RV Review: Flipping for a custom Keystone Montana

I often read comments from people who ask if, perhaps, modifying the look of their RVs would affect the value. Now, I don’t know anybody who has bought a house and left it the way the previous owners or even the developer made it. But RVs seem to be a different story. 

But if you ask Cortni Armstrong, modifying an RV is nothing but gold. In fact, she has made a career out of doing just this. You might know her as The Flipping Nomad. 

So, it was with great interest that we toured what is her actual home, a fifth wheel that started life as a Keystone Montana 3791RD. 

This is a rear living fifth wheel that features a “U” shaped frame with the middle portion being traditionally a kitchen and dining area. But ignore everything you may know about that rig—this one is totally different. 

Flipping Nomad 5er

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What’s inside this Montana

First of all, Cortni has completely restyled the kitchen and dining area and converted the dining area to an office space. The kitchen absolutely is breathtaking as you walk in. It just really seems like nothing you’d expect in an RV. 

While I’ve not been a fan of black cabinetry in some RVs, somehow Cortni makes it work really well here. The gold accent sink, knobs and fixtures are a plus. There’s also a pull-out counter that gives more prep space and also potentially a place to eat. Lastly, there’s a dishwasher, as well, mounted down low, sort of below the living room. 

Projection screen at the back

Up above in the living area, the materials and colors have been completely redone, as well. And there’s a large projection screen along the back of the rig. Separating the living area from the kitchen and office is a fireplace device that uses light projection and steam to create a fire effect. It’s pretty cool. Literally. But it can also add humidity to the rig. 

And there are two. 

The second of these is in the bathroom, which might be the most talked about room—even though the rest of the rig is quite a Wow. 

That bathroom features a clawfoot tub (darn, I should have asked Cortni how she got it in there!) and quite a showerhead. 

Boondocking in the Montana

If you want to see what can be done with boondocking, this might be the poster child rig for doing so. 

Up on the roof are 2,600 watts of solar panels feeding four of Battle Born Batteries’ Gamechanger batteries, each of which sports 270 amp-hours of lithium power storage. If you take off your shoes you can count up and figure that this rig has 1080 amp-hours of batteries. 

Cortni indicated that she can run the RV’s two air conditioners essentially all day with this setup. 

About that bar

Of course, with the RVtravel.com booth right across from her trailer, the thing that first caught my eye was the bar. It lives on a slide-out tray where the front storage bay would normally be found. In the bar is a custom kegerator built by Dometic using one of their 12-volt coolers. Forget Einstein and relativity. This is the kind of invention that stirs my soul!

But there’s also a six-bottle wine chiller, a pop-up television and, best of all, a Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Maker. Not just any model, but one with three blender carafes so you can keep folks happy and also make different styles of margaritas. 

In summary

I have to give the folks at Keystone credit for letting Cortni loose with their Montana. 

For those who don’t know, Cortni made her name by buying RVs and redecorating them and then finding customers for the rigs. This profession stemmed from her taking care of her father and being in such a tight spot that a used RV was her only option. 

But it didn’t take long before she loved the lifestyle. Now she is known for the quality of her reimagined rigs, so much so that Keystone supplied her with this one and said, “Make it pop.” She succeeded admirably. By the same token, she said she was a fan of Keystone Montana rigs, having taken a number of them apart to reconfigure. So the chance to work with the company was a welcome one. 

“They’ve got good bones.”

From someone who’s seen them, that says a lot. 

*****

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Tony comes to RVTravel having worked at an RV dealership and been a life long RV enthusiast. He also has written the syndicated Curbside column about cars. You can find his writing here and at StressLessCamping where he also has a podcast about the RV life with his wife. 

These RV reviews are written based on information provided by the manufacturers along with our writer’s own research. We receive no money or other financial benefits from these reviews. They are intended only as a brief overview of the vehicle, not a comprehensive critique, which would require a thorough inspection and/or test drive.

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