2015 Starcraft Travel Star Expandable 229TB- Tow Vehicle?
And any other comments/reviews?
We are a family of 5, 2 older {17 & 15} teens, and a 10 1/2 year old, who are looking to get our first trailer in the fall. I have been looking, we have been to a few shows and looked at what we like and what we can afford. One of the trailers that fits both columns is the Travel Star 229TB. GVWR is 4,519, so I'm *assuming* loaded with propane, fresh water and four days worth of clothes and food for 5 humans and 2 dogs that we're looking at an actual weight of 5,000 pounds.
I'm supposed to be getting a Traverse for Christmas. I've been driving minivans for almost 12 years and am over it. The current one we've had for 2 years and it's had 3 sets of sliding door motors on both sides in that time. I drove a Traverse on a recent trip and fell in love with it. Everyone fits, a weekend's worth of clothing and a cooler fit, albeit snugly, in the back and it handles so much smoother than my van. But the towing capacity per Chevrolet is 5,200# *with* the towing package. I know from reading here that I have to count the weight of the people {and animals} in the tow vehicle in the weight calculations, so that would put us roughly 656 pounds over towing capacity.
We recently started looking at Dodge Durangos after some online research into best seven passenger vehicles for towing. The 7k towing capacity obviously appeals to me, though the third row seats look a little stiff for long trips.
Any thoughts? Experience with either the trailer or one of similar weight and an SUV as towing vehicle? Our budget for towing vehicle is $28k max so obviously going with used/certified used with unlimited mileage warranty.
We are a family of 5, 2 older {17 & 15} teens, and a 10 1/2 year old, who are looking to get our first trailer in the fall. I have been looking, we have been to a few shows and looked at what we like and what we can afford. One of the trailers that fits both columns is the Travel Star 229TB. GVWR is 4,519, so I'm *assuming* loaded with propane, fresh water and four days worth of clothes and food for 5 humans and 2 dogs that we're looking at an actual weight of 5,000 pounds.
I'm supposed to be getting a Traverse for Christmas. I've been driving minivans for almost 12 years and am over it. The current one we've had for 2 years and it's had 3 sets of sliding door motors on both sides in that time. I drove a Traverse on a recent trip and fell in love with it. Everyone fits, a weekend's worth of clothing and a cooler fit, albeit snugly, in the back and it handles so much smoother than my van. But the towing capacity per Chevrolet is 5,200# *with* the towing package. I know from reading here that I have to count the weight of the people {and animals} in the tow vehicle in the weight calculations, so that would put us roughly 656 pounds over towing capacity.
We recently started looking at Dodge Durangos after some online research into best seven passenger vehicles for towing. The 7k towing capacity obviously appeals to me, though the third row seats look a little stiff for long trips.
Any thoughts? Experience with either the trailer or one of similar weight and an SUV as towing vehicle? Our budget for towing vehicle is $28k max so obviously going with used/certified used with unlimited mileage warranty.
