Picked up our Carbon 357 in the beginning of May and was able to spend our 30th night in it over the Labor Day weekend. Unit was ordered with the following options; 2nd 15K AC, 5.5K Onan genny, rear beds, rear door screen, rear patio w/ awning. Added myself; Goose Box 20k hitch, JT Strong Arms, AirMaxx vent covers, TireMinder TPMS, 32" LED TV in garage, 4" mattress topper in the master. Camper loaded (shipping sticker 12,780#'s) is probably around 14.5-15k#'s pulled with a 2006 F350 DRW....towed around 1000k miles so far. Here are my impressions from over the summer.
This is my first TH and by far the biggest camper that I have owned. Previous units were a 32' Sunnybrook FW (2000-2003) and a 35' Dutchmen TT (2003-2015). While the unit is large, (40' long and 13' 2" high) where I have camped so far has not been a problem, you just have to plan accordingly to make sure the size of the site will work for you. With power everything (landing gear front and rear, awning and built in LED lights) set up time is about half of what it was with my old TT. No more hand cranking jacks or hanging lights from the awning.
Add to the fact that I no longer have to load/unload the golf cart (which we take both to the lake and the beach) in the back of the truck...using the garage and the ramp door is a dream.
Overall quality: I am extremely pleased with the finish and fit of the camper and happy to report very little issues at all. The camper is comfy and well suited for our family of 4 plus a 70# black lab. We spent a week in Myrtle Beach and my parents stayed with us...so four adults and two kids and never felt cramped or stepping over each other. The bath and 1/2 in the garage is something that we thought we wanted and that has turned out to be a wise choice!
Everything from fixtures, drawers, cabinets seem to be above quality from what I have had before...everything else does what it supposed to do. I guess my only complaint, but expected, is that the stereo system is total junk...it will be replaced over the winter.
Issues: As I said I have had very few issues but i have had some to deal with...the worst being some of my interior LED ceiling lights are burning out. Nothing major though, some of the issues will be (was) fixed by me and the others are going on a punch list for a trip back to a Keystone dealer. Issues that I have had:
- Reversed Tank Labels - Fixed by me
- 2nd Black Tank Valve needs to be adjusted (leaks a little) - Punch List
- One of the hangers for the genny exhaust pipe broken - Punch List
- Both Vacuum Breakers in the black tank clean out systems were bad - Fixed by me (deleted)
- Shower door not sealed - Fixed by me
- Interior LED's first dimming then not working. (2 in bedroom, 1 in hallway, 2 in main room) - Punch List
Of the add-on's that I have put on the camper I am not sure which more to recommend. The Goose Box is an awesome hitch. I know that there is an anti-goose neck crowd out there, but this setup is wonderful. Nothing in the bed plus a dampening system on the hitch, it is soooooo smooth going down the road. I little bit of a pain to line up, but well worth the trade off in comfort and function. The JT Strong Arms should come standard on 5ers...even at 40' the unit is rock solid while we camp. My last TT the camper would jiggle every time some one rolled over in the middle of the night....not now!
We decided four years ago right about this time to upgrade and get a large toy hauler...it took us this long to do it. After researching I first decided that I needed a bigger truck (had a 99 F250) so that put us back a little. We literally shopped that entire time by either online, shows or going to different dealers. We changed our mind so many times on the unit that we wanted (Raptors, Road Warriors, Torques, XLR's, Wolf Packs) and we are so pleased that we ended up with this camper, it is perfect for us!! The right price point with all of the features that we wanted. We have had so many compliments on it this summer...we love it!!
