Can't Decide, Opinions Wanted!

[Jack N Janet]

I'd go with the closer one. Our trailer is 6 months old and has been in twice for warranty work so far with a third trip coming up when the parts come in. A 6 hour trip for warranty work each time would be a royal pain.

[AFDon]

Light vrs:dark? We vote for light. If you spend a few days in one during dark, cloudy, rainy days we find that the darker interiors tend to feel confining faster.

Just my two cents worth.

Don

[Leesway]

We live in Minnesota, so we definitely wanted the Glacier package to keep some warmth down below with the pipes because we travel from cold to warm climates. If you're a summer camper, maybe you wouldn't need it so much. That said, we did use a serious amount of foam insulation around the bed area and in the storage area. There was LOTS of light coming through, so, don't depend on the Glacier package to keep the breeze out. We have the kitchen skylight. We cut a piece of foam insulation to keep heat/cold out, depending on the weather. We also use the CAMCO vent insulators and those are great for the extremes, too. I would also lean toward the local dealer, assuming they have good reviews for top-notch service.
Happy Camping!

[sodface]

Thanks again everyone for the replies, you all make a lot of good points. I drove myself crazy for a week and half with all the back and forth, tug o' war thoughts I was having about both units and the various features and just couldn't make a decision one way or the other. I'm also very concerned about Jayco quality to the point that I'm not sure I want to buy either of them now (after 5 pages of helpful replies!).

I'm not saying I think Jayco is poor quality, I'm saying I'm not sure based on reading threads here and elsewhere, both good and bad. It seems like sort of a crap shoot and not having owned a Jayco before I don't really have any brand loyalty or any first hand experience with them. I realize that's pretty much the state of the industry, not just Jayco, where some people love theirs and other people have nothing but issues.

I think the Jayco White Hawks I've been looking at are some of the nicest looking travel trailers on the market, it's what's lurking beneath the pretty facade that makes me nervous. For me $28k isn't chump change, and I'll be pretty upset if I'm spending more time working on it then enjoying it. I'd accept that for a cheaper used camper but a new camper at that price point should be pretty much free of defects from the factory and the dealer should catch any little things before the first walk through. It appears from my reading that neither of those things is reality. Reality seems to be that RV manufacturers are pumping out units as fast as they can and QA and workmanship isn't great. Then they get to the dealers and most of them don't do much if anything about catching factory defects until a customer is doing their PDI so you better do a good one.

So anyway, I haven't bought either of them, yet.

[Cannon]

Originally Posted by sodface

Thanks again everyone for the replies, you all make a lot of good points. I drove myself crazy for a week and half with all the back and forth, tug o' war thoughts I was having about both units and the various features and just couldn't make a decision one way or the other. I'm also very concerned about Jayco quality to the point that I'm not sure I want to buy either of them now (after 5 pages of helpful replies!).

I'm not saying I think Jayco is poor quality, I'm saying I'm not sure based on reading threads here and elsewhere, both good and bad. It seems like sort of a crap shoot and not having owned a Jayco before I don't really have any brand loyalty or any first hand experience with them. I realize that's pretty much the state of the industry, not just Jayco, where some people love theirs and other people have nothing but issues.

I think the Jayco White Hawks I've been looking at are some of the nicest looking travel trailers on the market, it's what's lurking beneath the pretty facade that makes me nervous. For me $28k isn't chump change, and I'll be pretty upset if I'm spending more time working on it then enjoying it. I'd accept that for a cheaper used camper but a new camper at that price point should be pretty much free of defects from the factory and the dealer should catch any little things before the first walk through. It appears from my reading that neither of those things is reality. Reality seems to be that RV manufacturers are pumping out units as fast as they can and QA and workmanship isn't great. Then they get to the dealers and most of them don't do much if anything about catching factory defects until a customer is doing their PDI so you better do a good one.

So anyway, I haven't bought either of them, yet.

The problem here is most of the time you only from the ones who have problems. I've had several problems with mine, mostly small that i just fix myself but I knew when I made the purchased it would take a year or two to get the bugs out. I purchased the one I wanted and knowing what I know now would do it again just from another dealer. A good dealer is one of the most important parts of the purchase.

[Overogal]

We originally bought Jayco because they were supposed to be high quality do I was very surprised when we had intractable problems with auto leveling on the first new one and slide problems on the second. It is true now that since rv's have become so popular, they are building them and selling them as quickly as possible with little or no QA, and that's at every price level.
We talked to a man at Lippert when getting ours repaired. Who had bought a new Jayco White Hawk in April of 2018 and was on his 5th axle replacement. He was having Lippert do it this time in an effort to get it right finally so he could head home to the east coast.
So, you just never know. I would really recommend a Northwood Mfg product such as a Nash travel trailer or Arctic Fox 5th wheel but they are hard to find just anywhere in the country because they are built in Bend, Oregon. They are well built though and well insulated and come with double pane windows. Thinking of getting rid of our Jayco Eagle and getting an Arctic Fox. Good luck!

[thecampingcat]

If people would stop emptying the shelves before the rigs were made that might help them focus on QC. I own a 2014 greyhawk I'm very happy with. 3/4 filled cup of coffee on counter through Virginia without a spill. If you can't by a jayco with confidence I'd say you are in a new price range, but actually that wouldn't matter much.

[sodface]

Originally Posted by Overogal

I would really recommend a Northwood Mfg product such as a Nash travel trailer or Arctic Fox 5th wheel but they are hard to find just anywhere in the country because they are built in Bend, Oregon. They are well built though and well insulated and come with double pane windows. Thinking of getting rid of our Jayco Eagle and getting an Arctic Fox. Good luck!

I've wanted an Arctic Fox for years. Whenever I go to California for work I try to visit a dealer out there to walk through one. Expensive and heavy though. I also like Lance, at least on paper, then I see a quote here in another thread:

Originally Posted by DustyMojave

My wife and I own an older Jayco. Our son works in the Lance RV factory. They were recently bought by Rev. He complains constantly about the company doing things cheap. Rushing things in the factory, screw-ups by other workers that are poorly repaired, cheaper components, hiring new workers at minimum wage who are put to work with little or no training, etc. Such issues seem to be pretty common in the industry.

So like thecampingcat said, I guess paying more might not really get you much in terms of improved quality and workmanship.

[Azbirddog]

Happy wife, happy life.

[Carlosrod]

Originally Posted by Azbirddog

Happy wife, happy life.

LOL
Totally agree!!
Go with what she likes.
In the end, YOU'LL be happy.

[Scott_Trailer_Newbe]

Well, I paid extra for a White Hawk, and it is a very nice unit. Getting all caught up and splitting hairs over brand, type pretty much guarantees you will never make a decision. The White Halk 28RL is the nicest trailer in this floor plan. Deal with issues if they arise and go have a good time camping. Get the glacier package and the outside shower.

[Gbreaux3]

Originally Posted by sodface

Thanks again everyone for the replies, you all make a lot of good points. I drove myself crazy for a week and half with all the back and forth, tug o' war thoughts I was having about both units and the various features and just couldn't make a decision one way or the other. I'm also very concerned about Jayco quality to the point that I'm not sure I want to buy either of them now (after 5 pages of helpful replies!).

I'm not saying I think Jayco is poor quality, I'm saying I'm not sure based on reading threads here and elsewhere, both good and bad. It seems like sort of a crap shoot and not having owned a Jayco before I don't really have any brand loyalty or any first hand experience with them. I realize that's pretty much the state of the industry, not just Jayco, where some people love theirs and other people have nothing but issues.

I think the Jayco White Hawks I've been looking at are some of the nicest looking travel trailers on the market, it's what's lurking beneath the pretty facade that makes me nervous. For me $28k isn't chump change, and I'll be pretty upset if I'm spending more time working on it then enjoying it. I'd accept that for a cheaper used camper but a new camper at that price point should be pretty much free of defects from the factory and the dealer should catch any little things before the first walk through. It appears from my reading that neither of those things is reality. Reality seems to be that RV manufacturers are pumping out units as fast as they can and QA and workmanship isn't great. Then they get to the dealers and most of them don't do much if anything about catching factory defects until a customer is doing their PDI so you better do a good one.

So anyway, I haven't bought either of them, yet.

We bought the Jayflight 29RKS and ciuldnt be happier. So far its a very fine camping trailer and yes we are making a few modificstions here and there, but that's the fun of it too.