Puma owners thoughts

[Maggot]

Fellow Puma owners ,


I am very noob with my Puma but consider myself a fairly seasoned camper.


How come the more I nit pick this thing the more I am happy with it? Even though it's particle board wood and it doesn't have all the new fangled RV stuff(glady so in my book) it really seems like a well built rig. Mine was clean with good quality cuts, wires all look routed well, running gear seems great, their caulking in the seams is amazing. I can go on but in a nut shell it's all good.



What am I missing? I am a very pessimistic person but also realistic with what I bought. This thing met and has exceeded my expectations.



Just interested in what other Puma owners have seen and feel about Puma.



Do you all think Puma being independent from corporate FR is helping. I've also heard that Puma factory 420 is a much slower pace than others and all their rigs are made in one plant. Unsure how true it is but whatever Puma is doing, to me, it seems they are doing it pretty dang good.


Yea I am cheerleading a bit.


Maggot


02 Chevy half ton
20 Puma 257RESS

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Maggot

Do you all think Puma being independent from corporate FR is helping. I've also heard that Puma factory 420 is a much slower pace than others and all their rigs are made in one plant. Unsure how true it is but whatever Puma is doing, to me, it seems they are doing it pretty dang good.

Not sure what you mean since Forest River bought Palomino RV, in 2002, from Vanguard Industries. That's 17 years ago.

[Maggot]

Originally Posted by bikendan

Not sure what you mean since Forest River bought Palomino RV, in 2002, from Vanguard Industries. That's 17 years ago.

I mean this. Directly from Palomino.


Palomino RV - Manufacturer of Quality RVs since 1968

www.palominorv.com/AboutUs.aspx

Palomino RV operates as a separate division of Forest River, Inc., and has grown from our humble beginnings in Minnesota to one of the top 5 RV manufacturers in North America with over 300 dealers representing, selling and servicing the Palomino Brand.

[tjwoody]

My 2 cents. I did a lot of research before I bought my 255rks. In particular I was looking for problems with Puma in general and 255RKS specifically. They were hard to find. Due to some injuries I haven’t been able to use our rig much, but the 4 day trip home from Cheyenne Camping Center was easy and comfortable. I think the simple design and lack of bells and whistles is probably a good thing. Also I am very pleased that the slide mechanism is not a Schwintek, as I’ve had trouble with those before.

[rmac04401]

I love our Puma 27QBC. I myself like the wood and tin trailers vs the fiberglass. (Less work to keep looking good).

I think they have some great layouts. There were a few minor issues with mine from the factory but is very well built. With this last trip in New England and the terrible roads it is still in one piece.

My brother even has a Puma now.

[Maggot]

Good deal. I have my Puma pom poms.



It looks like we got a decent solid and simple product.



I too am a big fan of stick and tin. In the 5th wheel areana all I could find was Cherokee and Puma. I was looking today and the elephant in the room with initials CW had no new stick and tin 5s listed.



Maggot
02 Chevy half ton

20 Puma 257RESS

[Iwannacamp]

We are happy with the two we have had. I kinda like the fact there is less stuff to tear up also. Do I miss some of the frills? Prolly, but with our desires these units are nice. We do good(so far) to get out once a month. Maybe someday. Congrats.

[Max Doubt]

We have had our 2018 Puma TT just over 1 year now. We brought it in recently for a couple minor interior trim repairs, a small crack in kitchen sink and a bad outdoor speaker.
Overall, I am happy with all the systems and the construction. We loved the floor plan in ours. We looked at many other trailers and this was by far the best and the least money. We put on over 3000 miles in the last year and so far, so good.
I have to say, I am very impressed with the Grand Designs models I have seen.

Good Luck, Ron

[GXPWeasel1]

We haven't used ours much (purchased new in April 2019) but thus far, have been very happy.
I think there are 2 reasons for the DW and myself being happy.

1. We previously camped in other campers and tents. I grew up camping in everything from tents to 40' 5-ers. Then back to tents, pop-ups, and now this unit (29QBSS). The new 29QBSS for us had the exact layout we wanted. No more stepping over each other every morning, and pulling beds in or out, worrying about changing, especially if we had guests staying with us, even though our PUP was a highwall, and had a restroom. The Puma had the exact floor plan we wanted, and was much cheaper than many others, that we though we were going to "settle" for, because it wasn't the layout we wanted for our family at this time.

2. My parents have had many brands. Currently they are in the Forest River family, and thus far, it's been their best built unit. Plus, our PUP was a Rockwood by Forest River, and we were comfortable with the build quality. My parents' recent other brands have had some pretty crappy built units. They were FR competitors.

[DenD]

We are just finishing up our first year in our Puma32RKTS and we love it!


No major issues at all. A/C went out and they quickly replaced it on site.



Seems to be a well built unit well worth what we paid.


Sales and Service from Campers Inn of Kingston NH have both been excellent! Thank you Bob Blair and Gil Gilchrist!



Unit was delivered and set up by Testa Recreational and their service was also superb.


And everything about Beaver Dam Campground has been exactly like we hoped and knew it would be.

[GXPWeasel1]

Honestly, I've not met anyone from around the area of Beaver Dam (lake or the store) that wasn't welcoming.
We rent cabins down there every year or so.

[RDS052]

Just took delivery of a new 255RKS after downsizing from a 36' Palomino 322BHTS. It pulls well, has the features we want, came in at a great price point, and we like the design a lot.

The only issue we've had so far is the turn radius. The 255RKS came with a standard Lippert 1621 pin box which did not provide an adequate turn radius for a short bed (6.5'). We hadn't had that problem with our 36' and standard pin box so wasn't expecting it on this one.

I called Puma to see if I could order their Turning Point pin box but it's OEMd to Grand Design--can't buy it directly. So I'm installing a Reese Sidewinder.

I think it will solve the problem but I wish the requirement would have been on the table earlier and the dealer could have made the modification before delivery.

[alb2tpa]

We have owned 3 travel trailers. This Puma 31FKRK has been the best one.

No major problems. A few minor fixes by the dealer.

We have spent the last 3 weeks in the camper. Here are some observations after a lengthy stay.

It is annoying not having a shelf on both sides of the master bed that you can keep your phone plugged in.

If you opt for the free standing table and chairs, be prepared for a sub par table finish and a slightly wobbly base. Also, very limited amount of leg height room. Not a great value for the extra $$$.

The bathroom was on the smaller side in the floorplan and it shows the longer you stay in it. Not bad, just a little cramped. One interesting note on the bathroom sink, you cannot fit your fingers between the sink bowl and the faucet spout. An extender nozzle for $15. has been a good addition.

The 21' awning moves a lot in the slightest breeze. Be prepared to do a tie down setup to help with that. Dealer recommended one that holds the arms and the canvas both. Also, it is a black canvas and it is very hot under it. A gray color would have been much better.

Really like the front kitchen layout. Pantry is very large. Also, really like the kitchen skylight with shade. Adds a nice natural light to the kitchen area. I did not want another hole in the roof, but we found the trailer in stock.

The outside speaker are on the tinny cheap side. Seems like par for the course with trailer speakers.

The roller shades are nice, but the window latches are super cheap feeling and hard to operate.

The 12v refer is great. Lots of room and cools quickly.

Overall, we are happy with the camper.

[Vazuul]

I think that the Puma line is about as good of bang for the buck as is on the market. The only major issue I've had with mine is that there was no way to service the passenger side landing jack from the factory, and I had to have an RV dealer cut an access panel (read: welding, grinding, sheet metal work) behind the propane tank so I could service it. Aside from that, its basically just what I wanted - an RV that I can use 5-6 times a year 2-7 days at at time that has the basics and doesn't require me to take out a 30-year mortgage to afford, unlike some of the more 'premeir' brands. Over all I've been happy with mine.

[Greg Owen]

I was a big promoter of our 255RKS. However, recently I decided to upgrade the outdoor speakers and discovered something rather discouraging, and hope there isn't more of the same buried elsewhere in the camper.

Our OEM speakers distorted easily with minimal volume so I was looking to replace them. I managed to find a low-profile, somewhat name brand speaker with rave reviews to replace mine. So the replacement began...

Upon removing the first OEM speaker, I immediately noticed that the factory used the wrong connector for one side of the speaker. Modern speakers use two different sized spade connectors for polarity reasons. The speaker itself had both the standard and mini spade connectors, but the wiring to the speakers used both standard female spade connectors.

Now that isn't the scary part. Upon removing the second OEM speaker, only one female spade connector was used--the other wire was just wrapped around the speaker connector!! Pics below as proof.

One pic shows the actual connectors I cut off, and where they were attached; one shows the connectors that SHOULD have been used; one shows the speaker with just the twisted wire around the terminal.

Again, I hope this isn't a sign of other "things" buried behind the walls....