Which one??????

[traveller usa]

We full time, at the moment we have a travel trailer but want to upgrade to a fifth wheeler but cant decide between a Montana 3100rl and the Montana Mountainee 310 ret. Like the layout of the mountaineer but don't know if we would be better off going all out and getting the Montana. The Montana 3100rl layout is ok. Just don't want to make another mistake like we have made with this travel trailer.

[Javi]

Y'all need to sit down with a pad and pencil... write down what it is you don't like about the trailer you have now, and what you would build if you were the designer.

When we bought our first trailer as a family we made a huge mistake and hated the trailer after a couple of trips. There were things we loved about it also but the things we hated made it impossible to really enjoy those.

It got to the point that we would hesitate to take the trailer out for a trip. And when we did use it the entire time was spent going back and forth about how much we wished we would have never bought it.

Finally I got the DW to sit down and tell me exactly what she did like and what she hated, then I did the same. Amazingly it really boiled down to a couple of small things that were huge in the floor plan of the trailer. After this exercise we were able to take our time and look, feel and visit a lot of different dealers, shows and finally we made a choice. But even then we didn't jump in and buy, we repeated the pad and pencil thing again until we were sure that THIS trailer met all our likes, wants and didn't have any compromises that we'd regret later.

Try it...

[Jim & DJ]

First,

We had a 2007 Mountaineer TT and loved it. Then somewhere my DW found
a 2009 5th wheel (3465SA) and what a difference.

Should last the rest of our lives.

Before you make a choice go to a few RV dealers and check out the 5 er's

Good luck



--------------------------------------
A bit of our history:
DW from Florida
DH from So. Cal.
Michelin LT XPS
68 Harley FLH in a basket so to speak
2004 R-Vision Trail-lite (gone)
2007 Mountaineer TT 1st new one(gone)
2009 Montana F3465SA (The Best ever)
2007 F-350 6.0 D
2012 Shih Tzu (The boss)

[GaryWT]

When you walk in and love a floorplan over another I think you answered your own question.

[Kristi]

X2 on making a list. Sounds like you already narrowed the field down to 2 so list the pros and cons of each and see how it looks. Don' t let anyone rush you. According to our dealer it takes an average of 4 trips to look at a trailer before making a decision


Sent from my iPad

[JRTJH]

One consideration that you need to include in your list is weather related travel. If you're going to be travelling or living in the northern parts of the US or in Canada during the winter, you really REALLY need to seriously consider the capabilities of both these models and brands. The advertised winter insulation package, no matter the name has proven to be significantly inadequate for "true cold weather survivability" by almost every member who has tried to use their RV in "honest winter conditions".

Check out some of the many problelms posted on this forum (and on competing brand forums) about frozen pipes, tanks, valves before you decide, if winter travel is on your list of necessities. If, however, you plan on being in warmer areas before cold weather hits and not going back until all the snow is gone, this may not be important to you.

Buyer beware !!!!!

[Javi]

Believe it or not between these two it boiled down to which side of the trailer the bedroom steps where on... It's the little things that make the difference.

[Bob Landry]

I agree with John. The cold weather sticker they put on the side next to the door means absolutely nothing. Keystone's and others idea of a cold weather trailer is one that has coroplast covering the bottom and a heat duct blowing into it. Keystone does not make an all season trailer without doing some serious cold weather mods to it.

[Barbell]

We spent nearly two years looking at fifth wheels before we settled on a '14 3100RL. Several reasons; in the High Country and several others, we noticed with the slides out, the floor portion of the slide was about an inch higher than the stationery floor; a tripping hazard. In the 3100, the movable part of the floor is nearly flat with rest of the floor with slides out. The door into bathroom from hall swings in on the 3100; most others have that door swinging out into the hall. We felt it was dangerous to try to get around the door in the night right next to the steps down. Yes, there is another door into BR but it is right next to the bed and person sleeping there. Over all, we thought the fit and finish was considerably better in 3100 than in the High Country and Mountaineers we saw.

[Whitewolf]

Don't mean to hijack the original thread, but I gotta agree with a couple of above posts about cold weather packages. One thing I do t understand from the manufacturers is why they advertise and promote a unit having a cold weather package.....and then install single pane windows. To me that should be part of the package.

[SAABDOCTOR]

BOB I disagree with you about the cold weather stickers they do add insulation! the 3 square inches under the sticker will freeze about 20 min after the rest of the trailer does. now don't you feel warmer all ready?

[HappyCamperMN]

Originally Posted by SAABDOCTOR

BOB I disagree with you about the cold weather stickers they do add insulation! the 3 square inches under the sticker will freeze about 0.2 min after the rest of the trailer does. now don't you feel warmer all ready?

Corrected...

[logspec1]

We are on our third TT now, just picked up the Premier 30REPR. In our previous Bullet 246RBS we were happy until we realized that if you pulled out the slepper sofa it blocked everyone in the master BR from getting to the bathroom. So it was me sleeping in the dinette so I did not block the pathway while the grand kids slept in the nice bed with Nana. One thing we learned from our previous two is when looking you need to consider what you need in the trailer, space and amenities, for the times your not out canoeing, swimming, hiking, etc. Like when the weather is bad, raining or just at night when you are just sitting around before going to bed. Most of the time you are not in the trailer during the day so what looks like a lot of space may not be when you are actually stuck in the trailer because of the weather and can't get out. Especially if you are toting grandkids.

[outwest]

If you'll be taking it on long trips, you might want to see what is and isn't accessible with the slides in for when you're stopping at rest stops, etc.

[bsmith0404]

Everyone else is pretty much telling you the same thing I will. Look around and spend time looking, go away and review notes, then go back and look again. When we started looking this time I was convinced we were getting a Montana, we looked and loved a couple floor plans, then we walked into a Jayco FL model and the Montana was out. From there we looked at a Big Country, now we had a toss up. After that we walked into the Alpine and had another one in the running. To make matters worse, we were driving down the road and low and behold another dealership we were not aware of was there and they had the Columbus. Compare notes time. The Montana were the most expensive and the dealership the least accommodating and we weren't "in love with the trailer. The Big Country had cheap closures on the closets that we absolutely hated on our last Jayco. Come to find out the new front living room Jayco, although it has two couches, neither folds out into a bed. Not good with 3 kids. The Columbus and Alpine were now at the top of the list. Back to the dealerships to look again. Opened the sleeper sofa on each, advantage Alpine. Living room chairs, advantage Columbus. Bedroom and bathroom, advantage Alpine. Kitchen appliances, Columbus. Counter space and storage, Alpine. Open floor space, Columbus. Overall fit and finish Alpine. What was the final kicker???? Basement storage, the Apline has the drop frame and a huge storage area, the Columbus does not. After spending way too much time arranging and rearranging in the past I was not convinced I could fit all of out "mandatory" comforts into the Columbus. There was a big price difference, but we had decided the price was not going to be the decided factor (to an extent). One thing that was mandatory for all models we looked at was a separate living and kitchen area. Our last 5er had the kitchen one side and the living room opposite from it. Once the kids had the sleep sofa opened the kitchen was no longer usable. That is where the rear entertainment or front living room models took an instant lead in the pack. We can't answer what is best for you, take your time and look at and consider everything. In the end, if you walk in open minded, you will find the one that is best for you. If you narrow your searches before you even start looking, you may drive right past your new dream trailer and never know it. By the way, we looked at many others that I didn't mention. Cardinal, Cedar Creek etc. To be honest, after looking at floor plans and internet pictures, I was pretty confident a new Cedar Creek would be in the driveway, after seeing it I was very disappointed and it fell quickly off the list of possibilities. Wow, sorry for the long post.

[b.d.m]

Originally Posted by outwest

If you'll be taking it on long trips, you might want to see what is and isn't accessible with the slides in for when you're stopping at rest stops, etc.

That was a huge let me say it again HUGE consideration when picking our 5th.

The wife needed to be able to load the pantry, and fridge with out sliding everything out. The bath room and bed room must also be accessible.