I love my simple TT

[Weldon]

So I've been on this forum for a few years now. I joined after buying our first TT after owning a PUP. When purchased, our TT was not new. It was a 2017 bought early in 2019 before the COVID crazy hit. No major problems. Only a couple of tiny ones. Since then I've upgraded lots of stuff on it, and we are very pleased with our purchase. But overall, we've had no major issues since purchase. Maybe that's because we have a TT, not a 5er. Also we have no slides. We bought a bunkhouse since we have 2 kids. Would I like to have an outdoor kitchen, more space, a bigger indoor kitchen or dining room, etc? Sure. But I've seen a lot of posts lately blasting the quality of Keystone. Maybe it's because we bought a low-line TT with only what we needed and nothing else. Maybe because we bought before the covid craze caused production to speed up and quality to go down? Maybe. But we have nothing but good stuff to say about our TT. Could I upgrade to a bigger TT or 5er, and then upgrade my TV? Sure. But we don't need to do that today. We are trying to teach our kids multiple lessons about finance (we paid in full for my TV and TT), nature, being good neighbors to strangers, etc. Maybe I'm in the 5%, but I would quickly buy another Keystone when we decide to upgrade. And we will at some point. I think some folks just like to complain. To each their own. That's another lesson we're teaching our kids not to do. Hopefully I'm not alone here, but if I am, I'm good with that. I think any brand has issues. The higher price range, the more issues. Rarely, I just vent. 😀

[sourdough]

Good for you and you are on the money. I've had all kinds of issues over the years with new trailer - every brand has them. One trailer may have more issues than another just like it but that is just the nature of RVs. Keystone is better than most and my next one (if there is one) would be a Keystone. There are lots of reasons folks complain about an RV and a few are truly warranted. Others misplace their unhappiness with the manufacturer when it's the dealer....happens a lot, maybe most of the time. Many folks have unrealistic expectations of wait times, warranty approvals, what is in fact a warranty issue etc. Also many don't understand that it's FAR easier to just fix the easy stuff yourself than take it to a dealer for warranty and wait months on the repair...then blame the manufacturer. Nah, life's too short. Get one. Figure out what it needs and what you want. Fix it. Enjoy it. Hope you have years of fun with your trailer and family!

[linux3]

Some much alike.
We bought our TT new, for cash in 2016. $16,000 out the door including the hitch and install. Bought it in Ohio so no tax till we got home.
I also didn't want a slide as it looked to me that that was the first thing to go bad. We love our murphy bed. It adds room.
I think maybe you are right about pre-COVID built units. Only problems we have had are a leaky antenna crank, I forgot to lub it, and a propane regulator failure. There was a recall.
OOps, end of last season our tv, as in telly, went semi wonky.
When to go to RV shows, and we do a lot, we always look at the latest from Passport because we have been very happy with ours.

Lest year I was thinking of selling it and going bigger. I put an ad in craigslist. Of the lookers I got 4 offers of asking price, $16,000. Just what I paid. A couple of people even said they were looking for pre COVID TT's.
Then we decided to keep it. Everything works, everything is paid for and life is good.

[dutchmensport]

I had to look at your profile to see what make, model, brand of camper you have. 2017 Springdale Summerland.

We had 1 pop-up, 3 travel trailers, and now our Montana High Country Fifth Wheel.

The pop-up (Star Craft Venture 1999 model) seemed to have multiple issues. We had it 6 years and it seem to constantly need repair. For one, the fabric (walls) were so tight, they actually ripped out. Warranty paid for a complete replacement. Then the awning flipped over and punched a hole in the roof. Insurance covered that. Then we had a leaf spring break, had it brought back home on the back of a flat bed tow truck. I fixed that myself. Almost had a tire blow out, but got it replaced when traveling before the tire exploded. It didn't have a refrigerator, only an ice box. I removed that and turned it into a cabinet for storage. I replaced 2 batteries because the converter / charger was not one of those chargers that knew when to stop charging and I fried the batteries by over charging ... twice! After 6 years, we traded for our first hard sided travel trailer. I suppose we did a good job of taking care of the pop-up because the dealership took it for trade. We purchased it for $6000 and they gave us $4000 for trade in .... after 6 years.

Next was a Dutchmen Sport Lite, no slides and never had a single issue. Floor plan sucked though (so we learned) and traded after 2 years.

Next was a Keystone Springdale, no slides. Had it for 8 years and the only thing I did to it was tires once, a new battery once, and treated the roof every year with RV roof conditioner after washing it.

Next was a Keystone Outback (3 slides). Had it for 5 years. Never had an issue with anything. Replaced the battery and tires and took care of the roof. That was it.

Then I got the Montana High Country late Fall 2018. And the over the course of the first year of ownership, I had 81 issues, about 20 of them were serious enough that warranty covered as they were too costly or too involved for me to fix myself. The rest I fixed myself. Now .... It's a darn good trailer! Wonderful!

That my story!

[oldnjrver]

Originally Posted by linux3

Some much alike.
We bought our TT new, for cash in 2016. $16,000 out the door including the hitch and install. Bought it in Ohio so no tax till we got home.
I also didn't want a slide as it looked to me that that was the first thing to go bad. We love our murphy bed. It adds room.
I think maybe you are right about pre-COVID built units. Only problems we have had are a leaky antenna crank, I forgot to lub it, and a propane regulator failure. There was a recall.
OOps, end of last season our tv, as in telly, went semi wonky.
When to go to RV shows, and we do a lot, we always look at the latest from Passport because we have been very happy with ours.

Lest year I was thinking of selling it and going bigger. I put an ad in craigslist. Of the lookers I got 4 offers of asking price, $16,000. Just what I paid. A couple of people even said they were looking for pre COVID TT's.
Then we decided to keep it. Everything works, everything is paid for and life is good.

LINUX I couldn't agree more!! We're in the same boat.. "Everything works. everything is paid for and life is good"

I've been an avid forum reader and it has convinced me that our 2016 Aspen trail 1900RB is the TT for us.. It has for all intents and purposes been trouble free, except for an Air conditioner problem early on that the Dealer took care of.. With no slides and a few mods on our part we are thrilled that it has worked out so well over the many trips the two of us have taken over the last 4 years.

The mods consisted of adding a bit of cabinet space and replacing the dinette with a credenza with a drop leaf table and two reclining office chairs. That really gave us quite a bit more room without giving up storage space, and the reclining office chairs couldn't be more comfortable.

I believe it confirmes the KISS principle. Keeping it simple keeps it reliable.

The best part is that it looks like it has quite a few years of useful life left in it!!!
I would consider another Keystone again down the road..

Safe and happy travels and all the best....

[pawpaw]

I'm begining to realize that the smaller campers without all the high tech and cheaply built gadgets may be the best way to go. Lighter and can be towed by smaller trucks and suv's. Minimum of slide outs that usually are trouble and basic appliances will do the trick for most short camping trips.

[Weldon]

Originally Posted by pawpaw

I'm begining to realize that the smaller campers without all the high tech and cheaply built gadgets may be the best way to go. Lighter and can be towed by smaller trucks and suv's. Minimum of slide outs that usually are trouble and basic appliances will do the trick for most short camping trips.

That's exactly what I was trying to say. I couldnt agree more. Well said!

We actually paid $500 cash for our PUP. It was old. It needed love. And it was an experiment to see if my family would use it. We fixed it up for another $600, used it for 14 months, and sold it for $2,100. Not bad.

Since I started my post with my cell, I guess it didn't show my signature. My apologies. I created a signature a few years ago (2019?) before it was mandatory. We specifically have a 2017 Springdale Summerland 2600TB (bunkhouse). As a said, it has everything we need, no slide outs, and we are thoroughly enjoying it. This will be our 5th camping year in it.