16-18' Travel Trailer for 4 - WHO Has the BEST Floorplan

a convection/microwave will do what a standard gas oven will do.
bumpy

I've looked at small trailers a lot over the past few years. I used to have a Shasta Friendship 18-1/2, before I got my clipperr, and so I learned some of what I wanted/needed in a small trailer.

First, many of the smaller trailers have a set up where the couch and dinette are L shaped with the couch running straight off one of the dinette seats. This is very awkward. First, if one person wants to recline on the couch, it makes that side of the dinette basically unusable (or the other person has to climb over the recliner to get in and out). As it's more likely that the people sitting at the dinette will be getting up and down more often than the person on the couch, it's just not a good plan. Second, if you want to leave the couch set up as a bed, it blocks the dinette from being used. Look for a floorplan where the couch and dinette are separated. That eliminates MANY of the choices out there.

The next area is table/counter top space. This is where most small trailers really fail. You want a place to set things down - flashlight, wallet, dog leash, alarm clock, glasses, etc. Most small trailers have only the dinette table and the cooktop/sink for counter space. That means every time you want to eat a meal or turn the dinette into a bed, you have to put away everything in a drawer/cupboard. Look for a floorplan that has a countertop separate from the cooking area and dinette - preferably by the main bed or the door. That will give you a spot to put things that you will use all the time and want out and available. It doesn't have to be a huge space, just a nice square to fit the basics.

For beds, having the option to leave your main bed down is really nice. That means not having the main bed be the dinette. However, at the same time, if you will have visitors, you don't necessarily want the bed to be the center of attention. For me, that means having the main bed convert from a 2nd dinette or a couch rather than be dedicated or convert from the main dinette, and preferably away from the door (really hate the floorplans where you walk in and see the bed).

I didn't have an oven in my trailer, but I do in my clipper. I agree with the above poster that the oven is a major must have. It is so nice being able to bake cookies on a cold night, or make a pizza, etc. I wouldn't do without an oven again.

Looking at the Rockwood 1905, that's nice. The first concern I would have is that the murphy bed mattress does not look very comfortable. Those straps are really putting stress on the pillows and the base of the mattress and that would scare me that after a month or so, the pillows and mattress will have permanent indentations. The second concern is that when the murphy bed is down, you can't get out of the trailer (or get to the bathroom) without crawling over each other. That could get awkward. The TV is useless for a family of 4 as it can only be seen from the couch (if you don't care about a TV, that may not be a dealbreaker).

Looking at the TrailManor 2417KB, I'm not fond of popups and this has the same issue - you have to take extra effort to put things in appropriate places before you can drive away. For others, that's not a big deal. So, with that, my other issues are no counter top space other than the dinette table or the cooking area; having to climb over the dinette to get to a bed (meaning the person(s) sleeping in that bed have to be the last ones to bed every night) or will have others playing games, etc., right next to them.

For a family of 4, I am really fond of the hybrids. You can find a nice hybrid with 3 queen size foldouts that has a nice usable inside.

GWolfe wrote:
In your title you said 16' - 18' TT, don't know of many that have three axles.

I was giving you my opinion on things to think about in a trailer of that size since I have spent real time in a 16 footer.

I don't think I mentioned a specific trailer.

Good luck in your search.

Thanks I value your thoughts - and the Windows and Glass along with the Comfortable seats are added to my "needs"

Thanks,

In your title you said 16' - 18' TT, don't know of many that have three axles.

I was giving you my opinion on things to think about in a trailer of that size since I have spent real time in a 16 footer.

I don't think I mentioned a specific trailer.

Good luck in your search.

We just purchased an Aspen Trail 1900RB. It has a floor plan that suits us and seems to fit the parameters you described. It comes with dual axles and can handle a payload of 3800 lbs.. Here is the url...
http://www.dutchmen.com/aspen-trail/floorplans-and-pictures
Hope it helps..
Good luck

GWolfe wrote:
A lot of the single axle trailers have very little cargo carrying capacity so be aware of that. With four people it would be easy to overload, I looked at one last year that only had a couple hundred pounds after the battery, propane, and water were filled.

That brings up another point, tank size. Most of the smaller trailers have small tanks which could be a problem if you plan to boondock for more than a couple days, especially for four people.

Having a plan for having four people in the trailer for an extended time if the weather is bad is a good idea. Mine has a decent size dinette dinette we can sit at and play games though the cushions could be a little more comfortable. Windows help to make a small trailer feel bigger.

Sorry - looking more at the layout not the actual trailer - it could be a three axles, the point is what works best.

Need room to sit in the water closet.

Need to be able to walk around the bed.

Need a place to sit, and the SEAT's need to be comfortable - And watch TV - work on computer.

Need to be able to prepare a meal, if inside.

Need a real shower.

Do I really need a big closet?

Windows - more light the better.

Good Heat and A/C.

Having a gas stove with an Oven and a Micro/vent is good. But might eliminate the oven for convection Micro and possibly a 24" F&P dishwasher? JAT

Trying to keep the space really close to 144 sq ft. Sort of the size a a big apartment in Manhattan. (LOL)

Keep the info coming,

A lot of the single axle trailers have very little cargo carrying capacity so be aware of that. With four people it would be easy to overload, I looked at one last year that only had a couple hundred pounds after the battery, propane, and water were filled.

That brings up another point, tank size. Most of the smaller trailers have small tanks which could be a problem if you plan to boondock for more than a couple days, especially for four people.

Having a plan for having four people in the trailer for an extended time if the weather is bad is a good idea. Mine has a decent size dinette dinette we can sit at and play games though the cushions could be a little more comfortable. Windows help to make a small trailer feel bigger.

We had a small Dutchman for a year. That was enough. Bed was crossways against the front wall. Very hard for the person on the inside to get in and out. Small dinette was worthless. Eliminated benches but kept table. We then used 2 folding chairs that we could move to watch tv. Bath was just too small. Barely fit in shower. Sitting on pot meant you had to leave the door open. Sometimes they can be just too darn small. Get a bed you can access from either side. The bath across the rear would work and no dinette just a small sofa that has a removable table in front...You can find this in a 20 foot size from several mfgs.

B.O.

We had an 18 foot Dutchmen. I can tell you want we DID not like about it after a year of ownership!

We did not like the corner bed at all. It only had one bed, but it was a corner, and climbing over each other to get in and out was horrible after a while. Because it was a corner bed, we had to be a contortionist to get in an out. And making the bed was a horrible exercise in futility. It literally had 4 walls with just a small space to get in-out. We had to crawl on the mattress to put on the blankets and sheets at the head. After a while, we REALLY hated this configuration.

The second thing we absolutely hated after a year, was the jack-knife sofa across the front of the trailer. Many things were VERY wrong with this set-up:

First, the jack knife sofa to begin with. When in the down position for a bed, that crack in the middle was horrible! We never solved that problem.

Second, it was too narrow for 2 adults ... absolutely awful.

Third, the pass through for the outside was under it. It seemed to always leak air. Not so bad in the summer, but we liked camping in the winter too, and that couch was just plane COLD!

Forth, it was across the front of the camper. The front of the camper was curved inward. When sitting on the couch, we could not sit straight up. Our heads always hit the wall, curving over our heads. It was the most useless item in the camper. Here again, it took year for us to come to terms with this reality, to accept it.

Next, was the bathroom. It had no heat duct. In cold weather, it was a horrible cold room. In the summer, it was a horribly HOT room. I added a household bathroom electric fan-vent to help pump air into that room when the door was shut. This helped tremendously. Leave the door open was not an option, because with the door open, there was no way to get into the main corner bed.

Next, it had no oven, just a stove top. With smaller campers, there's always a sacrifice. It wasn't until AFTER we purchased the camper we realized there was no oven. We just never caught that in all the excitement of purchasing. We saw all the glitter and missed the glue!

And last, and this is JUST the nature of a smaller trailer, backing up was always a challenge. We towed with a Suburban. I do believe the Suburban was longer than the trailer, making backing up a real challenge. I really didn't realize how horrible backing a smaller trailer was, until we got our next one, which was 31 feet long, and what a difference ... never had problems at all backing that 31 foot trailer, nothing like the 18 foot.

On the positive side, we enjoyed it for 2 years. And it did teach was what we did not like, more than what we did like. We had the 2nd trailer 8 years.

By the way, the size of the bathroom is not really all that important. But.... what is IMPORTANT for a man, is the ability to sit on the "throne" and spread his knees!

That was the problem with trailer #1 and trailer #2. No knee room when sitting. (Guys, you know what I'm talking about).....

So our 3rd trailer, I wanted a "royal throne" that had unlimited knee space. I got it. The "throne" is at an angle, NOT stuck between a sink and a wall or a door.

Unfortunately, in smaller trailers, these are the things you're going to most have to deal with. But these are the things that bugged us the most with our 18 foot Dutchmen.

(See my profile on the left for a photo of this camper).

Busskipper wrote:
OK looked at a few how is this?

Any problems?

Seems to handle everything - what am I missing?

Thanks,

looks good to me.
bumpy