Contemplating - Heartland or Redwood?

[slborba]

Hi everyone. My name is Steve and I'm active duty USN. I've been active duty for 25 years and have 4 more years until retirement from active service. I retire 1 September 2017. My wife and I started out camping in 1992 in a tent and we've upgraded to "better/bigger tents and all the cool accessories", to a Class "C" motorhome. We LOVE the RV lifestyle and our boys were raised to love being outdoors.

Our boys are now 21/20 and they are doing "their own thing" and making us proud.

I am currently stationed in Japan onboard USS BLUE RIDGE (LCC 19) and currently negotiating orders for my next/last assignment. All I can say is.....thank goodness for shore duty! No more deployments and I'll be home every night with my DW!

So the plan: Once I receive my orders (to San Diego hopefully!!), I will special order my Silverado 3500HD, LTZ, DRW, 4X4, Crew Cab in "Mocha" from Vernon AutoGroup in Vernon, TX.

The hunt (and what man doesn't love a good "hunt"?): We thought we were dead-set on Heartland Big Country 3596RE - but we came across the REDWOOD. The Thor Redwood 36RE is nothing short of AMAZING! So...it's between the Big Country and the Redwood.

Question time:
1. Has anyone owned a Heartland? Love it? Hated it? ---Why?
2. Does anyone own a 36RE? Love it? Unsure? --- Why?

What does THOR offer to the consumer over Heartland? I hear Heartland is "THE" best RV manufacturer to deal with. True? I don't know. My Class "C" is a Fleetwood and I didn't have any problems in the last 6 years I've owned it.

I really need all the advice I can get on this - please. I will be ordering my Fifth Wheel "blind". Meaning, I will order it while I'm in Japan and have it ready for me to pick up once I arrive in the states. It will be used as our "residence" while I finish my active service and then be used for YEARS while we are FTing and "preserving what I defended".

Thank you very much in advance,
Steve

Steve Borba: U.S. Navy - Master Chief Petty Officer
DW: Maria Borba - Early Childhood Education

[Lloyd]

Hi Steve:
Welcome to the forum. I can't answer your questions regarding comparison between the two RVs. I recommend you get on the other forums for those two brands and ask there. You should hook up with some owners.
I don't think I would order either one of them sight unseen. To big of an investment to go that route. If something didn't work out, it would be to late after the fact. Why don't you consider living in the class c and doing your research and looking during that time? It might be a lot safer approach.
What ever way you decide, I wish you the best of luck.

[fhenn]

I agree with Lloyd, on this too big of an investment to rush into with ou aseeing. I belive both manufactures have forums connected to them

[TravelinAndersons]

Hi Steve;
First off... thank you for your service to our country and thanks to your family for the sacrifices they've had to endue during your enlistment.

We own a 2012 Redwood 36FL, live in it full time and move to a new campground nearly every week. After a year of travel I can say I've had very few issues with our rig. Redwood has been excellent in addressing any problems we had and have even called me after hours and weekends to make sure we were taken care of.
I would think the construction of any "residential" quality fifth wheel would suit your needs but it's how the manufacturer stands behind their product and takes care of it's customers after the sale that make the difference. That being said, I wouldn't hesitate to order another Redwood.

Good luck with your decision.

[mhs4771]

Ah, the Blue Ridge, was on it for a few days with the install of the Harris BroadBand Comm Center (probably replaced by something newer by now). Anyway, both Heartland and Redwood have the same parent company, Thor. And from what I've seen on the Montana forum (another Thor product) it looks like Thor is making some changes so that there will be less different between their Higher end units, plus there are a lot of folks Full Timing in Montanas also, which can offer a good bang for the buck. We traded in a Montana for our RW as we felt it was a step up and RW offered some features we couldn't get in a Montana. We have the RL and "Long time in it, like 9 to 10 months of the year) and chose it over the RE as the park we winter in, we're up against the back fence looking out into a pasture and love the large rear window. That 55 inch TV in the RE is BIG, but we prefer our rear window. I think that the Redwood is just a little above the Heartland, but not positive. Ordering site unseen of either unit might be a bit risky, we made several trips to look at the RWs before we sat down to order. Best of luck no matter which way you go.

[dave and ginny]

Hi Steve,
I can't add much more than what the others have already said but I am a Redwood owner and I love it. The BR (with the bunk beds) or the HH with the beds in the hobby room might be a good fit for you. Good luck

[Crappie Fisher]

Hi Steve,
Thank you for your service to our country and thanks to your family for the sacrifices they've had to make during your enlistment.
We have the 2012 RW36RE. We took delivery of the unit in March 2012. We live in the Denver, CO area. We have taken two extended trips with the camper, the first was to Kansas City area in May and the second to Seattle in September. The fifth wheel pulls like a dream. Except for the extra weight, it seems like the camper isn't even there.
We have had a few minor problems, mostly cosmetic, and our dealership and Redwood have been great fixing the problems we had.
We also had been looking at the Heartland and Redwood's and decided the Redwood's quality was a little bit better especially the furniture in the unit. So far, we have not been disappointed.
My recommendation is visit as many dealerships in your area of both brands before you make a decision.
Good luck with your decision.
Andy and Patti