Designer Fifth Wheel

We've retired, and put our home on the market, and hope to be able to begin either full-time rving or at the very least snowbirding..... we like the Designer a lot. Are there any owners out there who have experienced problems with their Designer? What should we be sure to look for when shopping for one?

Lynne and Larry
"No matter where you go, there you are!"

welcome to the site! I think you'll find the Designer to not only be the best value but best backed Luxury RV. Jayco has many dealers to take care of you, the quality is second to none ( I have a Jayflight their low end and it is WELL constructed) and Jaycos seem to hold their value better. Plus they have the best warranty

I agree, we are looking at the Deisgner as we have had our 05 Jayco Eagle since it was new, great unit, great dealer support, great factory support.
As soon as our home sells we will be purchasing a new 5th wheel, most likely a Designer.
We have made the dealer and show rounds and done quite a bit of research and the Designer is still on our short list.
DW really likes the 35 RLST Designer.

Robert

Thanks for the welcome Mike. We've been looking for a good Jayco forum for awhile now. We're currently comparing the Designer to the Carriage Cameo -- they are about the same price range. We don't want to buy until our home sells, but we want to be ready to move forward when that happens. We're impressed with the cabinetry and decor of the Designer over the Cameo. But there seems to more storage in the Cameo.

We haven't owned a camper since the late 80s (then it was a Royals fiver), but now that we're retired and want to downsize this seems to be a great idea to full time -- at least for awhile. We LOVE to travel, and we're tired of motels -- plus there is just so much to see in this great country of ours! We can't wait to get going!



Robert, thanks for your input too -- we've been oogling the 37RLQS with the retractable TV. We've been making the dealer and show rounds too -- and the Designer is still at the top of our list as well.

The Cameo is currently the only other product on our short list.
We will be visiting LazyDays in Tampa and the new RV Direct location in Orlando this comming week.

Robert and Debra

The cameo is a well built unit as well. The great thing about RV's is the endless choices! keep us posted and we'll try to help:)

I got a chance to see the Designer 37RLQS, it was impressive.
Only problem my DW was not with me at the time so she has not seen one in person.
As everyone knows, "If Mama is not Happy, NOBODY is Happy"
As we have been to several shows and dealers, when my DW walks in makes a loop and walk out, it is time to move on.
She has acutally only sat down in 3 or 4 5th Wheels, a Cameo, a Designer, a Big Sky (Keystone Yuk) and a Mobile Suite. The MS is NICE but they are out of our weight range and price range.

that Floorplan is awesome. My Dealer had one when we were there last and we were just amazed! I think the Cameo is a good competitor the big sky , well some things in my Jayflight are built better But they have come a long way in 10 years

We just got back from Florida last week -- paid a visit to Lazy Days (talked to Damond), and looked at the Cameos they have in stock. Lazy Days is quite an operation isn't it! We expected to be hassled by salespeople, but we were treated with respect, and offered lunch as soon as we walked through the door! We were impressed to say the least. Damond gave us a tour of the place, and answered all our questions -- never trying the big sell!

Wish we knew about the RV Direct near Orlando -- we were staying at Disney.

10-4
We are staying at the Hampton next to Lazydays next week as I am working in the Tampa area all week.
We will head up to Orlando on Saturday next weekend,
We picked it because we can bring pets.

Robert

As I mentioned, we've been comparing the Designer to the Cameo. So we also monitor the Cameo Yahoo group. As of late, there are a LOT of postings about issues people are dealing with re: the construction of their Carriage product. Seems to me that the newer fifth wheels have MANY more issues than the older ones. It's a sad situation.

We just corresponded with one of their members who sold his Designer to buy a CarriLite, and he feels the Designer "has better build quality".

He suggests we monitor a Jayco group to see how Jayco owners feel -- so here we are! Any horror stories from Designer owners?

Every Designer I have seen and every owner I have talked to all say superior build quality. When I look at a trailer I check out the cabinetry, look at the frame and the designer is top of the line. I have compared Montana and Cameo and they are nice but don't feel as solid as the Jayco product

I purchased an Eagle Super Lite 30.5 BHS in september. It was a gamble for me, since it was a bottom of the line camper and I need to fulltime in it. However, it is just me by myself for work, so mostly it's a place to eat and sleep and catch a movie.

It was probably the best purchase I've ever made. It was a great value, and after six months of use, I had no problems (that weren't self-inflicted). This camper had no extra options and no 4 seasons package, and I was able to camp through the deep winter with NO Issues. I added a heated exterior hose. That was it. Not even a skirt.

The rig was amazingly built and held up well.

The trailer has been recently totalled, don't want to discuss that, but I'll leave it at I will be buying a NEW Jayco product. Nothing else comes close for the money.

So, if my Super Lite, bottom of the line camper worked that well, imagine what a top of the line Designer is capable of?