2012 5.3L Yukon XL
The Mrs. and I are looking at stepping into the TT realm with our two little ones. We've got a new Yukon XL with the 5.3L package. I'm unsure about the ratio, so i'll have to check the sticker at ho...
Forum Discussion
Okay - a few questions.... and the reason I ask is that I've been down a couple of these roads before. I just bought a 2013 Suburban 2wd with the heavy duty towing package (not rubbing it in). Before I had a GMC 2500 HD extended cab 4x4 with the 6.0 in it. I'm now towing a 23ft Heartland North Country Bunk house (dry weight 4700 lbs, gvwr of 7000 lbs). before that I had an older 29ft Prowler 5th wheel that weighed 9000+ pounds loaded for camping.
So - I'm going the opposite way from most folks on this forum. I downsized truck capacity and trailer weight while increasing passenger comfort. The new trailer fits behind our house and can be towed with something that gets 7+mpg better driving around town. My trailer has 3 bunks in the back (one's on the floor) and a walk around queen bed up front. It has a big fridge a 15k A/C and large tanks. Everything I need except the space of a larger trailer (no slide).
So the questions....
Is this your first camper?
Have you camped before?
Do you camp alone or with a group?
What size/style campers do your friends have?
Are you used to having lots of space?
Are you planning on weekend trips, week long trips or month long getaways.
Do you guys rough it, or will you have satellite TV and WiFi in this thing?
The reason I ask - is that we've got friends who went your route - they've got a 30+ foot long bunk house with 3 slides and a satellite dish. It ways 8000+ pounds empty and they are towing it with a Ford Expedition XL. My advisors here on RV.Net would have a cow if they saw this thing..... - But they're carefully making it work.
We're the opposite - We have one tiny TV that we never use, we don't hang out in it, we spend most of our time out doors. We camp with a group and have the smallest trailer in the group. We've got plenty of other trailers to hang out in if the weather is bad. Our kids are comfy - everyone has their own bed - nobody has to convert a table each night - our outdoor kitchen is a portable stove from Academy and a propane bottle. We mostly do weekend trips and an annual week long trip, so we aren't cooped up together for too long at a time. We're happily making it work.
Sooooo - A family of four can be quite comfortable in a smaller trailer. Mine's a cheapie, but you can buy a high quality smaller trailer. It just goes against the grain of what you read on these forums. Trailers and tow vehicles are only supposed to get bigger. Nobody ever goes smaller. Except me. :p
So - I'm going the opposite way from most folks on this forum. I downsized truck capacity and trailer weight while increasing passenger comfort. The new trailer fits behind our house and can be towed with something that gets 7+mpg better driving around town. My trailer has 3 bunks in the back (one's on the floor) and a walk around queen bed up front. It has a big fridge a 15k A/C and large tanks. Everything I need except the space of a larger trailer (no slide).
So the questions....
Is this your first camper?
Have you camped before?
Do you camp alone or with a group?
What size/style campers do your friends have?
Are you used to having lots of space?
Are you planning on weekend trips, week long trips or month long getaways.
Do you guys rough it, or will you have satellite TV and WiFi in this thing?
The reason I ask - is that we've got friends who went your route - they've got a 30+ foot long bunk house with 3 slides and a satellite dish. It ways 8000+ pounds empty and they are towing it with a Ford Expedition XL. My advisors here on RV.Net would have a cow if they saw this thing..... - But they're carefully making it work.
We're the opposite - We have one tiny TV that we never use, we don't hang out in it, we spend most of our time out doors. We camp with a group and have the smallest trailer in the group. We've got plenty of other trailers to hang out in if the weather is bad. Our kids are comfy - everyone has their own bed - nobody has to convert a table each night - our outdoor kitchen is a portable stove from Academy and a propane bottle. We mostly do weekend trips and an annual week long trip, so we aren't cooped up together for too long at a time. We're happily making it work.
Sooooo - A family of four can be quite comfortable in a smaller trailer. Mine's a cheapie, but you can buy a high quality smaller trailer. It just goes against the grain of what you read on these forums. Trailers and tow vehicles are only supposed to get bigger. Nobody ever goes smaller. Except me. :p
