Is Outdoors RV a Good Brand? Outdoors RV Problems & Reviews
Looking for something better. That is the reason many small RV manufacturers get started in the first place. The owners are not happy with the quality of the current RV builds, so they try to improve on that failure and make a better product. Unfortunately, it is hard for these smaller outfits to get known.
From what we can tell, this new RV outlet and maker seems to be making some great models. The praise is pouring in about this brand but so are the complaints. It remains to be seen if this is a good RV brand or not.
To learn more about this company, just continue to read our article. It has the information you want to know about so you can make a smart trade-in or purchase decision. Every company does have its good and bad points.
Outdoors RV Review
Who Makes Outdoors RVs?
The company is called Outdoor RV MFG and they are based in La Grande, Oregon. It was started by Ron and Sherry Nash in 2009 and these are the same people who started Northwood MFG in 1993.
That earlier company produced top-flight RV brands called Arctic Fox and NASH. The word is in the RV industry, the name Nash is equal to top-quality. This company looks to be a small facility and their yearly production may vary.
As it has grown, the product line has expanded a little. They make about 4 travel trailer models, one 5th wheel model, and one toy hauler model so far. As they get more well-known, they should be expanding that lineup at some point in the future.
Their design purpose is to make those RV trailers for those people who like to be outdoors no matter how rough the terrain or bad the weather.
Who Owns Outdoors RV?
Originally, the late Ron Nash and his wife Sherry owned this company. This was back in 2009 and after they started it, they may have transferred ownership to Northwood Investments Corporation.
Until his death in 2019, Ron Nash was a major player in this company and his wife remains a principal to this day. This investment company was started in 1993 and it held ownership over Northwood Manufacturing and now Outdoor RV.
At the last count, there were approx. 400 employees and the company had a reported $100 million revenue flow. Northwood Investment is also headquartered in La Grande, Oregon.
The Outdoor RVs are supposed to be all-season models and they should be strong enough to handle extreme weather and very tough road conditions. These trailers are said to be built tough and can handle a heavy workout with ease.
Where Are Outdoors RVs Made?
The company makes all of its trailers in its La Grande manufacturing plant. They have all their business interests located in that little western city. The company encourages you to deal with their dealers and they have a find a dealer locator web page at this link.
The company does rely on its dealer network even though it is not as large as other RV makers. Their dealers seem to be few and far in between in many cases. We checked a couple of locations and the company seems to have skipped a few states as they developed this network.
The further east you go, the fewer dealers there are. This seems to be a western United States company at this time. Their dealers seem to go no further than east Texas and west Iowa.
There is very little representation in those western states though.
Is Outdoors RV a Good Brand?
At RV Insider, the website that rates companies by reviews, this company holds a 4.3-star rating. There seem to be as many negative reviews as there are positive ones.
From what we have read so far, it seems that this company spends a lot of time making its own chassis. This means that while these chassis may be heavier than other RV brands, they are more solid.
Keeping everything you can in-house is one way to keep an eye on the quality of your product. Also, some people have toured the plant and have reported that the employees and other staff are very proud of the trailers they produce.
As far as we can tell, and we checked several worst RV brands and avoid these brands lists and this company is not listed on any of them. They should be a good brand despite the complaints.
Is Outdoors RV Worth The Money?
From what we have read about these travel trailers, they do seem to be worth the money. Many owners have made comparisons between their Outdoor models and other companies’ models.
Their impression was that the Outdoor option was better built all around. That may be because Outdoor RV makes sure that the foundation they are building on is a solid one.
The company feels that you need a good, solid foundation to have a good trailer. Judging by most of the reviews, they seem to have succeeded. Of course, there will be those owners who have reported many problems with their Outdoor RV who will disagree.
In the end, it is really up to you to decide if the trailer is worth the cost. We have seen far more positive reviews than negative ones so right now the jury has decided they are worth the money.
Outdoors RV Construction
If you go to this link, you will find how this company builds its RVs. The materials used seem to be top-notch and some of the best you can find anywhere.
Here are some of the components they put into their RVs. Keep in mind, these RVs are made for the western parts of the continent:
- Mountain Extreme Thermal Pane Windows
- Triple Layered Four Seasons Roof Insulation
- Fully Enclosed-Heated-Insulated Underbelly
- Triple Layered Four Seasons Roof Insulation
- 1″ Thick Thermal Insulated Luggage Doors
- Reflective Insulation Layer Roof, Slide-Out Floor, Entire Underbelly, Holding Tanks
- Custom-Built Cambered Off-Road Chassis
- Integrated A-Frame Chassis Construction
- Exterior Grade Tongue & Groove Plywood Sub-Floor
- Marine Grade Plywood Roof Decking
Those are just some of the materials they put into their trailers. As we said, it has been reported that this company takes great pride in its product so they are built tough.
Outdoors RV Complaints
There will always be complaints. You will read most of them on the RV insider website and these owners are not that happy with what they bought. Some people thought the mattress and sofa were not that comfortable, that there was a problem with the holding tanks monitors and so on.
Other owners were not happy with how the company secured the microwave and the awnings. Saying they were not held in place very well and the screws came out when under no duress or pressure.
Others did not like the warranty coverage. They felt that they were let down when some dealers would not make warranty repairs on trailers they did not sell.
Some of these negative reviewers still gave this company and its trailers 4 stars in some areas and 3 stars in others. So their experience wasn’t as bad as they let on.
Outdoors RV Problems
There do seem to be some common problems many Outdoor RV owners will experience. When you look at the list, you will see that most of the problems may be in the quality of build category. This may be due to the fact the company wants to fill their orders as quickly as possible.
- Cupboard doors fall off- hinges not in securely may be the issue here
- Broken drawers- age-related issues are the common source of this problem
- Cold air getting inside- this may be due to faulty seals on the walls and roof
- Fog on the windows- again this is an aging out issue and the seals do get old
- Clamps on water pipes are too small- this would be a manufacturer’s issue
- Water heaters are not supported that well- minimal effort to provide top support for this appliance is the source
Outdoors RV Reviews
We have seen both extremes and all points in between. There are people who love these RVs and would not trade them in for any other model. Then there are those owners who feel they have an $80,000 piece of junk.
While it is hard to make the perfect RV, Outdoor RV does come close when looking at the reviews between these two extremes. Many of those in between reviews cite poor workmanship quality as the main source of their complaint.
They may have a point. RV makers and workers do not come with the best reputations. According to other reviewers and owners, Outdoor RV seems to have solved this problem with the way they build their trailers.
It is best to compare both sides with a grain of salt and look to make sure you do not have a negative experience if you buy one of their models.
Outdoors RV Mountain Series Reviews
Most of the owners tend to like this model series. The complaints are the same though. There may be problems with quality control when it comes to the build quality of each trailer.
However, there are many owners who have driven across the country to pick up their new Outdoors RV. That action says a lot about the quality of these travel trailers.
These trailers are supposed to be built stouter than the competition which has many owners or potential owners praising the company. According to one potential owner who toured the factory, the company is supposed to have some great building techniques as well as a quality control team at the end of the assembly line looking for errors.
With this information, it is hard to believe the complaints we read earlier as well as the common problems.
Does Outdoors RV Make Fifth Wheels?
Yes, they have one model at this time. It is called Glacier Peak and it comes with 4-floor plans as well as 2 & 3 slide-outs for each floor plan. The length of these floor plans goes from 27 to 31 feet and the trailer is supposed to weigh 9000 pounds.
The longer trailers will weigh a bit more as the F28RKS model weighs just over 10,000 pounds. According to the images on their website, the interior looks like any other RV made by a bigger and richer company.
These are all one bath, one bedroom floor plans, although you can sleep more people on the sofas, etc. This 5th wheel series should rival the competition and the quality may be better than Jayco, etc.
Does Outdoors RV Make a Toy Hauler?
Yes, they do and like the 5th wheel model, this company makes 1. This model is called the Trail Series and it looks to have 3-floor plans. Their length ranges between 25 and 31 feet long and the starting dry weight is 8000 pounds.
The garages on this toy hauler series are said to hold most 4 seat side by side vehicles. The 60 by 80 queen-size bed is said to be a loft style and it lifts up when your vehicle is in the garage.
Then it is built with the same quality of materials as the other trailers are built with. The photos also look like any other RV interior you would get with any other brand
Some Final Words
Sometimes it pays to ignore all the top RV brands that everyone knows about. The smaller companies need to try harder as they do not have the resources available to market their RVs as the big companies have.
But they may be better built which is one advantage this company has over its competitors. There will be negative reviews and complaints as not every trailer will be perfectly made. But Outdoors RV seems to try harder to be better than the rest.
