Glacier Peak vs. Augusta RV
AND… I’ve made my decision on what my next 5th wheel will be!
I’ve been in the market for a new fifth wheel for about 18 months now. I’ve looked at MANY manufacturers models with a focus on design and engineering over “bells and whistles”. Having lived in a reasonably good Crossroads Seville since 2011, and “tested” it in winter conditions where over 250 inches of snow fell in a winter and temperatures regularly fell WELL below Zero Fahrenheit, I know what to look for and have a good idea of what will “hold up” for the long run.
Two 5th wheel trailers have caught my eye in a true sea of mediocrity in the RV world – these are the Glacier Peak model 30’s, brand new this year and the Augusta RV Ambition model 33. Both have many fine attributes and in many ways excel beyond their peers – but only one survived my head to head comparison.
Incidentally, both are at a length I consider optimal for full-timing. They are just under 35 feet (real length). Yes, I’d agree that longer fifth wheels are REALLY nice to live in, but they are equally as difficult to maneuver into the more remote (and best) camp sites. Thirty five feet represents a compromise – large enough to be comfortable and small enough to go (almost) anywhere.
Glacier Peak is manufactured by Outdoors RV, a relatively small company located in eastern Oregon. They claim to know their buyers and make rigs (fifth wheels and travel trailers) designed for heavy duty, off-road use in all types of weather – including heavy snow and low temperatures.
Augusta RV is likewise a relatively small company – now owned by the RV Factory. Their claim to fame is to be factory direct and focused on doing custom modifications for their customers. That is, if you need significant changes in their existing floor plans, if it can reasonably be done, they’ll do it. From my conversation with one of their sales reps, I found this claim to be questionable. I asked about simply switching out the residential fridge the Ambition comes with for a Norcold propane/electric, and the response was “probably not.”
As I studied each fifth wheel, I have to admit the Augusta Ambition is GORGEOUS inside and frankly I like the layout better than any Glacier Peak – but – for me to spend my hard earned dollars with Augusta, it HAS to stand up to certain specific criteria before I can consider spending my hard earned bucks on it.
To settle the “face-off” between Ambition and Glacier Peak, I developed a comparison chart (below) that details specific issues I consider important in a fifth wheel and my findings with each trailer.
A side by side comparison of the Glacier Peak and Augusta RV – Ambition
| Design Feature | Glacier Peak | Augusta RV Ambition | Advantage |
| Insulation | 2″ high density, solid foam in all walls including slide walls and top of slide | 1 layer fiberglass and 1 layer R14 foil including slide walls and top of slide | Glacier Peak – a clear advantage, important in winter AND summer. High density foam beats fiberglass/r-foil any day! |
| Composition of the underside of the slide (the slide-ski) | High gloss fiberglass | High gloss fiberglass | TIE – both are excellent! It’s amazing how many companies cut corners in this important area – one that will cost the owner down the road. |
| suspension | MORryde 3000 + shock absorbers on both axles | MORryde 4000 | Glacier Peak – shocks make a BIG difference, amazing more companies don’t provide shocks on their axles. |
| refrigerator | 12 cu ft Norcold with winter kit and heat tape | 20 cu ft LG residential | Glacier Peak – residential fridges will drain your batteries in less than 24 hours if you dry-camp AND they have NOT stood the test of time. LG did not design their fridges to do 60mph down pot-holed highways! |
| Insulation in roof | 2 layers fiberglass and 1 layer R14 foil | 1 layer fiberglass and 1 layer R14 foil | Glacier Peak |
| Roof Truss | 5/8″ truss that does NOT pinch fiberglass towards edges | 5/8″ truss | Glacier Peak |
| Insulation in chassis | 2 layers fiberglass, 1 layer R14 foil, tanks wrapped in R14 foil, 12v heater on fresh water tank. | 1 layer fiberglass, 1 layer R14 foil, 12v heaters on tanks | TIE. Fact is if you skirt your rig AND burn propane “as needed”, you won’t freeze up with either GP or Augusta |
| Quality Control Issues | Every Glacier Peak is inspected before it leaves the Outdoors RV factory to minimize QC issues | A recent merger with the RV Factory was accompanied by a spate of QC related complaints, the sales rep I spoke with claims this has abated. | Glacier Peak |
| Grey and Black Tank Pulls | NO cable system in use | Uses cables | Glacier Peak – cable systems are prone to fail. |
| Weight | 12075 (dry), 2655 (hitch), 15000 (gvwr) (this is on the 30RDS model, the other 2 are very similar) | 14500 (dry), 4100 (hitch), 19180 (gvwr) | Glacier Peak – The Augusta will require a 1 ton Dually (minimum) whereas the GP requires a 3/4 ton SRW. Diesel is recommended for both. |
| Outside Storage | VERY innovative, with extra compartments in each model, the most is in the 30RDS, the front storage is broken up into 2 separate sections and one has shelving in it! | Standard – no additional outside storage areas | Glacier Peak |
Summary on the Glacier Peak 30 vs. the Augusta RV Ambition 33
Glacier Peak has 3 models ranging from 33′ 9″ to 34′ 11″, the Ambition 33 is 34′ 6″. For a smaller trailer, it IS heavy and my concern is you need MORE truck than many folks own. Personally, I will NOT get a dually as I spend lots of time in the snow in the winter. I had also hoped to get photos of the storage bay in the Augusta as the sales rep Colin promised me, but he never followed through to send me photos or any additional information as I requested of him.
So…I’m done! Glacier Peak by Outdoors RV it is – this will be my next fifth wheel! All I need to decide is 30RDS or 30RLS – both of which are great (and frankly, for those who like a rear kitchen, the 30RKS is THE choice to make!) I took the time to make this detailed comparison as Augusta RV seems to make a solid fifth wheel and does offer *some level* of competition to Outdoors RV’s Glacier Peaks. Had I chosen a different manufacturer – particularly ANY from Thor or Forest River, there would be virtually NO basis for comparison.
Special note… The RV Dream audio series for Living the RV Lifestyle begins May 8 – Click HERE to learn more and gain access to 20 Experienced RV’ers speaking on a number of topics (and I’m one of them!)
UPDATE… Here is my NEW 5th Wheel Purchased 10/16/2017… https://rvacrossamerica.net/outdoors-rv-glacier-peak-4season-5thwheel/
Great article, I appreciate the list of comparison features and I will use it to compare the brands I am looking at. Will be doing a factory tour of Grand Design in a couple of weeks. Did you ever do a write up on the Lance brand, they seem (to my untrained eye) to be well made. I am also considering a bumper pull instead of a 5th wheel as option 2 for fulltime travel.
I recently spoke with some insiders at Grand Design and there are several key areas where Grand Design fails. Too bad, because I really liked the floor plan on the 310 5th wheel. Problem areas include: No shocks; No protection above the tires (recall – outdoors rv uses a steel plate); Tires are Chinese (avoid!!); underside of slide is NOT fiberglass – there were other issues but these were the big 4.
I’ve looked at Lance, their truck campers are good, but their travel trailers do not compare to Outdoors RV (or Arctic Fox).
Why a travel trailer instead of a 5th wheel?
I see the carpet on the side floors, if I were buying a new RV, any type, and could custom order, that carpet would not be installed! I don’t appreciate carpet at all! It gets extra dirty extra quickly, and it’s hard to keep clean. I am full-time in a Class A.
Thoughts?
I personally like carpet in the bedroom, and virtually all companies use carpet in the slides. With most companies, custom orders are not possible – if they were, you’d pay MUCH more for a trailer!
We bought an Ambition 33 after also doing a comparison. We were treated poorly by Outdoor RV. They refused any alternative furniture options. Furniture was cheap and we wanted an upgrade. The GP floor plans were poorly thought out. You have to look through the kitchen to see the TV. The I-beams on the GP are 8″. Ambition is 12″. GP has 7,000 pound axels, Ambition has 8,000. Ambition has option to upgrade suspension which we wanted. Standard tires on Ambition are H. So, lots of additional things to consider. BTY we have been in our Ambition in 14 degrees it was perfect.
Kathie, I tried reaching out privately to get more info but as I have not heard from you since you posted this, here is my reply:
When you say you were treated poorly by Outdoors RV, was that the factory itself OR a dealer for their product?
As to furniture, yes, it is not a custom built coach, so, what it comes with (as per the package you order), is what you get. Few if any manufacturers will change furniture. That said, you always have the option of customizing the interior as you see fit after purchase. As to the furniture being cheap, I’ll agree in some cases, it was not the greatest, but in the past 6 months or so, they’re using a new furniture vendor and it IS better. Please realize that for the money (or virtually any money) there IS NO BETTER MADE TRAILER – and I’d FAR prefer they spend their money on chassis/construction/engineering than couches! As I noted earlier, you can always change couches/furniture.
As to I-beams, here are the facts: The mid-profiles are 8″ I-beam for main rail & dropped rail.The full-profiles are 10″ main rail & 12″ dropped rail. Please understand, the 26 and 28 models made by Glacier Peak/Outdoors RV are mid-profile rigs, the 30 is a full profile, as you never replied to me privately, I have no idea of what model you were considering. The only models I’d consider to compare to the Ambition 33 would be the GP 30 models.
As to axle weight, it is commensurate to the weight of the trailer – the Ambition is (frankly) bloated with a dry weight of 14000# and a GVWR of OVER 19000# , thus knocking out ALL regular trucks except a 1 ton DRW. Ambition’s upgraded suspension STILL does not include shocks! Really?? As to tires, they too match the weight of the trailer, H is needed for Ambition, G is fine for GP.
As to being in 14 and it being “perfect”, was that for a day? a week? a season? I personally spend the ENTIRE winter where 14F is considered MILD. So, I require the BEST insulation (again – better on GP than Ambition) and the BEST construction (possibly equivalent, but given the QC issues I’m seeing reported by Augusta owners – I may have to give that to GP. The fact is the GP models that were built in February were their FIRST RUN and even those have proven to be virtually flawless (we sold 2 GP trailers from that run and neither is back with ANY issues); I am CERTAIN their 2nd run (on which mine is being built) in September will be EVEN BETTER with some updates and upgrades on these new 2018 trailers due to hit the street in late Sept/early Oct.
All the best and enjoy your ambition. Al
Allen, do thermal pane windows “sweat” as they do on normal single pane windows in the chiller season? We will never get into the winter time conditions like you, but we do like the shoulder seasons here in Ohio from late March to Thanksgiving.
Jim,
I’d say they “sweat” less. Lets look at the dynamics occurring to cause the “sweating”: Air near the window is cooled when it is cooler outside than inside. If that air is cooled below the “dew point”, the water vapor (always present in our atmosphere) will condense into fine water droplets (dew) or ice crystals (frost). Dual pane windows DO offer much greater insulation from the outside than normal rv windows – so, the air inside will NOT be cooled nearly as much, thus cutting back on the amount of dew or frost forming on the inside. The other “variable” in all this is the amount of water vapor in the air. Most definitely NE Ohio is more humid year-round than the inter-mountain West (even though you may not feel the humidity in January, there certainly is more water vapor in the air where you are than where I am in the winter) – that will cause more “sweating” on the inside of the windows for a rig stored in NE Ohio than in lets say Wyoming. In either case, the dual pane windows WILL cut back on the amount of dew/frost formation regardless of where you are located. Does this all make sense? I had to put on my science educator hat to answer this one! Al
We also did an exhaustive review of Arctic Fox, Glacier Peak, Grand Design, and Augusta. We went to the Airstream, Northwoods and OutdoorRV factory tours. We just bought a 2017 Glacier Peak F26RLS this week from Sumner RV in Sumner, WA. we live in Ohio and bought from an Oregon manufacturer.
Congrats! What were the deciding factors that made you pull the trigger for the Glacier Peak over the other 5ers you were considering?
I’d love to hear what the differences and similarities are between Arctic Fox and Glacier Peak.
Dan, my take on that issue is the glacier peak is far better appointed inside; also the new model 30’s have dual-opposing slides, arctic fox has the 29-5k, which only has 1 slide in the living area.
Since you rv in very cold weather, I understand your decision. We will be heading for warmer climates, so an Augusta rv will be in our future! Snowbirds over here!🙂
Roz, my comment is the same as I made earlier – please read my reply and think about it.
Since you rv in very cold weather, I understand your decision. We will be heading for warmer climates, so an Augusta rv will be in our future!
Cold or warm – good insulation helps immensely. When I’m out on our RV lot on a hot summer afternoon and I walk into an Outdoors RV trailer or fifth wheel and then walk into virtually anything else, there is a 10 – 15F degree temperature difference between the two! Simply put, good insulation keeps you cooler in the summer (less work for your a/c and less cost to electric if you pay) and of course warmer in the winter.
Do you ever compare toy haulers? My wife and I want to retire in about 5 years and want to run a business out the back of the toy hauler. I am mostly looking at quality issues. Thanks.
I’m actually going to do a piece on toy haulers that talks about what REALLY matters in a toy hauler and how to separate the wheat from the chaff… coming soon. Al
Thank you, we really interested in 5th wheel toy haulers. Looking forward to your article.
Congratulations Allen!
for what? making a decision?! 😉
Well then pre-congratulations 🤠.
Alan, did you consider any of the Northwood Manufacturing products?
yes, and know outdoors rv builds on the northwood chassis; at this time arctic fox does not have a dual-opposing slide model and to me that is a mandatory design feature
The new Arctic Fox 28-5C has dual-opposing slides.
I’m sure its a nice trailer BUT it compares more closely to the Glacier Peak 26 models – which I would never full time in. Yes, it has dual opposing slides, but it is a mid-profile trailer, not a high profile. Here’s the key differences: First, at 31’11”, its a couple of feet shorter than I’d like (that’s not what makes it a mid-profile though!) The bed is “north-south” offering only a (tiny) wardrobe slide for clothing – in contrast the Glacier Peak F30RLS and F30RKS have an East-west bed and that allows the entire front cap to be a (giant) closet.
While I am impressed with the 28-5, the bed/closet situation to me is a non-starter. I’m sticking with the 30RLS.
What do you define as mid-profile vs full-profile? I thought the Northwood Arctic Fox fifth wheels were full-profile and the Northwood Fox Mountain fifth wheels were mid-profile.
Look at the floor plan – whenever the bed is N-S and there is a small wardrobe slide, its a mid-profile. The 28-5 is mid; the 29-5K is full, but only 1 slide in the living area. Al
Interesting. Learned something new, as I thought the difference was the height of the ceiling in the bedroom.
Regardless of whether you call the 28-5 a mid or full profile, the fact is the wardrobe slide is small and insufficient for full time living (for most people). The only products I’ve seen pull off a decent wardrobe slide are some toy haulers – like Fuzion. Fuzion is frankly the only keystone product I’d own.
I was already leaning towards Glacier Peak! Great rig! Now, the model selection to do. Then get a truck.
Yep, I’m now hearing they’re (the factory) not planning another run of model 30’s for several months yet – likely to Christmas or even longer. At the moment, what dealers have in stock is all that’s available. We here in Casper Wyoming currently have two 30 RKS models – one platinum and one mountain. As to a truck, 3/4 ton diesel will do fine – my preference? Ford. If you end up purchasing from another dealer, I can still supply you with a great price on the extended service contract.
This is a very impressive comparison of “like” 5th Wheels. The check list created will help when we look to upgrade.