Help needed to make a decision

[lbrown73]

I am considering buying a 2025 178bhsk platinum and am nervous about it! I lost my husband 7 months ago and he was the one that always made these decisions. Should I do it?

I have tent camped and RVd my entire life but I have never bought my own before. My husband and I purchased a 2014 Travelstar Starcraft hybrid in 2015 and it has served us well. We were discussing trading it in for a newer camper but then he was diagnosed with cancer and passed away. I am now in a place where I want to get a new camper and started looking in January and have gone to several dealers. Yesterday I saw the 178bhsk platinum and I really like it a lot. I am getting the slide cover and a backup camera installed for a total of 29K. Is that a good price? I have a Chevy Colorado rated for towing at 7700 so I think I am good there but I am just nervous to sign the final paperwork. A good friend of ours says it's a great camper so I guess what I am asking you guys is to confirm it IS a good camper??? Thanks for any help or advice you can offer.

 

[Sunflower]

I am considering buying a 2025 178bhsk platinum and am nervous about it! I lost my husband 7 months ago and he was the one that always made these decisions. Should I do it?

I have tent camped and RVd my entire life but I have never bought my own before. My husband and I purchased a 2014 Travelstar Starcraft hybrid in 2015 and it has served us well. We were discussing trading it in for a newer camper but then he was diagnosed with cancer and passed away. I am now in a place where I want to get a new camper and started looking in January and have gone to several dealers. Yesterday I saw the 178bhsk platinum and I really like it a lot. I am getting the slide cover and a backup camera installed for a total of 29K. Is that a good price? I have a Chevy Colorado rated for towing at 7700 so I think I am good there but I am just nervous to sign the final paperwork. A good friend of ours says it's a great camper so I guess what I am asking you guys is to confirm it IS a good camper??? Thanks for any help or advice you can offer.

You bought it and agreed to the Price and like it.Doesn't matter what others say now.Be happy and have confidence in what you decided.

 

[Reverse_snowbird]

Condolences on the loss of your husband.

Every rv has its pros and cons. That fact that you're buying a new trailer gives you a 1 year warranty.
Even though your husband made the final decision, you probably had a lot of input into that decision. You know what will work for you.
One thing you might consider adding (if it's not already included) is an electric powered trailer jack which will make hooking up much easier. Setting up a trailer can be physically challenging, so anything you can do to reduce that is helpful.

You might want to have a friend accompany you in your final purchase. A second set of eyes might spot something you can't.
Don't sign any final papers til you've had a good walkthrough with the dealer and make certain everything works.


Welcome to the forum!

 

[lbrown73]

You bought it and agreed to the Price and like it.Doesn't matter what others say now.Be happy and have confidence in what you decided.

I did not buy it yet. That is why I was on here asking for opinions about the camper. If you do not own this camper than please do not reply.

If you DO own this camper than please tell me what you like and do not like about it.

Thank you

 

[Pharphr]

What hitch are you planning on using? Probably should use a weight distributing/sway control hitch. With that pickup and trailer combination, I wouldn't cheap out on the hitch. I'm surprised the "Weight Police", haven't chimed in yet. LOL

 

[Reverse_snowbird]

I did not buy it yet. That is why I was on here asking for opinions about the camper. If you do not own this camper than please do not reply.

If you DO own this camper than please tell me what you like and do not like about it.

Thank you

Unfortunately, you're not going to get many replies from people who own a 2025 camper.

 

[bikendan]

I did not buy it yet. That is why I was on here asking for opinions about the camper. If you do not own this camper than please do not reply.

If you DO own this camper than please tell me what you like and do not like about it.

Thank you

You may get a quicker response by doing a search in this sub-forum, for threads/posts on that model number. Then you can PM those that own one.

 

[miataroadster]

Check out Facebook. They have a private forum there. Good luck!

 

[ChrisParise]

You bought it and agreed to the Price and like it.Doesn't matter what others say now.Be happy and have confidence in what you decided.

She has NOT bought it and is asking for advice

 

[RobbieH]

I don't own that RV, but I have had RVs with slide covers and RVs without slide covers. Personally, I don't like them. When leaves blow between the slide and the cover, you have to get up on a ladder and push a broom horizontally between them to get all the leaves out before you can close up. Without the cover, I almost never have leaves accumulate on top of the slide, and if they do it's an easy brush to get rid of them.

Someone posted a third solution here recently, but I don't remember what it was called. It was more of a self-wiping solution.

 

[Sunflower]

I did not buy it yet. That is why I was on here asking for opinions about the camper. If you do not own this camper than please do not reply.

If you DO own this camper than please tell me what you like and do not like about it.

Thank you

Oh my my.Sorry if I intruded and misunderstood your post of saying you are getting things for a certain price.I may have better unstood a comment like in my quote of X dollars includes such and such.Good luck.

 

[Iwritecode]

Unfortunately, you're not going to get many replies from people who own a 2025 camper.

^^^This. I did a search and found a few mentions of the same model but in older years.

I wouldn't be so quick to discount the collective knowledge of the 100,000+ members of this forum that don't own that specific year/make/model either.

Most trailers have the same basic components/features, but you can have 2 built in the same factory in the same day come out and one works perfectly with almost zero issues and the other could have all sorts of issues.

As long as you do a thorough PDI, and it has everything you are looking for, you'll probably be ok.

 

[jimmoore13]

I am considering buying a 2025 178bhsk platinum and am nervous about it! I lost my husband 7 months ago and he was the one that always made these decisions. Should I do it?

I have tent camped and RVd my entire life but I have never bought my own before. My husband and I purchased a 2014 Travelstar Starcraft hybrid in 2015 and it has served us well. We were discussing trading it in for a newer camper but then he was diagnosed with cancer and passed away. I am now in a place where I want to get a new camper and started looking in January and have gone to several dealers. Yesterday I saw the 178bhsk platinum and I really like it a lot. I am getting the slide cover and a backup camera installed for a total of 29K. Is that a good price? I have a Chevy Colorado rated for towing at 7700 so I think I am good there but I am just nervous to sign the final paperwork. A good friend of ours says it's a great camper so I guess what I am asking you guys is to confirm it IS a good camper??? Thanks for any help or advice you can offer.

Observations:

1. This is my only concern that I urge you to consider. You'll be going from a fiberglass on welded aluminum frame rig to a "stick and tin" rig. There's a lot of discussion on this topic, so I'll leave it to you to sift through it. Stick and tin served well for many years in the RV industry, but, in my opinion, fiberglass on a welded aluminum frame is vastly superior. Compare the two side by side, and the stick and tin will be more lavishly appointed, because it's cheaper to build that body and then add more features. Fiberglass/aluminum rigs are more spartan by comparison, but they are "built better."
When will this matter most? If you like to boondock, and if getting there and back entails a lot of travel on gravel roads and such, the fiberglass/aluminum body is far more stout than a body built of 2"x2" lumber glued(?) and nailed/screwed/stapled together with aluminum siding attached. The fiberglass/aluminum rig is a "monocoque" sandwich vs a "stick-built" product with the skin more or less tacked on.
OTOH, if your idea of camping is an RV park with hookups and a paved road to and from, chances are that you might not reap the benefits of a sturdier fiberglass/aluminum rig.

2) You have more than enough truck to tow this. The WDH for your old rig should be adequate for this 5645 pounds GVWR rig...depending on the Starcraft Hybrid model you owned. Some are about 1000 pounds lighter than the rig you are considering, but the dealer can help you decide if your WDH is adequate.

3) Price is subjective based on where in the country you are. Can't help much with that. And with inflation running rampant, the only real comparison shopping you can do is to view videos from a variety of dealers.

4) There are quite a few head-to-head competitors in the range of rig you are considering. If you have any concerns about stick and tin construction, I urge you to shop around.

5) Lastly, and not specific to your choice of rig. The new one will come with a 12 volt compressor fridge instead of the 120 volt/propane fridge that was likely in your Starcraft. 12 volt compressor fridges are power hogs and don't do well anywhere except on shore power unless you option up your new rig with a bunch of solar and a LOT of battery (Lithium Iron Phosphate - LiFePo4) to the tune of a couple hundred amp hours of capacity. Again...RV parks? No problem. Boondocking will pose lots of problems without those upgrades and a good generator to boot.

 

[reidfo]

There is some very good advice here, which is not specifically related to your model. It's all relevant. It was mentioned earlier to have a friend come along with you and perform a PDI. The dealers usually include a PDI and charge you for it. They do not inspect your unit. Have the dealer delete the PDI charge and hire an independent certified RV inspector to inspect before you sign the papers. You will either be happy to have avoided a lemon or you'll be happy for the peace of mind you gained knowing you got a good unit.

I am not any kind of inspector, but I hired an independent inspector when looking at my RV and also an airplane. The RV inspector charged me a good bit and found only a little lap sealant missing in a couple of spots and a busted shower head that I was going to replace anyway. I paid him and was happy to know my new (to me) RV wasn't junk.

A few years ago I was also looking at buying a small airplane. I found the "perfect" one. It looked great from the pictures. It had an amazingly upgraded instrument panel. Probably a $30-40K upgrade right there. I hired an inspector. To make a long story short he summarized all the hidden damage by saying, "Well, it's a great instrument panel that needs a new airplane around it." That inspector saved me $140k.

 

[RamManMN]

What hitch are you planning on using? Probably should use a weight distributing/sway control hitch. With that pickup and trailer combination, I wouldn't cheap out on the hitch. I'm surprised the "Weight Police", haven't chimed in yet. LOL

OK so I'll be the weight police. I don't have that camper. But in the past I did tow a travel trailer with a 2019 GMC Canyon which is the same truckmas the Colorado with a GMC logo on it. I was towing a bigger, heavier trailer but it was a nightmare. That said, I was towing a Rockwod Mini Lite 2506 that was 5900# as I loaded it. I looked up the Salem in question and it has an unoaded vehical weight of 4194. Both of my Rockwood campers came in about 225# heavier than their published weight when two batteries were added and the propane tanks full. 4394 + 225 = 4619. My thought is that with a Colorado I'd want to keep the weight under 5000 and use a good weight distribution hitch. That leaves about 400# for cargo in the trailer. That's doable but you are probably looking at towing with tanks dry and traveling lite.

My hitch weighs about 106 pounds. My Canyon had a payload rating of 1375# (from the sticker inside the driver's door). Max tongue weight for the truck (from memory here...check the door sticker on the truck) was 770#. Tounge weights on trailers are almost always greater than published, but should be between 10% and 15%. So if you keep the trailer weight to 5K, 15% would be 750 and squeaking under the limit. Watch the payload on the truck. Mine was 1375. But with my wife and I and our stuff at 435 that left us with 940 - 106 for our hitch and with the lighter Salem trailer - 750 tongue weight. We would have been within 84 pounds of max payload. With the heavier trailer I had on the Canyon I was just a hair under maxed on payloadnand was only 40 pounds over my max rear axle weight....I thought hey, I'm not over on anything so I'm good...until I was crossing Nebraska on the interstate with 20MPH cross winds and semi's passing me.

Overall though I think this combination of truck and trailer can work. Like I said, keep it under 5K. The real tongue weight on the trailer will probably be less than 15%...mine is a front kitchen model, i.e. heavier in front and its 13.2%. If you are traveling on your own, that's less weight of people and stuff in the truck. So travel light and it should be OK. Plan to go slow. Also try it out on a few shorter trips rather than going direct to a cross country trip like I did.

 

[Richy R]

I am considering buying a 2025 178bhsk platinum and am nervous about it!. Should I do it?

Have the unit inspected by a certified RV inspector BEFORE you sign the contract. Put the odds in your favor to avoid having warranty or otherwise issues with the purchase.

 

[Mr. Dan]

This OP has not logged in since Feb 23, 2025.

 

[lbrown73]

Observations:

1. This is my only concern that I urge you to consider. You'll be going from a fiberglass on welded aluminum frame rig to a "stick and tin" rig. There's a lot of discussion on this topic, so I'll leave it to you to sift through it. Stick and tin served well for many years in the RV industry, but, in my opinion, fiberglass on a welded aluminum frame is vastly superior. Compare the two side by side, and the stick and tin will be more lavishly appointed, because it's cheaper to build that body and then add more features. Fiberglass/aluminum rigs are more spartan by comparison, but they are "built better."
When will this matter most? If you like to boondock, and if getting there and back entails a lot of travel on gravel roads and such, the fiberglass/aluminum body is far more stout than a body built of 2"x2" lumber glued(?) and nailed/screwed/stapled together with aluminum siding attached. The fiberglass/aluminum rig is a "monocoque" sandwich vs a "stick-built" product with the skin more or less tacked on.
OTOH, if your idea of camping is an RV park with hookups and a paved road to and from, chances are that you might not reap the benefits of a sturdier fiberglass/aluminum rig.

2) You have more than enough truck to tow this. The WDH for your old rig should be adequate for this 5645 pounds GVWR rig...depending on the Starcraft Hybrid model you owned. Some are about 1000 pounds lighter than the rig you are considering, but the dealer can help you decide if your WDH is adequate.

3) Price is subjective based on where in the country you are. Can't help much with that. And with inflation running rampant, the only real comparison shopping you can do is to view videos from a variety of dealers.

4) There are quite a few head-to-head competitors in the range of rig you are considering. If you have any concerns about stick and tin construction, I urge you to shop around.

5) Lastly, and not specific to your choice of rig. The new one will come with a 12 volt compressor fridge instead of the 120 volt/propane fridge that was likely in your Starcraft. 12 volt compressor fridges are power hogs and don't do well anywhere except on shore power unless you option up your new rig with a bunch of solar and a LOT of battery (Lithium Iron Phosphate - LiFePo4) to the tune of a couple hundred amp hours of capacity. Again...RV parks? No problem. Boondocking will pose lots of problems without those upgrades and a good generator to boot.

Thank you so much for your reply You gave me a ton of great info to think about. I ultimately did get the Salem SFX that I referred to and for now, I will be mostly sticking to campgrounds but your info did make me feel better about my decisions. Also the truck power info was good to hear as that was one of the major things I was worried about as I plan on doing a lot of mountain travel and camping and want to make sure I can haul everything. The info about the battery...I was just looking to upgrade to lithium in a few months or so after I get the hang of everything and you validated my research on that. How did you get so knowledgeable about all of this?

Thanks!