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Old 07-02-2020, 05:07 PM   #21
kb0zke
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Thanks for the additional information. We're still studying and asking questions. I've heard from the individual I sent the PM to, and have asked some additional questions.

The storage space issue has been taken care of. We'll have a cap on the bed of the pickup, and the bed will be fairly full, but we don't carry a lot of "extra" stuff.

Of greater concern, though, is that all of the trailers we've seen for sale have only one a/c, and that just won't cut it when the temperature is 100 outside. On the other side, of course, is that even here in SE NM it gets to below freezing at night during the winter. Also, being an "orphan" what about Vantage-specific parts, like the end caps. If one of them is badly damaged, does that mean that the trailer is considered a total loss because replacements are not available?
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Old 07-02-2020, 05:30 PM   #22
Snoking
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Just a question. Why are you so down on having a slide or two? Chris
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Old 07-02-2020, 05:49 PM   #23
sourdough
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Just a question. Why are you so down on having a slide or two? Chris

My thought exactly. Why fixate on a trailer that you know is going to be problematic, parts not available etc. and discontinued years ago? Sort of like buying a 32 roadster and hoping to find OEM piece parts....?

Did that unit come with 50A standard? If not 2 ACs is out of the question without major modifications and major expense....to accomplish what? Your signature says you are in SD but you worry about SE NM. I lived there for 30+ years and live now 60 miles from that portion of the state. 100+ is normal; 30-50 mph winds are normal. Winter temps run all over the place from balmy 50 degrees and blue skies to -10 and 40 mph winds...I had go work outside in all of it for many years.

You can get what you want but seems to me that acquiring something that is supported, has a good history etc. would be far more enticing, and beneficial, than searching out a known problem.
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Old 07-02-2020, 06:56 PM   #24
kb0zke
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We're full-timers, and SD is one of the three best States for full-timers. (The other two are FL and TX.) All are without income taxes and all allow the use of your mail service address as your domicile address. Last year we leased a lot at The Ranch, an Escapees co-op between Carlsbad and Artesia. The plan was that we could use that as a winter base. We got back here in November and planned to leave in March. Well, plans got changed. We finally left here in May, headed to IA for a wedding, then to SD to renew licenses. After that we didn't know.

While we were driving through Aberdeen I got a phone call. Our church in Riverton, WY is looking for an associate pastor/head teacher. Such men are out there, but are rare, so they decided that I could fill the head teacher role. (I'm not a pastor, but I am a retired teacher and had certification as an administrator.) The position is a temporary one and part-time. As a result, we visited Theodore Roosevelt NP, then headed south back to The Ranch so we could repack. This weekend we'll head back north to Riverton.

Anyway, we don't have any slides in our Foretravel, so we don't miss them. From what I've read on various RV forums, both brand-specific ones and general ones, slides are the most frequent cause of colorful language. Sometimes they won't extend when commanded to, and other times they refuse to retract. While they do provide more interior room, that room comes at a price of increased weight and complexity. That said, though, part of the reason for switching from the MH to a TT is that a TT is far less complex than our MH. I expect to reduce maintenance costs by at least 50%.

Our 1993 Foretravel U300 is old enough and unusual enough that we've only seen a few other Foretravels in our travels, and only two others similar to ours. I suspect that we'd be in a similar position with a Vantage.
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Old 07-02-2020, 08:18 PM   #25
sourdough
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We're full-timers, and SD is one of the three best States for full-timers. (The other two are FL and TX.) All are without income taxes and all allow the use of your mail service address as your domicile address. Last year we leased a lot at The Ranch, an Escapees co-op between Carlsbad and Artesia. The plan was that we could use that as a winter base. We got back here in November and planned to leave in March. Well, plans got changed. We finally left here in May, headed to IA for a wedding, then to SD to renew licenses. After that we didn't know.

While we were driving through Aberdeen I got a phone call. Our church in Riverton, WY is looking for an associate pastor/head teacher. Such men are out there, but are rare, so they decided that I could fill the head teacher role. (I'm not a pastor, but I am a retired teacher and had certification as an administrator.) The position is a temporary one and part-time. As a result, we visited Theodore Roosevelt NP, then headed south back to The Ranch so we could repack. This weekend we'll head back north to Riverton.

Anyway, we don't have any slides in our Foretravel, so we don't miss them. From what I've read on various RV forums, both brand-specific ones and general ones, slides are the most frequent cause of colorful language. Sometimes they won't extend when commanded to, and other times they refuse to retract. While they do provide more interior room, that room comes at a price of increased weight and complexity. That said, though, part of the reason for switching from the MH to a TT is that a TT is far less complex than our MH. I expect to reduce maintenance costs by at least 50%.

Our 1993 Foretravel U300 is old enough and unusual enough that we've only seen a few other Foretravels in our travels, and only two others similar to ours. I suspect that we'd be in a similar position with a Vantage.

Slides, if functioning properly and cared for, make a non slide unit seem like 1950. The most frequent cause of "colorful" language would not be a slide from my experience. Try water intrusion and other malfunctions.

Slides are the "modern" enhancement to an RV that gives the owner SO much more room, latitude, kitchen, living room etc. vs feeling like you are stuck in a gopher hole (btdt).

MH vs TT? Unless you live in a MH and use the "drivetrain" constantly to warrant the cost and maintenance it's a complete waste of money. When we retired I was going to have a very nice class A pusher. Crunching numbers showed that it was a total waste of 420k. Maintenance, drivetrain, etc. etc. never used for anything. Toad? Who wants one when you can have a wonderful "truck" to drive around?

Mtce costs from MH to TT? I would suspect it would be more like a 75% reduction vs 50%. There are SO, too many, things to constantly keep up with on a nice MH. I visited with a friend last year in this park that had a new Expedition diesel RV. He related that the cost was astronomical for what you got.

Having spent many, many years in the Carlsbad/Artesia area I know exactly where your park is....right down the road from Brantley Lake where I almost sunk a boat.

IMO trying to find, acquire and own an "unusual", never seen before, long discontinued model of anything is not conducive to having fun, being able to fix things or happiness. YMMV
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Old 07-02-2020, 10:11 PM   #26
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JMO, it seems to me the bigger trailers in TT and 5ers are all looking at sq ft floor space. Current park we are in as trailers with as much as 6 slides. Nearly all have at least 3. Older units may only have 2.
hope things are going well for you and your Boss,the Dog,Ha Ha just kidding,the Boss is your wife,hope the house situation is getting fix.
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Old 07-05-2020, 11:58 AM   #27
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Hi. We purchased a 2012 Vantage thus year. It’s our first RV so ain’t can’t compare it to another one. It’s a 32FLS. I’ve read the comments. There is not much storage underneath but a good amount inside. Enough for me, my husband and our fur baby for sure. I’ll be glad to answer any questions that I can pertaining to using it. Sherry
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Old 07-06-2020, 08:03 AM   #28
Homer & Marge
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Vantage

Check the Vantage owners group here. We bought the last Vantage (used as a demo at camp Keystone and then sort of misplaced)#186. Bought May of '13. These units were manufactured without any input from the sales force and most all parts were sourced from new places. Great trailer but did'nt get much support from sales force. We spent 5-6 months in ours and wintered in central Florida the last 3 years. Did a few modifications, axle flip to keep the tail from occaisionaly dragging. We loved it but sold it last month to buy a class C. Tons of room for the two of us. We used the Bunkhouse for a walk-in closet and storage and towed with an F250 with a fiberglass cap. It had lots of interior space due to the curved roof and sides. Grey fiberglass oxidizes if not kept after a couple of times a year. Slide had no problems. (cable slide) but no slide topper so you have to keep the pinecones off when retracting. Single 15,000 BTU a/c always worked great and was enough for us with a few easy mods to the ductwork. We spent a few weeks where the temp was low 20's to upper 20's and windy. We used a lot of LP and even though Vantage has coroplast covered and heated underbelly, cold weather camping is not fun. Curved windows needed to be re-gasketed over time to cut down on air leakage. Ours never leaked and never had major issues although there were a couple soft spots in the floor in front of the counter where we always stood to cook and do dishes. We are sorry to see it go. We had a great time in it, fled 3 hurricanes in it and towed it 40,000 miles very comfortably. Bought an 18 ft sunshade for the awning and strapped it down for a huge outside area. Everything worked for the whole time we owned it except when I stored it in Florida without winterizing and the toilet valve froze! You should be able to find one for very little cash. Perfect trailer to park beside the lake at a local seasonal place. Sleeps 2 large adults on queen, 2 average on left bunks, 2 light weights on 2 right bunks and 2 medium kids on jack knife, and 2 small kids on dinette! Our Frenchie, Angus loved to wake up in the morning and be able to look out the big window in front without having to get up!
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Old 07-01-2021, 09:42 AM   #29
ShermV
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Hey all! My wife and I own a Vantage trailer (32’ QBS). We regularly camp about 30 days a year in it. We have owned it since 2015. We are based in the Tacoma/Seattle. There was a recall regarding the “tape” that sealed the edges of the roof. Most of the RVs (ours included) had the tape replaced.

My biggest hang up is the lack of outdoor storage space. We have one bin under the starboard bunk. I keep my 3 burner Camp Chief and 3 totes of stuff in it.

One repair that needed to be done was the connection to our kitchen sink drain. It broke when the gray water backed up and over loaded to plastic coupling. We added another fabric support and all has been good since.
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Old 08-11-2021, 05:12 AM   #30
CWtheMan
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The Keystone Vantage TTs are well apointed but heavy for a TT and that may have been their down-fall.

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