We are new owners of a 2011 North Country 22RBQ. After evaluating it at home for a few weeks then taking it out for the first time last weekend I have to admit we are a bit disappointed. There are some quality complaints and some design flaw complaints.
Here they are in list format:
Quality "fit and finish" complaints:
-The water lines coming from the water pump were very loose and right against the wood frame of the drawers next to the sink. The lines slapped around violently when the pump was turned on. It was ridiculously loud. I put some pipe inuslation between and around the water lines to quite the situation.
-The screws used to put the drawer framing together next to the kitchen sink are too long and poke out through the wood. If I weren't careful I could have received a nasty cut when fixing the rattling water lines.
-Interior wall covering/laminate above entrance is very wavy. (It looks like the piece of laminate was cut too long).
-The mattress is of extremely poor quality. The first night we slept on it I could feel sharp spring ends poking me. I weigh 140 lbs so it's not because I am too heavy!
-There were 20-30 scratches and gouges on the cupboards/woodwork. Most we touched up with a stain marker.
- The little brackets that keep the blinds on the windows from banging around - on two windows I need to remove and reposition them.
-One of the large closet doors in the bathroom is warped such that the latch won't hold it closed. On our first trip the towels in the closet were heavy enough to push the door open and some ended up on the floor. (I'll add another latch or two inside the door).
-There is something sticky on the bathroom floor, two spots about the size of a quarter.
-There is more surface rust on the frame of this trailer than on the frame of the 10 year old trailer we traded in.
Design Complaints
-The little panel covering the water pump compartment, located under the sink, is held in by two screws. The piece of "wood" (OSB covered w/contact paper) is already blown out from the screws, right from the factory. That same piece of "wood" is so thin that the screws have to be driven in at such and angle that it's almost impossible to accomplish. I'm replacing the OSB with a piece of oak.
- There is no ceiling vent/sky light in the bedroom area - since when is this an "option"?
-The rubber caps over the rear bumper ends are so loose we lost one on our first trip. This seems to be a well known problem why even use this style cap?
-There are no bubble style levels on the trailer, cost-cutting I'm sure but a little ridiculous.
-The A/C vents in the bedroom and bathroom area are almost useless. Very little air circulation makes it through. The fan on the A/C unit blows a lot of air in dump mode so it's not the fan. On the trailer we traded in, of the same size as this one. the fan could blow you off the bed when on high, so properly designed it can be done.
-The toilet bowl appears to me to be too shallow. It has to be empty, I mean empty of any clean water in the bowl, when driving or the water ends up on the floor. We usually add a little clean water to the bowl after each use. Another symptom of my "too shallow" opinion this (I will keep this as ungraphic as possible); when putting "fluid" into the toilet one must use caution to not allow it to splash or swirl back out of the toilet.
It sounds like a lot of complaining going on, but we really do like the overall design, layout and features of the camper. But, I have to wonder, with all of these little "flaws" out in the open what flaws/problems are hidden from view that will creep-up later? So we are somewhat disappointed after purchasing one of the "better brand" trailers.
Here they are in list format:
Quality "fit and finish" complaints:
-The water lines coming from the water pump were very loose and right against the wood frame of the drawers next to the sink. The lines slapped around violently when the pump was turned on. It was ridiculously loud. I put some pipe inuslation between and around the water lines to quite the situation.
-The screws used to put the drawer framing together next to the kitchen sink are too long and poke out through the wood. If I weren't careful I could have received a nasty cut when fixing the rattling water lines.
-Interior wall covering/laminate above entrance is very wavy. (It looks like the piece of laminate was cut too long).
-The mattress is of extremely poor quality. The first night we slept on it I could feel sharp spring ends poking me. I weigh 140 lbs so it's not because I am too heavy!
-There were 20-30 scratches and gouges on the cupboards/woodwork. Most we touched up with a stain marker.
- The little brackets that keep the blinds on the windows from banging around - on two windows I need to remove and reposition them.
-One of the large closet doors in the bathroom is warped such that the latch won't hold it closed. On our first trip the towels in the closet were heavy enough to push the door open and some ended up on the floor. (I'll add another latch or two inside the door).
-There is something sticky on the bathroom floor, two spots about the size of a quarter.
-There is more surface rust on the frame of this trailer than on the frame of the 10 year old trailer we traded in.
Design Complaints
-The little panel covering the water pump compartment, located under the sink, is held in by two screws. The piece of "wood" (OSB covered w/contact paper) is already blown out from the screws, right from the factory. That same piece of "wood" is so thin that the screws have to be driven in at such and angle that it's almost impossible to accomplish. I'm replacing the OSB with a piece of oak.
- There is no ceiling vent/sky light in the bedroom area - since when is this an "option"?
-The rubber caps over the rear bumper ends are so loose we lost one on our first trip. This seems to be a well known problem why even use this style cap?
-There are no bubble style levels on the trailer, cost-cutting I'm sure but a little ridiculous.
-The A/C vents in the bedroom and bathroom area are almost useless. Very little air circulation makes it through. The fan on the A/C unit blows a lot of air in dump mode so it's not the fan. On the trailer we traded in, of the same size as this one. the fan could blow you off the bed when on high, so properly designed it can be done.
-The toilet bowl appears to me to be too shallow. It has to be empty, I mean empty of any clean water in the bowl, when driving or the water ends up on the floor. We usually add a little clean water to the bowl after each use. Another symptom of my "too shallow" opinion this (I will keep this as ungraphic as possible); when putting "fluid" into the toilet one must use caution to not allow it to splash or swirl back out of the toilet.
It sounds like a lot of complaining going on, but we really do like the overall design, layout and features of the camper. But, I have to wonder, with all of these little "flaws" out in the open what flaws/problems are hidden from view that will creep-up later? So we are somewhat disappointed after purchasing one of the "better brand" trailers.
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. I plan on replacing the A/C vents in the kitchen/dinning room area to the type that can be closed so we can get more air into the bedroom. The A/C vents in the 2002 Rockwood we traded were all the adjustable style they were so convenient. That trailer had a lot of nice features but it was an ultralight and thus sits low to the ground, that was the main reason we traded up.
