch videos of like Jayco being built, those guys are RUNNING to get the job done as fast as they can.  They literally are going crazy fast. 

This includes MOST manufacturers out there. 

Here are some quality brands:

Airstream 
Lance
Outdoors RV
Northwoods MFG
Casita
Scamp

These companies do not use Lippert frames or are built in a high speed fashion.     Be sure to check them out.   Bob Wells was right to point people to converting enclosed trailers because of quality.  Airstream is obviously expensive... But seriously there are these brands.  They DO cost a bit more to get into however.  Just putting this out there. 

If I'm missing a brand just let me know.

 

[MrNoodly]

A friend's Lance trailer started to deform in one of the corners, eventually opening the corner seam. He disassembled things so he could repair it. He showed me how the framing was lacking adequate bracing. It was real (pardon the pun) corner-cutting engineering.

 

[trailer-t]

Thanks. Unfortunately that is a short list to pick from. t

 

[[email protected]]

To the original poster I have a 1993 Dutchman 28' class A that was under the Thor RV brand. This unit is all aluminium wall and roof framing, all one piece fiberglass bonded siding and a one piece aluminum roof. The chassis is a Chevy 454 that has 50,000 virtually trouble free miles on it. I think it is very short sighted to paint all RV's with the same brush. You can find good units even in brands which have a poor review. Part of this is because you only hear from the most vocal critics. The many customers like myself go on quietly enjoying our RV. So if you are looking for a RV look at everything out there, with an eye to the plusses and minuses of each. Be diligent in your review and you can avoid most problems. We just drove our 27 year old Dutchmen Classic 1500 miles to Quartzsite, Laughlin, Kingman  and home without any problems and we averaged 8 mpg , not bad for its age. Jeff

 

[ZoNiE]

I love the Lance trailer, But when we were shopping, the floors always felt "Squishy" I was told it is because of their slide in camper experience. They have the truck bed to help with support. Needless to say, we bought a 2009 Slyline Nomad. Great trailer. Built well. My sister has it now as we have moved back into a Class A.

You cannot beat the build quality of a 1996-2000 Safari. Made in Oregon. All handmade hardwood cabinetry. NO particle board. They are not the prettiest coaches, and many years the aluminum bodies have exposed rivets, but these features are a structural plus.

 

[bullfrog]

I have had quality campers and there may still be a few out there but since the majority of buyers are looking for the lowest price and major manufactures control not only the market but all the component suppliers demanding low cost and therefore low quality results. You almost have to go out of the country to get a high quality camper for this reason. There are many from Australia and a few from Canada but most in the USA have been run out of business due to the shortage or ability to get components. Some sold their name to major manufactures mainly to boost their sales. It has become a monopoly basically. If you do find a quality built one the price will be inflated as the small manufactures have had to build or overpay for components while showing less profit than if they built and sold twice as many cheap ones.

 

[rokguy]

I reckon if I was to live in your country I would be looking for a used older Prevost or MCI, 
 I wouldn't consider buying a stapled together RV, most of the ones here are just as bad with delaminating Filon sides and rubber roofs that always get torn up.

 

[mennonite]

To the original poster I have a 1993 Dutchman 28' class A that was under the Thor RV brand. This unit is all aluminium wall and roof framing, all one piece fiberglass bonded siding and a one piece aluminum roof. The chassis is a Chevy 454 that has 50,000 virtually trouble free miles on it. I think it is very short sighted to paint all RV's with the same brush. You can find good units even in brands which have a poor review. Part of this is because you only hear from the most vocal critics. The many customers like myself go on quietly enjoying our RV. So if you are looking for a RV look at everything out there, with an eye to the plusses and minuses of each. Be diligent in your review and you can avoid most problems. We just drove our 27 year old Dutchmen Classic 1500 miles to Quartzsite, Laughlin, Kingman  and home without any problems and we averaged 8 mpg , not bad for its age. Jeff

This is awesome.   It should be noted that within "common knowledge" of many RV circles that older units were VERY much built better.   I'm pretty much going off what Bob Wells said in a video about the poorer construction.   I agree with him on the newer units made under the Thor umbrella or from Indiana. 

Yeah, when we were looking for RV's we totally were looking for the brands I cited above and also "older but good" units from years back.

 

[mennonite]

I have had quality campers and there may still be a few out there but since the majority of buyers are looking for the lowest price and major manufactures control not only the market but all the component suppliers demanding low cost and therefore low quality results.  You almost have to go out of the country to get a high quality camper for this reason.  There are many from Australia and a few from Canada but most in the USA have been run out of business due to the shortage or ability to get components.  Some sold their name to major manufactures mainly to boost their sales.  It has become a monopoly basically.  If you do find a quality built one the price will be inflated as the small manufactures have had to build or overpay for components while showing less profit than if they built and sold twice as many cheap ones.

Yes and many of the cheap ones ASSURE the customer of a "great warranty" of 2 years, and 3 years structure.   Then when the buyer's bathtub starts leaking and they call service, indeed they honor it.... But it sits for 4-5 months in their lot waiting in line to be serviced.   It's a scam. 

There ARE quality campers out there.   I agree with Bob Wells though about how they are built poorly.... My opinion is that there are "GOOD" Brands. 

We looked High, Low, Backwards, Forwards, Left, Right..... You can totally tell.   Crawl under a Jayco, Fleetwood, etc,. then crawl under and Arctic Fox by Northwood MFG.   Totally completely different.   The framing is 2x as thick, 2x as broad, axles much more juicy, struts on springs... A million times better on the Arctic Fox from Oregon. 

Walk inside them and the Indiana ones feel like your feet go  "boom boom rattle rattle".  Arctic fox you can barely tell it's a travel trailer it's so stout.   
Of course there is a catch.   They are heavy.  You need a big tow vehicle.   Same for Airstream.


For those looking for smaller unit of quality I'd suggest Scamp or Casita.   Skip Indiana stuff if possible (which is almost all RV's out there). 


They are paid by piece in Indiana, and the guys literally HAUL REAR END to get them done.  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLHux4SuXbY

7 Hour camper build. Yikes!

 

[highdesertranger]

IMO Airstream's are nowhere near the quality that they once were. take a look at an old one and a new one side by side and it becomes obvious. highdesertranger

 

[MrNoodly]

This is why, if I were to go with something bigger than my van, I'd probably do a skoolie. Steel throughout, tough enough to withstand years of abuse by kids.

 

[tripper]

I have a 93 lance 5th wheel (similiar to their truck campers of the time, only stretched), it is very well constructed, however much the newer Lances seem to be lower quality.
One person mentioned a Prevost as a quality rv, my buddy has an older one in nice shape, but it's older electronic systems are a complete nightmare, and unusable as a boondocking rig as it consumes crazy amounts of power. A Prevost is a horrible idea for a cheap rv living rig.

 

[bullfrog]

I own a 1983 Barth motorhome which we bought in 2000 that had been restored and it worked well for several years but I always worried about the difficulty and time that would be involved if a motor went out or some of the self steer suspension system which never did go bad. Windshields and the few steel pieces that were used along with electricals after 25 years were the main problems. The aluminum body still is square and strong. The Chevy P32 chassis is still in good shape with almost 100,000 miles. Anything with a hole in the roof will eventually leak is not maintained.

 

[sushidog]

"A Prevost is a horrible idea for a cheap rv living rig."

Agreed! :thumbsup: But there are older RVs that are well made and affordable. I was fortunate enough to find one that I've been living in full-time for 14 months now. Sure when you have more systems to go wrong some will. But that's life. Even if you can't afford to keep everything working 100% all the time it still has more going for it than doing completely without. What's nice about an RV is you don't have to go without the simple comforts of home, like hot showers, a flush toilet, sufficient space to move around without getting in each other's way, etc. 

The key is finding one with good bones, which in my case meant a 20 yr old, low mileage motorhome that had the features I was looking for. But you will have to decide what's important for you, cause everyone's wants and needs are different.

What did I think was important? Like most folk (and many in the RV crowd) here I love to boondock, so I looked for a rig that facilitated this lifestyle. First the basics. Many RVs today have very little carrying capacity as they are lightly built for weekends and week long vacationers who will be staying exclusively at $$$ RV parks, so you have to sort through these "junk" rvs (from our perspective as full-timer boondockers. If you find one of sufficient carrying capacity that is a good indicator of quality of construction. In an RV the size I was looking for this meant I needed one with a tag axle to carry more weight. What kind of weight did I plan on carrying. Water for one. We've found that fresh and waste water capacity are our number one limiting factor when boondocking - and we have 95 gallons of fresh water capacity, 50 gallons of both gray and black water capacity. Plus I carry another 15 gallons of water in my toad in 3 - 5 gallon foldable Water containers. This allows us to just get by the typical 15 day BLM limit before we have to dump and take on fresh water, which works out perfectly.Though this sounds like a lot of water it's less than 4 gallons per person per day. If you consider showering, washing dishes, flushing the toilet, hand washing and drinking this is not really a lot compared to what one might use in a S&B house.

The next heaviest item was our power needs. This means batteries, solar generator and inverter. We're still using FLA batteries because of the high cost of lithiums. And lead is heavy. Plus consider that you will be carrying all of your worldly goods  with you. This means a couple weeks worth of food, clothing for 4 seasons, shoes, linens, tools for repairs and maintenance (which are quite heavy) spare fluids, spare tire, propane, electronics, camping gear, kitchen appliances, pots and pans, silverware, BBQ gear, recreational and hobby stuff, etc. Remember that water weighs  8.34lbs/gallon and propane 4.2 lbs/ gallon - so 100 gallons of water and 24 of propane weighs about $935 lbs just by itself. For 2 people, this usually adds up to around 3,000 lbs of carrying capacity. Our RV has 3,500 lbs of CCC so we just made it.

This means you must have an RV suitable for carrying this much weight over rough terrain, if you like to boondock. It should also be properly insulated - the more the better, with dual pane windows being a big plus to minimize heating and cooling costs. Fortunately we were able to find an RV that has worked well for us, meeting all our needs that didn't break the bank - a 99 National Tropical.  If you are single, you could cut all the numbers I put out there in half then adjust to your own unique circumstance and I'm sure you will be able to find an older, well made RV that's right for you. It may take some looking though, cause no doubt you will have to sort through a lot of junk, as we did, to find your perfect boondocking rig you can call home.

Chip

 

[wayne49]

This is why, if I were to go with something bigger than my van, I'd probably do a skoolie. Steel throughout, tough enough to withstand years of abuse by kids.

More to the point, structural integrity in the event of a collision to protect those "abusive kids".
Bumpy roads are nothing.

 

[sub2rainEN]

Are you only talking trailers?

I love my Airstream B190 van. All metal body, fiberglass roof, solid wood cabinetry. I’ve had some minor issues, since it’s 30 years old and sat for a while, but not indicative of quality — replaces original brake systems tubes that dried out, some electrical issues probably due to mice because it sat after a previous owner died, one drawer is stuck.

The other brand I was looking at was Lazy Days. Seems to be a quality build, every video I’ve seen of one the owner loved it. I’m in SoCal, so they’re plentiful.


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[nature lover]

sub2rainEN Do you have any pics to share? Would be neat to see this rig.

 

[sub2rainEN]

I wanted something ugly on the outside, so no one suspects how sweet my home is, since I plan to urban boondock. I expected dents, ended up with bad paint. That will be the last thing I fix. I fell for these and because they have ovens, but ended up with one that didn’t. They can go for $20-25k and I couldn’t pass up the sub-$10k price (in CA!!!)...meet Beatriz Esmerelda Frida Anjelica Rosalinda (BE FAR)...In Arizona, Times Square, and the 2018 Van build.

sub2rainEN Do you have any pics to share? Would be neat to see this rig.

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[nature lover]

PICs ARE GREAT - thank you - very nice rig. How many miles and brief history of major maintenance would be interesting. Keeping rigs like that in service and reliable is interesting to me. I have a friend who drives a 1992 dodge (auto) which has been sitting for nearly two weeks while they search for a spindle for the rear axle.

You said - "I wanted something ugly on the outside," That describes my rig AND ME.

 

[sub2rainEN]

She’s always been pretty reliable, although things have failed, due to old parts. My mechanic says she’s in great shape, but he’s always amazed he’s pulling off original parts.

REPAIRS:

She had 28k miles when I bought her 2 years ago in November. I just got back to CA from a 6500 mile trip to NYC and visiting family in the Midwest. On the way, she stalled in AZ and NM, but Firestone couldn’t find anything, so we pushed on. Only seemed to stall on front tank, so I used rear. Fine with me, it’s 18 gallons and the gauge works v. 12 in front. Hit terrible winds in Oklahoma and didn’t make it across the state in a day. Think that slow down meant I avoided an ice storm in MO. A gas station attendant came out yelling that I was spewing gas everywhere. Tow truck took me to a kind, honest, small town mechanic outside Joplin. He diagnosed and fixed a faulty fuel valve and I was back on the road by 2:30! The valve was stuck open, fuel was pouring from rear to front and out the front fill. Which explains why I could never put more than a gallon in front and my mileage was terrible. That was almost $500...I had feared $1000+ and a few days.

Prior to the trip, I had my mechanic repair the brakes. The first time, he thought it was user error. I mean, I could hit the gas instead of the brake in my Kia Soul, since I can just pivot my foot. But you know you have to lift your leg with these old Fords. It needed some new break lines. $400.

The first repair was a few months after I got her. She stalled on the way home from buying. I live about 90 mins from NW San Diego county, where I found her. There was bad fuel in the rear tank. My friend who drove down with me to pick her up offered to fill both tanks. We flipped the fuel tank selector a few times. Due to that, the bad gas got into the front tank and generator. Had to replace both fuel pumps. Had I known, it might have been limited to the rear pump and cleaning out that tank. $1500 [emoji24]

My uncle is going to degunk the genny and see how it does. I plan to urban boondock, so I don’t expect to use it much. The guy who led my solar team at the van build was an electrical engineer and said it was definitely worth fixing even for a few hundred bucks. It’s an Onan 2500.

Considering I contributed to that first issue, I’m not too miffed about repairs so far. I’m still below $10k with solar.


UPGRADES:
New tires

Replaced the 2 house batteries, added 2 more

160 W Solar, but had to remove panel due to fin on fan

MaxxAir fan w/built in rain cover - sooo quiet

Renogy Rover 40 amp charge controller

PLANNED UPGRADES:
160 + 320 W Renogy flex panels
100 aH AGM or lithium (fans, lights)
GZ Yeti 3000 (I’m not handy and suspect mice have eaten some wiring)

Haven’t done much to interior, except rip up carpet and paint the subfloor red. A friend wants me to paint it all white, but I am not a white kitchen type and I don’t want to do something so hard to reverse. Someone can always put flooring over the subfloor. I’ll probably post my photography to break up the wood. In my dreams, I would find a tiny farmhouse sink and replace the cornflower blue counter with a marble remnant (only other counter I like is butcher block and this rig doesn’t need more wood [emoji23]). I’d also like to add a flip up counter, as later models have. For now, I’ll probably just use marble contact paper. I also have a bright wallpaper to use on the wood dividers and van doors.


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