Touring Keystone RV Company

We recently toured the Keystone RV Company, where Keystone RVs are built. When we visited the Tampa RV show in January, we stopped to chat with Keystone at their booth and found out about it. We had heard of others touring factories, but never knew that was an option, so we added it on our travel wish list this year.

Keystone headquarters is in Goshen, Indiana, so on our way to the Air Force Marathon, we planned a stop. It was pretty easy to set up. They only do tours on certain days and times, and that is listed on their website, as is the number to call. For Keystone, you book the tour based on the line you want to see. Since we own an Arcadia, we toured that line.

We happen to be there when most everyone was at the Hershey RV Show, so were only able to catch up with some of the folks we had met online, but also met new faces. They met us at the customer service building and took us over to the factory.

Keystone, like many of the manufacturers, employ Amish workers with a reputation for their craftsmanship. Since they start early in the morning (4AM!), they finish just after lunchtime to go home and tend to their own land and homes. The tours are after their daily work so we aren’t in the way.

RVs are built on an assembly line, so they start with the frame and build up to the finishes, with work being done at stations. They are on a rolling platform, which allows them to slide it down the line to each station and keep the process moving.

We were happy to see the welded frames with excellent detail, and to find out that this has been their process for years, so frame flex isn’t a problem for Keystone RV owners–an issue other brands have been struggling with in recent months and years.

Seeing how each phase is completed, as well as the changes that were made on some elements that were a direct result of either customer feedback or ideas from their regular meetings on improvements. It was nice to know that our emails, posts and conversations are heard. We were also excited to get to walk through a fresh-off-the-line, new model that was rolling out at the Hershey RV show and see it before it was available to the public!

Our rep also took the time to walk through our RV and see some of the modifications we had made and our why, as well as see how things have held up from full time use after 16 months. We discussed some of the issues we’ve noticed after having ours for just over a year now and found out that some they were already improving on, others were good feedback for the representative to take to the next meeting.

We were also happy to find out that an issue we had was now known to be a manufacturer defect and we could put in a warranty repair for it–and were told that, should we have issues with our dealer, to contact them and they’d help us find another dealer that would help resolve it.

We also stopped by and met in person some of the folks that manage the Facebook group that we had come to know by name from calls and posts. For such a big company, it was incredible to see how close-knit and personable they are, and that they truly listen to customers.

It was certainly hard to resist ordering a new RV after seeing all the great things that they are doing, and how they are rebounding after the RV industry took such a dip in the post-COVID years. Quality is back on the rise and good things are sure to come!

Purchasing a new RV is full of excitement and challenge. So many elements to think of for our needs and wants, and, after walking through so many, they tend to blur together quickly. Different manufacturers can have similar layouts or features since they tend to use the same suppliers and parts companies.

What distinguishes one manufacturer from another is how they are built and their attention to detail. Some may have a great reputation from other owners, some may not. This is the part we sometimes forget to deep dive into until after we’ve made a huge financial investment.

At the time of this writing, many of the companies provide this as a free tour, but only offer them at certain times or days, so check ahead for scheduling on their website. This allows you to see how everything is built from the frame up, giving you a sense of their quality and focus, giving you peace of mind in what you are purchasing. We wish we had known this was an option before purchasing.

Most manufacturers are in one general area of the country. For example, Grand Design and Keystone, are mainly manufactured in Goshen or Elkhart, Indiana, Airstreams are manufactured in Jackson Center, Ohio, and there are a few others made in other locations, or may have additional locations elsewhere. Some, like Brinkley, even uses spaces at the other manufacturing sites, while they are growing into their own facilities. Since they almost all use Lippert parts, the plants are closer to the sources, too (Lippert is also located in Indiana).

Keep in mind, they don’t allow photos or videos on the line, so don’t plan on this being something you can share with others. But it can be a valuable piece of information if you are deciding between manufacturers or models within a company.