Pros/cons of Host vs Arctic Fox

[Madison1988]

Hi all,
Looking for some thoughts on these two brands. I am looking for the good the bad and the ugly between these two. Warranty issues, poor attention to detail, leaking issues etc
Thank you

[dmaxpuller]

bighatnohorse wrote:

Rear bumper storge for sewer hose had tray that didn't pull out due to rear jack blocking it. (And the door lock for the sewer hose had a high security barrel lock! What's up with that!)


.

I thought that was for the rifles. My bad!:S

[Dirtpig]

Had an AF811 for just over 5 years and spent over 300 nights camping in it in that time. It saw probably 15,000+ Km's of gravel logging roads up here on vancouver island canada. Much of it brutal. I was extremely worried about having a slide with the roads we travel and the abuse we put it through but the slide did not give us one problem at all the entire time owning it. I was very happy with the quality of the camper, a lesser brand would be in pieces from the abuse it went through. Even stuck with the northwood brand when i bought my trailer last year and its now getting pounded down the gravel roads lol. One day when we go back to campers it will be another fox.

[rider997]

My AF811 has been flawless. We've had it out in temps from near 0 to over 120. Off road (to the degree possible with a 2 ton camper), in the snow, etc. Good insulation, great QC for an RV. I made a few minor improvements, such as swapping in a new digital thermostat ($15), adding solar, etc., but overall it's by far the best constructed RV I've had. The layout and quality of the cabinetry are both appreciated every time we step into it. I'd love to see Northwoods take about 400lb out of the camper.

[bighatnohorse]

Very disappointed in our Arctic Fox 1140 while in Mexico. The air conditioning unit could not dissipate condensation quickly enough and it would leak into the camper - cheap component AC.

Cheap thermostat - spring type, not digital controlled.
Smoke detector mounted over stove/oven. (Duh!)
Interior/Exterior light switches mounted in reverse positions.
Cheap stereo system (two star rating on Amazon).
Cheap mattress.
Rear bumper storge for sewer hose had tray that didn't pull out due to rear jack blocking it. (And the door lock for the sewer hose had a high security barrel lock! What's up with that!)


The good: Well thought out kitchen cabinets. . .utensil drawer sized for spoon/knife/fork tray with proper depth - not the 5-inch depth drawers which waste space.
Exterior storage large enough to fit a Weber grill into it plus room to spare.
A second exterior storage cabinet large enough to fit a Honda 1000 generator.
Large fridge (8 cu. ft. not the little 6 cu. ft).

So so: the dry bath was tiny.

[jimh406]

When we bought ours 9 1/2 years ago, the biggest selling points of the Host was the color schemes, the table/counter material, and the second slide. Host still innovates on floor plans and number of slides and we like the interior color schemes better on the Host compared to any manufacturer.

The Arctic Fox also has a higher step up into their slides, but is generally cheaper if they have an equivalent model to the Host.

[lonegunman]

We bought a new Arctic Fox 865 last summer and have about three weeks in it including 9 days of deer season. So from 25-100 degrees in temps and rain and snow, it was perfectly comfortable to live in. We did not want a slide out and this is the only model they make without one.

All of the issues are minor and easily fixed. I'll give you the list.

The screen door has a slice in the screen from unskilled install and they left it. One of the seat backs had a piece of the trim poorly installed. The dinete table had trim poorly glued (that is scheduled for a replacement in March) and the EZ Open handrail had some small parts installed backwards, this caused them to break instantly when you moved the handle. The gen set hour meter was wired backwards and did not run, I fixed that after checking the wiring diagram and swapping a lead.

Strangely, the medicine cabinet is on the wrong wall. I noticed it is installed in one of two different locations on every camper of the same model. I am not actually sure why. It is no biggie, just odd.

If the "dealer prep" had involved more than washing the dust off the camper it would have all been fixed on delivery. While my RV dealer was/is slow to respond and not overly helpful, Arctic Fox has been great. They promptly answered emails and sent replacement parts out quickly.

I sent photos of the mis-installed bits on the door handle to Arctic Fox and they seemed happy to get them. They are really quick to answer questions I had on winterizing that were related to my model specifically and not in the owner's manual. The overall fit and finish is great, the quality of the materials is great, the blinds and trim are nice and we really enjoy it.

The new round nose campers are taller inside over the bed than the older model. I am 6'2" tall and can sit up in the bed without touching the ceiling, that is a nice little feature. The "hampers" in either side of the bed are long enough to store cased rifles easily, something handy during hunting trips.

I was out checking everything since it is sitting until early March and can't wait to get out in the spring. No buyer's remorse, not even a little.

[dmaxpuller]

We have had our 2013 AF 996 since new. No problems what so ever. Have put over 100 nights in it.

OK, maybe one thing. The mattress sucks. After a 2 month trip, the first thing we did was get a Temper pedic mattress in it. A little pricey, but well worth it. By the end of the trip we were stacking towels, blankets and anything else under it to firm it up. And we aren't overly large people.

Got 2 160 watt panels on top.


And have been from 0 to 110 degrees. Perfect.

Also, did a tour of the plant in Oregon. Took a little over an hour. Quailty control all through the process, and nice to see the inner workings so I know where everything is. And the insulation is very well done.

[Johndanielscpa]

I just traded my 2007 AF 990 for a 5th wheel. I love the fifth wheel but I sure miss that camper! It really was pretty much flawless. Only had a couple of minor issues that were easily resolved. It wasn't the fanciest, and the floor plan wasn't the best, but it was solid, held up well and was well-insulated. If I were to buy another, I would buy another "fox."

[Grit_dog]

Most are talking about new(er) campers. From my perspective, AF is a well built camper. Had an 05 a cpl years ago, now have an 03.
Granted both are/were well maintained, stored under cover or roof in the off season, but at 10-15 years old, both campers were about flawless. No major issues and really no minor ones either.

In sure host is well built too. Just my 02 on AF.

[Daryl_B]

Bedlam wrote:
Exactly. The only reason I am not looking at another Arctic Fox is because they do not have comparable floor plan to the EC 1165 or Host Mammoth. Quality and insulation has been great on the AF.

Same reason here, I had a 2010 AF990 that I just sold a few weeks ago.
When I started shopping around for a larger camper, I made a wish list of features that I really wanted in a new camper, a side entry, 2 or more slides and a big dry bath were top on my list. I did look at the AF 1150 & 1140 which would of given me more room but not really enough of what I was looking for.

[Bedlam]

Exactly. The only reason I am not looking at another Arctic Fox is because they do not have comparable floor plan to the EC 1165 or Host Mammoth. Quality and insulation has been great on the AF.

[Nautique200]

Our Arctic Fox has been pretty much flawless. That is saying something about the camper considering the quality issues other manufactures have. We've used it a lot and its only downfall is that I wish they had a model with a rear slide for additional seating and bed for one of my boys. I would highly recommend the 1150 or 1140. However, our next camper will be an Eaglecap or Host double or triple slide.

[CAJW]

A 3 year Arctic Fox owner here. Very satisfied in the product and great customer service, but much of that credit goes to our dealer, Thunder RV. They are very responsive to any question and ship orders right away. Only problems were a water pump failure from plastic debris in the tank that ruined the pump early on. Factory authorized us to stop by an independent RV repair, got it fixed in 1 hour and back on the road with no out of pocket cost as Northwood had them billed direct. One LED clearance light has gone kaput, but those have been the only issues. Very happy with the performance of our rig for the 93 nights we've used it so far in temps below freezing to 120 in AZ. I'm sure the Host brand is a good one, but very happy we chose the AF brand.
I'll make the same offer as Mike, pm with any questions.

[rinkmom899]

Madison1988 wrote:
Hi all,
Looking for some thoughts on these two brands. I am looking for the good the bad and the ugly between these two. Warranty issues, poor attention to detail, leaking issues etc
Thank you

Host has excellent customer service. We picked up a new Mammoth in Az. The end of Sept and took a 6 week trip through the southwest. Our last night out we hit a low hanging tree branch and took out the escape hatch. I called Host and they shipped me a new one the next day. Anytime I call with questions my call is answered by one of the owners. On our trip we experienced temperature swings from 108 in Ca. to 28 in the Grand Canyon and stayed very comfortable. Our wish list for improvment is that we would like more counter space so we are adding a flip up extension where the magazine rack is. Also we would like the sewer hose connection to come out a little further so residue does not drip in the outside compartment. A great product and very adequate for a long road trip.

[mike_kellie]

I can only speak for the Host. The list is long for good including holding tanks and storage. The bad might be if you have kids, the dinette table has to go outside if you make a bed there. The ugly is weight and the truck needed to carry it. The new coffee table conversion helps with the sleeping arrangments.
Absolutely love the 2 accesses to the bed. We're taking it out to our local coast in 2 weeks and should experience some windy wet weather. Hopefully another checkmark for the good. PM me if you have questions! (you're Northern Ca.)?