Rockwood vs. Fleetwood

[slhein]

We are in the market for our 1st camper.  We have two dealers near our home both quoting the best for the money.  Fleetwood is definitely more expensive.  Is Rockwood a good pu?

[AustinBoston]

Both are nationally recognized.  Fleetwood probably has a stronger frame, but frame problems with any pop-up are relatively rare.  I have owned a Fleetwood for many years, adn would buy one again, but I would not hesitate to buy a Rockwood either if it fit my needs better.

If you ever relocate, finding a Fleetwood dealer might be easier.

Austin

[dcampbell1969]

We compared Starcraft, Rockwood and Fleetwood during a six month period.  Lots of research, lots of visits, and lots of thinking.  In the end, we felt the Fleetwood was the better choice for us. All 3 had things that we like better than the others, but Fleetwood won the overall choice.  

What we did was not look at the price differences, but examined what we needed, liked, and didn't like in all areas of each, and then looked at price and made our decision.

[Hackker]

We compared Starcraft, Rockwood and Fleetwood during a six month period.  Lots of research, lots of visits, and lots of thinking.  In the end, we felt the Fleetwood was the better choice for us. All 3 had things that we like better than the others, but Fleetwood won the overall choice.  

What we did was not look at the price differences, but examined what we needed, liked, and didn't like in all areas of each, and then looked at price and made our decision.

Thats similar to what we did - I checked out Fleetwood, Rockwood, Starcraft, and Jayco and looked at which one was best for us.  While price was somewhat important, getting the features we wanted topped that.  

I really wanted a solid walled bathroom, and I think that Fleetwood and Starcraft were the only ones I found that offered that.

[cojake]

I pretty much did the same as the others.  I seriously looked at Fleetwood, Starcraft, Rockwood and glanced at a few others.  I actually liked all three brands.  The fit and finish was pretty similiar on the trailers I looked at.  I was kind of leaning towards Starcraft at first, but the dealer was not really willing to negotiate at all.  I ended up picking Rockwood because the dealer was willing to deal. The Rockwood seemed to offer more bang for the buck in the way of options.  Mine came with a power lift (love it), 3 speed fan, furnace that I would have had to add to the Starcraft and the Fleetwood.  The price was about 750.00 less the Starcraft and about 1800.00 less than the fleetwood without the power lift, fan, furnace installed.  
I have had my trailer out about six times and love it.  Buy the trailer you like best, and most importantly get out there and use it!  

[sacrawf]

I considered everything available on the market that is small and light enough for me to pull, without regard to how far I would have to go to a dealer (I ended up buying from a dealer about 150 miles away).   I am certain that something from all of the manufacturers would have met my needs, and although the Fleetwood dealer is only about 15 miles away, I selected a Rockwood based upon the construction, the floor plan, the extra features, and the price.  You can't go wrong with either brand.  I would advise selection based upon the specific features and floor plan that meets your needs instead of the brand name.

[ksugrad]

We are in the market for our 1st camper.  We have two dealers near our home both quoting the best for the money.  Fleetwood is definitely more expensive.  Is Rockwood a good pu?

I agree with those who say look for the floor plan and features that fit your needs. You will find "die hard" folks for one brand or another, but you may be in this camper for several years so you want to be comfortable. Cost can be an issue if you get down to a few floor plans and options that meet your needs and a dealer who is willing to negotiate price or throw in some options that may not have been part of the listed price.

My wife and I finally settled on a Viking trailer becuase it had the floor plan and features for a very good price. We too looked at Fleetwood, Jayco, Rockwood, Flagstaff, and Palomino.

I believe longevity of a camper has much to do with how well it is maintianed. You can find people who have been using the above brands for 10 or 20 years and are very happy with them. In most cases they will not last that long without some type of regular maintenance.

Good luck in your search. I am confident you will find the one that meets your needs.

[jgr]

I've been wondering the same thing and it appears as though you do get more bang for your buck with Rockwood.  

But can anyone speak to how well the Rockwoods hold up after several years as compared to the other manufacturers?  I'm going to buy a used pop up and more particularly in the 1997 to 2001 vintages or so (b/c of price point for one that includes shower and cassette toilet).  It seems as though my budget permits me to buy a Rockwood that is newer than say a used Coleman.  So my concern is whether Rockwoods are built cheaper to begin with and whether that's why you get more bang for your buck.  If that's the case, then I'd like to know b/c I'd have more hesitation in buying a used one.

[Miller Tyme]

Tow vehicle, tow vehicle, tow vehicle!!!!
 
 Please consider what you plan on using for a tow vehicle before making any purchase....if your tow vehicle can handle it, then start looking at various makes. JMHO:cool:

[campdaddy]

We are in the market for our 1st camper.  We have two dealers near our home both quoting the best for the money.  Fleetwood is definitely more expensive.  Is Rockwood a good pu?

I can't speak to the Fleetwood because I've never owned one. The Rockwood is all we've ever had since we stopped tent camping. We did camp 2 times in an  ('01?) borrowed Jayco and I can't honestly say there was a big or noticable difference -to us- in quality, fit, etc. That being said, we are quite happy with our '04 Rockwood. Bought it new in early '05 as a display model and so we got a terriffic deal on it. The few issues we have had with it were either user induced, or dealer induced. You can link here to some of my eariler post on those issues. But yea, I'd buy one again.

 
Cracked Water Tank
Long story on Camper

[Starryart]

I have a 95 Rockwood and we have had great luck with it. We take very good care of it and it is in pristine shape. Bought her from my brother in 2000. We've taken 52 camp trips in it. Don't plan on changin' anytime soon.
One thing I can say is I surely have gotten my moneys worth out of the old girl and we love her.

[fritz_monroe]

We are extremely happy with our Fleetwood.  We looked at Rockwood, Fleetwood and Jayco.  These are the ones that have good dealers in my area.  We also took a look at a couple others, but weren't happy with them.  It was a dead heat between the 3.  Ended up ruling out the Rockwood due to dealer convenience, it was about an hour away.  We ruled out the Jayco because the sink was too shallow.  All 3 seemed like they would have worked out great for us, and we had to figure out how to rule 2 of the 3 out.

[ddh2]

We recently purchased a 99 Rockwood and we love it, just moved out of the tent into it. now we cant figure out how we survived without it. The camper had been neglected for some time and I had to do some work to it. replace tires pack bearings the normal stuff, but the biggest thing was had to replace the side roof panel. there was some work involved but i had a chance to check out the construction of the p/u. the leak came from one of the lock downs were loose and neglected so in came the water. but still yet let me refer back to the first sentence We LOVE it. have only been home 1 weekend in 2 months and that was out of our control. well have to go got to get the camper ready for this w/e

[tlhdoc]

More important that the brand is the local dealer that you will be dealing with.  Any (most) trailers need to have work done by the dealer at some point.  Having a dealer that has a good service department is the most important thing in buying a PU.  With that said I would suggest spending some time in any PU you are considering.  Lay in the beds, sit at the table, pop it up and down, etc.  See what you like and don't like.  Do you want to have access to the refrigerator when popped down.  Do you want to have the dinette to the side or in front of a bunkend, how about a shower/toilet?  The 2008 models are available for some brands so check if there are any 2007 models that will fill your needs.  You should get a better deal on them.  Good luck with the hunt for your perfect camper.

[PattieAM]

When searching, I wanted potty and AC in whatever I got.  Tow vehicles determined what I could safely tow.  After viewing numerous pop ups, I bought a Fleetwood Niagara (1 for the amenities/comfort, and 2 because of dealership being full service).  I liked the floor plan of the Niagara as it has the glide out dinette (a nice nook for me to enjoy) leaving the remaining floor free for our 3 dogs and hyper hubby.