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Old 06-23-2017, 04:52 AM   #1
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Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Peoria
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Arizona
Shopping for Aerolite

Hi,
I am a new member here. After many hours of looking at floor plans, options, etc, hubs and I have chosen a Dutchmen Aerolite for our next travel trailer. We're looking at the 294 RKSS and the 298 RESL. There are features in both that we like, so at this point it's kind of a toss up as to which one we'll end up with. I would love to hear from anyone familiar with these models. I want to know the usual things such as if you have been happy with it, how it has held up, and if you've had any particular problems with it. I'd also like to know if anyone pulls one of these with a half ton p.u.
Thanks!
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Old 06-23-2017, 10:24 AM   #2
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North Carolina
We bought the 242 last year and everything works well so far. Had it out three times. Seems to be a solid purchase so far.
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Old 06-23-2017, 11:43 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1DesertRose View Post
Hi,
I am a new member here. After many hours of looking at floor plans, options, etc, hubs and I have chosen a Dutchmen Aerolite for our next travel trailer. We're looking at the 294 RKSS and the 298 RESL. There are features in both that we like, so at this point it's kind of a toss up as to which one we'll end up with. I would love to hear from anyone familiar with these models. I want to know the usual things such as if you have been happy with it, how it has held up, and if you've had any particular problems with it. I'd also like to know if anyone pulls one of these with a half ton p.u.
Thanks!


We have the 2017 282 and haven't had any issues other than other campers being jealous of the auto leveling system.

We tow it with a 2007 Lincoln Mark Lt (F-150) and average 10 mpg. For a hitch we have the blue ox sway pro which works great as well.

Should note that were 1st time RV'ers too, since December and have had it out 4 times, 3 of which were over 8 hours away. Just make sure you buy it from a good dealer. We drove from Philadelphia to Charlotte to a great dealer. Saved $10k too.


TH4
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Old 06-24-2017, 12:25 AM   #4
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Originally Posted by thehoffmans4 View Post
We have the 2017 282 and haven't had any issues other than other campers being jealous of the auto leveling system.

We tow it with a 2007 Lincoln Mark Lt (F-150) and average 10 mpg. For a hitch we have the blue ox sway pro which works great as well.

Should note that were 1st time RV'ers too, since December and have had it out 4 times, 3 of which were over 8 hours away. Just make sure you buy it from a good dealer. We drove from Philadelphia to Charlotte to a great dealer. Saved $10k too.


TH4
Was the Dealer Golden Gait (GGT)? Bought ours there. Nice group of people. Ironically we were looking at a 2013 leftover that they would not cut me a deal on even though they had two of them. Rolled out with a brand new 2015 for less than the shorter 2013... Couldn't make sense of that.

Had the push out gearbox go bad once so far. Had the AC unit go bad (bad batch of dometic AC units). Have had issues with the brakes. Had some sort of issue with front cap separating...Most of it is sorted out.

Went looking at new Trailers yesterday - just to window shop. Made me realize how crappy our trailer is put together. Still a nice rig, but the subtle differences between manufacturers were spotted pretty easily. Thought I had shopped carefully... Going to be even more careful next time. Waiting for this one to fully depreciate.
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Old 06-24-2017, 12:32 AM   #5
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Was the Dealer Golden Gait (GGT)? Bought ours there. Nice group of people. Ironically we were looking at a 2013 leftover that they would not cut me a deal on even though they had two of them. Rolled out with a brand new 2015 for less than the shorter 2013... Couldn't make sense of that.



Had the push out gearbox go bad once so far. Had the AC unit go bad (bad batch of dometic AC units). Have had issues with the brakes. Had some sort of issue with front cap separating...Most of it is sorted out.



Went looking at new Trailers yesterday - just to window shop. Made me realize how crappy our trailer is put together. Still a nice rig, but the subtle differences between manufacturers were spotted pretty easily. Thought I had shopped carefully... Going to be even more careful next time. Waiting for this one to fully depreciate.


Golden Gate is where we went. Liked it better than any of the dealers we visited in the NE.


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Old 06-24-2017, 01:24 AM   #6
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298 resl

We have the 298 RESL and we LOVE it - moved up from a North Trail with only the one slide out and this makes a HUGE difference - plus the King sized bed is great!!
Now - it has been back to the dealer twice in its first five months first for a refrigerator problem - wouldn't switch to propane - loose wire - and now for a leaking grey tank - thank goodness not the other tank - but it needs to be fixed anyway - we are looking forward to having our baby home by mid July or so and then we have a trip to Grand Canyon planned in late August through September - we don't get claustraphobic in this one at all - and we love having the table/chairs instead of the dinette - much more options. Good rig and lots of fun!
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Old 06-28-2017, 05:14 AM   #7
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Wow! You have had your share of issues. I was wondering about the quality of this brand. We've had two Nomads and never had anything repaired at the dealer. Both have been very well-built. We would go for another, but they don't make one with the king size bed we are looking for.
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Old 06-28-2017, 05:16 AM   #8
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TexasMarci, your needs sound a lot like ours. I love the model you have (298RESL). We decided on the 294rkss because it only has one slide. The other would be just too heavy for our half-ton PU. Now I just need to find one. There is only one dealer (LaMesa RV) in Arizona that carries Dutchmen. They are a sleazy bunch and we don't want to buy from them. Their online reviews are horrible. I did make the mistake of responding to an ad of theirs and the response made it look like a bait and switch. They refused to give me any information about the unit – even though the ad said quite clearly "call or email for information on this unit."

Then, I found a 2015 for sale from a private owner. I even set up a time to go see it and they sold it right out from under us! Nice people ... never even bothered to let us know. They just removed the ad from Craig's List. So, the search continues ...
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Old 07-01-2017, 11:55 AM   #9
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We bought ours from GGT also. Good experience with them. Received a decent deal as well.
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Old 07-07-2017, 05:04 AM   #10
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My experience with Golden Gait was pretty good too. No real issues in the sales process. Would buy from them again, but I might avoid any RV made by Thor Industries.... Which is kinda hard to do.
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Old 07-13-2017, 02:36 PM   #11
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We bought a '16 model 298 RESL in December. I love the floor plan, so far no issues with anything. It needs a second AC unit, which I emailed Keystone and said the unit is already wired and braced for a second AC unit, so maybe I'll tackle that later this year. I also wish the grey water tank was a bit larger. Other than that, its my first camper and my wife and I are enjoying it.
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Old 07-16-2017, 05:53 PM   #12
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Take care!

We finally made our purchase - yay! After looking further, we decided NOT to buy Dutchmen. We ended up ordering a 2018 Grand Design floorplan that is very similar to the Aerolite 298RESL. Thanks to all who responded while we were shopping.

See you in the parks!

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Old 07-22-2017, 04:32 AM   #13
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We have a 2016 Dutchman Aerolite 294RKSS and we love it. We usually boondock camp so we have a generator and have to tow with full fresh water tanks. We have camped maybe a dozen times. If you plan on driving on gravel a lot, you may want to do some extra sealing. Our camper tends to get extremely dusty, but off course we drive 20 + miles on gravel. Learn from us, you will want rock tamer mud flaps to keep the rocks from dInging the front of the camper. We had two issues, 1. Lights out in bedroom, a staple was ran through the electrical cord, 2. Heater issue because of extra ducting. With any camper you can expect some issue, as they are made on an assembly line. This camper had everything we wanted and the coat rack is a great bonus. We Originally towed this with a 2016 Chevy 1500Z71 with no issues but it was near the max for weight due to us having to have tank full of water. We upgraded trucks this year to a 2017 Chevy 2500 Diesel and my husband doesn't even feel it when towing. This is our first camper so we are still learning.
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