Looking at Montana 305RL - Montana Owners Club

Loneoak · 03-08-2017, 03:23 PM

Hi All,

I am a member of the Crossroads forum as we have a 2011 Cruiser. We saw a Montana 305RL at an RV show and are considering buying one and selling our current unit. We have a regular home, but spend about 50% of our time in the trailer between winters in Florida and a number of trips the rest of the year.

We have had a lot of problems with our current unit. It's actually been back to the factory three times! What I would like to know is, what can we expect with a Montana? More of the same, or are we looking at a better quality trailer? I understand the parent company (Thor) is the same.

Any 305RL owners out there who might have some reviews?

Thanks in advance!

mlh · 03-08-2017, 07:00 PM

I don't have a 305 but I almost bought one. It is my favorite HC floor plan I have a 323 HC. I like it and have had no trouble with it.
Lynwood

**DQDick** · 03-08-2017, 08:31 PM

Service with any manufacturer is only as good as the dealer you work with. We have had a great experience with Keystone and our Montana thru a number of years and close to 50,000 miles now. When others have issues it seems to usually revolve around something the dealer isn't doing correctly.

Mtnquail · 03-08-2017, 09:08 PM

We purchased our 305rl this past April. Two big trips (for us) and several smaller ones. Maybe 8000 miles since we purchased it. No problems, love the floor plan. The two of us are very comfy. We did get the second air conditioner and king bed. Worth the expense.

1retired06 · 03-09-2017, 06:25 AM

Just research your selected dealer carefully re service history.

jcurtis934 · 03-10-2017, 11:14 AM

I think any new rv these days is really dependant upon the quality of the dealer as these are the people that should be going through the unit and finding out what the assembly line didn't quite get right. If you choose the wrong dealer, life won't be easy unless you are really able to sort out issues. Some are around just to sale units and don't have quality technical staff to deliver a trouble free unit.

roothoss1282 · 03-20-2017, 06:47 PM

We have had ours for not quite a year and love the floor plan and live in ours fulltime. One of the biggest wishes is a pantry and when you open the fridge it is right in front of the inland and is kind of a pain. We got 2 AC's and did not want the king and went with the queen and like it a lot as it gives more room around the bed. Also did the roller shades and like them. All in all pretty happy with what we have and have had no major issues. Agree find a good dealer very important and I don't mean camping world LOL.

Bama Camper · 03-20-2017, 08:31 PM

We have had our 305RL for two years now. The first year we had a lot of problems - leveling system, refrigerator, air conditioners. But, all this was covered by warranty, so like the others have said it depends on your dealer. Keystone relies on the dealer, and component warranties, for any quality control. After the first year things have settled down and we have a pretty reliable unit. (Knock on laminate).

We love the floor plan even more now than the first time we saw it. We also opted for the queen bed to have more room around the bed.

Mtnquail · 03-20-2017, 08:39 PM

Just an after thought. Our Montana 305 was our second rv. Our first was a cougar. It came with a remote control that operated the leveling system, awning, and slides. So, when I saw our Montana had the same LCI leveling system installed I contacted LCI, ordered the appropriate remote and now am able to level my rv without getting into the storage area to push buttons. Might be lazy but it is sure nice. Darrel

WeBeFulltime · 03-21-2017, 05:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DQDick

Service with any manufacturer is only as good as the dealer you work with. We have had a great experience with Keystone and our Montana thru a number of years and close to 50,000 miles now. When others have issues it seems to usually revolve around something the dealer isn't doing correctly.

Absolutely correct! And to expand on this include how thoroughly the dealer checks the unit PRIOR to you doing YOUR PDI. My dealer has a crew hook the unit up for about 3 days and check everything and make any on the spot corrections. I have bought 2 Montanas from him and have never had to contact Keystone and have only had a couple of minor issues with them.

mlh · 03-21-2017, 07:29 AM

Our Camper World sold a camper to a couple here. They took the unit out for the first time hooked the water up and in a few minutes water was running out the door. Camper World said you didn't pay us $900 to prep it. Your dealer does make a difference. The camper is now at our little dealer Toneys RV waiting to get fixed.
Lynwood

foe3643 · 03-22-2017, 02:52 AM

My husband and I have also been looking at the 305 HC vs 3160. We were told the HC was lighter because the company left off some of the features really important to full timers such as attic ventilation. Those who are in the 305 are you full time?

roothoss1282 · 03-22-2017, 06:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by foe3643

My husband and I have also been looking at the 305 HC vs 3160. We were told the HC was lighter because the company left off some of the features really important to full timers such as attic ventilation. Those who are in the 305 are you full time?

We are fulltime but have only been fulltime in it since Nov. We went with this one because of the length. We didn't want something that was in the 40' range but you do give up things like pantry. Give and take for any unit you want. We make do because of the traveling we plan on doing. At some point we might upgrade to a longer Montana when are not going to travel so much. Time will tell.

WeBeFulltime · 03-22-2017, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by foe3643

My husband and I have also been looking at the 305 HC vs 3160. We were told the HC was lighter because the company left off some of the features really important to full timers such as attic ventilation. Those who are in the 305 are you full time?

I'm not sure how leaving off air space would make it lighter!

RetdAFEng · 03-25-2017, 10:02 PM

We have a 2017 305RL High Country and have been living in it for 2 months now. The lack of a pantry bother us, but the cabinet on the common wall with the bathroom now has extra shelves installed between the original ones. Instead of 18" high shelves we now have 9" high shelves on the center cabinet and 7.75 " on both side cabinets. With these extras we have solved the pantry problem.

Happy Camping
Frank

roothoss1282 · 03-28-2017, 03:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RetdAFEng

We have a 2017 305RL High Country and have been living in it for 2 months now. The lack of a pantry bother us, but the cabinet on the common wall with the bathroom now has extra shelves installed between the original ones. Instead of 18" high shelves we now have 9" high shelves on the center cabinet and 7.75 " on both side cabinets. With these extras we have solved the pantry problem.

Happy Camping
Frank

Great idea, I have been planning on doing the same thing.

Loneoak · 04-15-2017, 07:43 AM

Thanks for all the input. We bought the unit this past week at a dealer five hours from home. We have a repair facility close to home which repairs any make and also does warranty repairs. We used them for our former trailer and they are top notch. So the dealer is a non-issue for us.

jockyparks · 04-19-2017, 08:53 PM

Hi LoanOak,
I bought a new 305RL last April and haul with a F250 SuperDuty, 6.7L Diesel.
Its my first camper, and we love it. We're ex-pat Scots living in Wisconsin, so we made 6 trips to Door County and one to Wautoma within Wisconsin and a longer haul trip to Niagara Falls with two guests and Brodie with now accommodation issues. In total, we did around 4,000 miles in our first year,
As its just my wife, myself and our 2 year old Labradoodle Brodie, we love the RL layout as we wanted to maximize living space while having the luxurious bedroom and larger shower. The storage and utility more than meet our requirements.
I wish you many happy and safe miles in your 305RL.

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