Looking to go full time in a Road Warrior.

I wood like to introduce myself to the RW community.
My wife, myself, and Rottweiler are a military family looking to go full time while still on active duty.
I have been doing a lot of research in our year in Afghanistan on toyhaulers. We move so much it just makes sense
for us to go down this road.
What really lead me to the hear to the Heartland Road Warrior was Two Eagles Kitchen .http://twoeagleskitchen.blogspot.com/ A couple from my home state you went full time in a Road Warrior.
We are looking to make the move next February on a move from one side of the country to the other.
We are going to be living full time and not really moving around in the trailer. About every three years.
How would the trailer hold up to this for the next 8-10 years. That is what I would like to get out of it.
Also would like to order either the 361 or 395. I like the floor plan of the Forest River XLR 40x12 and would like
to get in the Road Warrior. The Quality, service and build from my perspective seems better from Heartland
and would like to go that way. I hop to write a blog about are move to this type of living. I think with
the way things are going in our country more people are going to go down this road.
Thanks for reading and look forward to the journey.

SSG Jason

Jason, First, Thanks to you and your family for your service to our Country. Welcome to the Heartland Forum. While I don't own a toy hauler, I can still speak for Heartlands quality and customer service. Like many other brands of RV's, Heartland trailers are not perfect from the git go. I believe the majority of new owners are pleased at delivery but there are always a few that have some issues. These are mostly a plumbing leak in the form of a loose connection or sink drain fitting. Another common complaint is leftover wood chips and remnants of cut outs from walls where plumbing or wiring passes through a wall. This is something you will find on most every RV.
I believe Heartlands Customer Service is second to none. One thing to keep in mind. These forums are normally places where folks with questions or concerns come for help. We have a great bunch of forum members and that are here for you. We also have an Owners Club that is very active throughout USA & Canada. A great bunch of RVers.
We hope you become a Heartland Owner. Finding a good dealer and having a thorough pre-delivery inspection will make your transition into full time life an easy process. Be safe!

Hi Jason;

Check out tentsfortroops.org. This is an organization of RV parks that offer free stays for military. You might be able to find a place or two on your trip. Where are you headed? My husband is based at Fort Lewis, WA.

I agree with Ray - we have dealt with a leaky shower faucet and sawdust, but otherwise LOVE our RW395. We did have a second air conditioner installed in the bedroom. Definitely needed it on our last trip to NV - it was 110!!

Diane

Hey There SSG,
Your letter brought back fond memories of when I first movedout to El Paso, Ft. Bliss, TX in the 70’s. The travel on the road was the firsttime my wife and I had any exposure to road camping. We were in a 1974 Ford vanwe personally customize; or at least had started the process. We learned a lot onthat trip.

We were later introduced to tent camping by friendsduring our stay at Bliss. That camping bug has stayed with us ever since. Likemost campers we moved up through the ranks as to say from tents to pop ups tohard side trailers. We now own an RW 405 and I just love it. Didn’t have a lot oftime on my last 30 days at home but that un-expected purchase is a source ofmany pleasant dreams here in Kandahar. Like others have mentioned, it’s not perfect out of the factory by anymeans. But the problems we do have are small ones.

But back to your plan, Fulltime while still serving. That could be a blast and memories you’ll neverforget. Your main concern will be your ability to perform most of your ownmaintenance; both for the road worthiness and normal living wear items of yourunit. You need carpentry, mechanical and electrical skills to keep you out ofthe shops. You’ll find much pleasure in doing things on your own also. Most ofthe best modifications incorporated in these units come from people who arefull timers and see a better way and possibilities we part timers just miss. Whatevertype you settle on, I wish you and yours, the best time of your life with it.

Danny Wallace

Hey there SSG Jason, I am also a active Army full timing it in a RV. As far as HL goes they have there issues, but they are all small things and are worked through. My wife and I have been in our Landmark now for about 5 months now and we love it. No better feeling than not having all that weight of a house and also being able to put your BAH to good use. Go for it. Jump in and start living. We did. We went from a 3 bedroom house full of SH** and 2 great kids to this wonderful world we live in now. We put some stuff in a climate controlled storage shed. Most of it we gave to the kids or sold. But its all gone now (except the stuff in the shed), and it feels great. So go for it. And if you need any help or have some questions drop me a line.

SFC Michael D. Barnett

Better known as:

Heartland RVs are probably as reliable as any other RV in the price range.Personally
I would not want to be working and live in an RV because they require constant
maintenance.If you are prepared to pay top dollar and wait for repair people
thats fine and this is just a warning but they do require lots of care.If you want an RV to
last in the 7 to 10 year range prepare to pay in the 100 k range.Perhaps look for a full time
made unit like an Americana or Mobile suite.

The bighorn and Landmarks are also Full Time Units, and so far I think my Landmark will hold up as good as any other unit out there.

SSG,
These are some really good points that were brought up byBirchwood. I’ve seen some very old Travel trailers rebuilt from a trashed stateto like better than new condition. The people that do this type of work arewell versed in wood working, and all the other skills that are related tomobile home repair. If you are handy with tools that’s a big plus. Please dosome research into travel trailer construction before you make your purchase.It will give you more insight as to what to look for as related to the quality vscost factor. Like anything else, you get what you pay for when buying theseunits. But you will get a raw deal if you are unlucky and get a dealer that slipsone on you because you didn’t have enough experience to see the problems beforeyou left the lot with your new pride and joy. One of the questions you may wantto ask on this forum is the dealer ship support from some folks in your area. Idon’t why you’ve settled on the Heartland brand; but I’ll tell you in my honestopinion the quality is there. But you still have to be careful. Read some ofthe horror stories on this forum and draw your own conclusion; and learn fromsome of our mistakes. I was perfectlyhappy with the toy hauler I had when the wife says,” Hey babe, let’s stop inthere and see what they have.” When I walked into that brand new 405RW, I washooked. Compulsive buying at its best. How can you justify trading a toy haulercapable of hauling four full size motor cycles for one that you can only haultwo; and still be happy with that? It works for me.
Dan

Jason,
My wife and I have lived full time in a fifth wheel for seven years now. We are currently upgrading from a Jayco Legacy Designer to a Road Warrior. As some have stated they all have minor problems when new. In our seven years, we have had a few small problems. A good RV repairman will help. In a full time rig, you have different things to think about than the weekend camper Storage for clothing in the bedroom, Towels, wash cloths, toiletries, cleaning supplies, for the bathroom, food storage in the kitchen including frozen foods, seasonal clothing in the basement, tools and equipment. We found sitting in each room and visualizing where we would put everything really helped.

As full timers we think the Road Warrior will work out great. They are well insulated, have everything we were looking for in a full time rig.

Best of luck,

Raymond Laubert
USAF Retired.

Hi Raymond,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and Family. We have a great bunch of people here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge if needed.

As full timers I'm sure you will be an asset to the forum with your past experience.

Enjoy the forum.

Jim M

rlaubert said:

Jason,
My wife and I have lived full time in a fifth wheel for seven years now. We are currently upgrading from a Jayco Legacy Designer to a Road Warrior. As some have stated they all have minor problems when new. In our seven years, we have had a few small problems. A good RV repairman will help. In a full time rig, you have different things to think about than the weekend camper Storage for clothing in the bedroom, Towels, wash cloths, toiletries, cleaning supplies, for the bathroom, food storage in the kitchen including frozen foods, seasonal clothing in the basement, tools and equipment. We found sitting in each room and visualizing where we would put everything really helped.

As full timers we think the Road Warrior will work out great. They are well insulated, have everything we were looking for in a full time rig.

Best of luck,

Raymond Laubert
USAF Retired.

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