Keystone Hideout vs Jay Flight & Xplor
Three good travel trailers, three different feature lists, and one weekend to make up your mind. The Keystone Hideout, the Jayco Jay Flight, and the Grand Design Transcend Xplor all land in the same part of the market, and shoppers walk our lot comparing them side by side every week. We stock the Hideout here at Motor Sportsland, with 13 of them on the ground right now between our Millcreek and Spanish Fork stores, so here is how the Hideout's published features and numbers line up against what those two rivals publish.
Where the Keystone Hideout and Jayco Jay Flight line up
Start with the stuff you touch every day. The Hideout comes with hardwood cabinet doors, and so does the Jay Flight, so you get the same solid feel when you open a cupboard instead of a thin panel that loosens over a few seasons. Both also come with an on demand tankless water heater, which means hot water keeps coming instead of running out partway through the second shower. The Hideout uses a Girard unit as the standard.
Setup is where the Hideout's Power Package earns its keep. Tongue jack, stabilizer jacks, and awning are all part of it, so hitching, leveling, and getting shade happen at the push of a button rather than at the end of a crank handle. The Jay Flight page lists stabilizer jacks, a front tongue jack, and a power awning too, so you are covered either way on having those pieces at all.
Heat is one place the Hideout's published number is the bigger one. The Hideout carries a 30,000 BTU ducted furnace, which matters in October at Flaming Gorge when the overnight low drops into the twenties. The Jay Flight page lists a 19,000 BTU furnace in its Sport Edition package.
| Point | Keystone Hideout | Jayco Jay Flight |
|---|---|---|
| Cabinet doors | Hardwood cabinet doors | Solid hardwood cabinet doors |
| Water heater | Girard on demand tankless | On demand tankless water heater |
| Furnace | 30,000 BTU ducted | 19,000 BTU (Sport Edition package) |
| Entry grab handle | Extra large grab handle | Large folding grab handle |
| Fresh water | In stock units up to 82 gallons | Western built models at 76 or 80 gallons |
Inside the Hideout: headroom, kitchen, and bedroom storage
The ceiling measures 81 inches. If you are six feet tall, you are not ducking under the vent fan every time you cross the trailer, and the whole interior feels taller and less closed in. That height shows up most in the main living area, where the dinette and sofa space reads bigger than the floorplan length suggests.
In the kitchen, the overhead cabinetry comes with shelves in it, so your plates, cans, and coffee supplies stack on two levels instead of piling into one deep bin you have to dig through. There is a 10 cubic foot 12 volt refrigerator standard, and running on 12 volt means your food stays cold while you are rolling down I-15 without fussing with propane. The Transcend Xplor lists a 12 volt refrigerator standard as well, so that one is a wash between the two.
Keystone calls out improved bedroom storage in the Hideout, which is the difference between living out of a duffel bag on the foot of the bed and actually putting clothes away for the week. The Jay Flight also publishes under bed storage and wardrobe cubbies, so both brands have put thought into the same problem. Walk through both and see which layout fits the way your family packs.
Outside, the Hideout has an extra large entry door grab handle, which is the kind of small thing you appreciate at night or with wet shoes. The Jay Flight lists a large folding grab handle, so that one is a match too. The Hideout also includes dual exterior Bluetooth speakers, so your music plays at the picnic table instead of through a phone speaker. Lippert ladder prep means the trailer is ready for a ladder, and Lippert tire pressure monitoring system prep means it is ready for a tire pressure monitoring system. The roof is fully walkable, so you can get up there yourself to check seals and wash off the pine sap. Underfoot, Dynaspan floor decking comes with a 25 year warranty, which tells you how long the floor you are standing on is covered.
The 123BB we have on the lot also has an exterior pass through storage compartment, which is where the camp chairs, leveling blocks, and hoses live so they never come inside.
How the Hideout compares to the Grand Design Transcend Xplor on weight and water
Towing is usually the deciding factor for Utah buyers, especially anyone pulling with a half ton or an SUV over Parleys and Soldier Summit. Our in stock Hideouts start at 3,494 pounds dry, with hitch weights starting at 445 pounds. The Transcend Xplor product line publishes unloaded vehicle weights from 4,961 pounds and hitch weights from 480 pounds. That gives the Hideout a lighter entry point on both numbers, which widens the list of trucks and SUVs that can pull one comfortably and leaves more margin for gear, water, and passengers.
Water capacity is the other one worth checking. Hideouts in our inventory run up to 82 gallons of fresh water, while the Transcend Xplor specification table publishes fresh water figures topping out at 68 gallons. More fresh water means more days boondocking out by the San Rafael Swell before you need to go find a fill station. Black tanks in our in stock units run 30 to 34 gallons, and the range of floorplans we carry spans about 21 feet to 33 feet long, sleeping anywhere from 3 to 10 people.
See a Keystone Hideout in person in Millcreek or Spanish Fork
Specs get you to a short list, but five minutes inside tells you more than an hour of reading. We have 10 Hideouts at our Millcreek and Salt Lake City location and 3 more down in Spanish Fork, which means you can walk several floorplans in one stop and compare the bunk models against the couples layouts without driving across the valley twice. Bring your tow vehicle information and the number of people you camp with, and we will point you at the floorplans that actually fit. Come by either store and take a look.
Frequently asked questions
Which is lighter to tow, the Keystone Hideout or the Grand Design Transcend Xplor?
Based on published figures, the Hideout starts lighter. The Hideouts in our inventory begin at 3,494 pounds dry with a 445 pound hitch weight, while the Transcend Xplor line publishes unloaded vehicle weights starting at 4,961 pounds and hitch weights starting at 480 pounds. Heavier Hideout floorplans exist too, up to 6,700 pounds dry in our current stock, so match the specific floorplan to your tow rating rather than the brand as a whole.
Does the Keystone Hideout come with a tankless water heater like the Jay Flight does?
Yes. The Hideout includes a Girard on demand tankless water heater as a standard feature, and the Jay Flight publishes an on demand tankless water heater in its Customer Value Package. Either way you get hot water that keeps coming rather than a tank that empties out mid shower, so this one is not a tiebreaker between the two.
How many Keystone Hideouts can I see in Utah right now?
We have 13 in stock across our two stores, 10 at the Millcreek and Salt Lake City location and 3 in Spanish Fork. That inventory covers lengths from about 21 feet to roughly 33 feet and sleeping capacities from 3 to 10, so there is a good chance we have something close to what you have been looking at online. Call ahead if you want a specific floorplan pulled up front and opened for you.
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