Black Series - User Review
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
- You guys may have seen that we participated in a video shoot with GoRVing and had the opportunity to test out the Black Series HQ19. While one the shoot, we took some behind-the-scenes footage of the experience, to show you all what we really felt about the product.
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Gear in this video:
Yeti Hopper M30 - bit.ly/3A5EC2h
Patagonia Black Hole MLC 45L - bit.ly/3jfVQTp
Patagonia Black Hole Duffel - 100L - bit.ly/3hsuAAT
GCI Pico Arm Chair - bit.ly/3hrG7Ap
Hahaha, I love this video! This is the most real world review/example of some of the many factors that can turn an RV camping experience from great to not so much... starting with the trailer weight/proper tow vehicle issues, just looking at the 2 axles on that trailer, I immediately thought it should have been towed with at least a 3/4 ton 4x4 truck... I've known a few people who had either engine overheating, transmission issues, and blown diffs due to towing on road, and off road is the worst! I also appreciate you guys showing some great examples of trailer equipment issues one can have, fortunately you guys weren't way out in the desert boondocking and unprepared.
Couldn’t agree more with your observations. I’m glad that BS advised against using our woeful 200 series. Better to watch someone else’s truck be on the struggle bus than ours 😂
@@StaplesInTents hahaha, yup 👍🏽
So true!!!
Not a lot of videos out here of real owner/none sales reviews on the Blackseries. Thanks for sharing this!
Man, I hope I don't get stuck behind you guys on the trail!! You're in waaaay over your head on this one! Lol
Black Series with a 2500 Power Wagon with all the off-road options will take you all anywhere. Great Vid.
Great video!! JD from BTBRV has to see this video. I get it now. Right truck 🛻 for the right rig is essential.
Yes, you definitely need the right truck to haul this big trailer!
you guys a re a cool couple! we're probably gonna buy a HQ21 and a lance 2085 and go up to alaska! thanks for helping us decide!
Awesome video! Almost reminded me of the beginning of a horror movie haha! Wife and I are looking at the 17 with bunks. (2 kids). Very informative video!
Wow. Thanks for sharing the experience.
The Land Cruiser 200 driven by the couple is actual well suited to tow this Black Series since it is equipped with permanent 4WD, heavy at 5800 lbs (about 400lbs heavier than most 1/2 ton trucks) and has an excellent combination of traction including the size and width of its tires and traction capabilities (ATRAC and Crawl Control) to pull that Black Series HQ19 in difficult conditions without the need to turn around. On top its 5.7ltr V8 and transmission with cooler can handle a lot. Remember the Land Cruiser is build to operate in very high temp conditions including the middle east in the dunes and the Australian outback or the African Sahara and is a beast. The Australians tow with the LC200 these type of travel trailers known as caravans there all the time including in the outback. Oh well, whatever floats their boat...
Thank you two for always informing us folks on the outdoor experience! I was debating on a trailer and this video gave me some really great insight. HOOAH!
Anytime we can help another make a better decision, then we know the struggle was not in vain! Hooah!
Thank you for your input was considering getting hq17
Thanks for a REAL TRUE review . Keep doing these so we can see what they cover up/don't expose. No staging, just raw and uncut! I got a truck that will pull it without any issues but the other problems you experienced for the price....I'll pass.
Shopping the Black Series and found this video very informative. Thanks!
Oh my! You guys always come with great content. Thanks for keeping it real out there on those roads.
Our pleasure! Thanks for following along.
So funny, interesting, informative...all the things learned here from this experience! Thanks!
I love you guys! You two are so amazing! Keep "truckin' " along. 😉👍
Thank you!
@@StaplesInTents :D
I'm getting the HQ21 and this video was very helpful thank you.
Do a full walk through type of inspection.
What will you be pulling it with? Will you be using it mostly on road or on trails?
nice review. had leaks on ours too - a 2021. also had other issues with wood panelling, caninets warping under heat in So Cal.
We had to be transparent. It’s the right thing to do
We went with RVs of Americain Utah and they handled everything beautifully and still are. Highly recommended to get a Black Series from them. We were encouraged to replaced the inverter with a Victron 2000W and we also got a year model earlier than yours. It looks like the doors came out when you pushed another in. The 2021 is slightly different and we haven't had any issues with the doors. We absolutely love the trailer. The pipes bursting on you is insane...while it's raining. Wow. Ya'll champed through that one. Great video.
It’s the way of our journey. It was like the universe wanted it understood that our journey wasn’t including a BST!
You took that like a real champ considering all the issues you ran into. I took my wife camping she is ( Black ) and has never done any camping period. Three hours into the drive she said she wasn't cut out for this s#it. Then we hit the Mackinac Bridge in Michigan's upper peninsula. Me and our son watched her fold up like a newspaper soon as we started driving across it , actually was amazing to see I had no ideal she could fold up like that. Then my son says you can fly in an airplane but you can't drive over a bridge. She started going off on us. To drown her out I switched over from the concrete lane to the lane with metal grates all you could hear where the tires. We finally get across and she tells me and our son the only reason she didn't FK the both of us up driving over the bridge is because she did not want to die. Driving back was easy feat either. All in all she said she had a wonderful time and would do it again.
Well damn. That's an interesting story. So surprised she'll go back but happy you got her out there
Thanks for the video. I had once considered that unit but I too was concerned with the weight. I use a Ram 1500 (diesel 4WD). Good to see ATLiens getting out in nature.
Yours is the first video I’ve seen that talked about the Black Series in a light of problems. They weren’t to big of a problem but you were honest. Then there’s the towing issue, gonna need a big 4-wheeler of any type to pull it. Thank you.
You are correct, we wanted to be transparent in our experience but if you have the right rig and the build issues work out, then this could be a comfy trailer. We would love to have another experience with one in the future, but we've seen enough to know this isn't a good fit for us.
I am dumbfounded that someone would even think that your 2WD could handle the weight of that model. Can't fault the trailer for that. it is still way too heavy though. Not idea for overlanders.
The Dodge is not a diesel?
I appreciate you guys taking the time to make this video. I’ve been trying to decide on what kind of travel trailer to go with as I want something rugged enough to do some mild off roading and to get out in the wilderness more-so than park camping. Black Series was one of the main contenders, but it seems there is very little information or user reviews out there on these things. I can’t really find much other than walk-through videos by the company or by UA-camrs at RV shows. So I’m glad you guys at least spend some time in one. You may just have the only video on UA-cam reviewing your actual time in the black series.
At one point it was a contender for us also and we wanted to put it out there what the experience was.
Thanks for an honest look at this trailer. It helps more folks that you know.
Glad you found this useful.
Awesome video! Nice to see a real life review.
Whats with the interior!? The older ones look so much nicer. With the grey interior and the black diamond leather is gone too.
Thanks for making this video. My wife and I thinking of getting one, this video helped to make the decision.
Glad it was helpful. So what’s the verdict?
This was both an informative and concerning video. We've been researching trailers and with a family of 4 had been considering the HQ17 to pull with our 2nd gen Toyota Sequoia. While I think having a 4WD vehicle would have helped tremendously, moving 7-8k lbs on wet/soft, sketchy surfaces would be tough to handle no matter the towing rig. Definitely hadn't considered how much of a challenge that kind of situation would be, and thankful for this video as it was eye opening especially since our goal would be to get further into the wild than you guys were headed on this journey. I also would expect more for fit & finish from a $70k travel trailer
Agreed! At one point, we were seriously considering this. I can’t see it working out well unless you have a vehicle that can pull some serious weight, not matter if there’s 2 or 4 WD.
Glad you found this beneficial.
Like you I am struggling with the idea of an offroad camper and being off-road with a family of 5.
What type of axle gear ratio is on the ram ?
I heard a lot of the batches that are made in 2021 are leaking through the roof. Hmmm pretty disappointing considering the cost of one of these units.
"Ain't no point in sufferin'!!!"... my favorite line in this entire review (well, that and "struggle bus"... LOL). Nice job and a great look at the Black Series in real-world conditions...
I first discovered Black series on UA-cam RV’S of America out in Utah. The have videos testing them off-road. They used a ford 150 eco boost and it did really good. We have a ford 150 eco boost with max tow package. We tow a little over 6,000 pound with groceries and and water. trailer 26 ft long . I really has great power and tow up hills great. We wouldn’t tow any that weigh 7,000 or length longer then 26 feet.
Hi Guys, just found your channel and it's great. Your Black Series review is great. Apparently RV's of America has discontinued their relationship with Black Series campers because of the poor quality of the units, according to a statement on their website. I've been so interested in these units but the quality issues really seem to be piling up. The drain line water leaks that you experienced and the loud AC units, loud water lines that vibrate and make disturbing noise, overheating inverter, etc., thanks for your honesty and candid feedback on what is such a huge purchase for people.
We love the NC105..It is a great place to go..
It’s a true gem to ride.
Glad you guys got to review!
That poly block hitch is not the greatest... too difficult hitching up and not durable. Most of the owners switch to mchitch or cruisemaster do45… and I don’t know anyone with a 2wd truck and a black series!
The hitch was a pain and let's just say all parties involved were disappointed about the 2WD.
@Staples in Tents it’s a 5K lb off-rd trailer. Who decided to use a LT duty truck to haul to a beast trailer up wet dirt road?
I’m quite sure that trailer w/ a proper tow would have been a fun drive off rd.
It would have been nice to see how the trailer was leveled.
Great question...I'm not sure who made the final decision, but between the production team and the manufacturer, the decision was made. A heavy duty truck would have definitely done a better job pulling, but our big takeaway was that any issues on the trail land hauling all of this weight would be a chore. The HQ19 was big, heavy and had some quality issues.
@@StaplesInTents Thx 🙏🏿 I enjoyed the review. I’ll take the beast as is. Only a dream, tho. Safe travels. PEACE ✌🏿
love your videos , gday from the land down under :)
Aussie friends! We were in a suburb of Sydney, when we had our first experience with a Land Cruiser.
Love the realness of the video. I personally gave it a thumbs up, my Ram 1500 gave it a thumbs down. :) Keep up the great work.
I thought the min req is at least a 3/4 ton 4x4 truck to tow off road.
Not sure what the minimum is but make sure it’s capable and 4x4.
@@StaplesInTents lower the tire presure helps too--the tires grip more but yea 4x4
Great vid, thanks for sharing!! Shame with all these issues and real shame it’s SO heavy! Even with a stronger truck, I could see this being an issue in the mud or snow.
I have a pipe dream of off-road trailer camping off of logging roads in the future, but definitely wouldn’t with THIS RV.
Have you tried other off-road trailers? Ones that can be towed by the 1/2T truck?
We didn't try any other trailers.
after this experience and talking to other overlanders, we didn't think a trailer was a good fit for us.
I have a hq15 pulling it with a tundra 4x4. I also am on 105 a lot as I am a member of the local SAR team up there. I wouldn’t consider pulling a 19 with a 1/4 ton truck especially 2 wd. The dodge didn’t even make it to the rough sections of 105.
What has been your experience with your HQ15 & tundra going up 105? We had driven 105 previously and figured it was more dirt road than trail and would be a breeze. Having 2WD and the hills, really threw us for a loop, but we made it home...
Need more truck for the HQ19, a 6.7L Super Duty Tremor has no issues on 20% grade. And 12mpg at speeds as much as 80 mph.
Well finally a video of someone actually using the Black Series, not a dealer video showing what they want you to know. First off I’d like to say I was totally in awe when these came out. I as well did some research and even called the manufacture regarding one question…..and I was correct (heard from rumor) what I heard. The box of the BS is made in China. At that point i was turned off. But still impressed of the look and possible capability. I too looked at them at Southerland but in LaGrange Ga. And I was going to look at them at the Florida RV show next week in Tampa again. My opinion now….. Something of this size you don’t really see overlanding the back roads/trails, just to big. Everything out there is a small trailer like the turtle back or roof top tents for the true back trails. I think these BS are made to just get off the beaten path and minor dirt roads. If I remember correctly in your video you said you were carrying water in your tank. Major weight issue for backroads. Not sure if you bought one or not, but if your gonna be “full time”, reexamine your needs vs wants. Overlanding doesn’t mean you have to be on the trails every time. Additionally regardless what rv you buy, don’t think you won’t have to work on it. Nature of the beast. But for what they’re asking for these things they better be damn right ! I could go on and on……anyways good luck, Happy Trails and if your in Central Fl give us a shout.
Thanks for the feedback. We did not get one, but we're fortunate to have been able to test it out. There's a pretty good review in Expedition Portal, you should check out.
expeditionportal.com/black-series-hq19-trailer/
Great great video. For me and my family it was between the Black series and the Airstream trailer. I finally decided on a 2018 23 ft Airstream trailer bought new and have no regrets. Worked flawlessly out the gate with zero problems this far. I have been in some major storms with extremely high winds rocking the trailer and never felt safer and no leaks.
I like the fact my kids will eventually own it and it's not a disposable trailer. It's a snug fit for my wife, daughter and dog and in hindsight I should have gotten an 25' but that's ok. This works fine.
I HIGHLY recommend this trailer to everyone I meet and my friend decided to one up me and get the 27'. Ouch. Got smashed. Lol. Beautiful AS trailer he has.
Anyway, thank you for the video.
And go wrong with an airstream.
Nice ❤️ I think I would have gotten a van.
Fortunate for us, this was not a purchase.
I think I will mark this one off the list. Lol
Yeah...too big and hella quality issues. There's a pretty good review on Expedition Portal as well...expeditionportal.com/black-series-hq19-trailer/
My Ford 250 6.2L gas really struggled on the mountain passes. I averaged 9 MPG on the hi way and the mountains. 6.7 Diesel now but haven't towed it yet.
Good to know that even a larger truck may have struggled. Thanks for the feedback.
Have the same truck. Towed my 23' Airstream and while gas mileage sucked did 40mph to Lake Almanor with the family along with some tough buttes to climb. Not exactly mountains nor exactly large hills. Something in between. Wasn't a drag race and not looking for one even if I had a diesel. Take your time and GET THERE safely.
That was a headache, wow
Say that again!
I will pray that you don’t need to use the warranty. No dealerships will do warranty work because black series won’t pay their bills. Run from this company
Perfect testing ground on nc105. I feel slightly responsible. Lol
You shouldn’t at all. It’s a dirt road. Videos online show it in way tougher conditions.
You all should definitely had a walk through. I watched a couple of the walk through videos and knew how to solve your issues. Although the inverter over heating really surprised me it may need another vent hole.
Yeah, I felt like some of it was “new user” but I’ve got great intuition and some of it was missing pieces and poor workmanship. Honestly the loudness of the rain was shocking. I grew up in a single wide and I didn’t ever remember it being that loud.
@@StaplesInTents I have seen some other Aussie companies that look amazing but they don’t have any here in the states.
I believe these are built in China. How much more do they cost if they were built in the US. I know they manufacture them in Australia. But I heard the ones that our ship to United States are made in China.
The dealership really dropped the ball here. Almost all of these problems should have been addressed during the dealer PDI. We have over 30k miles in 10 months in our HQ19. It’s a 10k lb trailer with a lot of tongue weight. Most capable caravan on the market for the price.
This unit was sent out for a video shoot, but as a full production model we were disappointed with all the issues. Glad to hear you're enjoying your HQ19
Yikes. Yikes. So many things going on here that had me frustrated and I'm at home in comfort. Makes me wonder how i'll do on the trail. Thanks for the trail tip btw. I think the 2WD truck messed me up the most. Assuming this was a Black series dealer, I'd figure they'd know what should be pulling it based on where it might be used. LOL I know that's nothing about the trailer itself. Necota was right. It showed the weight of the trailer. I mean it generally seems nice as long as everything is in working order. Would need to see it really out there to determine what i can handle. Not looking for one myself. Good video!
It was our comedy on the trail that day. It was almost a game, when will we get stuck next.
@@StaplesInTents hahahaha 😆
Nice….that trailer just needs a bit of polish…..it ‘looks’ great. Meanwhile, why didn’t they provide a manual for y’all, just in case or an electronic manual? Knowing your vehicle capability when towing is essential, that trailer requires an adequate tow vehicle……then adding in ‘off-road’ situations……boi!
Always prepared, HILARIOUS……..
My guy! We knew we were “borrowing” their trailer (thank you sooooo much crew @blackseries) but it could have been a much better experience with manuals, and connections and hoses. But the sheer weight! Jeez! You need a duelly to haul that thing anywhere!
@@StaplesInTents How is someone suppose to go off grid into the hinterlands & east of the Mississippi with a ‘dually’ towing that! Gonna be interesting………
@@Olyller better rigs than mine apparently!
@@Olyller no dually but definitely a 3/4 ton truck, preferably a diesel. Very capable off-road caravan with the right equipment.
In my opinion a RAM with a 5.7 is the wrong truck to be pulling that HQ19. I own a 2021 HQ15 that I pull with a RAM 2500 Power Wagon with airbags and I could go to a HQ17 or HQ19 but my wallet won't like it. A 200 series land cruiser would pull these as well but it already gets poor gas mileage and with a shorter wheelbase driving long distances would be interesting. I love my BS HQ though.
We suggested pulling with our Land Cruiser, but that was vetoed...
Easily the most popular model, they are never in stock around my area.
Overall experience on this trailer. You wouldn’t want to own one. I saw one in my home town for 62,000 . The mattress did seem hard. The cabinetry didn’t have the handles on them , and they we’re white. I liked the black table and the brown cabinet like the ones I’ve seen before. My guess you wouldn’t buy one . What would be your reason. I have mixed feelings. My husband wants to buy one at the price of the 60,000 which not close to the 100,000. I really like the new release Amber off road, I know it’s not as robust off-road like the Black Series.
Although I love the look and appearance of the Black series, it just can’t go where I do with my Land Rover LR4 and 3000lb Geo pro 19 bunk house. It’s Too heavy.
Super heavy!
Thanks for sharing about the GeoPro - those trailer models look awesome and at like half the weight?!
What a second rate camper nobody silicones drain hoses......
I recommend you stay at nice safe state parks
That's why you tow with a Ram 2500 Diesel 4x4 with Cummins power. So they just dropped you off at the camp site and didn't do a walk around and inspection of the trailer with you to show you how things worked (ie. inverter, hot water, water leak). And to make sure things worked as they should. After that rough towing experience they were ready to just dump and jump.
Our take away precisely…tow with a big truck. And no, we tested this brand new unit as part of a video shoot.
Camper Troopers !!!!!!!
🤔🤔yes! Camp Troopers!! 🤗
Next year, I'm setting up to buy a 22G Arctic Fox modified without the kitchen table and bench seating. I'll replace it with a writing desk leaving room for a recliner. But I will research the Black Series.
The first drawback is the weight. At 6000lbs plus, I need to upgrade to the 2022 Toyota Tundra with a towing weight of 11-12 thousand pounds. The current Toyota V8 tows 10-thousand, but the gas mileage is atrocious.
I'm a Toyota fan for life with a 2018 Sequoia TRD Sport (aka, The Beast) pulling a Little Guy Max rough rider edition. It's a teardrop weighing just under 5-thousand pounds packed with my gear. My gas mileage fluctuates between 7-9 miles per gallon depending on the number of hills my beast tackles in the west, where I nomadically roam.
Stay healthy; Merry Christmas, and thanks to both of you! :-)
Love the plan! Can’t wait to see how it goes. Merry Christmas to you too!
22 tundra will prob get the same 7-9 mpg as the old 5.7