Any advice on our first purchase?

Like looking at boats! The bigger ones lure you in with extra room and niceties. Hitching up, towing and maneuvering also play into the equation. Not trying to talk you out of the big one. Just offering my perspective after going big and then downsizing (a little). Once you go big, it's really hard to downsize.

Thank you everyone for your opinions! 37' IS a huge trailer and we weren't planning on going quite that large when we first started looking last summer. We really liked the 2015 Laredo 291TG when we looked at it (all 3 times!). It seemed to fit what we were looking for, aside from not having a bunkhouse slide or any kitchen drawers. It's used, but it's literally brand new and appears to be in excellent shape.

They just got the 2016 Heritage Glen in and while it's huge, it has the bunkhouse slide we were hoping for and plenty of cabinets and storage. From the pictures, I think I like this one a little better. We're going to go look at it, knowing that it's likely too big for us. When we started looking, we really liked the Heritage Glen 312QBUD, but now that we're ready to buy, we haven't been able to find a used one.

The extended warranty they talked to us about was Compass Platinum, but I don't recall the cost off the top of my head. The dealer isn't pushing us one way or another regarding the extended warrant. The hitch they have suggested is an Equil-i-zer brand.

I small TT has it's advantages as well. We used to drop our 21' 18.5 Aljo Deluxe on the ball and tow it out to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge for breakfast, fishing and a swim before heading back home around noon. Our 32.5' 28RLS is too big and heavy to take out on a whim. Something to consider.

You know..... if you want a 37 foot travel trailer, buy a 37 foot travel trailer. I've never understood the philosophy "buy something small to get your feet wet and upgrade later" mentality. It's ALL a learning process. It would be cheaper in the long run to buy what you want once and be done with it. That's what we did 3 months ago and although it was a stretch it was WELL worth it.

Understand the risks of not liking camping and possibly losing some cash buy buy what you want. Don't be discouraged by the negative side of people.

Quick query on reserveamerica.com for Minnesota shows 31 US Forest Service and Army Corp Of Engineer parks with sites 40ft or longer.

Certainly with shorter trailers there are more options. But, you aren't limited to just RV parks with a longer trailer.

Mike

I prefer a rack and pinion driven slide and will walk away from a perfect floorplan if it has a cable driven slide. Other than that, they're pretty similar. I've been partial to Jayco for 26 years. We tow a 32.5' Jayco Jayflight TT and so far it's been painless. I don't see 37' as being much different. Especially if your husband is used to towing such large trailers. With his F250? Cross winds and passing trucks is the difference between a long TT and long construcion equipment trailer. Our local state parks have fewer spaces available for over 35'. So far we haven't had a problem with 32.5'.

Read on these forums about "extended warranties"... basically, if your camper works fine for the first year (when it is covered under the basic warranty), it'll probably be fine for the next 10 years. Also the extended warranties for campers have a lot of exclusions, so you need to understand what the warranty covers. Having said that, if you are using a loan to buy, I would consider an extended warranty to cover the length of the loan if possible - not fun to pay for repairs on something you don't even own yet! A camper is a mobile house, and if you can repair things around your house, you can probably repair any problems on a camper.

Read these forums for all the advice you can shake a weight distributing hitch at, and feel free to ask any questions.

As a new 2016 Forest river owner, I strongly suggest keeping away from any thing by Forest River. They are junk except for the standard heaters, water heaters and AC units that are in just about every trailer.
I can fill a page with items that either had to be replaced or fixed, including many pipes that came apart at connections.

If I had to do it over I would never by one

Jack L

Lwiddis wrote:
I'm a TT fan but 37 feet? Hmmm. With tongue and rear bumper, 41? Where do you hope to camp? "Pulling" isn't my concern here.

The TT's listed max length is 37ft.. Aren't the listed lengths inclusive of bumper and tongue (overall length)? My TT is 37 and change tip to tail, same as listed specs.

A long trailer.. sure, but very doeable, and enjoyable.

Mike

I've got a Lacrosse 324RST, tip to tail is 37ft. I have no problems towing it comfortably with my Ram 2500. I generally fill up in truck lanes at truck stops (since I have a diesel) but have maneuvered in car lanes as well.

Have stayed in multiple state parks in Fla, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi. You have to pay attention to site sizes but you can generally find spots in most state parks with not too much of a problem.

Find the floorplan you like and go with it. As azdryheat says, the name on the trailer only represents the company that put all the parts together.

If your husband has towed trailers that size before, I say go for it and enjoy. Nothing says you have to start small and trade up over time.

Mike