Hello everyone. We just sold our 11 year old Travel Trailer (30 ft bunkhouse) and husband wants to go to a much smaller 15RB AR-ONE Starcraft Hybrid. He wants to tow less weight so we can travel further than before. We have had so many "mishaps" that come with camping (3 blow outs on one trip) that I am very worried about the "tent" end being trouble waiting to happen. I'm also skeptical as I'm used to much more space and storage, but we definitely want a lighter weight camper. We don't spend a whole lot of time in the camper except for sleeping or when it's nasty outside, but when I do, I don't like to be cramped. I also really enjoy having my own bathroom. We have a 16 yr old son (doesn't really get excited about anything) and 14 yr old daughter (excited about a "new" camper"). Also usually take our 2 dogs with us (35 lbs each).What I'm wondering, is have any of you ever "downsized" like this and do you have any pros or cons about going from fully enclosed to hybrid? Thanks in advance!

You may find that with the bunk ends extended, you have as much room as you did in the TT. We had one and loved it, but we just ran out of room with ours - there were 6 or 7 on each trip - so we upsized. Now we are part time - full timing (from May to September), and have a fifth wheel.There is another thread currently running with all the pitfalls of hybrids and the water getting in is not really a consideration with the newer hybrids.Here is the thread: Here

I went from Hybrid to TT.For you, pluses:*Smaller so lighter weight*Opening ends makes a lot of room and feels a lot bigger*Lots of outside air - I argue this one since my new trailer has two doors and screens galoreminuses:*Smaller doesn't always mean easier to tow. The front area is still fighting the wind.*Canvas can leak but is easily fixed.*Moisture builds on canvas when sleeping at night. Fixed with solar blankets on ends but something else to add during setup.*Setup is longer. Takedown as well. In the rain stinks given you HAVE to open up immediately when you get home.*More outside noise. Guy with generator or diesel truck doesn't care that you own a hybrid. :)Just my observations, we loved our hybrid and I was sad to see it go. Looking forward to a regular TT though.

Don't be fooled that less weight will mean being able to tow further (ie better fuel economy). Frontal area and drag will have more effect on fuel economy than weight will. TTs and hybrids will have similar frontal areas unless the smaller trailer is also narrower (some are only 7' wide vs 8'). You won't see much difference in mpg between a 6k tt and a 5k htt. Even if you did, is it worth the extra set up and take down time, reduced security, noise etc you get with a hybrid? Don't get me wrong, we loved our old hybrid and a smaller trailer is easier to tow but I think you may be giving up more than you'll get in return.

There is actually another active thread in this forum discussing this very topic... lots of relevant info along with more opinions than people posting :)http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/28805497.cfm

Non-RVer these days, but we've had both a HTT and a TT. If you're thinking of daily stop/set up vs being in one place for a few days and then moving on, a hybrid can get old very quickly. We loved ours, but found on 2 longer trips that the daily set up/break down was a pain. Other than that, we loved our HTT. The TT took care of much of the daily chores and we loved every minute of it. Agree that you won't find much difference in fuel savings due to the frontal area. Somewhere around 10 mpg is a good day with either. We never had leakage issues, loved the openness of the HTT, loved the sounds of nature, never bothered with campground noise. No RV in our life due to a relocation to FL and other issues that came into play...miss it terribly, but that's the breaks. Recently noticed a resident in our community with an AR-one and it's a great looking smaller trailer...have not seen the inside. Strongly suggest you look closely at the must-have items you'd move from the TT to the HTT and consider storage space. That would be my only concern going to about half-size where you are now. Know going in that you'll definitely need to minimize, which we have found with our downsize move is a good thing. Less stuff = less maintenance = more time to enjoy life. Good luck.

Downsizing from TT to Hybrid | Good Sam Community

Burnt_Marshmall
Explorer
Apr 14, 2017
TheCanells wrote:
RinconVTR wrote:
Two teenagers, 2 dogs, and not to be cramped inside on a rainy day?

A Hybrid is definitely not for you. Stay away!

Down size into a range of 23-26 foot TT.

If they are staying in the 23-26 foot lenght range, with 2 teens and 2 dogs, a hybrid is definitely what they want to look at if they don't want to feel cramped on a rainy day. The floor space in a 23 foot hybrid with a slide is MUCH greater than the floorspace in a 23 foot ttThe floor space in a 23 foot hybrid with a slide is MUCH greater than the floorspace in a 23 foot tt.

That's right. Our friends with the 30' TT's are amazed at the floor space we have.
aepowell
Explorer
Apr 15, 2016
TheCanells wrote:
RinconVTR wrote:
Two teenagers, 2 dogs, and not to be cramped inside on a rainy day?

A Hybrid is definitely not for you. Stay away!

Down size into a range of 23-26 foot TT.

If your husband also wants easier towing, its not all about weight when it comes to TT's. Consider width and height. Look for some under 8 foot wide, some with build in vs built over frames to reduce height, and some with shaped for less air resistance.

I get the move not to buy another one especially with two teenagers, there is a lot in question and college right around the corner.

If they are staying in the 23-26 foot lenght range, with 2 teens and 2 dogs, a hybrid is definitely what they want to look at if they don't want to feel cramped on a rainy day. The floor space in a 23 foot hybrid with a slide is MUCH greater than the floorspace in a 23 foot tt.

What he said!!!
Pucka1378
Explorer
Apr 15, 2016
We just purchased our very first trailer and we opted for a HTT because we got the most bang for our buck with it. It is 24' with two pop out beds. We have 2 teen boys and 1 large dog. On our first trip out it poured. We were very comfortable in our trailer. On this trip we had an extra dog with us. Between the 2 beds, couch and dinette we did not feel cramped at all. I was impressed!
TheCanells
Explorer
Apr 14, 2016
RinconVTR wrote:
Two teenagers, 2 dogs, and not to be cramped inside on a rainy day?

A Hybrid is definitely not for you. Stay away!

Down size into a range of 23-26 foot TT.

If your husband also wants easier towing, its not all about weight when it comes to TT's. Consider width and height. Look for some under 8 foot wide, some with build in vs built over frames to reduce height, and some with shaped for less air resistance.

I get the move not to buy another one especially with two teenagers, there is a lot in question and college right around the corner.

If they are staying in the 23-26 foot lenght range, with 2 teens and 2 dogs, a hybrid is definitely what they want to look at if they don't want to feel cramped on a rainy day. The floor space in a 23 foot hybrid with a slide is MUCH greater than the floorspace in a 23 foot tt.
gwh1bass
Explorer
Apr 14, 2016
RinconVTR wrote:
Two teenagers, 2 dogs, and not to be cramped inside on a rainy day?

A Hybrid is definitely not for you. Stay away!

Down size into a range of 23-26 foot TT.

If your husband also wants easier towing, its not all about weight when it comes to TT's. Consider width and height. Look for some under 8 foot wide, some with build in vs built over frames to reduce height, and some with shaped for less air resistance.

I get the move not to buy another one especially with two teenagers, there is a lot in question and college right around the corner.

2 teens, I got em and they both bring friends. And 2 adults.

Triple bunk hybrid, perfect for us for a week with no hookups. Pets at the pet hotel.
RinconVTR
Explorer
Apr 13, 2016
Two teenagers, 2 dogs, and not to be cramped inside on a rainy day?

A Hybrid is definitely not for you. Stay away!

Down size into a range of 23-26 foot TT.

If your husband also wants easier towing, its not all about weight when it comes to TT's. Consider width and height. Look for some under 8 foot wide, some with build in vs built over frames to reduce height, and some with shaped for less air resistance.

I get the move not to buy another one especially with two teenagers, there is a lot in question and college right around the corner.
Mainframe
Explorer
Apr 13, 2016
When and if you do downsize, check out the Roo 19 it is a nice smaller hybrid with a lot of bells and whistles.
GamecockGal21
Explorer
Apr 12, 2016
Thank you all for your input. At this time, we have decided to not purchase another TT. :-(

I don't know how long we will wait to get another one, but we will definitely take into consideration everything everyone has said.
mileshuff
Explorer
Apr 02, 2016
We had a 21' Hybrid for 10 years. Loved it but it was cramped and lacked storage. Despite our new 5'er being 10,000lbs and the Hybrid 5,000lbs there isn't much difference in mpg towing. Maybe 1-2mpg better with the Hybrid. Frontal area causing wind drag is more of an issue than weight.

No issues with the tent beds. Never leaked. If we had to fold up in the rain we then opened the trailer up once home to dry it out before putting it away. Condensation inside the tent occurred now and then. Putting fans up above the beds worked very well as did tent end covers. Most Hybrids have 12volt outlets above the bed intended for the use of fans that clamp onto the tent pole.
Bowfreak
Explorer
Mar 29, 2016
You might look into finding a Trailmanor. Much lighter and because they are around 80" tall when folded down you have very little wind drag compared to a TT or Hybrid. Hard sided so you don't have to worry about canvas. We have been very pleased with ours so far.

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