North Trail 21FBS vs. Wilderness 2175 RB

[SailorDon]

I was looking at posts to "Show us your camper" topic on the Ford F150 Forums website and saw a North Trail 21FBS that looked like the twin to my Wilderness 2175 RB.

His photo, his travel trailer:



My photo, my travel trailer:



I checked the Heartland spec sheets and it looks like the identical travel trailer. What am I missing?
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[TravelTiger]

They are probably similar, built on the same production line. Specific features. For each brand be different. This is not uncommon.


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[SailorDon]

They are probably similar, built on the same production line. Specific features. For each brand be different. This is not uncommon

I'm easily confused, and the Heartland spec. sheets aren't helping much.



The biggest difference I found was the Slide Room Height. I know mine is correct as listed at 5' 8". I just went out and measured it.
From photos on the web, I don't think 4' 8" for the North Trail is correct.
So who and what can you trust?
And are you going to pull a travel trailer with 390 pounds Hitch Weight when the Dry Trailer Weight is 4,450 pounds? Something ain't right. Isn't that a recipie for sway? You need more hitch weight with that rig.
Maybe add a few concrete blocks (about 50 to 60 pounds worth) to the propane tank support to trim out the front-to-back weight balance.

Looking at website photos, I think the North Trail is an upscale version of the Wilderness. The sink covers are nicely integrated into the counter top. There is a stove cover (but not on the Wilderness).
I never even looked at a North Trail 21FBS because until today, I didn't even know they existed.

I'm certainly no marketing expert, but doesn't offering too many models of the same thing cause marketing problems? GM discovered that with Oldsmobile. Ford discovered that with Mercury.
Maybe it's different with marketing travel trailers and Heartland has the inside track.
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[danemayer]

SailorDon,

There's been some speculation that manufacturers may have dealer agreements that give dealers territorial exclusivity. So if Dealer A has exclusive rights to sell Cyclones in a particular geographic area, the company might find it useful to let Dealer B sell a very similar looking Road Warrior product in that same geographic area. The two brands are built by the same workers on the same assembly line, using the same construction techniques, designs and parts. They may just have slightly different floorplans and features.

The end result is that the manufacturer gets better coverage of the market and dealers get brand exclusivity within their territory.

Yes there are additional costs associated with having overlapping brands. Presumably there is also increased market share and additional profit.

 

[SailorDon]

The end result is that the manufacturer gets better coverage of the market and dealers get brand exclusivity within their territory.

That sounds logical. In the RV marketplace, the dealers can get the manufacturers to meet dealer demands. That's sort of backwards from the auto industry.
Less confusing when you explain it that way.

Thanks!

 

[priorguy]

The major difference in the two will be the finishes, North Trail is higher end, and the height. North Trails are lower which aids with towing and mileage, but the Wilderness is taller making it easier to negotiate gas station curbs. And on North Trail you can get the Caliber Edition and bump it up a level. It's all about price point, I can give you the basic trailer for price A, the midrange for price B, or the "Cadillac" for price C. Gives a dealer a way to upsell if they have basically identical trailers accept for the finishes and options. No matter what, you're still getting a good trailer as underneath they are the same.

 

[SailorDon]

North Trails are lower which aids with towing and mileage, but the Wilderness is taller making it easier to negotiate gas station curbs.

With that information on height, I went back and looked at the photos. The North Trail is visibly lower. Basically 1 foot lower in overall height. That would account for the loss of 1 foot of height in the slide room height. It also looks like the North Trail might have less clearance between the tops of the wheels and the fenders, but that could be do to "loaded vs. unloaded". My photo was taken on my delivery trip from the dealer to home. That is dry weight! Empty holding tanks, empty water tank, empty cabinets, lockers, shelves and closets. My only cargo was a box of trail mix for the road.

At 6' 4", I am taller than the average guy. I've already whacked my head a few times on the 5' 8" ceiling of the slide out. But I have full standing headroom throughout the rest of my travel trailer. This is a good thing for me.

Perhaps the North Trail would not have been so good due to the lower height.
Better mileage yes.
More concussions yes.
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[SailorDon]

..................... the Wilderness is taller making it easier to negotiate gas station curbs.

I think the Wilderness and the North Trail have the same ground clearance.
Looking at these photos from dealer websites, it looks like the same 3 folding steps and the same ground clearance to the chassis.





The only thing I could see to account for the lower North Trail height is the outside speakers are mounted closer to the roof.
That would mean a shorter doorway since the roof is lower by about 1 foot.

I checked my RV dealer's website and he has 2 new 2014 North Trail 21FBS listed for $500 less than what I paid for my Wilderness 2175 RB.
I guess you get a discount for less material for the lower roof.
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[priorguy]

They may have raised the North Trails as a lot of people were ripping the $1500+ rear power stabilizers off the back pulling into and out of driveways. I've seen many posts complaining about this so I am aware. Mine only has 2 steps and it's really close to the ground. Also, the under-tongue mount spare tire has been an issue for others. I've thought of "flipping" my axels if it ever becomes an issue. I will be conscious of the fact that mine is low, and think each time I pull over a curb.

Also in your comparison chart, the bedroom height is different, and overall height is different. My slide is filled with cabinets which could drop it a foot lower as well. I believe the Wilderness is taller inside, and has higher ground clearance.

 

[mbopp]

Well, that's my NT in Don's first post.

Heartland made a running change in the slides. Mine's a newer one with a deeper slide w/ flush floor. To do this Heartland had to raise the trailer (older ones have 2 steps vs 3 on mine.) I haven't measured the height though.
The local dealer didn't have a 21FBS with the new deep slide, so we purchased this one at a dealer 70 miles away. It's the Caliber with solid surface counter top, electric stabs, hidden hinges, power awning, rear bike extension, and a few more features. It does sit high and I'm always adding blocks under the stabs when we set up.
But I like the ground clearance since we prefer to camp at State campgrounds that can have some pretty rutted driveways.
No sway issues, but then again I added another battery up front and use a Reese DC setup.