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RoadExplorer's avatar
RoadExplorer
Explorer
Sep 27, 2017

1st Time. Going crosscountry. Question for experienced folks

Hi all,

This is my first post on rv.net. I am looking for resources to learn the easy way things one would rather not learn the hard way while on the road for the first time. I have never RV'd, been on a campground, or walked into a travel trailer before with the exception of visiting RV dealerships very recently. I am ready for the learning curve and understand there will be lots of sacrifices in convenience but I believe it could all be worth it. From my research I have decided I would be best off going with a travel trailer because I can always unhitch when I arrive at a new state and explore with higher ease & mpg as opposed to an RV where you are constantly lugging around all of your belongings.

Current vehicle: 2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 4x4
Engine: EcoTec3 5.3L V8
Rear Axle Ratio: 3.42
GCWR: 15000

Proposed trailer:
29 foot in length with 2 slideouts weighing at around 6000 pounds. One example would be the Dutchmen Kodiak 253RBSL (doesn't let me post link for some reason)

My main concerns are driving safety and accessibility.

When it comes to safety is this an acceptable choice considering I will be driving on all sorts of roads throughout the country, going uphill, downhill, and through tunnels during all 4 seasons?

When it comes to accessibility I wonder if there would be any issues with a travel trailer 29-foot in length and a Silverado 1500 19-foot in length considering campground restrictions at most national parks and commercial rv parks?
For the national parks I checked the travel trailer length restrictions on nps.gov and most places allow trailers shorter than 30-foot in length but I am not sure if there would be any issues with the 19-foot Silverado. This is where personal experiences would really help clarify what to expect.

Any other links to guides or resources with tips and tricks on how to best prepare and navigate through a trip like this are most welcome!

Thanks in advance to all those who contribute :)

50 Replies

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  • GrandpaKip's avatar
    GrandpaKip
    Explorer II
    Sep 28, 2017
    First of all, you need to understand the payload rating of your truck and how that relates to trailer tongue weight. The published weight of a trailer is never what it will be in the real world. The more important weight is the gross of the trailer. If you figure about 12.5 % of the trailer's gross, you will be in the ball park of real tongue weight. The towing weight of almost any truck will never be reached before the payload runs out.
    Lots to learn.
    Search this forum and the web for info on all the weights. Start a notebook. Don't necessarily believe much of anything an RV salesman tells you.
    Once you've got a grip on all this, you can start your search for the " perfect" trailer. Hint: it ain't out there, but you can get close. We did.
    Good luck and have fun hunting.
  • downtheroad's avatar
    downtheroad
    Explorer
    Sep 28, 2017
    kerrlakeRoo wrote:
    Do you already, or currently own a truck?
    Do you have any experience towing anything remotely close to that size?
    If no, go rent the biggest U haul trailer and sped a couple days towing, highway city street and using an empty parking lot practise backing into a spot.
    THEN when you are comfortable look into a trailer, and hopefully find a dealer with a similar sized rental you can use for experience before spending tens of thousands of dollars.

    Just my 2 cents.

    Excellent advice....and my 2 cents also.
    A cross country trip is a lot to chew and swallow for your very first RV experience.
    I will add that we have done 2 cross country loops and both were fantastic and worthwhile adventures.
  • All_I_could_aff's avatar
    All_I_could_aff
    Explorer
    Sep 28, 2017
    If you didn't already have a new 1500, I would strongly suggest at least a 2500 or similar for that kind of trailer. Since you already have the 1500, and would surely take a serious beating on trade in, I would suggest a smaller and lighter trailer. Particularly being you are new to this stuff, you don't want to be operating at max load for safety and stability
  • clarkster's avatar
    clarkster
    Explorer
    Sep 27, 2017
    Your truck setup will do it.....
    It will get the load moving forward,and cruise right along just fine on flat ground.

    Once you get to pulling a grade, that engine is going to scream at 4000+ RPM to keep the load moving...even down to second gear at times.

    I know this because I tried to tow a #5500 (CAT scale) trailer with a F-150 with a 5.0 V8 over grades in the West.
    Sure it would do it......but for me anyway, I want more than "just do it"
    And I wanted more than just at or near capacity.
  • kerrlakeRoo's avatar
    kerrlakeRoo
    Explorer
    Sep 27, 2017
    Do you already, or currently own a truck?
    Do you have any experience towing anything remotely close to that size?
    If no, go rent the biggest U haul trailer and sped a couple days towing, highway city street and using an empty parking lot practise backing into a spot.
    THEN when you are comfortable look into a trailer, and hopefully find a dealer with a similar sized rental you can use for experience before spending tens of thousands of dollars.

    Just my 2 cents.
  • justaboutretire's avatar
    justaboutretire
    Explorer
    Sep 27, 2017
    First thing is to search the forums and get a good understanding of what your truck can actually tow without exceeding the vehicle gross weight rating. You don’t wat to exceed this. Every truck is different due to various options that the manufacture added and what you may have added. Write Dow the weight data that is on the pilar one the drivers side door. Lots of valuable information.

    Last year the wife and I took an 8 week, 10,000 mile cross country trip. If you ar planning to stay in the National Parks, plan ahead to make reservations. They fill up very fast. On that note, don’t limit yourself to staying in the parks. There are many campgrounds around the parks that are within a 1/2 hour drive to the park. We only had one reservation for the whole trip and that was at the Grand Canyon because we wanted to take the train to the park and spend a couple of nights at one of the hotels. We went to 6 National Parks and 3 National Monuments and had no trouble finding a campground to accommodate my Excursion and 33’ trailer.
    We planned the trip in January and we left in the middle of June and returned in late August.. Don’t know what your time frame is and how long you want to be away. Go to a good book store (Barnes and noble) and pick up a copy of the guide to our national parks. This book explains what to see, do not do in every national park in the country. Great resource for info. If you belong to AAA go there and tell the what you want to do and see and they will map out a route for you and give you tour books for every state you will drive in.
    One last important this is, Don’t forget tow vehicle maintenance!! I had the oil changed 3 times during the trip and don’t rush to get someplace. It’s a lot of driving. I tried to limit myself to no more than 400 miles a day and we always left after 9am so that the work rush hour traffic was minimal..

    Bill
  • RoadExplorer's avatar
    RoadExplorer
    Explorer
    Sep 27, 2017
    the bear II wrote:
    My preference would be to use a 2500 truck or even better a 3500 if towing safety is your concern. 1500 are OK but you really want a truck with extra capacity to provide a more safe towing experience as well as increased reliability of your tow vehicle.

    Length restrictions only apply to the RV. In a lot of cases the length restriction is due to narrow roads with tight turns rather than small in length RV spots.

    Another good forum/blog is at www.rv-dreams.com


    Thanks for the tip :C
  • RoadExplorer's avatar
    RoadExplorer
    Explorer
    Sep 27, 2017
    westend wrote:
    The restrictions for length and parking in campgrounds is based on RV length. Truck doesn't count.

    First, to make this mating of trailer and truck possible, you will need to know the payload numbers (weight of cargo and passengers) from the sticker on the driver's door jamb. Estimated or scaled cargo and passenger weight is deducted from that number and the total is then used to determine maximum tongue weight availability. That 9100 lbs, you can forget about. To really focus the truck advice, list your year, make, model of truck with engine size and final drive ratio.

    6000 lbs is going to close to the max you want to pull with that truck, regardless. If this is your first travel trailer and a cross-country trip is being planned, I'd suggest to get something smaller. Tell us how many campers will be going along. If it's only you and one other passenger, a 17' trailer will produce as much fun and be a lot easier to handle for a newbie.

    Forget about MPG while travelling with an RV. It will only make you anxious but tallying it and bragging at a campground, "I got 6 MPG coming over the Pass" is permissible.

    More info= better advice. Welcome to RVnet Forums.


    Passengers: 2

    Vehicle: 2017 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 4x4
    Engine: EcoTec3 5.3L V8
    Rear Axle Ratio: 3.42
    GCWR: 15000

    I am looking at two travel trailers at the moment.
    One:
    WEIGHTS
    Average Shipping Weight (lbs.): 5,415
    Dry Hitch Weight (lbs.): 596
    Cargo Capacity (lbs.): 1,185

    MEASUREMENTS
    Height: 10' 8''
    Length: 29' 1''

    Two:
    Dry Weight 6,732
    GVWR 9,560
    Exterior Length 29' 11"
    Carrying Capacity 2,828
    Hitch Weight 764
    Axle Weight 5,968
    L.P. Gas 60 lb
    RIM rated load 2,600
    RIMS 15x6
    GAWR 4,400
    Axles per unit 2
    Number of slides 2
    Awning Size 16'
    Tire rated load 2,540
    Exterior Width 8'
    Exterior Height (with A/C) 11' 2"
    Tire Size ST225/75R15D


    Main features I am looking for in a travel trailer:
    Less than 30' in length.
    Double slideout in the center of trailer for a much more open feel.
    1x Sofa
    1x Dinette
    Kitchen must have fridge and freezer, double sink, gas stove top and oven. Counterspace for 2 people to work on food.
    1x internal queen size bed
  • westend's avatar
    westend
    Explorer
    Sep 27, 2017
    The restrictions for length and parking in campgrounds is based on RV length. Truck doesn't count.

    First, to make this mating of trailer and truck possible, you will need to know the payload numbers (weight of cargo and passengers) from the sticker on the driver's door jamb. Estimated or scaled cargo and passenger weight is deducted from that number and the total is then used to determine maximum tongue weight availability. That 9100 lbs, you can forget about. To really focus the truck advice, list your year, make, model of truck with engine size and final drive ratio.

    6000 lbs is going to close to the max you want to pull with that truck, regardless. If this is your first travel trailer and a cross-country trip is being planned, I'd suggest to get something smaller. Tell us how many campers will be going along. If it's only you and one other passenger, a 17' trailer will produce as much fun and be a lot easier to handle for a newbie.

    Forget about MPG while travelling with an RV. It will only make you anxious but tallying it and bragging at a campground, "I got 6 MPG coming over the Pass" is permissible.

    More info= better advice. Welcome to RVnet Forums.
  • the_bear_II's avatar
    the_bear_II
    Explorer
    Sep 27, 2017
    My preference would be to use a 2500 truck or even better a 3500 if towing safety is your concern. 1500 are OK but you really want a truck with extra capacity to provide a more safe towing experience as well as increased reliability of your tow vehicle.

    Length restrictions only apply to the RV. In a lot of cases the length restriction is due to narrow roads with tight turns rather than small in length RV spots.

    Another good forum/blog is at www.rv-dreams.com

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