Class A to Hybrid: "Rightsizing" experiences?

Hi all,

Thanks in advance for any-and-all thoughts on this. Can't hurt my feelings, and interested in any perspective. Yes, I know I'm biasing my sample by asking the Hybrid forum, but figured the Class A forum would be biased in the opposite direction, and I *know* the benefits of the Class A...

Interested in hearing from anyone who has moved from a Class A, 5th Wheel or traditional travel trailer to a hybrid. In particular, were the trade-offs what you expected and are there any regrets and/or things to consider you'd like to share?

We currently own an entry level Class A that has been great to us (Four Winds Hurricane 33h). As our kids get older (15 and 12), their summer commitments have increased, and we expect to transition to more local camping (e.g., state campgrounds), three days to a week type of trips versus our 2-3 week ever-other-year cross-country romps we've taken with the Class A.

What we love about our Class A:

* She's taken us to so many great places, thus there are the memories;
* Built in levelers, 5+ KW generator, two ACs, decent room in the bathroom, tons of storage and CCC, etc.;
* Ability stop for lunch or potty breaks and not leave the vehicle;
* Easy, relatively safe, and efficient "quick" overnights (e.g., Love's Truck Stops) when "making time";
* Separate bedroom with room to change clothes, etc.

What we *think* we'd love regarding a hybrid (e.g., Roo 233 S):

* More of a "camping" experience regarding sights, sounds and open air;
* Separate "rooms" for son, daughter and parents (now we have to break down and set up a couch and dinette each and every night/morning);
* We now need a pick-up for other reasons (horse hauling and snowmobile hauling), needs we did not have before. Thus I'll be sinking cash into a tow vehicle (likely a F-150 with ecoboost) either way - Seems crazy to have the V-10 in the motor-home plus the towing capacity of my daily driver....

I realize we are giving some things up to gain others. We also know that we may be romanticizing the "outdoor" experience regarding the tent ends. However, we made the HUGE leap from tent camping to the Class A, and the tenter in me misses being outside at night. I will not, however, give up 2am bathroom access, nor an AC unit nor a fridge for beer (though the beer may be what makes the bathroom necessary...). Thus we are seriously considering the hybrid route.

Thank you for reading and, in advance, for any advice / experiences you are willing to share.

dnj

bikendan
Explorer
Oct 25, 2013
having never owned a Class A(would never own one), i can't comment about comparison personally.
but i can comment about hybrids.

we often say here, to those interested in hybrids:"if you don't love the idea of sleeping under canvas, D0N'T buy a hybrid".

many are drawn to all the room and sleeping capacity of a hybrid, in a much smaller/lighter package than any other RV, especially the 3-bed ones. they fail to consider the facts about canvas ends that end up being a real negative to many new hybrid owners.

the majority of hybrid owners, are former popup owners who want to keep the canvas experience, but want more amenities. they are well acquainted with dealing with the canvas and are willing to put up with those negatives, in order to continue the canvas experience.

some positives for you are that you are focusing on camping more locally with shorter stays and you are former tenters.
doing a long trip with a hybrid, especially a 3-bed one, would be a hassle unless you stay in each place for awhile. then the setup and takedown wouldn't be such a negative.
quick/short stops and stayovers are not a hybrid's strong suit, whereas it would be for a motorhome.

as others have said, many of the canvas negatives can be corrected or dealt with. BUT, you won't be able to correct noisy neighbors being more of an issue than a motorhome. we don't stay in private campgrounds that look like parking lots, like a KOA. you could be 10 feet away from a diesel motorhome who likes to run the engine in the morning, so that the fumes waft into your tent end.

that's why a hybrid is perfect for the kind of camping you're thinking about. more space/privacy in state/national parks campgrounds with the natural setting that make sleeping under canvas such a treat.
camperdave
Explorer
Oct 24, 2013
I'm sure you've already thought of this, but if you switch from a motorhome to a trailer, you will not be able to tow your horse trailer or snowmobiles with you when camping.
time2roll
Nomad
Oct 24, 2013
Rent one before you commit.
Padlin
Explorer
Oct 24, 2013
I also can't comment on going from an A to an HTT, but if it's feeling more like you're camping then the HTT is the way to go. We do love the openness of the HTT. You get similar issues with an HTT as you had with a tent, if you can remember them. You hear outside noise, and are more likely to notice the cold if you're not ready for it.

We got ours to get off the ground and have a toilet, the only downsides for us now that we're used to the HTT is that you have to drop the bunks and make the beds (and we only use 1), and it's too small if it rains for a few days. We're getting more into traveling as opposed to camping now, kind of the opposite of yourself. For making many one night stops the constant bunk setup can be a hassle. We're taking a 6 week road trip next summer now that we're retired, we'll decide during that if the setup issue is worth trading it in for. All the other issues, condensation, noise, temp swings, are things you can correct.

Check the size limits of the state and federal parks before you pick a trailer, the Roo comes in just under 25', which I think works in most.

The Ecoboost works just fine, mileage towing is about 10, normally 17 if you get one a big cab and 4x4.
Habs33
Explorer
Oct 24, 2013
Forgot to mention for those long trips, while I have never travelled in an A class, our hybrid inevitably has totes and boxes and other stuff crammed in the aisles etc. We travel fairly heavy with 4 kids. Access to the bathroom or making lunch on the road is not as easy with all the gear stowed, blankets on the couch etc.
Campfire_Time
Explorer
Oct 24, 2013
Can't say I can exactly relate. But I will tell you that

Hybrids are not for everyone. For many of the reasons in previous posts they just don't work out for some folks.
Be aware of noise. If you had tents and pop-ups in the past you already know, but you can hear everything outside, and everyone outside can hear you.
"Common" bunkend "warping" isn't really common. It may have been on some early models. But we never had an issue in 11 seasons of owning hybrids. I have not heard of people complaining about this on anything made in the 10-12 years.

BTW, we just purchased our 2nd hybrid this year. We had the previous one for 10 years, and we are now in our 50s. We love having a hybrid.

I like the suggestion that dadmonh gave, seeing if you can find a rental hybrid. There are RV dealers that will tow a rental to a nearby destination and pick it up when you are done. At least in WI there are a couple that do that.
Habs33
Explorer
Oct 24, 2013
I would also recommend a very simple floor plan consideration. We went from a tent trailer to a rockwood roo 21 ft model. To access the front bed you had to crawl over the dinette (and 2 sleeping kids at nite) which, depending on beer consumption, can be a couple times per night. We ended up with a jayco 23D that allowed for direct access to the bed. I am unfamiliar with the floorplan you are considering. Also love the side slide. Ours is only a small one, however it really improves the living space in any RV. Good luck.
mbutts
Explorer
Oct 24, 2013
I enjoyed our hybrid, but there were a few things I grew to dislike: Having to put the beds in/out each time we moved, sound carries well thru the canvas, cold & damp inside when raining. Mine also developed the somewhat common bunkend warping which allows water in around the edges when closed. When we went to a TT, we resolved these issues. Good luck and happy shopping!
gaylec
Explorer
Oct 24, 2013
Hybrids seem to be a love em or hate em kind of thing. I am in the love them camp, but we went from tent camping to the hybrid, so it feels like the Ritz to us. I think the advice that dadmomh gave you is sound, rent a hybrid and try it out. After the comforts of a Class A, it may be a little too "roughnit" for you.

However, if after that you decide you like it, I would look at Jayco's 23F. It provides three queen beds, loads of storage, a reasonably spacious interior, and all the amenities you are looking for!
dadmomh
Explorer
Oct 24, 2013
We just recently went from our beloved ROO 23SS to a TT strictly for issues related to getting older and all the garbage that comes with that. The ROO was our first and, we thought, only camper and we loved it. Being able to tow smaller - about 23' - and then almost magically have a much larger set up - about 30' - is great. You'll love not having to make up beds all the time. You can get into parks that you'd never have managed with the MH. Maintenance $$$ should be considerably less since you won't have all the fancy gadgets to keep running.

Agree that with the investment of a much costlier MH, you likely feel like you have to use it to justify the costs. Not so much with the HTT. Love the outdoorsy feeling. Love the light, open areas and when the weather cooperates, unzipping the bunkends for an afternoon snooze is the best!

The downsides are that you'll not have as long a season in your neck of the woods as with the MH. You'll need to be prepared to likely deal with the condensation issues many of us have/had, but we never considered it a big enough deal to make us want to change to anything else. Set up time will be more, but you've got a couple of teenagers, so that shortens the whole process. DH and I chose to use sheets/blankets vs sleeping bags, so that added some time. From the time we were actually backed in and level, to chock, open beds, make beds, put out rug and chairs, etc, we were right in the 30 - 45 min time frame and that's considering we're a bunch of years older than you are. And it was just the 2 of us.

So you're going to need a new vehicle anyway and folks with the new Eco seem to be very pleased. We tow with an '03 F-150 CC with factory tow and no problems at all. It's a good day when you can stay in that 10 mpg range, so you'll likely be thrilled with that after the MH.

Don't know how likely you would be to find a HTT to rent for a weekend, probably not very. But if you're looking for more of a camping experience, IMHO you'd love the HTT and the one you're looking at is very nice. Good luck with this decision.