Jayco Vs. Forest River: Which RV Brand To Go For?

In the RV business, a brand could only become popular if its products managed to attract a lot of customers. Both Jayco and Forest River are famous RV manufacturers nowadays, they have introduced a huge number of recreational vehicles to the market over the years. Jayco vs. Forest River, which RV brand to go for? If you are looking for the answer to that question, this article is for you. Down below is a comprehensive comparison that contains overviews of the brands as well as their strong points and shortcomings. Read everything thoroughly in order to make a wise purchase.

Jayco vs. Forest River: Brief Overviews Of The Brands

To decide which one would win in the Jayco vs. Forest River competition, it’s a good idea to take a look at their history.

About Jayco

Founded in 1968 by Lloyd Jay Bontrager, Jayco is well known for its use of sustainable materials and energy-efficient designs. About ¾ of the brand workforce come from Amish and Mennonite communities which utilize time tested crafting techniques to ensure quality. At its peak, Jayco is the largest family-owned brand in North America and currently the third largest manufacturer of recreational vehicles in the world. Jayco products consist of a wide variety of RVs such as motorhomes, travel trailers, pop-up trailers and so on.

About Forest River

Come into existence in 1996, Forest River is a relatively young brand but it already established itself as a name to be reckoned with. At the present time, the brand is essentially one of the largest RV manufacturers with 86 manufacturing locations and over 11,000 employees. Thanks to its ability to quickly deliver products at reasonable prices without composing the quality, a lot of RVers held Forest River in high regard. Aside from recreational vehicles, the brand also offers buses, commercial trucks, pontoon boats and more. Forest River has purchased a couple of RV brands and then turned them into its divisions like Coachmen, Palomino, Shasta,…

Jayco Vs Forest River: In-Depth Reviews of Strength And Weakness

When you’re considering which RV brand to buy from between Forest River and Jayco, then these are the points you should look into:

The Points For Choosing Jayco

No matter how careful you are, there is always a chance that your RV may break down or gets damaged. At that point, taking care of the repair expense may leave a hole in your wallet if your recreational vehicle is not covered by warranty. Jayco backs their RVs with a 2-year warranty which should give you peace of mind while driving on the road.

Get into a nasty accident in the middle of nowhere? Well, if you RV happen to be a Jayco model, you could count on the brand 1-year roadside assistance service that comes free of charge. For customers that have to travel through regions where there aren’t many service stations, the service is a lifesaver.

Jayco possesses a sophisticated network of dealers in North America which means the availability of service/spare part is excellent. For most of the time, you should be able to keep your Jayco RV in top condition without much difficulty.

Shortcomings:

• There are complaints about unresponsive customer service as well as defective vehicles on online retailers. To avoid getting yourself into a tedious and frustrating situation later, think twice before you actually proceed with a purchase.
• Some Jayco models experience severe leaking issues which cause a lot of trouble to the occupants in the rainy season.

The Points For Choosing Forest River

A combination of vigorous testing and thorough inspection ensure that only flawless vehicles are able to reach customer’s hands. From the electrical wiring to the plumbing, everything is examined over and over again to get rid of potential defects.

Forest River backs their products with a 1-year warranty and all customers of the brand have access to 1-year roadside assistance service which is available 24/7.

If you need help with your vehicle operations and layout, the 75,000-strong Forest River Owners’ Group shall offer you helpful pieces of advice and suggestions.

Shortcomings:

• Given the dramatic rise of Forest River, it comes as no surprise that a couple of models have durability issues. For instance, the floor of the vehicle tends to sink as time goes by which negatively affect the interior orientation. There are reports about leaky ceiling that degrade the materials and allow mold to grow.   
• The quality of the customer service is just barely acceptable, people often have to wait for quite some time before someone responds to their inquiries.

Final Words

There is no absolute winner in the Forest River vs. Jayco competition, different people would come up with different conclusions. All things considered, you cannot go wrong with either brand, all you have to do is to make sure you get an appropriate RV model. Jayco vs. Forest River, no brand have a superiority when it come to quality. In fact, Jayco and Forest River both have quality issues here and there but overall, the performance of their products is comparable.