Where are all the Redwoods hiding at?

[Gary Hage]

Now granted we haven't traveled in the past two years (became stationary RVers LOL) but prior to that we spent the past twenty years traveling the US and Canada year rounds as commercial truck drivers. We began seeing Redwood fifthwheels out on the highways of American around 2010 in limited numbers. That stayed consistent up through the time that we retired from the road and sold our trucking business in 2015.


As I've mentioned before, our 2013 Redwood is pin #3103 so I would imagine they must be up to 7-8 thousand on the pin numbers by now. If that's the case, I would think that one who travels regularly and far distances would frequently cross paths with fellow Redwoods. That was never the case with us, and we regularly traversed all 48 contiguous states and three Canadian provinces. So how do you hide that many Redwoods, or were we just always looking in the wrong places? An example would be; in the two years we've been the resident lead host at Ross Prairie Trailhead and Campground in central Florida, we've only had one (1) Redwood (besides ourselves) camp here. Yet we've had several Mobile Suites, Newmars, and even New Horizons stop in to camp with us. Are the Redwoods staying more regional in only certain parts of the US and Canada? Oh, and I wonder how many are being towed by an HDT rather than a dually pickup truck?

[55 SS]

My wife and I are in Aberdeen, SD. I work on the road building power lines. Not sure where our next move will be yet. We pull it with a SRW F350. Tows great.

[brad chilton]

My gf and I are in Winters Ca at Canyon Creek Resort .. We are stayin until the 14th , going to get our directv system installed while we are here and then we are heading north to Oregon and Washington !! We are full timing newbies as of a month ago ....
cheers

[travelin' texans]

Originally Posted by brad chilton

My gf and I are in Winters Ca at Canyon Creek Resort .. We are stayin until the 14th , going to get our directv system installed while we are here and then we are heading north to Oregon and Washington !! We are full timing newbies as of a month ago ....
cheers

Welcome to the RW family & the fulltime lifestyle! Hope you enjoy it as much as we have the last 10 years!

[woodman1]

To answer your question about towing and where are the RW's (?), let me address it this way. I don't know what the number of RW's is in this country or Canada, however; my observations are quite different than yours. We've seen any number of RW's on the road and at RV parks over the past 5 years, but the number is small, compared to less expensive units. We travel from WI to TX to FL each year and see them in all the states we travel. That said, Redwoods are exclusive to people who want more sophistication, luxury, and appreciate the value of spending more, so that itself limits the number of buyers, in addition, there are less dealerships carrying those models, because of the higher inventory costs. We have at least 15 or more RW’s that stay or visit any given winter at our RV resort in Ft. Myers, FL and they far outnumber the DRV, Lifestyle, LUXE, etc. The RW owners represent states from the northern midwest to the east coast. There are also a significant number of high end motorcoachs such as Tiffin's, Newell's, Newmar's, Prevost's, Winnebago buses, etc., but I can state that there were 4 couples who've had motor coaches and decided to switch to a 5th wheel, and 3 of them elected to purchase a RW and one a DRV Suite. In addition, there are a two more couples that are entertaining the idea of getting a RW, so the population is out there. As far as towing is concerned, RW's weigh considerably less than the DRV's, LUXE's, Lifestyle's or Horizon's, so most newer SRW's can easily handle the requirements. That was one of the reasons we elected to purchase a RW over the others. I know there will be those who swear about the inherent risks associated with the SRW over the DRW, but you can’t argue that the DRW's are beasts to drive around and park. No thank you, besides; I use my truck for other things where dually’s are just plain impractical.

[johnboytoo]

I have no stats to back it up, but after 2014 I think the sales took a bit hit, either saturated the market for those that wanted one, or ???? Even when I had one, I didn't see many

[Gary Hage]

Originally Posted by brad chilton

My gf and I are in Winters Ca at Canyon Creek Resort .. We are stayin until the 14th , going to get our directv system installed while we are here and then we are heading north to Oregon and Washington !! We are full timing newbies as of a month ago ....
cheers

When you get into Canyonville, Oregon (I-5 Exit #99) you will definitely want to stop for a couple of nights at the beautiful Seven Feathers RV Resort, which is a part of the Seven Feathers Casino Resort located across the street. Make sure that you get one of the creek side sites so you can sit out in the evening and listen to the babbling water! We absolutely loved our many weekends camping there, along with eating at both the casino restaurants and the restaurant in the Seven feathers Travel Plaza located next to the campground. We miss so much being able to go out there!

[Gary Hage]

It then sounds to me like the number of Redwoods out on the nation's highways and in the RV resorts (which are all we ever stayed in until taking over as managers of a state campground) has increased dramatically in the past couple of years since we became stationary RVer's at our present job. That is wonderful to hear, because we (the RV industry) have lost too many of the higher end, heavy built luxury fifthwheels like the Tetons, etc. to the economy. We so hoped that Redwood would be able to get a good foothold in the market, and be able to be around as a quality builder for years to come. When you choose to go fulltime like we and so many others have done, you want and need a unit built for that and not one meant to be a weekender. Of course with that comes cost, but our Redwood has been worth every penny we spent for it.



What one chooses to tow their RV with is a personal choice in what they feel they will be most comfortable in driving and towing with. As long as the tow vehicle is rated to pull the size and weight RV they are pulling. Some folks decide its best to have more than enough truck for the job, while others go with having just enough, which there's nothing wrong with either choice. I've been amazed at the number of fulltimers and seasonal RVers that have been switching over to an HDT verses a SRW or DRW drive pickup truck. We all have our reasons, and they are varied. I actually use mine as my personal vehicle to go grocery shopping, to the lumber yard, etc. Its not really much bigger than my Chevy Silverado was when it comes to total size of footprint on the ground, yet I have a ton more of rubber making contact with the pavement for traction. The only places I cannot get into with my Volvo is drive-thru tellers at the bank and fast food places, and into my doctor's offices. Everything else is fair game for me. the looks on some people's faces when I roll up and proceed to park in a normal parking space at the local grocery store is classic! Most can't believe that it will fit in a normal parking space.


Based upon our friend's Mobile Suite that is about the same floorplan as ours and length, in addition to both the dry and GVWR ratinds being almost exactly the same, (their 2006 MS being a few hundred lbs heavier) I was under the impression that each manufacturer was comparable in weight to the other. Of course we've not done anymore comparisons since purchaing or RW in 2013. So are the newer RWs lighter than those built during the earlier model years, or since Thor acquired the Redwood brand?

[brad chilton]

Originally Posted by Gary Hage

When you get into Canyonville, Oregon (I-5 Exit #99) you will definitely want to stop for a couple of nights at the beautiful Seven Feathers RV Resort, which is a part of the Seven Feathers Casino Resort located across the street. Make sure that you get one of the creek side sites so you can sit out in the evening and listen to the babbling water! We absolutely loved our many weekends camping there, along with eating at both the casino restaurants and the restaurant in the Seven feathers Travel Plaza located next to the campground. We miss so much being able to go out there!

Thanks for the tip ! Looks like that’s going to be our first stop as they have a blues and beer fest going that weekend !!! Just retired from the craft beer industry and will be nice to be back on the drinking end instead of the selling end ...Any other recommendations you might have for the Pacific Northwest would be appreciated ...
Cheers
Brad

[travelin' texans]

Very nice casino park in Coos Bay Oregon, sorry can't recall the name, right on the waterway. Great place to go whale/sea lion spotting at the state park nearby.

[MuddFlap]

“...So are the newer RWs lighter than those built during the earlier model years, or since Thor acquired the Redwood brand?”

Redwoods now have 17,900lb GVWR, 8k axels and 17.5 H rated tires.

[Gary Hage]

Originally Posted by travelin' texans

Very nice casino park in Coos Bay Oregon, sorry can't recall the name, right on the waterway. Great place to go whale/sea lion spotting at the state park nearby.

Are you thinking of the Midway RV Park in Coos Bay, or The Mill Casino Hotel and RV Park five miles away? Make sure and get a bay side space if you go to the Mill!

[travelin' texans]

Originally Posted by Gary Hage

Are you thinking of the Midway RV Park in Coos Bay, or The Mill Casino Hotel and RV Park five miles away? Make sure and get a bay side space if you go to the Mill!

The Mill casino & bayside, that's it.

[NewRW Owner]

Originally Posted by brad chilton

My gf and I are in Winters Ca at Canyon Creek Resort .. We are stayin until the 14th , going to get our directv system installed while we are here and then we are heading north to Oregon and Washington !! We are full timing newbies as of a month ago ....
cheers

We live not too far from Canyon Creek and we are members. We've camped there with our truck camper, but not our RW, because the sites aren't that big and don't know if we'd make it under the bridge. We own a 38GK. This coming Monday we're leaving with our RW, headed to Oregon and Washington state. Maybe we'll see you on the road. In the last year that we've owned our RW, we've travelled extensively but see very few RWs. We've seen a ton of DVRs so don't think it's the high price of our brand.

[NewRW Owner]

Originally Posted by brad chilton

My gf and I are in Winters Ca at Canyon Creek Resort .. We are stayin until the 14th , going to get our directv system installed while we are here and then we are heading north to Oregon and Washington !! We are full timing newbies as of a month ago ....
cheers

BTW, we'll be doing a couple of overnights on our way north, then spending a week at Charleston Marina RV Park near Coos Bay. There's great clamming right across the street

[Tom's38GK]

Gary,

We picked up our Redwood 38GK a year ago and live in the North Texas area Denton. The day we picked up our new to us RW figured out even though we have a Dodge 3500 Dually 4x2 it was not enough truck for our RW. After searching for a truck that could haul it sticker shock set in wanting to go into retirement debt free decided to go with an HDT. I love towing with our Volvo VNL 610 it is amazing the range one has being able to plan out stops based on fuel prices many times saving over 50 bucks in one stop fill not to mention the power, stopping power, and last mileage 11-12 MPG. We have had our RW all over and have seen a few RW's here and there but not that many. The most at one time was three at a park in San Antonio last February kind of fun when you do get to talk to other owners. Looking forward to hitting the road FT 365 days from today when I retire.

[brad chilton]

Originally Posted by NewRW Owner

BTW, we'll be doing a couple of overnights on our way north, then spending a week at Charleston Marina RV Park near Coos Bay. There's great clamming right across the street

You will fit under bridge asi didn’t.have any issues..although we are not staying back there due to no internet....we are staying in the fugly gravel pull through sites just inside the gate.... I just sold my house in Benicia and now full timing...
Brad

[NewRW Owner]

Originally Posted by brad chilton

You will fit under bridge asi didn’t.have any issues..although we are not staying back there due to no internet....we are staying in the fugly gravel pull through sites just inside the gate.... I just sold my house in Benicia and now full timing...
Brad

We thought going under the bridge w/out hitting our air conditioner or vent covers iffy and not worth taking a chance. Before our RW we camped on that side in our 30 ft bumper pull Arctic Fox. No Internet is the down side, but backing up to the creek makes for a nice camp site. Also figured that the drive thru sites are too short for our rig. We camp frequently at Delta Shores, the other Vista Resort park and like it a lot. We live in rural Vacaville, between Vacaville & Winters. Good luck on your RW full timing adventure!

[Scottld]

We just traveled Texas and New Mexico. There were quite a few in the parks. Mostly bigger newer models. Just saw new interior. Finally got away from dark and dreary. Maybe that will help sells. We hope to upgrade to newer model in a couple years. Not sure a Redwood. We have had numerous repairs and replacements for such an expensive unit. Replaced lots of our furniture too.

[camper94]

The Mills at Coos Bay!