other brands of campers ?

sunnyseagull · 11-01-2009, 11:05 AM

Hi everyone being a loyal sunline owner I love my sunline but I have to face the facts that someday if I want to purchase new camper I will have to go to another brand, so I was just wandering what other brands are on other sunline owners lists if any. I like a few of Forest rivers lines, artic fox from northwood ind., and Jayco, but not many more really catch my eye , so how about the rest of you , what makes your short list ?

Thanks Dan

P.s I tryed to post this under other brands on this forum but it wouldnt let me. just a note to the moderaters.

donreitz · 11-01-2009, 12:11 PM

When I participated on RV.net way back when, this question came up routinely. As you would expect, almost every brand had its advocates and critics. The exception to this were three brands with very loyal followings and about which you almost never heard a bad word: Arctic Fox/Nash, Sunnybrook, and Sunline. Based on forum comments, my take is that if you appreciate Sunline quality you'd probably like AF/N and Sunnybrook as well. Whether or not they have floorplans you'd like is another matter of course.

I'd throw in Airstream as well. They are supremely cool. Airstreams are like Harley-Davidsons, though. Given their heritage and high cost, you either get them or you don't. There's no middle ground.
Don

**Tweety** · 11-01-2009, 12:29 PM

Number one would be Artic Fox / Nash. They are built like tanks, and the inside gives me a Sunline feel. We were intrigued with the Viewfinder when we saw it at the RV Show last winter, but they don't have a kid friendly floorplan. Airstream would be on the short list but the price is hard to justify

Also, in your case of needing kid space, I don't think they make a kid friendly floorplan either. My problem with Forest River is that the formaldehyde smell just about knocks me over when I walk in a new one.

sunnyseagull · 11-01-2009, 03:27 PM

I agree with the formlydahyde smell ,and yes I love airstreams my grandfather had many his last one was a1996 32 ft with all the bells and whisltes but they are well beyond may grasp. my brother has a sunnybrook and I do like that also it is well made .

**JohnB** · 11-01-2009, 06:56 PM

Hi Dan

This one is a tough question now. Before we found the T310SR we where on the hunt. Artic Fox was on the top of the list. We where after the quality. However the AF was a dark interior and it just did not jump out and says, yes! This is it! like both of our Sunlines did. If it did, well we would have had one as we did not find the T310 until after we stopped looking….

Sunnybrook that year (when we where looking) stopped making the Titan high end TT. Now the Sunset Creek is the only TT line they offer. It’s nice, but it’s not there Titan and it’s not a Sunline.

The high end Jayco Eagle might be a maybe. They too stopped making the Designer high end TT.

I know you mentioned Forest River. We looked at a Sandpiper. Had a nice floor plan and the wife likes the floor plan, but… then I dug deeper. A lot of eye candy but that was it. Open the drawers and look inside. I could not bring myself to purchase new that level of quality. I have never been in there Cardinal but hope there are better.

Right now I do not have anther brand. If we ever started looking again, it would be a stop at Aritic Fox and maybe Jayco. But I have also had the thought of just rebuilding/updating the T310SR. It might be the ultimate mod! Since it is on a 10,000# chassis, it has what we need as far as weight capacity. I can still put 800 more pounds in there if I ever wanted to. What exactly I have no idea as it is full now…

One thing we did say, if we are buying new, I was not going to settle for something. While there may be a few compromises I was not going to settle for anything less in quality then we had with the Sunline. Insulated windows, 4 season package and walk on roof would be on the must haves. Again if it was a new TT.

Good luck

John

rich2500 · 11-02-2009, 04:33 AM

if we are ever to buy another camper it will definately be an ultralite,and after owning two of the better built brands (sunline & nash) the only ultralites that are appealing are the heartland northtrail,almost bought one a year ago but they (boatnrv)would not drop enough off the price.right now though with my wife at a new job and only a weeks vacation and myself working two jobs we don't have time to use the camper we have so a new one is out of the question for a few years and at that time who knows what new brands may come out or which brands may survive .

Honda03842 · 11-02-2009, 05:53 AM

Not exactly what I want but very attractive none the less. Well worth going to th efollowing site.

http://www.dezeen.com/2009/10/29/ope...axel-enthoven/

sunnyseagull · 11-02-2009, 03:40 PM

Well Norm that is definetly different for sure, kind of a cross between a covered wagon and a tent . I kind of like it but dont think I could own it.

**JohnB** · 11-02-2009, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunnyseagull

Well Norm that is definetly different for sure, kind of a cross between a covered wagon and a tent . I kind of like it but dont think I could own it.

Dan

LOL

that was exactly what I was thinking. Sort of adds a whole new meaning to the word "Tent Trailer" when you fill out a State Park reservation form on what type of camper you have...

If I ever get to that stage, I will go back to the Eureka Mountian Pass tent in the basement....

John

Honda03842 · 11-02-2009, 03:59 PM

I could only own it if I won the lottery and wanted another toy. I like it when people think out of the box, the industry has so much sameness it is sometimes disappointing.

I don't consider it a solution for my needs but definitely interesting.

You might know I'm one of those people that had a geodesic dome for a home at one time, attracted by the different.

sunnyseagull · 11-02-2009, 05:48 PM

amen to that John !!

ihsolutions · 11-03-2009, 07:44 AM

As my Sunline fifth wheel is for sale, I've been researching other brands extensively. So far I have been very impressed with everything I have seen from Heartland RV's. They have many brands, fifth wheels as well as TT's. For the price, no other manufacturer offers similar quality of construction. I even went to take their factory tour. They have a very strong ownership group and customer service is supposed to be among the best.

In some ways the quality is less than Sunline, but in other areas I believe they are better. Heck, I've been in $100k mobile suites fifth wheels that had lower quality cabinetry, carpeting, and other features, than what I have in my Sunline fifth wheel.

After much looking, I have seen no RV anywhere (short of a Prevost motorhome) that has nicer kitchen and shower faucets than what Sunline put in my rig.

henryj · 11-03-2009, 08:59 AM

Most SOC members are likely not aware of a surprising number of high end Canadian RV manufacturers. About 90% of Canadians live within 100 mi. of the border. Even though there are only 33 million of us, for most US companies, doing business in Canada is a no-brainer. The result is that the low end in Canada has been completely saturated by Rockwood and other similar brands and small Canadian companies have innovated and compete at the high end where the playing field is much more level. Prevost buses, Titanium 5th wheels and RoadTrek class B's you're likely familiar with because the US is a big part of their market. We looked briefly at Titaniums, my brother has one and gets better mileage towing with a Duramax than I get solo, and I still like them, but the total cost of trailer plus diesel was more than I could take.
http://www.prevostcar.com/cgi-bin/pa...rket_motorhome
http://www.glendalerv.com/
http://roadtrek.com/

Another one we looked at, but the trailer was too heavy was Triple E. They aren't particularly innovative, but you can't beat their quality. They make a $500K motorhome and a tt in the same plant.
http://www.tripleerv.com/

Then, JohnB and others looking for innovative quality should check out Okanagan. We were seriously looking at a small fiver in their low end which we could have towed with the old 1/2 ton, but Karen got claustrophobic in the 5 ft. bedroom--more like a truck camper. Too bad, they still turn my head every time I see one--mostly in the west. Their website is somewhat dated so I don't know how they've fared in the recession. They have a significant US presence too with dealers in NY, IL, and TN among others. Bring deep pockets for the high end ones. Read this page to see what is possible under the skin when knowledgeable customers are willing to pay for it:
http://www.okanaganrv.com/2005%20Con...age/design.htm

After all that, we bought the 2499 on our second trip to the dealer and I expect it will be our last tt. If we RV into old age it will probably be in a Sprinter.

Henry

Richard · 11-17-2009, 03:31 PM

My next travel trailer purchase will be one manufactured with composite materials such as the Everlite by Evergreen. No wood to rot. I think that more producers of RV's will headed be in that direction.

Makers Mark · 11-18-2009, 07:02 AM

Ditto Richard,
Preliminary look at the Everlite is interesting, a fifth wheel is in there future also. Would like to get a look at it in upcoming shows.
MM