Toy Hauler with Kids

my TH doesn't have a sep garage but I envison it's a great place to take off muddy boots and keep a wet dog ( assuming the garage has its own door.. just another advantage

Txsurfer wrote:
my TH doesn't have a sep garage but I envison it's a great place to take off muddy boots and keep a wet dog ( assuming the garage has its own door.. just another advantage

The garage is a great mud room. We also keep the dogs' water and food in there.

The kids get bigger and bigger and we kept changing RV's to accommodate that. Then they start bringing friends. We are very happy with the toy hauler and would do it again in a minute. The garage and drop down bunks are the best. Place for the toys and two kids to sleep with a quick flip of a switch.

We don't have kids, but bought our new 5th wheel hauler with one in mind. I envision being able to set up a pack and play back there, and, then as hypothetical kid gets bigger, they can sleep on the drop down bed, or even just set up a camping cot. However, we do have 3 dogs, and often camp without bringing our RZR, so the garage area is great for the dogs, along with the back patio... they can be outside without having to be tied up or in a pen. We also keep their food/water back there, and when we bring all 3, they all sleep back there. We use a leaf blower to just clean it all out when we get home. We also like all the extra storage space with/without the RZR back there... we can bring a lot of extra stuff like cornhole boards, plenty of coolers, water inflatables, whatever really we would want to bring. Just make sure your truck is big enough since they get pretty heavy.

Thanks for the replies. We went and looked at a Road Warrior 427 and absolutely loved it. But at this time we are going to keep the camper we have and save some more money for a better down payment. Buying that thing was like having another mortgage. But i do see a toy hauler over the bunk house in future

mattmountz94 wrote:
Thanks for the replies. We went and looked at a Road Warrior 427 and absolutely loved it. But at this time we are going to keep the camper we have and save some more money for a better down payment. Buying that thing was like having another mortgage. But i do see a toy hauler over the bunk house in future

Thats the big problem. A bunk house is going to be so much cheaper and do the same thing especially since you don't have any toys. A bunk house is also not going to require a 1 ton dually.

mattmountz94 wrote:
Thanks for the replies. We went and looked at a Road Warrior 427 and absolutely loved it. But at this time we are going to keep the camper we have and save some more money for a better down payment. Buying that thing was like having another mortgage. But i do see a toy hauler over the bunk house in future

If price is the factor, shop around. Look on RV trader and you'll see what the actual price is, not some MSRP with a 5% discount. Right now there's a used one for 65k you can probably get much cheaper than that and many new ones under 80k. Look around and I'm sure you can find better deals.

2001400ex wrote:

mattmountz94 wrote:
Thanks for the replies. We went and looked at a Road Warrior 427 and absolutely loved it. But at this time we are going to keep the camper we have and save some more money for a better down payment. Buying that thing was like having another mortgage. But i do see a toy hauler over the bunk house in future

If price is the factor, shop around. Look on RV trader and you'll see what the actual price is, not some MSRP with a 5% discount. Right now there's a used one for 65k you can probably get much cheaper than that and many new ones under 80k. Look around and I'm sure you can find better deals.

Yea I told them I thought the price was high. The MSRP was 115,000 and they were selling it for 91650.. I told them that and they said they gave me more money on the trade in side... 28,000 for my 2013 365saq. So who knows

mattmountz94 wrote:

2001400ex wrote:

mattmountz94 wrote:
Thanks for the replies. We went and looked at a Road Warrior 427 and absolutely loved it. But at this time we are going to keep the camper we have and save some more money for a better down payment. Buying that thing was like having another mortgage. But i do see a toy hauler over the bunk house in future

If price is the factor, shop around. Look on RV trader and you'll see what the actual price is, not some MSRP with a 5% discount. Right now there's a used one for 65k you can probably get much cheaper than that and many new ones under 80k. Look around and I'm sure you can find better deals.

Yea I told them I thought the price was high. The MSRP was 115,000 and they were selling it for 91650.. I told them that and they said they gave me more money on the trade in side... 28,000 for my 2013 365saq. So who knows

Lol yeah no. They are on RV trader, 2013 for 30k to 45k. One dealer offered 10,500 for my Shockwave 21, I laughed. He said "wholesale is 8,200" I'm like, this isn't a trashed wholesale unit. If you find one for 8,200, I'll pay you 10k for it." Yes I ignored that offer and sold it on my own. Listed it on a Saturday for 19k and sold it the following Friday for 18k.

Like you, I was torn on whether to upgrade. Mine the bugs are worked out and right now toy haulers have so many bugs (my dealer even knew about a water leak and lied to me about it). So the way I work, I listed it and figured if I could sell it for what I want, I'd upgrade. If not then I was fine with my current one. I only do this when it makes financial sense. I was over 4k under the local dealers lowest "I talked to the owner" deal and I got 7,500 more for my old one. That $11k plus goes a long way.

I have a big bunkhouse and sometimes wonder should I have went the toyhauler route. There are times I wish I could take a golf cart or some other toy with me.
As my bunkhouse years are winding down I have no regrets choosing the bunkhouse over the toy hauler.
The bunkhouse has living quarters already set up. The kids have dressers and dedicated storage space for all their stuff. A toyhauler has lots of open space but it is always in flux and needs to be converted in some way. The versatility of the tow hauler is nice, however dedicated living quarters keeps it simple and reduces set up.
As the years go by I have come to despise set up and break down more and more. I have developed a less is more mentality.
The less time I spend setting up, the more time I have to relax.
Toyhaulers will always require more setup and break down.
Being able to bring a golf cart would be fun, but for the few places we go that allow them renting is a more economical option in the long run.
We camp from march to December. It can be quite cold at the beginning and end of the season. The bunkhouse is much easier to heat than a wide open toy hauler.
Lastly the OP mentions price, a loaded toy hauler is 20-30K more than a similar sized bunkhouse. If you are not buying it to haul toys that price difference quickly becomes a deal breaker.
My kids are starting to go off to college in a few years. I will be an empty nester, my next rig will be some sort of rear lounge floorplan and will not have bunks. I am realizing that camping with kids while very enjoyable does not go on forever. It was just a phase.
As I contemplate my post bunkhouse days I have no regrets going the bunkhouse route vs. having a toyhauler. Buying a humongous rig just for the kid space is a bit too much.
Now if you own lots of toys, or haul special cargo of some sort the toyhauler is the way to go. But if you are simply dealing with kids and all their junk my vote is the bunk house.