Hi-
We bought a new 2011 Cruiser 325CK Patriot about a year ago. We haven't camped in it a lot yet, maybe a dozen days, but we really like it.
We looked for about 3 years at RV shows and dealers, gathering a little more knowledge with each show or dealer visit in terms of what we wanted in the unit, the layout, manufacturer reputations, etc.
We really wanted a center kitchen with a pretty good run of countertop, because we plan to spend a good share of our winters in it, beginning in another year or two (we live in Minnesota and plan to escape the snow and cold for several weeks each winter), and we want to be able to cook in a fully functional kitchen. We also liked the layout of the living room (ours has a desk in the entertainment center, while some have a fireplace -- our dog's kennel fits under it perfectly).
If I had some improvements I'd have suggested to the unit, they would have included something other than a plastic sink in the bathroom and something other than plastic faucets in both kitchen and bathroom. I envision swapping those out in the not-too-distant future. Also, I'd have liked a real door on the bedroom, rather than the accordion-type folding door on there now, but, since it usually will be just my wife and I and the dog, that wouldn't ever have been a deal-killer. And I wish there was a good, easy, sure-fire safe way to attach a bike rack to the rig, but I can live without that.
Other than those things, though, this rig pretty well fits the bill for us. It tows easily behind our truck (a 2011 Ram 2500 diesel). We spent a week in the middle of this past summer in Illinois, which generally gets pretty stinking warm and humid in mid-summer. The A/C did a great job keeping the summer heat out. We have the one 15k BTU A/C. The rig weighs just under 10,000 pounds without water, propane and such. The couch and chairs are comfortable to sit in. The carpet and linoleum seem of fairly decent quality.
Ours came with a 2-year warranty, but I understand Crossroads has cut warranties on 2012 and newer units to a year.
We replaced the queen mattress in our rig with a Sleep Number mattress, which is not really a knock on the OEM mattress. We planned to make that switch no matter what trailer we had purchased. And we didn't toss out the OEM mattress. It's in our guest bedroom at home and it seems like company that uses it is comfortable. We slept on the OEM mattress for several nights, and it was quite comfortable, but we really wanted to splurge on the sleeping arrangements.
Hope that helps. If I can offer any more help, just holler.
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Dennis and Kate
and Aggie the Gordon setter
Twin Cities
2011 Cruiser Patriot 325CK
2011 Ram 2500 diesel
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