Montana Mountaineer - Montana Owners Club

barmar · 12-22-2009, 01:43 PM

Not certain that forum deals with the 'Mountaineer' but just in case would appreciate any feedback/ideas etc on the Mountaineer 324RLQ which we are considering for purchase. The 2010 model offers just about everything we prefer. Thanks in advance.

Bill-N-Donna · 12-22-2009, 01:59 PM

You’re definitely in the right place!
Just hang in here and someone will come along with the information you need.

exav8tr · 12-22-2009, 02:32 PM

barmar, "Welcome to The Best Darned Forum on the WWW!!!"

1. You will not go wrong with a Mountaineer. It is a Keystone product and they offer Very Good customer service. You will need that with any brand you purchase and Keystone seems to be very responsive.

2. I think "floor Plan" is everything....Sit in it, try it on, make sure it fits, then make the best deal you can, then shop around at other Keystone dealers including on line.

3. Then ask dealer to throw in as many options as possible. The market is still soft.... Should still be a buyers market.

4. Then Buy!

5. Then Enjoy!!!!

Jim Dickey · 12-22-2009, 02:34 PM

Don't have 324 RLQ, but have a 2007 327 RLT and we are very happy with it.

Art-n-Marge · 12-22-2009, 03:09 PM

Yes, Mountaineer is a member of the Montana family, as is Big Sky at the high end. I think the official name is now Montana - Mountaineer Edition or something like that.

The only oddity I see on the floor plan is how close the front Queen bed is to the wall and exit door. It looks like a tight squeeze when entering or leaving with the solid wall RIGHT there. But the diagram shows an unusually deep front closet and I am wondering if that is not a scale drawing and that the bed is actually further to the front cap and therefore has more room at the door than shown.

It's your choice for single bath with the lavatory, shower and toilet in the same room. Our prior rig had that and our current floor plan has a discrete separately vented toilet room and the shower and lavatory are in a separate area and we prefer that much better. But that is only our choice.

Do keep in mind that the 324RLQ is NOT 32 feet but almost 36 feet. I just ran into someone who was convinced their Montana Mountaineer 32xxxx was 32 feet long, but I had to convince him it was much longer. He was very surprised that when he traded in his 30 ft TT and got a 32 foot 5er it was WAY longer than the 32 footer he thought he got. This is important to consider if you visit CGs with length limitations like many National Parks. The magic number seems to be 32 feet maximums and most (maybe all) Montanas are too long.

Enjoy your decision. Don't forget your PDI (Pre-Delivery Inspection) checklist. If you need help locating one, just let the MOC know.

mopar1 · 12-22-2009, 03:47 PM

We love our 345dbq Mountaineer. The space between the bed and the front closet is tight. No real problem though.
Do a good pre inspection before you buy it. I did not do one at all and had a few things I had to repair myself. (Did not want to take it clear back to the dealer.) The dealer did ship all the needed parts for free overnight.

KiwiRVer · 12-22-2009, 09:22 PM

We have recently purchased a Mountaineer 326RLT. I went to the CA RV show in Pomona and spent 4 days looking at all the fifth wheels that were there. In the end it came down to a choice between the Mountaineer and the Open Range, and the Mountaineer, while quite a bit heavier and lacking some of the very nice features of the OR, won out in the end. I spent several hours sitting in both and the Mountaineer came out ahead in general livability and quality of fitout for me. The Montanas were nice too but I couldn't see that the, on average, $10k difference in price from the Mountaineer, made that much of a difference to what you got and my wife had insisted that the bathroom had to be separate from the bedroom which none of the "smaller" Montanas had.

We pick up our Mountaineer in March from near the factory. We purchased from the CA dealer but arranged to have it delivered to an RV service centre near Goshen, IN rather than pay the shipping cost to CA only to then drive it all the way back to the NE which was where we want to start our first 6 month extended living trip.

As said above, floor plan seems to me to be the most important consideration once you are happy with the brand, range, quality etc. many put the dealer high on the list of considerations and I guess that is a consideration if you plan to be close to the dealer on a regular basis but that was a minor consideration for us as we do not plan on being any where near the same place twice for a long time. There is too much to see.
Cheers
Craig

mcgiver2 · 12-23-2009, 03:19 AM

I think you will be plleased with it just do your home work and check everthing out but its a good product made by keystone and like all rv there always something to deal with but any problems we had keystone steped up to the plate and fixed it..........

mail2us · 12-23-2009, 05:35 AM

Barry,

The Mountaineer is a great Keystone 5th wheel and the model you are considering is very similar to our Montana 3400RL.The Bathroom appears separate from Bedroom and to us that's a nice feature our 3400 doesn't have.

The MOC forum is a great asset for you should you make your Mountaineer purchase.You will have tremendous support on any concerns or questions that come up. Look at all the Thread subjects and you will see the great interaction that occurs.

Make your best offer when purchasing. Tires have been troublesome to many that have bought so consider tire product and where the tires were made.If not pleased, attempt to negotiate with your dealer on what you would prefer. This forum has alot of info on RV tires. Make them earn their profits. Good Luck.

Cyrus · 12-23-2009, 10:30 AM

Our 2006 Mountaineer 329RLT has been good for us but we are not full timers. Three slides give plenty of room for us and ocasional company with the sleeper sofa and seperate bathroom configuration. It does not have the insulation or double pane windows to handle the hot and cold extremes for extended living but it is wired for a second AC which we have not seen the need for. A washer/dryer would pay for itself if full timing, expexense process using them at campgrounds. When temperatures in the 20's an electric fireplace would be real nice, I use an electric heater but not after we go to bed. The longest we have spent in the unit was three weeks last summer on a 2,200 mile trip. Other then three tires going bad and replaceing all four on this trip we enjoyed our time in the unit. Most of our trips are less then a week.

Your floor plan has the two recliners in the rear which have to be moved out to use and then moved back to get the slides in. Try moving them, I am 67 and it's becoming a problem for me. I would not buy another one that I had to move them every setup.

jackel1959 · 12-23-2009, 04:10 PM

We had a 2004 Mountaineer 325FKBS TT and really liked it. The quality and workmanship was great. Then we found this forum, and the people and information here are OUTSTANDING!!! We seriously considered the Mountaineer 324RLQ when we up sized to a 5th wheel but went with the Montana because it offered a king size bed. You won't go wrong with the Mountaineer though. But as others have said, spend some time in it before you buy, walk away, think about it, write down questions and concerns, then go back again as many times as it takes until you feel you are ready. Then work your best deal. Welcome aboard!!!
Jack

slewis · 12-24-2009, 02:17 AM

We have the 327RLT and LOVE it. We (OK, I) insisted on having an enclosed, separate bathroom from the bedroom. Would not be in a happy place every morning at 5:00 a.m. to the sound of hubby brushing teeth in my bedroom. He gets up too early for me. That being said I agree with Cyrus, in the fact that the recliners are difficult to move back and forth. But we deal with that to get the floor plan we wanted. I hope your travels are many and safe. Welcome aboard the Mountaineer express.
Sandy

Cyrus · 12-24-2009, 02:37 AM

Can you get zero clearance recliners & would they fix the problem? If they would fit and getting the options to handle the cold it's a nice unit.

1Happycamper · 12-24-2009, 02:49 AM

We have a 329RLT and love it. Buy what you will be comfortable with and the floor plan you like and you will be a happy camper.

Bill

KiwiRVer · 12-24-2009, 05:33 AM

The recliners are going to be one of the first things we replace when we pick up our new 326RLT. Apart from the inconvenience of moving them in and out to use them, they are not good quality and are not very comfortable. I asked the factory not to install them but they refused even when I said I would be happy with no credit for them; go figure. We are looking at getting Euro style recliners which are lighter and easier to move. The depth between the slide and back wall severely limits the options for what you can fit without having to move them.

This is actually one of my bugbears with current RV design. You would have to think that none of the designers actually ever live in an RV because there are so many little things that could be done much better to make them a whole lot more flexible and livable and which would not cost much, if anything, to implement. I could go on for a while here but that is probably deserving of a new topic.

Cheers
Craig

Yamaha_Mama · 12-24-2009, 05:34 AM

We also have the two recliners that we have to move. Ken solved that problem with a great suggestion from the forum. He drilled through the metal bottom from of each rocker and attached a wood round. On the bottom of each round we attached several (I don't remember how many...maybe four each) of those small furniture moving disks. It works perfectly. Easy to move, and they don't slide around when we are traveling down the road. Hope that helps. Merry Christmas!! Marilyn

kalberro · 12-24-2009, 08:42 AM

My wife and I purchased the Mountaineer 324RLQ in Feb. 2008. We absolutely love it! The floor plan was exactly what we were looking for. I believe the 2010 floor is a little bit different where the entrance to the master is closer to the drivers side where our is on the passenger side. Regardless, you can't go wrong with this purchase. Enjoy!

Cyrus · 12-24-2009, 10:43 AM

I an going to get some of those disks for my chairs so I can stop complaining. Thanks

kilch123 · 12-24-2009, 01:58 PM

I've got a 2008 324RLQ and love it - it's exactly the floor plan I wanted, and it's been great!

If I had to do it again, I absolutely would!

Ed Benson · 12-26-2009, 07:38 PM

We tend to buy the best we can afford, take good care of it and make it last. In 2003 - acquired a 2003 305FKS TT and have enjoyed it very much. It tows like a dream with an EqualiZer hitch. After replacing the stock furnature with LazyBoy dual reclining sofa in the tip and LazyBoy single in the front room, and other mods to hardware through out the coach, we finally have it pretty much the way we like it. I think because we can no longer replace it with a new Mountaineer TT - we will continue to take care of it and make it last.

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