Forum Discussion

CatonsvilleFred's avatar
CatonsvilleFred
Explorer
Aug 01, 2015

Best TT for A Family of 7 w/ Nissan NV Passenger Van as TV

Hi All,

For a long time we've had a dream of taking our 5 kids on long road trips across the country. Right now, we're in the beginning stage of looking for Travel Trailers... Trying to do my research so as not to make a mistake. While we are new to RV'ing, we are a pretty adventurous family and like the outdoors.

We just bought a 2015 Nissan NV Passenger Van w/ Tow Package. We bought the van for non-towing excursions and to be able to pull a trailer in the future. The van has a towing capacity of 8700 lbs. (but that assumes just a driver and the seats). We're going to be pulling about 280 lbs. of seats out of the van when we take trips, but we'll be adding the weight of 6 additional passengers--on the bright side all of our kids are under 100 lbs right now.

We're interested in a travel trailer that can hold all 7 of us reasonably comfortably. I have seen a few quad-bunk options that really look like they'd work for us. My kids are aged 11, 11, 11, 10, and 7 ... 4 boys and 1 girl. We are thinking that the boys could be in a "bunk house" and our daughter could sleep on the couch or dinette.

Our preference is to get a trailer well within the limits of the van. For us that means looking at TT's with dry weights in the no-more-than 6,000-6,300 lb. range - but below 6,000 lbs would be even better. That will give us decent room for people in the van + cargo... and I know my kids will be gaining weight as they grow!

Our ultimate goal is take take a cross-country trip. (We live in Maryland so that is our starting point). But we will take a bunch of shorter trips first to get the hang of towing.

We are fortunate to have a decent amount of $ to spend, but I really would like to get the trailer and all related components (e.g., WD hitch, etc.) for under $20k and I'd REALLY be happy if I could get it all under $15k.

We are open to used trailers or new, and would love some advice for what we should be looking for with our TV.

Thanks so much for your ideas!
  • GMandJM's avatar
    GMandJM
    Explorer
    Aug 02, 2015
    The link isn't working and I'm not finding a Bullet 287BQ model. Is it a 2015 or 2016? And is it a 287QBS? That's a very nice quad-bunk.
  • rwbradley's avatar
    rwbradley
    Explorer
    Aug 02, 2015
    I agree about 1/2 hour setup, I would say the 2 bunks only add 10 minutes. I also find one that has the floor plan you need/like and a dealer with a good rep that is driving distance for when you need a repair/ new tires etc.

    We choose a Kodiak, but the only really winner for it over the Jayco or Roo was the finish seemed much nicer, less cheap looking. But they do not have a 3 bunk as far as I know. I think I saw a 3 bunk Jayco and Roo at RV show in town last winter.

    If you are not in a rush, wait until the winter and find an RV show, you will see everything under one roof... and I mean everything. You may also get good prices too.
  • kknowlton's avatar
    kknowlton
    Explorer II
    Aug 01, 2015
    Once you know what you're doing, setting up a hybrid takes about 1/2 hour (especially if almost everybody pitches in rather than leaving it all up to dad - or mom). That said, with a regular, non-hybrid trailer, it takes us probably 20-30 minutes to get set up, including leveling the TT if needed, plugging in, hooking up the water hose, deploying the slideout, and carrying into the TT everything we bring with us in the truck (which is pretty much stuff - I like to have certain things readily available on trips.)

    As far as brands go, what matters almost more, IMO, is the local dealerships, especially their service departments. Jayco and Rockwood Roo are probably the most commonly-found hybrids.
  • CatonsvilleFred's avatar
    CatonsvilleFred
    Explorer
    Aug 01, 2015
    rwbradley wrote:
    I would recommend you take a look at Hybrids. You get the tent camping feel with a full trailer with all the features. You get far more usable space when open than you have when towing. For example mine is 21' closed but when opened it adds about 5 additional feet on each end with 2 queen beds (effectively giving me a 31' at under 3500lbs). They generally tend to be some of the lighter trailers (especially for the volume you are getting). You can also get some models that have 3 tent ends (front, back and one side). With a jackknife sofa or dinette that converts to a bed (which are common) and you have lots of room for a big/young family. There are lots of HTT's in the 3500-6000 lbs range. Due to your weight budget, as tempting as a slide out may be for additional space, the frame/track for a slide adds a lot of weight. I would definitely look at WD, it improves handling quite a bit for me. I would also get a sway bar, nothing more nerve wracking than seeing some of the idiots on the road with their trailer fishtailing down the highway. Also I would look at getting a tranny cooler.


    Can you recommend some specific brands for the hybrids trailers?

    I was told the NV comes standard with the tranny cooler and is ready to go for towing...

    This is one trailer we've been thinking about:

    Keystone Bullet

    It's the Keystone Bullet 287BQ on this page... It is 5500 lbs. shipping weight.

    If possible we would like our kids to be in separate beds... and a bunkhouse model would support that.

    I am looking for competitors to this type of thing, and I hadn't considered hybrids so I will give that a look.

    What is your setup time on a hybrid when you stop? (i.e., how long does it take to get everything setup)?

    Fred
  • rwbradley's avatar
    rwbradley
    Explorer
    Aug 01, 2015
    I would recommend you take a look at Hybrids. You get the tent camping feel with a full trailer with all the features. You get far more usable space when open than you have when towing. For example mine is 21' closed but when opened it adds about 5 additional feet on each end with 2 queen beds (effectively giving me a 31' at under 3500lbs). They generally tend to be some of the lighter trailers (especially for the volume you are getting). You can also get some models that have 3 tent ends (front, back and one side). With a jackknife sofa or dinette that converts to a bed (which are common) and you have lots of room for a big/young family. There are lots of HTT's in the 3500-6000 lbs range. Due to your weight budget, as tempting as a slide out may be for additional space, the frame/track for a slide adds a lot of weight. I would definitely look at WD, it improves handling quite a bit for me. I would also get a sway bar, nothing more nerve wracking than seeing some of the idiots on the road with their trailer fishtailing down the highway. Also I would look at getting a tranny cooler.
  • CatonsvilleFred's avatar
    CatonsvilleFred
    Explorer
    Aug 01, 2015
    GordonThree wrote:
    This question has come up a few times in the past month - large families looking to go camping. Go up to advanced search, tell it to check the last 30 days for "large family".

    I'm sorry I don't have any input for you, but I'm interested to see what the more seasoned travelers come up with. I do recall from past threads the popular recommendation was using two vehicles, a stripper truck to tow the big trailer and the van to haul the family, pets, etc.


    Definitely will look into the other threads... On a cross country trip it would be important for all of us to ride together in the truck. That's one of the reasons we bought the NV with this towing capacity (did some research ahead of that purchase to make sure there were TT options in range for us - and I've found a few - just want to get everyone's advice).

    Thanks.
  • CatonsvilleFred's avatar
    CatonsvilleFred
    Explorer
    Aug 01, 2015
    Old-Biscuit wrote:
    First thing I would recommend is load that VAN up with everything that would be in it for the camping trip.....driver, passengers, all the stuff on/under the seats and fuel.

    Then go to a CAT Scales and get weighed.


    This is a great tip! That will allow me to pull out the seats we won't be using and get an idea of where we stand.
  • GordonThree's avatar
    GordonThree
    Explorer
    Aug 01, 2015
    This question has come up a few times in the past month - large families looking to go camping. Go up to advanced search, tell it to check the last 30 days for "large family".

    I'm sorry I don't have any input for you, but I'm interested to see what the more seasoned travelers come up with. I do recall from past threads the popular recommendation was using two vehicles, a stripper truck to tow the big trailer and the van to haul the family, pets, etc.
  • Old-Biscuit's avatar
    Old-Biscuit
    Explorer III
    Aug 01, 2015
    You're on the right track about weight issues.

    First thing I would recommend is load that VAN up with everything that would be in it for the camping trip.....driver, passengers, all the stuff on/under the seats and fuel.
    Then go to a CAT Scales and get weighed.

    Weigh ticket will show: Front axle weight, Rear axle weight and Total Van weight
    (everybody stays in vehicle during weighing......cost $10)

    Now with actual weight numbers you will have a better understanding of size/weight of trailer you can tow vs mfg. tow rating with an * or **

    As for which trailer....no help there. Never went any where with that many kids except when I was one of them :B

    Look at trailers GVWR and figure 12-15% of Gross for tongue weight.
    Then look at your weight numbers...can VAN handle that tongue weight???

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