Toy Hauler recommendations?

[dartmouth01]

Hi all, as the title says it, I'm looking for a toyhauler.... Quick background on the situation. The fiance and I were lucky enough to full time for almost 2 years in our 5th wheel, before having to return to the real world to pick up careers and paychecks. Student loans unfortunately don't pay themselves. We are looking for a new rig more suitable for weekend jaunts in all 4 seasons, and to carry our toys (2 dual sports, camping gear, etc) on these excursions. We've settled on a toyhauler.

Here are our requirements in no particular order: Under 32 ft, front bedroom, 4 season capable (at least a sealed underbelly), gennie, sleeping room for 2 guests, decent kitchen counter space, quality product. After looking at many brands and models, we have narrowed our choices to the Lance 2612 and the Amped 26FS. Before I pull the trigger on one of these, anyone else have any recommendations of models I should look at? Overall, I was not impressed with the quality of the Pacific Coachworks models. Forest River Sandstorms and Impacts were decent, but can't find any with sealed underbellies in sunny Cali. Attitudes and Eclipes were OK but did not stand out to me. There is no local Northwoods Mfg dealer with any Desert Foxes in stock to look at.

[Bill1374]

I just picked up a Jayco 26Y though my situation is a bit different than yours. I'm a single so my priorities were a bit different. I wanted the open floor plan with the idea that the dinette will come out, a recliner to go in and a popup coffee table so I can use the couch for dinners. I don't need a lot of counter as I'm not a gourmet cook What I did need was a dovetail floor to load my Softtail and a good bedroom as I spend up to 3 months in Florida over the winter. This unit does not have the sealed underbelly option so I expect a few bad days this winter. Over all, I think this will work for me in a 30 foot floorplan.

[dartmouth01]

Yesterday I drove 3.5 hrs and thru a snowstorm in order to see a 2014 Desert Fox 24AS. On the way back home, I stopped to look closely at a 2015 Evergreen Amped 26FS. I spent at least an hour examining in and under the units, and here are my findings. Hope this helps others make similar decisions.....

Desert Fox 24AS

1) The wife does not like the interior. It is too "yellow". And it is a mismatch between modern and "grandma" styles. She's 27 though, so maybe she isn't Northwood's target market. I'm not much older, but I'm a guy and don't care as much. But as the saying goes, "happy wife, happy life", so it needs to be considered in the decision making.

2) I can tell that the Desert Fox is build stout. The frame is definitely off road ready, and I like the individually damped wheels. The bottom is buttoned up nice and tight, and I can see why it is a good 4 season unit. The walls seem thick and insulation seems above average.

3) The interior build, while somewhat outdated in places, is very well built. The cabinets are best out of all the TH brands we saw.

4) The cutting board on the sink is laughable. It is small, and not even sealed around the wooden laminate edges. it seems cut out of the same material as the counter top. Countertop space is not as much as the DW wants.

5) The rear beds are crap. I sat down on the bottom bunk and immediately heard the wood crack under my weight. I am about 200 lbs, so probably average for a red blooded american male. I checked and the panel covering the framing of the bed is around 1/8" thick. You get deflection just pushing down on the panel. Not good quality at all.

6) The fridge is amazing. The doors close with such a nice soft click. and door feels like its floating on air. Not a huge plus, but after looking at so many units, the little things catch your eye.

7) The unit comes with a 10 gallon Electric/Gas DSI combo water heater. Nice size for any TH.

😎 The tires are Goodyears, so no Chinese junk tires to start.

9) Has solar built in standard, but the stock panel is small, just enough to keep the batteries topped up between uses...

10) The overall ground clearance is very good. Would be a good off-road capable unit.

11) The shower is small, and the bathroom is a bit claustrophobic. There is no shower door, just a curtain. I like shower doors since inevitably somemone will accidentally spill water onto the floor with just a curtain.

12) The storage space layout overall is very smart and logical.

13) The mattress up is front is crap, but no different than other brands.

14) Storage space under the bed is tiny.

15) Nice to have a built in compressor and pressure washer. Those are options I believe.

16) There is a large skylight in the main room that is really nice and adds alot of light into the unit.

17) The awning on this particular unit had the pitch adjustment hardware, which I think would be a useful option.

18) The fiberglass sides are non gel coat, so they looked "old". if not cleaned up.

19) This particular unit did not have the opposing convertible couches with dinette in the back. Instead it is just two beds on the electric jacks. This isn't our ideal set up. The dealer is unable to tell me if I can buy the couches separately and install.

Overall, the design and construction stands out as a well built unit, probably the best I've seen (I've checked out Attitudes/Stealths/Sandstorms/Sandsports/Amped/Lance and others). However, the QC still may not be perfect. The caulking around the windows was terrible, lots of excess pouring out the sides of the windows. Also, near one of the windows I noticed about a 2" circle that was bulging, from under a decal. I thought it was just the decal, but upon closer inspection I think the fiberglass was starting to delam. Which basically killed my desire to own this particular unit. The fix would most likely be significant work, and who's to say there isn't more issues in other spots on the same wall that could pop up after the warranty expires? Also, there were some other small fit and finish issues that lead me to believe the Northwoods isn't perfect either, just like the other manufacturers. And the craptastic rear beds put the final nail in the coffin for me, so we walked away. Which was hard, since the price was right.

Finding the delam on a new unit also made me realize I will not buy a unit sight unseen, even if it is a great deal on paper. I don't know how people can risk buying a unit 3 states away, all in the sake of a good deal. One issue like the delam is a headache not work saving a few grand for, IMO.

After seeing the Desert Fox, I convinced the DW to look at the Amped with me, so we could do a fresh comparison. We had looked at it once before, but only briefly, since we visited 5 dealers that day. Out of all the units we saw, only the Lance was better quality than the Amped, but the Lance does not have the layout we want. Manufacturers that put the fridge on the right side of the entrance door (as you are coming in) have floorplans that feel so much more "open" for the same space. Check it out, and I think you'll agree. Unfortunately, the fridges on the Lances are on the left side of the door.

After comparing the DF to the Amped, here are my findings:

1) The Amped looks nicer outside due to the more modern look, gel coat fiberglass, and and automotive style windows. No obvious sides of inferior workmanship. I think they use clear silicone for sealing panels and such, which helps make things look more neat.

2) Frame is 8" I beam. Good, but not as good as the DF (which sports 10" I Beam frame, I think ). Also, the bottom was sealed (option), but not as well sealed as the DF. The DF has insulation around the tanks, but I'm pretty sure the Amped does not have that, just a sealed underbelly. Also, there is alot of expandable foam to fill in holes. The DF was built not to need much foam. Overall, the DF could probably withstand much lower temps without freezing.

3) The ground clearance on the Amped is good. I think they improved the location of the dump pipe from 2014, it is now tucked right behind the Z frame bump in the middle. However, they still mounted the dump pipe storage tube in a location that gives it only a few inches of ground clearance. Thats pretty silly IMO, and I'd relocate that as one of first mods I did.

4) This particular unit has the Amped package, which includes electric jacks all around. A nice addition IMO.

5) The tires are China brand, but at least they are on 16"rims. There is an equaflex shock between the leafsprings, but probably not as useful as the indivdual shocks on the DF.

6) The overall storage space and headroom is best in the market, but this may lead to negative side effects. It will probably cost more to heat and cool than other units, and the overall unit height will be taller than most. I climbed up top and its scarier up there than my 5th wheel. The barrel ceiling does not help things.

7) The interior is nice, much nicer than the DF. This unit had the convertible sofas with dinette in the back, and this feature really makes a difference in layout, IMO. The overall quality of the construction of the interior is lower than the DF by a little.

😎 The windows are nice and big, but I noticed the gaskets don't seal all the way around, so cold air will definitely come in more easily than in the DF, during the winter. We will most definitely have to shrink wrap the windows when we winter camp.

9) There is only 1 heat vent in the main area, as well as 1 under the step up to the bedroom. I think heating will be uneven in the unit, hopefully the ceiling fan will help distribute the heat in the winter.

10) The bathroom is nicely sized. Strange they don't install the TP holder for you. I think I'd put it on the back of the door. The shower is a decent size and has the glass walls. However, the doors only open so far, so if you are big guy (or gal) you may have trouble squeezing in.

11) This unit comes with a 6 gal DSI combo water heater. This will be fine for us, since we full timed with the same sized tank, but it would be nice to have more capacity. There is a tankless water heater option, but I'm not sure how well that works. I hear there can be some issues with it.


Overall, both are good choices, and I'd lean closer to the DF if there was a choice of interior schemes, and there were more units to see in Northern California. As of the moment, I'm negotiating on the Amped, and waiting to hear back what they can do to help me further winterize the unit (adding tank heating pads, adding fiberglass insulation, etc). I'm still unsure how much propane we will use on our weekend ski trips, I'm nervous that it will be expensive. But, as I wrap this post up, I am thinking more and more of not getting any unit, and just looking more. Which the DW will kill me for, she's hit her limit for RV shopping at the moment....

[bpadamson]

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it.

[nvreloader]

Have you looked at Northwoods Desert Fox series of TH,
the 28KS sounds like it will fit the bill,
Kinda rare on the left side of the US,
but worth the effort to find one.

Have spent several weeks right at o* to -22 below,
with no problems. Other than using lots of LPG for heating etc.

Tia,
Don

[dartmouth01]

Yes, the sealed (and heated) underbelly is needed for winter camping, plus I suppose it helps to keep critters out. I actually prefer only the tanks and pipes to be sealed. My 5th wheel has a sealed underbelly on the whole underside, and while it may help to keep the coach a little warmer, it also makes it harder to keep the temps up around the water lines, since so much more of the underbelly needs to be heated. The Lance only seals around the tanks (and water pipes), and I think the Amped does as well. We spent a winter around Lake Tahoe in the 5th wheel and learned a few things about cold weather RV living. 1) Water lines freeze first, so that will be your weak link in your system 2) Just add some rv antifreeze to your waste tanks to keep them from freezing over 3) It is a whole new ballgame under 10 degrees F, or if the temps through the day don't rise above freezing. Thankfully, daytime highs in Tahoe were usually above freezing, but there were a few stretches where we had below freezing temps all the time.

[bpadamson]

You mentioned sealed underbelly-- would that be completely smooth under the frame except of course the springs/axle? We are looking as well...

[dartmouth01]

Dutchman Sport, the link you provided is exactly what is on the top of our list as well. I still think build quality is better on the lance but the layout of the Amped is more appealing. The lance does have dual pane windows, solar, rear awning, and a few other neat features. But we prefer the dinette seating for the rear power bed, and the fridge is on the bedroom side of the front door, which opens up space in the living areas compared to the Lance.

[dartmouth01]

Thanks for the replies guys. The TV is a 2008 Silverado Duramax. The reason I am staying under 32 ft is pretty unique. I have to store the rv away from my house due to space constraints. Even my neighborhood streets are tight, only one direction of traffic can pass when cars are parked on both sides of the street. If I want to be able to tow the rig onto my street and load/unload, I shouldn't go bigger than 30 feet. I'm pushing it with the 32 feet that the rigs I mentioned before. I briefly looked at KZ online but no local dealers who have a size we are interested in.

[DutchmenSport]

I was just reading some follow-up responses on a previous thread and someone talked about the KZ travel trailer toy hauler. I think this is the first trailer toy hauler that actually grabbed my attention. It's not a 5er, but it looks impressive. I have no clue what the cost is. Anyway, something to consider. FYI, there are a bizillion different models of toy haulers "out there", both trailer and 5er. Good luck on your search.

Evergreen RV - click here

Edit: I just looked around this web site a little, actually the Reactor TT toy hauler is kind of cute.

[GCSuper]

We're looking at similar trailers. You don't mention what weight you're looking for, or what vehicle you will tow with, but here's the ones that we have liked so far. One feature we must have/want is a dedicated garage, so these will be different that what you have listed:

Forest River Hyperlite 27HFS
Keystone Carbon 27
MXT 303 This is the heaviest of the bunch
Cruiser RV Forget the model designation but it was a 27ft also

We're hoping to use a half ton truck and these are at out limits, so we're still undecided at this point.