Husband and I are looking for a travel trailer under 20' (need one 2 person bed + a bathroom and kitchenette?). Need suggestions on good brands that are built well and don't need a lot of maintenance. All opinions/suggestions welcome.Thank you!

check out the AScend line.bumpy

With our sons no longer camping with us we downsized from a triple bunk / queen bed travel trailer to a much shorter, lighter Coachmen Freedom Express 192RBS couple's trailer. This will be our third season with it, no particular issues with it that I couldn't resolve myself, an easy tow behind our 1/2 ton Avalanche, short enough to park on our driveway here at the house during the season, and can easily be parked on pretty well any campsite. I struggled over having a trailer with a slide as we've never owned one before but so far I've had no issues with it and although it's a shallow 18" sofa slide it really does open up the floor space. In this size of trailer you'd most likely have to choose between a dinette OR a sofa ... we much prefer the latter as we almost always eat outside around the campfire and any dinette versions we looked at had a huge U shaped model that would seat 4 to 6 people, which made no sense to us in a camper designed for an adult couple. Click on the link below for pics. :)

That's an excellent point on how to choose dinette or sofa. I'm looking at smaller Class C's, not TTs, but in our PUP, we rarely ever eat at the dinette. Sure, it's a pain to assemble but mostly we like to eat outside unless it's raining.

No matter what brand you purchase, you will need to do maintenance. If you purchase "used" you can expect more. There are certain maintenance items that must be attended to, regardless of what type or brand of RV you get. Tires, roof inspection constantly, wheels, tires, bearing, washing, waxing, cleaning the awning, roof, and fixing issues immediately when they develop. If you are "plug and play" camper ... meaning you just plug in your camper and play, and that's it, nothing more ... your camper will be junk in a year. They ALL take constant attention, new, used, pop-up all the way to multi million dollar motor homes. There's no short cut and there are NO maintenance free campers unless you rent one one. Then someone else has to maintain it.

A few additional thoughts that may help ...This size of trailer will have but one entry door which will either be located midway along the side of the trailer or alternately near the rear. Having previously owned a trailer with a mid entry door we specifically looked this time for a rear entry, the reason being that I'm an early riser but my wife really enjoys sleeping in ... with a rear entry door the dog and I are much less likely to disturb her.Regarding the slide, I'd personally have been just as happy without one but any models we found in this size without one had a fixed dinette on the curb side of the trailer. I think this would have worked fine for just the two of us but we also have an 80 pound dog so the extra floor space provided when our sofa slide is extended is an advantage I can't deny. It's also not uncommon for these dinette slides to be raised off the floor of the trailer, a design some don't mind but one I detest intensely as it makes me feel like I'm a mannequin on display when seated at such a dinette. I also don't see the point in having a dinette on the street side of the trailer where all you can see are trees or bushes or worse still your next door neighbour's campsite.A mid entry trailer in this size will almost always have a full size bathroom located across the rear of the trailer, meaning it's a pretty good size, sometimes will even feature a glassed in neo angle shower. A rear entry trailer in this size most often has the fridge located along that rear wall so by definition the bathroom is going to be much smaller, as it is with our 192RBS. Although we'd like a large bathroom as much as anyone else the reality is we spend very little time in there overall, it offers all the same amenities, so in the overall scheme of things a small bathroom for us really wasn't an issue that would stop us from buying the trailer we otherwise liked very much.A trailer in this size often will have very little galley countertop space ... our 192RBS is an exception and especially with a cutting board atop the stove we find it works just fine. We've owned trailers in the past that offered little countertop space and for us that proved to be a real annoyance.Hope this helps! :)

1st Time Buyer - Recomendations?? | Good Sam Community

27 Replies

westend
Explorer
Apr 25, 2015
With a Tacoma, you'll first need to figure out what you can tow-Tacoma Towing Bible
mikeflys
Explorer
Apr 25, 2015
cuttercruise wrote:
We having towing capacity (I think) - using a Toyota Tacoma to tow. Limiting the size for convenience. It's just us (2 people) and 2 small dogs. We love camping/sleeping outdoors but we would like to lengthen our trips and not have to worry about weather, etc. I suppose the size came up when we started looking online and decided we didn't need anything too big. We are coming from a tent...so anything is a step up. Perhaps we'll feel different once we get in one and realize the difference size can make...

OK I see now. The Tacoma is a nice truck but it will limit you a bit on what you can tow. I have never owned one but the Egg shell styles are highly regarded. I camped next to a Casita last year and the owners were just gushing about how much they loved it. Also the Skamp trailers look good on paper. Around here they sell the R-POD from Forest river, I personally like the look of them better. I crawled around in one at an RV show and was impressed.
profdant139
Explorer II
Apr 25, 2015
Check out the smaller Fun Finders. They may suit your needs. We really like our current Fun Finder -- well-built, well-insulated.

If you want something bombproof, check into the fiberglass egg units, like Casita.
Community Alumni
Apr 25, 2015
We downsized from a moho to the following travel trailer a year ago and are very pleased with our decision. The Micro Lite is a middle-of-the-pack trailer that comes with quite a few features found in more expensive units. We have only encountered minor issues with the trailer so far. Good luck!

Micro Lite 21DS
eubank
Explorer
Apr 25, 2015
Go to Airforums.com, enter the classifieds, and get yourself a username and password. You can also use the extensive forums there to inform yourself about models, issues, and just about anything else to do with Airstream trailers and motorhomes.
:)
Lynn

cuttercruise wrote:
I would love an Airstream! Haven't found any nearby. Artic Fox - we'll look into it. Again, we understand the love that needs to go into a TT, and we are willing to put that love (and $) in. Just trying to narrow it down to great brands. For example, we saw some new Coleman trailers at a local dealership. They look nice...but my gut tells me maybe they are cookie-cutter builder grade type TTs. Nice at first but the quality is crap. Trying to weed out those type of brands...
cuttercruise
Explorer
Apr 25, 2015
We having towing capacity (I think) - using a Toyota Tacoma to tow. Limiting the size for convenience. It's just us (2 people) and 2 small dogs. We love camping/sleeping outdoors but we would like to lengthen our trips and not have to worry about weather, etc. I suppose the size came up when we started looking online and decided we didn't need anything too big. We are coming from a tent...so anything is a step up. Perhaps we'll feel different once we get in one and realize the difference size can make...
mikeflys
Explorer
Apr 25, 2015
Everyone has their own opinions as to what is a good/bad floor plan. My wife and I started with a Pop up tent trailer, moved to a 31' class C and when the kids left dropped to a 24'TT. I have developed a few "must haves" for any RV. 1st importance is a full time bed, not a fold out couch/dinette. I do not want to have to open up our bed and close it later. And as another poster mentioned I am an early riser, my wife is not. I can get up and move to the dinette to have my coffee while she sleeps. 2nd must have is a slide out. The added comfort of being able to pass by one another without turning sideways is worth any issue they might cause. I have seen several 20' trailers that meet both of these requirements. Good luck in your search and enjoy your new purchase when it arrives. You didn't mention what you are using for a tow vehicle. I was wondering why you are restricting yourself to 20'? Adding a foot or 2 can add a LOT of comfort and convenience.
jmtandem
Explorer II
Apr 25, 2015
I would love an Airstream! Haven't found any nearby. Artic Fox - we'll look into it.

Arctic Fox trailers are made by Northwood Mfg. They make their own frames and all are four season rated. All are heavy relative to most other trailers in the same size range. Be sure you have enough tow vehicle for one if this is your choice.

Some think Airstream's are expensive. Looking at them from a life cycle perspective they are perhaps the least expensive trailers on the market as they outlast other trailers and last longer than the loan. Something like 70 percent of all Airstream trailers made since the mid 1930's are still registered and on the road. Taking care of it will outlast you and your kids. So if you opt for Airstream get the model that you really will like to have for a long time.

For most RVers the first RV is never the one they keep for long. It is the one where the RVers learn what they like and don't like in an RV.
cuttercruise
Explorer
Apr 25, 2015
I would love an Airstream! Haven't found any nearby. Artic Fox - we'll look into it. Again, we understand the love that needs to go into a TT, and we are willing to put that love (and $) in. Just trying to narrow it down to great brands. For example, we saw some new Coleman trailers at a local dealership. They look nice...but my gut tells me maybe they are cookie-cutter builder grade type TTs. Nice at first but the quality is crap. Trying to weed out those type of brands...
jmtandem
Explorer II
Apr 25, 2015
Need suggestions on good brands that are built well and don't need a lot of maintenance. All opinions/suggestions welcome.

Airstream and Arctic Fox. Both are well built. All RV's need maintenance. Most won't last as long as an Airstream.

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1st Time Buyer - Recomendations??

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