Has anyone heard of a Wildwood Blitz?

ExcitedNuCamper · 12-14-2008, 12:22 PM

Hello! My wife and I have many many fond memories of camping as children and recently decided to create our own memories with our four. I did alot of research online to "get up to speed" and consulted with with several friends who camp with families of our size. Due to our family size we ruled out pop-ups and focused on used TTs, but every dealer we saw had used TTs around $10k-$13k. One of the first campers we found had all the right features and the right price, it was a new 2008 Forest River Wildwood Blitz 26QB for less than most used we'd seen! All comperable models we saw were in the low-to-middle teens but we weren't prepared to spend that much just yet. I'm typically skeptical about things being "too good to be true," believing that one gets what one pays for, so I did alot of research on this manufacturer (a very good portion from this site, thanks!) and have heard the good and bad. I fully expect this to be a low end camper, entry-level if you will, and expect to have some trouble (not looking forward to it, but expecting it) but still believe we made a good purchase and look forward to our first trip!

However, I really cannot find ANY information on the Wildwood Blitz's ANYWHERE, even here! Googling the model number or name results only in advertisements. I'm in IT and pretty search-savvy (I can find just about anything) but I'm really having trouble finding information on this guy. The sales person did say that these models were low end and only a short-run from the manufacturer but I'd have to imagine that SOMEONE other than I purchased one! May I please ask for advice, information, and/or reviews? Please feel free to be brutally honest if I purchased a laminated cardboard box or got the deal of the year

I've been lurking around the forums, learning about pre-trip checklists, recall information, quality issues, good reviews, problems, suggestions and advice and want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for sharing their thoughts. Having seen little-to-no information on our model/line, however, I thought I'd see if I can tap into anything you may know.

chevy02 · 12-14-2008, 09:40 PM

Can you post some pictures? That may help get it recognized

chevy02 · 12-15-2008, 04:17 AM

i did some checking a local dealer near me has a wildwood blitz here web site www.leescountryrv.com he has some listed with picture around 9K looks to be an alright TT hey there only for sleeping any way right? i dont spend much time in my camper when i camp i spend a lot of time under awning drinking a cold beer or two. The price fits your budget i say you did good and you dont have to own it forever you can always trade in a few years, lord knows we all have done it. Just enjoy it and make some good memories for you and your family

ExcitedNuCamper · 12-15-2008, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chevy02

only for sleeping any way right? i dont spend much time in my camper when i camp i spend a lot of time under awning drinking a cold beer or two. The price fits your budget i say you did good and you dont have to own it forever you can always trade in a few years, lord knows we all have done it. Just enjoy it and make some good memories for you and your family

That's how we looked at it. There are certainly better floorplans out there and I'm impressed at the mods I've seen posted here; but our main purpose is to be out and about, sleeping only in the TT and maybe some rainy day games. This is also our first step to figure out if we're really every-other-weekenders or semi-annual campers so I didn't want to invest TOO much!

steveqvs · 12-15-2008, 08:02 PM

The floor plan looks alot like our Cherokee without slides. Seems like a real good price and at 4900 lbs it looks like it wouldn't be hard on a tow vehicle.

ktackel · 04-14-2009, 07:55 AM

Any follow ups on this? We have a Rockwood pop up that I feel we have paid our newbie dues in

and are ready to upgrade. I am sick of popping up and collapsing in rain and needing two people for the awning and lack of storage for stuff and real food with no real fridge/freezer in a popup. We have enjoyed it don't get me wrong but ready for more of a hitch and go.

In not wanting to up our payments we were shown the blitz and it seems like a good next step but like above can't find much info out there. I did not even see it on Wildwoods site. I will check again to make sure I did not miss it though. Any reviews out there on this?
Thanks!

ExcitedNuCamper · 04-15-2009, 06:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ktackel

Any follow ups on this? We have a Rockwood pop up that I feel we have paid our newbie dues in

and are ready to upgrade. I am sick of popping up and collapsing in rain and needing two people for the awning and lack of storage for stuff and real food with no real fridge/freezer in a popup. We have enjoyed it don't get me wrong but ready for more of a hitch and go.

In not wanting to up our payments we were shown the blitz and it seems like a good next step but like above can't find much info out there. I did not even see it on Wildwoods site. I will check again to make sure I did not miss it though. Any reviews out there on this?
Thanks!

We jumped right into this camper after much deliberation. We have friends who camp with a popup, and as children both my wife and I did, but decided with 4 children (4,9,10,13 - nearly) it would be just too confined.

We haven't been able to take our first trip yet; spring hasn't sprung enough in Ohio so I can't give you our first impressions yet. Everyone on this board has been extremely helpful and encouraging so I'm pretty confident we made the right purchase. I like what one of the previous posters said, 'if you feel that you got a good deal then you did' (basically).

Was there anything about the TT you saw that you liked/disliked or that concerned you? I have no interest in the radio and the speakers are laughable, but then again we plan to be outside for the most part. Also, we're not excited about the bed by the front door and have considered removing it (very easy) and replacing it with a futon. This would open up the front area to easier passage.

ktackel · 06-15-2009, 03:49 PM

Which model did you get? What options are in it?(oven, stabilizer jacks, etc.)

We have a big pop-up with a slide so it worked with 3 kids that was the one downside, we gain a bunk room but lose the slide and width that brought in the popup. Granted we will only be in there when it rains but not having the couch and slide does shrink things up.

I guess we can't be to picky when we don't want to up our payments much though.I can't seem to find a next step without a big price jump.

ExcitedNuCamper · 06-16-2009, 07:28 AM

We bought the Wildwood Blitz 26qb (http://www.byerlyrv.com/Hidden/Inven...7/Default.aspx). I believe it's basically the leftover parts from more expensive campers used to build a low cost, entry level model. Forest River doesn't even list it on their site (last I looked, which worries me a little). It's definitely not a deluxe model; it has no slides and doesn't have amenities like a tank level gauge, external power outlets or an outside light, but it does have a full oven w/ stove, refrigerator and freezer (can use either gas or electric), central furnace, rooftop air conditioner, water heater, shower and commode and 30+/gal fresh/black/grey water tanks so it's too primative! We did purchase stabilizer jacks with it.

Wow, I didn't know pop-ups had slides too! We very nearly purchased a pop-up but found this machine for around $11,000 new, and most larger pop-ups were not too much cheaper than that so we chose this as we have 6 people. We got a 10 year loan (which I'm usually against because I think if you have to pay for something for more than 3 years, other than a house, then you can't afford it - but in this economy it's nice to have a backup residence!) so our payments are very low.

We took our first trip last weekend. We set up and tore down in about 45 minutes each. I think that wasn't bad considering it was our first time! The camper performed admirably and we had a great great time!

ktackel · 06-23-2009, 11:25 AM

I did notice there was no external outlet, that bugs me, did you just run an extension out the door? I Did not even notice the lack of external light!

Ugh, tough decision, we have more living space in the pop-up, (who would have thought!) you can sqeeze 6 (small) people in the dinette and there is a couch, both turn into beds. (we did also have a "porta-potty" and shower in it which was ok for an "emergency")

The thought of not needing to pop-up/collapse and a regular fridge/freezer so we can pack better food options (no oven in the models by us) and a "real" bathroom (sewer hookups correct?) still seems like enough to be worth it as a next step though. Like you, we don't want to pay much and change our payments much with the economy the way it is and this would do it.

Sorry you are the guinea pig but I appreciate it!

ExcitedNuCamper · 06-25-2009, 07:11 AM

We just took our trip with this camper, this time using the water tanks (surprise! I thought we'd reserved a full hookup site)(thankfully we had very nice neighbors with long hoses) and settled in a bit more. Both times we've camped we've been able to bypass the no-external-outlet problem by plugging the camper into the 30amp outlet and the awning lights into the 20amp outlet in the site hookup post. I don't know if it's standard to have both (I'd imagine it is) but it's only a temporary solution. I do want to install an external outlet but haven't decided where, nor have I convinced myself to bore a hole into my BRAND NEW CAMPER. If I mess that up it'll tick me off for years!

The lack of external light, while not a show stopper, is a little irritating; I mean, how much could it have added to the cost of the camper? I know this model is definitely the 'base model' but I'd have sprung $50 more bucks to install a $10 light.

Other than that, the camper was great and the air conditioner worked great on 92deg days. Yes, it does have 30+gal black and grey-water tanks and can hook up directly to a sewer line (Forest River provides a 5ft tube which is adequate for a dumping station but we also upgraded to a 25' Rhino tube for full hookup sites).

The gripes I have are minor (could use a front window and one over the sink, no center-roof-vent fan, no external light or outlet, no propane tank covers included, more industrial looking design than more expensive machines) are all easily overlooked when you compare what it DOES have to similarly-priced machines. We never expected to retire in this guy, just to 'get in the door', then possibly upgrade a few years later.

Please feel free to ask more questions. I'm more than happy to share impressions and experiences with this model. I've read this site cover-to-cover and am glad I finally have something to contribute so no worries about being the 'Guinea Pig'!

ktackel · 07-14-2009, 07:50 AM

We are looking at one for about $11500, no oven but it will have the stabilizer jacks and spare tire with mount so seems like it is in the ball park, unless I am forgetting something. I will try to work them a little lower but sounds like it will be worth it to be able to hitch and go compared to the pop-up. I appreciate your thoughts!

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