Thoughts on the Sprinter 347FWLFT

[VizJedi]

I searched on the forum to see if there were any other topics about this floorplan and didn't find anything.

After 13 years, I think I'm going to replace my loved CrossRoads Cruiser bunk house 5th wheel. I saw the mid-bunk floorplans at our local RV show last year and thought it was perfect. MY DS is now a teenager and I really want a more open living area, like the rear lounge models. I have spent the last few months looking at all the affordable mid bunk models on the market. When I map it all out, the Sprinter comes out on top for what I'm looking for and it is one of the cheapest (which I still can't figure out why).

I was originally expecting to spend $6-8000 more to get a 5er I wanted, but this model has everything I'm wanting except a king bed option. My DW said she could live with that. Everything else I was considering were Forest River, Heartland or Palamino (now FR) products. Every one of the others came up short when I put all my "wants" on a spreadsheet. I know the trim and finishes won't be as nice as the more expensive trailers I'm looking at, but the Sprinters I have been in recently, look similar to my Cruiser that's been a good fit for 13 years.

Anyone have experience with the 347FWLFT? If not, your overall experience with a new Sprinter in general. This will be my 5th camper, so I know what to expect in mid-class trailers. I've never owned a Keystone product though.

Thanks,

j

[flight medic]

We upgraded this year to a 5er. Sprinter 324fwbhs, traded a Aerolite 315bhss travel trailer. The fit and finish is better than most and it hit all of our must haves. We also have the queen but with a bedroom slide and the ability to actually walk around the bed instead of climbing on it to get in bed makes the queen not an issue.. The fresh water tank size of 87 gallons is a big plus when boon docking. We are very happy with the Sprinter.
Steve

2015 Sprinter 324fwbhs
2015 RAM 2500 Tradesmen ccsb Cummins

[VizJedi]

Thanks flight medic.

I agree on it checking all the boxes. I also boon dock or at least dry camp a lot. I bought my current 5er because of the big tanks and better than average insulation. I mounted a generator in the front basement and we could go out, completely self contained, for 4 or 5 days without needing anything.

I wanted big water and grey tanks. The Heartland Elkridge I also like only has a 47 gallon water tank. My Cruiser has 62. I also want decent insulation. 98 degrees and 98% humidity get hot in a Midwest summer. The A/C in my Cruiser worked hard to keep up. Some of the other trailers I looked at had a "polar package" upgrade. Others didn't and the Heartland products listed R-14 as the most you could get in the ceiling and floor.

I also wanted a loft above the bunk room. This ruled out most of the Forest River products. I also wanted the kitchen on the street side. My current 5er has it on the curb side and I only had 1 little window looking out onto the campsite side.

I'm going up to a dealer about 2 hours from where I live next weekend to take a good look at the 347. I suspect that will make the decision final. Then it's just finding the dealer that wants to make the best deal.

j

[flight medic]

Good luck in the search. We bought from Wisconsin RV World in Madison Wisconsin. Great place to work with. Remember they need to sell and you don't need to buy from them.
Steve

[brittsnbirds]

My wife and I purchased a 2014 Sprinter 5th wheel after enjoying a Forest River TT w/ bunks.

One thing I learned was the bunks are nice for storage. In our case we overthought the bunk house thing, should have got slides instead when we bought the TT (1st TT). Then my wife located the 269FWRLS 5th wheel at the RV show. It was set up very well for our style of traveling. The floor plan sold her initially, once I started looking at the specs I was sold. I was very impressed they put a larger refrigerator in it, 80 gallon water tank, 2 gray water tanks, a 12 gallon hot water heater, polar package and wiring for a second A/C unit. The weight wasn't over the top allowing for my 2500 HD Gasser to handle it. We eventually purchased it and have found it to be very comfortable for the 2 of us. I haven't found a need to go MOD crazy. Few little things to make it more usable but over all the Sprinter has been a very nice unit for us. One huge future issue is to upgrade the STUPID TV antennae.

One BIG difference I have noticed was the ease of pull that the Sprinter has. I think it pulls much better than the 27' TT that we had. Even though it is much bigger. My mileage is pretty much the same at the TT as well. Only things that I plan on doing is reconfiguring the basement and getting it set up better. And upgrading the tires to load range E. I found after weighing my setup I'm a little heavier than I like.

Only complaint that I have (besides the crappy TV antenna) is the skimpy wood work. It's a tape type of fake wood that peels back in several locations.

Other than that the Sprinter has been great. In fact we just finished 3 weeks in it while our house has undergone a makeover.

[VizJedi]

my wife located the 269FWRLS 5th wheel at the RV show.
I like that floor plan too. If it was just 2 of us, that is pretty close to what I would look for. For some reason, I like the stairs going up the street side. I'm still at the point where I have DS and usually friends that come along. And occasionally some of my adult friends, depending on where we go. So having a lot of sleeping options is still important.

One BIG difference I have noticed was the ease of pull that the Sprinter has.
I have towed a lot of different things. I raced sports cars for 7 years and towed bumper pull race trailers to a 48 ft gooseneck hauler. I think 5th wheels pull easier on the road, but a TT is easier to back up for me. Part of that is my current 5er has about the same wheelbase as my truck. I have give it a lot of steering input to get it moving where I want and then immediately take it all back out to keep it from going too far. The 48 footer was much easier, mostly because of the wheelbase.

Other than that the Sprinter has been great. In fact we just finished 3 weeks in it while our house has undergone a makeover.
That says a lot. After 3 weeks, even the little things can get annoying. You may have just gotten a bad antenna. My Cruiser does great with the antenna in the living room, but the same signal is garbage in the bedroom. I changed out most of the coax connectors after we bought it. Apparently the kid at the factory assigned to coax ends didn't understand the concept. But even after that, the BR still had terrible reception. Probably a broken line somewhere I can't get to.

Thanks for the comments. So far, I'm not hearing anything to change my mind. I'm going up to a dealer about 2 1/2 hours away this weekend to take a good look at the 347 FWLFT.

j