Large family problem (we are 8)
Hello everyone! What would the options be for a family of 8? I am currently considering the vehicle. The Ford Expedition tows 9,200 lbs with the tow package and we also like the Nissan NV Passenger...
Forum Discussion
Chevy Express 3500 passenger van is another tow vehicle option. To sleep eight, yes there are options, even in relatively light trailers, if the children can double up in beds and you don't mind using convertible spaces for sleeping. Comfortable living space for that many could require more trailer than you might be able to tow, all depending on your own needs and living space expectations.
FWIW, our family of ten made a three week trip with a 16-foot trailer under 5000 pounds (might be called 18-19 foot today). This one had an overhang bunk over the tongue, to hold a double bed, a twin-size bed converted from a front dinette, a rear gaucho converting to a queen width, seven foot long bed, and two pipe punks over the gaucho. Mom and dad in the overhead; 80-something grandparents in the dinette (in their younger days, a twin slept two people). Two teen boys in the pipe bunks, teen girl, six year old boy, three year old girl in the gaucho, 11 year old boy on either the gaucho or the floor. We opened up some space sometimes by putting a couple of the boys in the back of the station wagon. We didn't eat or recreate in the RV, all that was outside, trailer was for sleeping.
This was not a house-like RV, more 50s: stove-top, hand-pump sink, small fridge and space heater, closet with pit toilet. More facilities today need more space and weight.
You have to figure out what works for you, what experience you seek. Maybe a surprise, the most living and sleeping space for many people is often found in fold-out or pop-up tent campers, which even in their largest sizes, are pretty easy to tow. But if you want a full-scale house on wheels for eight people, towable by SUV, it will likely be lightweight construction, and you'll probably have to do a lot of shopping to find just what works for you. It took us 16 months shopping 2004-05 to find a "house for six" solution, and it turned out to be most economical as a motorhome, when compared to cost of a big enough TT and an adequate tow vehicle.
FWIW, our family of ten made a three week trip with a 16-foot trailer under 5000 pounds (might be called 18-19 foot today). This one had an overhang bunk over the tongue, to hold a double bed, a twin-size bed converted from a front dinette, a rear gaucho converting to a queen width, seven foot long bed, and two pipe punks over the gaucho. Mom and dad in the overhead; 80-something grandparents in the dinette (in their younger days, a twin slept two people). Two teen boys in the pipe bunks, teen girl, six year old boy, three year old girl in the gaucho, 11 year old boy on either the gaucho or the floor. We opened up some space sometimes by putting a couple of the boys in the back of the station wagon. We didn't eat or recreate in the RV, all that was outside, trailer was for sleeping.
This was not a house-like RV, more 50s: stove-top, hand-pump sink, small fridge and space heater, closet with pit toilet. More facilities today need more space and weight.
You have to figure out what works for you, what experience you seek. Maybe a surprise, the most living and sleeping space for many people is often found in fold-out or pop-up tent campers, which even in their largest sizes, are pretty easy to tow. But if you want a full-scale house on wheels for eight people, towable by SUV, it will likely be lightweight construction, and you'll probably have to do a lot of shopping to find just what works for you. It took us 16 months shopping 2004-05 to find a "house for six" solution, and it turned out to be most economical as a motorhome, when compared to cost of a big enough TT and an adequate tow vehicle.
