newbie who would appreciate some advice

Hello to everyone,

first timer getting ready to buy a camper.

Have done lots of research, won't bore you with the details but let me give you the short short version...

Would like to get a camper for family time with wife, three little kids, and the greatest dog to every pee on a shrub. Primarily weekend escapes to nature across Utah, Idaho, Wyoming area. Would plan for some longer trips but not the primary intent.

The image originally in my head was the 1960's era "breadloaf" camper that I grew up with. Months of talking to friends with campers and many helpful forum members across the web have led me to change my vision....

I am now looking at a toy hauler fifth wheel. Primarily becuase everyone I talked to ended up moving up from smaller campers to larger ones and ended up with what I'm considering now. The toy hauler is becuase we will want to get toys later, but for now it's a separate, child proof, area that will keep my wife sane (and seems to be a better and more flexible option than a bunkhouse).
In preparation I've already purchased a 2011 2500 duramax and an Andersen Ultimate fifth Wheel Hitch.

SOOOOOO,
I am still really concerned about the size of the potential camper because of both pulling it around and the limits it will impose on where we can go with it. I would like to ask the forum members for advice and thoughts around this.

I've pretty much decided on going with one of two models (Though, would be very willing to look at others if someone had a suggestion that fit in the same price bracket);

(Forest River) Palomino Puma Unleashed 351THSS (aluminum siding, only 12 feet tall, 37 feet long, great reliability and build quality reviews)

(Heartland)Torque TQ325SS (fiberglass siding, 13'3" tall, 38'7" long, have heard good things about it, seems to be reliable and good quality)

My wife and I don't need anything super luxurious and were originally attracted to the PUMA because it is priced really well for what you get and had such good reviews from owners. It also has the old school U-shaped couch around a dinette that we really like.
After pricing it out with a generator and adding the Happijack opposing couches elevator bed option, it started to be not such a fantastic discount from other brands and models however.

That's how we ended up looking at the Torque. For about 6 to 7K more than the PUma, we could get the Torque, which seems to be a much nicer camper. It seems to have a nicer interior, includes two extra slides, and even has a second bathroom.

So this is where my questions come in.

Any recommendations between the two models?

I'm really concerned about size. Id love to go smaller if possible. Should the extra foot and a half of the Torque concern me? what about the extra height? at a foot and a falf taller, will this be much more inconvenient than the PUma?

How much extra pin weight should I plan on when I load the camper up? if I load it evenly front to back, will it affect pin weight at all?

Also,
Any thoughts on new vs used would be appreciated. I have so far been committed to buying new as I want something fairly new anyway and don't want to inherit someones camper that has serious problems.

thanks for any help. I'm sure I'll have more questions in the future.

Best Regards,

Toy Haulers

Muddydogs
Explorer
Apr 19, 2015
Where are you camping, camp grounds or in the national forest. My 30 foot bumper pull toy hauler can be a lot on the gravel roads and dispersed camp sites. I never leave home without the chainsaw in case I get a little carried away and need to make some room to get my trailer out of a tight spot. If you are new to trailer towing 40' can be a lot.
darsben
Explorer II
Apr 19, 2015
Man you are going all in. DO you usually keep things a long time or do you change direction often?
Soon (in relative terms) those three little ones will be teens and most likely will hate the thought of camping.

LOTS of new campers get sold to just sit and not be used.
Only you know your financial position this purchase may be chump change to you or it could be a real financial drain
Arch_Stanton
Explorer
Apr 19, 2015
You've been given some good advice already, let me add to it a bit.
If you can find a used rig that meets your needs you can potential save a big chunk of money. If you are not well-versed in RV's and want to look at used ones take someone who IS well versed with you when you go looking, even if you have to pay a tech to go with you.
It'll be money well spent.
What are you planning to haul? ATV's, a side-by-side? You need to know that whatever you want to haul will fit, and think about what you might haul down the road...will that fit?. Is there a chance of others going with you? Will you need space for other people and their stuff, or will it always just be you and the wife?
Personally, I am not a Forest rive fan, but that is just me, many people are happy with them. Of the two you listed I'd go with the Road Warrior.
Best of luck, toyhaulers are a lot of fun and make for good times out in the boonies...
Tlauden
Explorer
Apr 19, 2015
Can't speak directly for your area but around here you would never get a 40ft trailer into state owned campgrounds...
1L243
Explorer II
Apr 19, 2015
The Torque TQ325SS seems pretty luxurious to me. Nice rig. I think you truck will be at it's max towing capacity, but chances are you won't be towing at max capacity....

At 38 feet you can pretty much rule out most state parks. The older state parks can be a real challenge for larger rigs. State parks are more in the 30' range..

The problem with a 30 foot toy hauler is does not leave you much room especially if you have an enclosed garage and that dedicated kid area.

I think the features you are looking at with 3 kids are good ones. The way kids can go through cloths you might include washer and dryer ready for those extended trips

Used vs new? If you can afford new go new.. You get a warranty and your not getting an unknown factor thrown into the mix.

Bottom line is pick the rig you think will work best for your family. The kids will think it's fun if you think it's fun. Besides as long as the Dogs happy who cares!

Adding if you are thinking of a Bumper Pull check out the Amped 32GS. I was pretty impressed with the floorplan and looks.. It's a bumper pull but seems more like a Fiver floorplan..
Bedlam
Moderator
Apr 19, 2015
It's hard to find quality fifth wheel toy haulers that are light enough for your 3/4t. The pin weight plus family will usually go over your stock ratings. Consider selecting a bumper pull or plan to spend some money upgrading your truck so it can handle heavy pin weights.
jlud
Explorer
Apr 20, 2015
Dusty,

I was in a very similar situation, wanting the flexibility of the TH over the standard bunkhouse model. Plus you get the larger water tanks and generator for dry camping, which honestly sounds a lot more fun to get away a bit.

Weight was a big factor for pin, diesel eats a lot of that up and payload probably just over 2k to maintain the 10k GVWR. You can up that a bit factoring tire and axle weight ratings, but technically you can still be over very easy so its your comfort level with liability.

We had ordered an XLR 300x12 I think it was for the lower pin weight around 1950 published but had to cancel last year due to wife's injury. We then got a dog, which required a topper on my truck to drive said dog around. I got sick of dog (actually wifes complaining about dog she had to have) and got rid of it, but kept the topper.

Since we had a topper we went with a travel trailer toy hauler, Keystone Carbon 33. It gets you up to 13k total, believe dry weight around 9 so you get 4k worth of cargo in it, ceiling height is pretty high as well with 12.5 exterior height.

Price for the TT with a lot of options including Onan 4k generator was probably quite a bit less than Puma you specced out and I have been pleasantly surprised so far. Just an option that might work for you, easy to control and not near overweight, most of amenities at a smaller cost.
1L243
Explorer II
Apr 20, 2015
jlud wrote:
Dusty,

I was in a very similar situation, wanting the flexibility of the TH over the standard bunkhouse model. Plus you get the larger water tanks and generator for dry camping, which honestly sounds a lot more fun to get away a bit.

Weight was a big factor for pin, diesel eats a lot of that up and payload probably just over 2k to maintain the 10k GVWR. You can up that a bit factoring tire and axle weight ratings, but technically you can still be over very easy so its your comfort level with liability.

We had ordered an XLR 300x12 I think it was for the lower pin weight around 1950 published but had to cancel last year due to wife's injury. We then got a dog, which required a topper on my truck to drive said dog around. I got sick of dog (actually wifes complaining about dog she had to have) and got rid of it, but kept the topper.

Since we had a topper we went with a travel trailer toy hauler, Keystone Carbon 33. It gets you up to 13k total, believe dry weight around 9 so you get 4k worth of cargo in it, ceiling height is pretty high as well with 12.5 exterior height.

Price for the TT with a lot of options including Onan 4k generator was probably quite a bit less than Puma you specced out and I have been pleasantly surprised so far. Just an option that might work for you, easy to control and not near overweight, most of amenities at a smaller cost.

Hmmm... Wife complains that I am lazy, dog does not, Dog sits on my lap wife does not, Dog licks my face, wife does not, Dog is happy to see me come home wife is not. Dog wags tail wife does not, Wife? Dog? Wife? Dog? Keep Topper and Dog LOL!
dustycoyote
Explorer
Apr 21, 2015
Thanks to everyone for the help.

Anyone else who can suggest other models or give me an idea of whether the extra height will make much of a difference?

Also,

Should I have concerns about fiberglass over aluminum. The fiberglass looks nice but aluminum won't delaminate Fiberglass also tends to discolor in the sun. Are these issues still present in mofern RV's? How common are they?

For the member who was talking about PIN weight. I'm also very concerned about that. The PUMA is pretty light at 1500 lbs dry. The Torque is about 500 lbs heavvier and will pretty much max out my payload capacity. Towing capacity is great either way.

How much will my pin weight go up assuming a mostly full RV (say 3K lbs) but with the weight distributed well across the axles?
dustycoyote
Explorer
Apr 21, 2015
forgot to mention,

We're not really considering bumper pulls. With how big this thing is going to be, I want it as manageable as possible when towing. Don't want any bad experiences for the wife while towing.