Why Keystone?

[RichardJ]

Greetings,

We are brand new to RVing and in search of our FIRST camper. We are looking very closely at Keystone (a new Elite 27RB). Since you are all authorities, why Keystone? What do you like about them? What should we look for in our search?

Thank you,
Richard

[chuckster57]

Okay, lets see if I can give you some insight.

I bought my current fifth wheel in 2012, after a 3 year search. Floor plan is probably the most important feature. It doesn't matter how nice the trailer is of you don't like being in it. Take your time and sit on the couch, see what it takes to watch TV. How is the kitchen? Enough counter space to prepare a meal. And then again enough room for dishes? Pretty much any RV is going to have the same appliances, so again if they are in a position you like, that's a plus.

Fit and finish. Every RV uses pretty much the same materials, its a matter of how many staples to secure a wall, how much trim is used to cover those staples, and how "tight" the corners match.

In our 3 year search to replace a trailer that we had and liked (had it for 13 1/2 yrs.) we looked at a whole bunch of brands and floor plans. After deciding that we liked the floor plan, I started "picking it apart" and found it hard to find a lot of flaws. I wasn't working in the RV field at the time, but now I can say I am pleased with my purchase. Would I buy another Keystone?

For the price range we were looking at, yes. Hope this helps.

[B-O-B'03]

DW and I each had a set of "features" that were important.

For me, coming from a popup, I wanted a real fridge, with a separate freezer, hot and cold water, a bathroom with a decent shower & toilet, stove and oven, ducted heat & AC, that we could pull with our newly acquired F150.

The DW wanted an outside kitchen, with sink, cook top and a fridge, queen size bed, a slide out and a decent kitchen and some of the items on my list.

The 22RBPR we picked out covered both of our feature needs and then some.

We are really pleased with it... it is perfect for the 2 of us.

4638 pound dry weight, 6500 pound GVWR, 500 pound tongue, it is the Taj Mahal compared to the old Starcraft and the F150 pulls it quite well.

The only issue I have had with it was caused by the dummy that installed the outside AC receptacle, when they roto-zipped the hole for it, they cut into the kitchen sink drain line, water leaked into the furnace and ruined the electronic control board. I found the issue, before we left on our inaugural trip and my dealer sent me the parts to me to fix it, over night. They also sent me a check to cover my time to do the repairs.

-Brian

[GaryWT]

A big part of it being a Keystone is the dealer we wanted to deal with sold them. That said, we had a 2 year old trailer that we liked but it was not working for us because it was too low, close to the ground. We went to the dealer we bought it from at a camping show and told her our situation and what we wanted/needed and she lead us to the Premier 31 BHPR. We sat in it for awhile and and talked and decided it would work for us. We have had it 4 years and have not seen anything that we like better.

In all honesty, if she showed us another brand that was high enough and light enough we could be on some other forum but we are very happy with our Keystone.

[SAABDOCTOR]

HI! My wife and I went looking for a camper in2000. we did what Chuckster did we went to different dealers and went wandering. we sat in them and looked at the kitchen bath living room cabinets we would talk about how we would move about and do the tasks that we would need to do to live in it. we took notes on each unit. every dealer was nice and just lets us wander about. We spent hours doing this. It was fun too. when we finnaly set our sights on our first travel trailer "keystone montana" then we looked at how it was put together. but it was the floor plan first then the fit and finish that sold us. then we moved up to a fifth wheel front living room in 04. the wife fell in love with it. ok move our stuff over. it was a great trailer also a keystone. then the 2010. the only reason we bought that one was two doors. the second door is next to the bed room. the o4 had one door by the living room. we did this because we have big dogs.if we had a fire most likely in the kitchen the exit would be blocked from the bedroom and throwing a 120 pound malamute out the bedroom escape window was not a pretty sight. so we bought the new unit. we have been very happy with all three keystones and yes we would buy another one if we needed to. good luck with the search.:)

[CaptnJohn]

We are on our 2nd KNOWN Keystone. We had so many the parent company is unknown. Always it is floor plan to gather interest. Our last was a TT with one slide and we had zero problems with it. It was a Heartland ~ a Keystone product. When my wife said we need to go farther and stay longer I knew 28' was not going to work. My friend is the internet sales manager at a large CW and I called him again. He had a Rockwood with a floor plan I wanted to see but suggested waiting as something else he thought we would like better would be delivered. We waited and he showed the Rockwood. Two Cougar 303RLs had been delivered that morning. Night and day in fit and finish. The furniture was better. It has auto level and the price was not far away. Needless to say we bought the Cougar and have only had problems with items of suppliers, not Keystone. Atwood sent a mobile tech to the CG to repair the furnace and now the AC by Dometic. Both are under warranty. There is a 95% probability my next camper will be a Keystone. I'm leaning to a Montana or Landmark. The other 5% is split between Palomino (Columbus) and Grand Design (Solitude). Currently Montana and Landmark are way out front and Landmark has a slight edge due to Heartland owner participation by holding many rallies all over the US.

[Jay Pat]

We looked at a lot of brochures and picked the floor plan we liked best. It was a Keystone 310. This was our first rv.
Recently, I thought if we bought another rv we would just run down and pickup another 310 model. Well, they don't make that model (310) anymore.....
Nuts!!!!!
Pat

[Dave W]

We were shopping length and floor plan first then brand and cost. We found the floor plan, actually ended up with more length (living area) all at the price we wanted to be at with our trade. So far the quality has been about on a par with the 'luxury' level but tired 5er we traded in most areas but probably as good as many very high level units by most other manufacturers. About 15,000 miles and counting as we are 2500 miles from home as I type this with very few problems

[bsmith0404]

We started at the RV shows, then made some trips to dealers. I shopped on line as well. I looked at every manufacturer website and read all of the info I could find on the brands we were interested in the most. Then we hit the dealerships again and spent A LOT of time in each unit. We looked at all of the little things that set each one apart from the other. In the end we went with our Alpine for the little things, metal closet door latches, main AC heat pump, 12 gal water heater, drop frame with a huge basement storage, recessed stove top with counter top cover (we don't cook inside so it creates more counter space, large refrigerator (not residential), a lot of cabinet storage in the kitchen, counter space, counter space, and oh did I mention counter space? Even little stuff like where the garbage can was located set it apart from others that we looked at. To be honest, if any of the other brands we looked at would have had similar features, we would have considered them as well. It was a design/features deal for us, not brand. To be honest, my wife really liked some of the Jayco Pinnacles as well, but the kitchen counter space was a deal killer.

[ctbruce]

I bought Keystone because for what I wanted my dealer carried. I wanted a larger toy hauler and I looked at 2 different dealers at 2 different models, both Keystone. My dealer that I bought my 2 previous trailers from gave me the best deal. I owned Forest River before and the Impact is heads and shoulders above it in quality.

Chip Bruce, RPh
Kansas City, MO
2016 Fuzion Impact 312
2015 Chevrolet Silverado LTZ
WELL....THAT WAS FUN!

[camperbrian]

A big feature to me was the aluminum welded frame on my Passport, I looked at Jayco's and other makes and they were wood framed.

[sourdough]

As many have said, you want to find a floorplan that works for you and the family. I love to cook and want to see the TV at the same time...in lots of RVs you can't do that. When we decided what was most important we looked at RVs from many/most of the manufacturers.

At most any price point we found that the Keystone line, Cougar High Country, in particular, had the best construction, materials and "stuff" than the others and their pricing was less. We are extremely happy with our unit and will buy another when the time comes. There are brands that have lots of "foo fahs", extra amenities etc., but when a 5th fifth wheel lists at $172k I've lost interest....quickly:eek:

[bsmith0404]

I will say, the only other brand I would consider at this point is Grand Design. The 5ers we like are a similar price point to our Alpine. The TT are a bit higher than the Passport Elite.

[chuckster57]

I will say, the only other brand I would consider at this point is Grand Design. The 5ers we like are a similar price point to our Alpine. The TT are a bit higher than the Passport Elite.


I almost convinced the other half to buy a '17 reflection 5er last week. We are a Grand Design dealer and every time I PDI one...then I remember I want to really retire soon.

[bsmith0404]

I almost convinced the other half to buy a '17 reflection 5er last week. We are a Grand Design dealer and every time I PDI one...then I remember I want to really retire soon.

We really like the 379 FLS. If I ever decide to get rid of the Alpine I would have a hard time not going with the Solitude. I agree with you, I want to officially retire again in a couple years.

[CaptnJohn]

I almost convinced the other half to buy a '17 reflection 5er last week. We are a Grand Design dealer and every time I PDI one...then I remember I want to really retire soon.

I retired long ago ~~ March '03. I have at least 1 more purchase I hope since I'm only 68. If not a Keystone it will be a GD Solitude or Palomino Columbus, 5er of course.

[chuckster57]

I retired from state service in '08, did a X country tour in '09 with a '96 Jayco 323RKS and decided after that trip, it was more than 2 people need. Found our current rig and during the walk through was asked if I would think about working on them...the rest is history. I do really like my Copper Canyon but when you get to play with the newest stuff before the customer it gets you thinking.

[HossFly]

We shopped for several years before buying our 2017 Keystone 425 TS Raptor toy hauler. We looked at, sat in, touched, and generally made ourselves very familiar with a good representation of what was available in big (ours is 42'6") toy haulers.
Finding several floor plans from several manufacturers that would work for us complicated rather than solved our search. BUT...............
In the end, the obvious attention to detail, and quality of construction (you can avail yourself to a Keystone Factory tour), the fit, finish and quality of the entire unit (in my wife's case the interior materials and appointments) showed itself to us.
Sales Manager Tom Bourdon of LakeShore RV in Muskegon Michigan helped with the selection of options and placed a custom order for us.
All that being said, the early ownership was not without some hair pulling frustration, but between the factory, and my dealership my Keystone Raptor is everything I thought it could be and more.

[Pmedic4]

I agree with most comments here, and that is floorplan. Oddly, you really don't know what you'll like until you have an RV, and decide what you like, what you want, and what you don't desire.

Our 291RLS is a lightweight model, and we like that for the easy towing.

We like many of the models which have rear opposing slides, because when those are both open, that area is real roomy. The trade off in most models with the door side slide, is the awning isn't very large or real functional - at least for how we use the awning shade.

Don't think anyone else mentioned it, but one thing we found is regardless of the RV manufacturer is dealer support. Unless you never have a problem, warranty or afterwards, perhaps it isn't an issue, but almost certainly at some point you are going to need your RV worked on. Just nice to know you'll have a salesman/dealer/service/parts department there to contact about getting your problem(s) resolved. Hard to get support from a discount dealer who saved you $2000, when that dealership is 1500 miles away, and you need service.

[LarrySharon]

We bought our 2017 Keystone Hideout this past July. Our 1st TT. It was the floor plan that sold us on it 1st. The price was in our price range. As was mentioned earlier, it was more inline with what we were looking for, if there had been a something similar in another brand we would have purchased it. Also being the local dealer was nice. (good dealer before and after the sale) We really haven't had any big issues, just small stuff. We are very satisfied and happy with what we got.

[Mandolin]

We knew we had weight limits and that we would need to be comfortably within the tow rating/carrying capacity of our 2013 F150 V8, plus the spouse did not want an immense trailer. That was the first " absolute must."

The next absolute musts were:
-- dual axle
-- walk-around queen (or double), permanently set up (no jackknife sofa)
-- room for the dog box that DID NOT require resetting the trailer layout every evening and morning
-- awning that didn't require 2 ladders to set up
-- pass-through front storage

after that we had "strongly preferred"
fridge with separate freezer door
large dinette
small oven
adequate cabinet space given trailer size
maybe a slide for the dinette?
HVAC system

The other factor was cost. Sure, an Airstream is nice (kinda, I don't actually like their layouts in the smaller trailers), but this is something to go camping in, where you spend a lot of time outside. With an upgraded trailer (our earlier trailer was inadequate in a LOT of ways) we would be spending 6-8 weeks a year in the trailer, with maybe a longer winter trip. Something that would hold up to that use, tow fairly well, be within our cash range.

To factor in cost we started out looking at used trailers, but the only way to get much lower prices was to get something much older - RVs that used contact paper on the doors instead of wood, that may or may not have roof or shell or frame integrity issues. That sort of crossed out used.

We looked at probably 7 local dealers and 2 RV shows and decided that while we saw other trailers we liked (a Jayco in particular), we were not going to buy from a seriously out-of-town dealer at an RV show.

There were two local dealers we liked, and one of the had the "rear living" layout with a huge u-shaped dinette at the back of the trailer that we had no idea we wanted until we saw it. They are primarily Heartland and Keystone dealers, so it was a Keystone we picked. Keystone was quite similar to a lot of other trailers, as far as build quality and warranty (Jayco had a slightly better warranty on the frame).

We actually ended up with a trailer a little longer than DH wanted, but it has no slide and yet still feels fairly open. I know many people love their slides, but to us it was just one less mechanical thing to have an issue with. Also, for us, a lot of trailer mfrs spend way too much money on "entertainment" systems. We weren't interest in a TV or sound system, lol, we are musicians and carry our own. We also didn't end up with an HVAC system, just the regular propane heater and roof A/C.

[Alpine]

For the sake of repeating what most have already stated....

We knew we would be full-timers so we were looking at living space and aesthetics. The biggest need for us was floorplan. We can get to the bathroom, refrigerator, and bedroom without moving the slides. Everyday when traveling we stop to make lunch and use "our" restroom.

We looked at different makes and models over a five year period before retiring and always came around to Keystone Alpine for fit and finish.

There are many beautiful fifthwheels on the road today... however after four years on the road we have yet to see another fiver we like better than we already have.

[66joej]

We had our hearts set on a Creekside 26RLS by Outdoors RV (6500# dry). But after finding the axle ratio on our 2013 Ram Bighorn was a very tall 3:21 to 1 (max tow 6900#) we opted for a Cougar 24RKSWE (5500# dry). Tows great and love it. Floor plan is great and seems to be built well. Time will tell.

[jmak]

We are actually just closed the deal on our first TT and will be picking it up over Thanksgiving weekend. Price wise could not pass up as I don't think we could have done better with a very large discount for one of the last new 2016 model.

After renting several times it really helped us figure out what we wanted and did not want. Feedback and overall impression so far is the Keystone Cougar is built much better than the other brands we rented.

1. Needed 1/2 Towable
2. Wife did not want to feel claustrophobic so a unit with 2 slides in main area with one on each side should overcome that.
3. Wife wanted a standard size shower, this is a hard thing to find it seems in a TT.
4. Bonus of king sized bed was the icing on the cake. Being able to spread out like we do at home with our two dogs when sleeping is a huge bonus.

[Tbos]

We are actually just closed the deal on our first TT and will be picking it up over Thanksgiving weekend. Price wise could not pass up as I don't think we could have done better with a very large discount for one of the last new 2016 model.



After renting several times it really helped us figure out what we wanted and did not want. Feedback and overall impression so far is the Keystone Cougar is built much better than the other brands we rented.



1. Needed 1/2 Towable

2. Wife did not want to feel claustrophobic so a unit with 2 slides in main area with one on each side should overcome that.

3. Wife wanted a standard size shower, this is a hard thing to find it seems in a TT.

4. Bonus of king sized bed was the icing on the cake. Being able to spread out like we do at home with our two dogs when sleeping is a huge bonus.



Enjoy your new rig. Post some pictures when you get it. Welcome to the forum.