Forum Discussion

treegirl's avatar
treegirl
Explorer
May 14, 2018

Length of travel trailers

Hi, we are new to owning a trailer. We have GMC diesel 3/4 ton truck.

I want a trailer that is about 26 feet. Hubby says some places include hitch and tow bar to the length so my question is when I am looking to buy a trailer what size am I looking for?

Is a 29 ft really 26 after including them? Just confusing to me and I don't want to accidentally buy too small or too large for what can fit in National Parks, etc.

And there are so many different brands, what are the good ones for all weather? We are going to buy a few years old and have $20,000 to spend.

Any help appreciated, thanks!
  • J_R2's avatar
    J_R2
    Explorer
    May 14, 2018
    treegirl wrote:
    Thanks, I guess in Craigslist I could just ask as they don't give model numbers usually.
    You will need model numbers. They will give you approximate box size and BH will mean bunkhouse.
  • Lwiddis's avatar
    Lwiddis
    Explorer II
    May 14, 2018
    Twenty-six is more like thirty overall, or thirty-one, but as dark sky said, usually parks are interested in box length.

    Twenty thousand and all weather? No way, no how.
  • treegirl's avatar
    treegirl
    Explorer
    May 14, 2018
    We are retired in 60's kids grown and gone so we are relaxed about the whole thing!
  • treegirl's avatar
    treegirl
    Explorer
    May 14, 2018
    What i am looking for is a floor plan with bed on one side and bunks on the others. I am going to have my dog sleep in bottom and kitty on top! :) Dog is a very happy golden retriever and kitty is lay back rag doll.
  • treegirl's avatar
    treegirl
    Explorer
    May 14, 2018
    I can tell I am going to have to contact everyone I like since some are far away.
  • donn0128's avatar
    donn0128
    Explorer II
    May 14, 2018
    Forget about size. First look for floor plans your comfortable with. Then start paring down the size if you have to to fit within your size goal.
  • treegirl's avatar
    treegirl
    Explorer
    May 14, 2018
    Thanks, I guess in Craigslist I could just ask as they don't give model numbers usually.
  • ScottG's avatar
    ScottG
    Nomad
    May 14, 2018
    You can't go by the model number, it's pretty much meaningless.
    You'll want to look at each individual units actual length spec.
    I figured this out years ago when we were looking at "26" model trailers. Some were barely 26' and others were more than 32' long.
  • DarkSkySeeker's avatar
    DarkSkySeeker
    Explorer
    May 14, 2018
    To my knowledge, the length of the model number is the length of the "box". This excludes the tongue and front feature, if any.

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