3 Years in Keystone's Tiniest Trailer: What Broke??

How well has my budget trailer held up to three years of full-time living?

When I bought Jasmine, I had no doubt in my mind that she was the right trailer for me. I named her as soon as I stepped inside and told the seller on the spot that I wanted her.

He was selling a two-year-old trailer in almost brand-new condition for $14,000. Before upgrading to something bigger, he and his wife had towed it with their 4Runner — the FJ Cruiser’s younger brother. The similarity between both vehicles meant that he could give me pointers on what to expect and threw in the hitch for free.

A lot has changed since then. I’ve taken Jazzie from Georgia to California. She has gone as far north as Wyoming and as far south as Mexico. So, now that I’ve had my 2018 Keystone RV Bullet Crossfire 1800 RB for over three years … do I still feel the same? Has anything broken?

Before I continue, let me remind you that I am a Keystone RV brand ambassador. However, Keystone doesn’t follow my newsletter (as far as I know) and never asked me to write this.

My Keystone is still the second-best thing I ever bought in my 34 years.

Of course, the first best thing is Samson, my FJ Cruiser. Always Samson. If it really came down to it and I could only have one, I would choose Samson in a heartbeat — even if keeping Jazzie meant I would still have another tow-capable vehicle.

If that’s not love, I don’t know what it is!

But second place isn’t exactly chopped liver, so Jazzie is still pretty high on my 34-year-old list. Her model is the smallest Keystone RV made, and its availability fluctuates. Sometimes, the model is discontinued, and then Keystone brings it back every so often. The newer years are much better quality than mine. But, the extra amenities also make them heavier and, therefore, outside my tow limit.

Despite being Keystone’s at-the-time-budget trailer, Jasmine has held up extremely well. These trailers are made for taking a trip a few times per year, and I have lived in mine full-time for three years. The couple who had her before me took her as far west as Lake Tahoe, so she wasn’t just parked up and sitting pretty in Georgia before I bought her either.

Even so, several things have broken.

RVs are a lot like houses. Things break, and they break often. However, because of weight restrictions, RVs aren’t built to the same quality as homes. That means things break a lot more often. It’s normal to find random screws on your RV floor after moving it or to realize that you need to retighten cupboard doors and bed platforms.

So, after three years in my trailer, here are 15 things that broke: