First travel trailer, what should I buy?
We are a family of four, two adults, two small kids. We need a trailer that can sleep us all comfortably. I do not have a tow vehicle yet, that would come after we find a TT. I am in search of ...
Forum Discussion
Northwood Mfg, arctic fox, nash, snow river, etc
People always have good things to say about the brands made by Northwood Mfg. They are reported to be a step up in quality.
I have two young kids as well. I also purchased a tow vehicle after selecting the trailer. We opted for a bunkhouse 5th wheel last year (first rv). The challenge with bunkhouses is that they tend to put you into longer RVs in some cases.
If I were doing it again, I would look hard at the Northwood brands. We didn't have a dealer in the area, so I didn't consider them an option. But, it turns out they frequently will do warranty work with repair shops that don't sell their trailers.
When I was looking around and reading forums, a lot of people said once you get to 30' then you might as well go to a 5th wheel. But, the trouble is that while you can get bunkhouses in a TT at about 30', you don't have many options for bunkhouses in a 5th wheel until about 35'+ (I did see one at 33' but the bunks were tiny). So, the move to a 5th wheel also bumped the length up. In 2014, there were more bunkhouse choices in TTs. That was frustrating to me -- a few manufacturers don't even offer bunkhouses in 5th wheels.
I think for me the hardest questions to answer were the ones that would be personal preferences and since I had no experience I wasn't sure what my preference would be.
Things to wonder about:
1. Does it bother you to turn your dinner area into a bed every night and put it back in the morning?
2. Do you/your wife want a bed area that closes off?
3. Do you think you want an outside kitchen?
4. As another poster mentioned, which camp grounds are you going to camp in? Your state parks or national parks will have smaller sites. I'm at 35' just for my trailer and some of the parks I've looked at only have a few spots for me to fit in.
5. How long will your typical trip be? Do you need more room for longer trips?
People always have good things to say about the brands made by Northwood Mfg. They are reported to be a step up in quality.
I have two young kids as well. I also purchased a tow vehicle after selecting the trailer. We opted for a bunkhouse 5th wheel last year (first rv). The challenge with bunkhouses is that they tend to put you into longer RVs in some cases.
If I were doing it again, I would look hard at the Northwood brands. We didn't have a dealer in the area, so I didn't consider them an option. But, it turns out they frequently will do warranty work with repair shops that don't sell their trailers.
When I was looking around and reading forums, a lot of people said once you get to 30' then you might as well go to a 5th wheel. But, the trouble is that while you can get bunkhouses in a TT at about 30', you don't have many options for bunkhouses in a 5th wheel until about 35'+ (I did see one at 33' but the bunks were tiny). So, the move to a 5th wheel also bumped the length up. In 2014, there were more bunkhouse choices in TTs. That was frustrating to me -- a few manufacturers don't even offer bunkhouses in 5th wheels.
I think for me the hardest questions to answer were the ones that would be personal preferences and since I had no experience I wasn't sure what my preference would be.
Things to wonder about:
1. Does it bother you to turn your dinner area into a bed every night and put it back in the morning?
2. Do you/your wife want a bed area that closes off?
3. Do you think you want an outside kitchen?
4. As another poster mentioned, which camp grounds are you going to camp in? Your state parks or national parks will have smaller sites. I'm at 35' just for my trailer and some of the parks I've looked at only have a few spots for me to fit in.
5. How long will your typical trip be? Do you need more room for longer trips?
