Dutchment 1700BH Coleman 16FQ Kodiak 175BH
We have just gone to a Travel trailer an Aspen 1700BH from a pop up after 13 years. We have been looking for four years and it seemed her tastes just got longer with more slideouts, outside kitchens and $$$. Strange how that works. I even bought a truck with a larger unit in mind. Finally, I said, OK, what are our basic wants, I'm tired of this. We wanted two decent beds (I snore) with a dinette so we can just walk in, sit down and not make/unmake beds, shower and toilet, stove sink. I mean historically, we use our unit as a rolling motel room anyway with a nice fire at night and in the morning. AND this thing practically costs nothing comparatively speaking. I'm also handy.
So, I first saw a Jayco 174SX with the same floorplan that I liked but I wanted a larger bed in the bunkhouse and at 7 feet wide, those are really cramped. Then I stumbled on the Coleman 16FQ at 8 feet wide and that was it. Then realized that all the above models are the same other than the Kodiak having more bells whistles $$$ and and a black tank flush (I will miss that). My local dealer had the Aspen Trail 1700BH version available at a very good price comparatively.
You actually get a lot for the buck imho. I have lifted it for 200 bucks prior to delivery and just ordered a two step for the new height for 89 bucks and will add a battery for 100 bucks and will look at adding another small propane tank or moving to the larger tank. I noticed a dealer in Butte MT (I'm north of there) doing what I did to my trailer and basically adding 2K to the price with some nice "Rocky Mountain Edition" graphics. I can live without that and the extra bucks. Lifted, I can get to those MT Nat Forest places I want to get to. I definitely have the truck (Ram 1500 Outdoorsman). At 3200 lbs, this should be easy to tow. I went with a Fastway E2 hitch.
So, looking forward to posting here for another decade or so as we adapt to a hardside life. We retire here in a few years and may move to a larger unit. I was on Pop Up Explorer for 13 with the pop up and looking around here over the years.
So, I first saw a Jayco 174SX with the same floorplan that I liked but I wanted a larger bed in the bunkhouse and at 7 feet wide, those are really cramped. Then I stumbled on the Coleman 16FQ at 8 feet wide and that was it. Then realized that all the above models are the same other than the Kodiak having more bells whistles $$$ and and a black tank flush (I will miss that). My local dealer had the Aspen Trail 1700BH version available at a very good price comparatively.
You actually get a lot for the buck imho. I have lifted it for 200 bucks prior to delivery and just ordered a two step for the new height for 89 bucks and will add a battery for 100 bucks and will look at adding another small propane tank or moving to the larger tank. I noticed a dealer in Butte MT (I'm north of there) doing what I did to my trailer and basically adding 2K to the price with some nice "Rocky Mountain Edition" graphics. I can live without that and the extra bucks. Lifted, I can get to those MT Nat Forest places I want to get to. I definitely have the truck (Ram 1500 Outdoorsman). At 3200 lbs, this should be easy to tow. I went with a Fastway E2 hitch.
So, looking forward to posting here for another decade or so as we adapt to a hardside life. We retire here in a few years and may move to a larger unit. I was on Pop Up Explorer for 13 with the pop up and looking around here over the years.
