Palomino COLUMBUS C-SERIES 382FBCpage=2 reviews

This camper is an excellent option for anyone looking for a practical, comfortable, and well-designed trailer, even for those towing with a minivan, as long as the proper precautions are taken. It is especially appealing for people who want something easy to store, simple to winterize and protect, and still spacious enough inside to feel truly comfortable. What stands out most is how well it uses its compact size. Even though it has a relatively small footprint, it feels much more like a larger camper once you are inside. The interior height is one of its best features. Because of the shape and layout, the space feels open, comfortable, and surprisingly easy to move around in. Another major advantage is that you do not have to deal with tarps or the usual hassles that often come with protecting and storing other trailers. It offers a very practical solution for winter coverage while still giving you the feeling of owning a more substantial camper. For a trailer of this size, the features are impressive. It has air conditioning, which can be difficult to find in smaller units, and it also includes a solid hot water tank. In my case, because of the high elevation where I live, a tankless water heater would not really be a practical option, so having a traditional hot water tank is a real benefit. If I could suggest one improvement, it would be the addition of an indoor shower. I believe that with just one or two extra feet in the floor plan, it could likely be incorporated. Even so, having an outdoor shower is still a valuable feature. I also think that adding a cassette toilet alongside a shower area would make this camper even more versatile and would be an outstanding upgrade. Overall, I think this is a wonderful camper. It offers a smart balance of size, comfort, and practicality, and for me, as a first camper, it has been a very satisfying purchase. I am genuinely happy with it. Show less

We bought a brand new unit from Camping World and it was horrible from the start. It was in their shop more than with us. Forrest River makes garbage! Our $65,000 fifth wheel had torch cut holes in the frame and squirrels and mice got in it and ruined it. It was sitting on Camping worlds lot for almost 2 months to be sealed up better and more mice got in and got into the ceiling and urinated and pooped everywhere. We did not even want it back. They pretty much told us, sue us then. Who has that kind of money to sue a big company like them. They gave us $24,000 on a camper we paid $65,000 for 2 years earlier. I urge people to stay clear of Camping world and Forrest River products. They are both garbage companies, Not to mention Forrest river denied all plausibility from the very start. They pretty much told us the same thing, sue us if your not happy. Show less

LOVE this fifthwheel! I have had a few lemons and lack luster RVs in the past, but this is not one of them. Best RV for the money and easily one of the most livable units I have found. Comparable to group facilities found in a large toyhauler, but with more refined living space and better comfortability. I love the easy of set up with auto level, wet bay access and easy, as well as quick breakdown. Slide systems are quality along with almost everything else I have seen. I did a ton of research on how to find quality for this purchase and this RV scored super high on my list. I have owned over a year now with no regrets! Would buy it again in a heartbeat. Show less

This RV is awesome! I have owned it for several years after having some not so great starter rigs. I did tons of research before buying, but that really didn't prepare me for how much I would love owning the Columbus 374BH. Quality and style are rarely found together, but Palomino definitely did this one right. I full timed for a few months in it with a family of seven and we found it a very comfortable fifth wheel in spite of our large group size. I would buy this rig again 10 times before I ever looked elsewhere. Show less

This fifth wheel has been phenomenal for me! Very high quality, real wood interior with linoleum floor. The craftsmanship is exceptional and has withstood the test of time. Appliances are residential size as well with a full sized kitchen, not the smaller fridges/ovens/microwaves you find in most models. This is great for living in for extended periods. The living room with slides out is ample space, I've even placed a 5ft Christmas tree inside for the holidays! My wife and I have created a lifetime of memories in this trailer and unfortunately have to get rid of it because of life style changes. The bedroom has extreme amounts of storage for a full his/hers wardrobe. There's a 10 gallon water heater compared to the average 6 gallon heater, lots of hot water for normal showers and doing dishes, never worry about running into cold water while showering again! We mounted a TV in the outside storage for outside grilling and viewing. The TV and wall mounts come with the trailer! Make an offer today! The price is very negotiable, schedule a tour today! Show less

We loved the 2021 Palomino Columbus Compass F374BHC. It is a true luxury RV and great for full time travelers, and is good for all season camping. Our family of 6 traveled 15 states in 2 yrs and enjoyed every minute of it. The RV pretty much came with every wishlist item, my wife and I had for a 5th wheel that can accommodate a large family. King bed Bunkhouse Fireplace Theater seating Big screen tv Bath and a half(nice when you have kids) Kitchen island Kitchen pantry Kitchen coffee station Large residential fridge Outside kitchen including a Griddle for cooking outside and a small fridge Rear bumper Tow hitch for our Bike rack Show less

Wow! Difficult to accurately convey the level of cheap workmanship and chaep parts used on our fifth wheel. We had stuff failing, falling off the walls and coming off (trim) the walls on our very first outing. I am not sure how the others rate but Forest River should be avoided! Show less

I'm new to the full time RV lifestyle having thought for years about simplifying my life and licing with less and eliminating my living expenses. I settled on the EV-1 travel trailer from Revolve after going up and visiting a used 2020 model locally. Unfortunately I could not go purchase and sent my boyfriend to go purchase and after 7 long hours of waiting for him to return from the 200 mile round trip (the dealer took forever) I helped spot hit to back it into our side driveway only to realize he bought me a EV-2. So okay no slide, different shower mirror flipped interior. I spent about an hour sitting in it and decided to suck it up buttercup and get over it. Main differences dinette is on awning side instead of kitchen and shower is wider but shorter. I focused on the pros not the cons. I've been living in it full time 9 months and while there have been solar struggles I am learning to resolve with help from a solar tech, I am happy with my purchase. I do however have suggestions for Palomino and suggestions for improvement. - Give the option to not have a dinette, this area of my RV is now cube storage and when I have time I will remove the dinette base and reconfigure for a recliner and cube shelves. - Clean up after manufacture seriously an hour and a vacumn getting all sawdust and loose screws and nails out of compartments, ensure plumbing connections are tight and not leaking including the faucet that is just sitting in hole unsecured - Use screws on cabinetry not metal staples all my dinette cabinetry have broken or collapsed in the case of overhead cabinets - Provide access to the area behind the pre mounted TV if you are not going to pre-wire for RV link antennae (purchased separately for roughly $300) - PROVIDE the SOLAR equipment powerpoint to all buyers (the one that took me a month of back and forth to get) - Mount the solar controller on the exterior wall not on the wall behind the jacknife sofa as hanging upside down trying to read it upside down is ridiculous - Seal the roof and edges of exterior I have had moisture and water around every exterior edge, window and door - Use a better frame cabinet under convection micro the microwave door hangs on the lip and eventually locks shut which meant it had to be pulled out of rig and thrown away - Needs an outlet in dinette area - Get rid of the teeny bit of carpet on sides of bed platform what is the point you can't stand on it its like a 10x10 Square Now those of you reading this probably figure that is a lot of problems/suggestions. Fact is if you live in an RV you need to learn to adapt and repair as needed. It is hard to even get support or help from people because the minute you say your rig is propane free everyone has judgements and then add in you are a female solo camper and you get all the comments and jibes. I bought this model because I wanted one built for solar and going off grid not retrofit into my storage. I love the concept I think Forest RIver just needs a better way to support us than directing us to download an online PDF manual for all their lines that doesn't support half of the equipment in the Revolve Rig as we don';t run off propane at all. Oh and I still need to figure out how to actually get the hot water heater working some may think that is a problem but when you are 6'1" and your shower stall is only 5'10' you need hot water for dishes not bathing. Show less

We bought a 2018 366RL 1492 in 06/21 as a used unit from a private seller. Due to the pandemic it was only used for 6 months. It still smells new. We paid $45k which included 3 years remaining on the factory warranty and a Reese Goosebox hitch thrown in. The dishwasher and outside burner top had never been used. The sellers were very nice, and the unit had not had time to delapidate from owner neglect, which we had ran into so many times it was ridiculous. We had it out camping about 6 times last year, and just opened it up after wintering over. The only issue we had so far was a wiring problem with the outdoor microwave. My husband and the neighbor were able to fix it. It was mis-wired from factory. I love the kitchen and layout of the RV. Our unit was ordered with two upgrade packages, so there are a lot of bells and whistles that we now would not want to be without. The outdoor kitchen is handy. I love the dishwasher, the on-demand water heater means adequate hot showers without waiting, leveling happens in seconds at the push of a button, and setup is quick and simple. We have no complaints. I do feel bad for those who've had issues with their units. We are part of the Columbus FB group, so we get to see when problems arise. So far, so good, thankfully. I was dismayed when we were still looking to buy and I saw more negative reviews than I thought for the Columbus units. I was afraid but all has worked out thus far. Do watch if you buy one that the sealant was applied to the bottom outside trim piece on the bed slideout. I've heard of a rotted bedroom slideout floor due to missing sealant on the exterior bottom trim piece. Another common problem is soft floors in earlier models, which is remedied by adding additional floor joists and is relatively simple as a DIY project. Our neighbors bought a new, inexpensive stick and tin trailer just before the pandemic broke out, and it gave them numerous problems and was cheaply made, then the dealer gave them a hard time about doing warranty repairs. They won't recommend a stick and tin trailer to anyone now. They were surprised that we did not find a bunch of problems with our trailer every time we took it out, but I think for the most part you get what you pay for. I would not buy anything made during the pandemic or since. The RV industry as a whole needs to be regulated, and I am not one to advocate for government intervention. Do your due diligence and try to find a seller who took care of their unit. We had no warranty issues so far that were not minor and that we could not remedy more quickly ourselves, so that's why I left three stars for that. Show less

Columbus 383FB offered a terrific interior design but TERRIBLE QUALITY IN DESIGN. WATER SEEPAGE has become a disaster for us due to POOR EXTERIOR DESIGN on the bedroom and bathroom slides which has created MAJOR DAMAGE to the floors of both. The lower trim plate allowed RAIN traveling down the exterior walls to GO DIRECTLY into the bottom WOOD PANEL of each slide. This issue would not be evident for 2 years since the damage could not be seen on inspection. The cause of this situation was the fact that there was NO CAULKING at the seam between the wall and the trim plate FROM THE FACTORY. The evidence of this issue became apparent only after the second year of ownership when items stored under the bed were moved and finding BLACK MOLD on the plywood shelf and throughout the linens. The MOLD also TRAVELED under the carpet across to the WOODEN DRESSER on the opposite wall. We had a local RV mobile service inspect and fix any caulking. THEY even MISSED the seam on the slides and only CAULKED them when WE POINTED it out. We also went to the CLOSEST DEALER who only suggested an INTERIOR MOLD TREATMENT. The REAL DAMAGE was YET TO BE SEEN.. This problem RESULTED in COMPLETE DETERIORATION of the bedroom slide bottom panel due to DRY ROT. The same is true under the bathroom slide. FOREST RIVER DENIED any responsibility saying the issue was not reported during the warranty period. However POOR FACTORY PERFORMANCE in 2017 ALLOWED WATER TO INVADE our unit for 2 years before any problem was found. NOW we are returning to the original dealership to see : IF ANY REPAIR IS EVEN POSSIBLE. THIS FEELS LIKE A CAMPER'S WORST NIGHTMARE. Show less