Hokiemom wrote:
My husband's current Chevy 4 door Colorado truck has over 120K miles on it,so we would be buying a family vehicle to use (regardless of the TT plan), so factoring in something that would be comfortable to drive in for a long distance, with a dog, the two of us and a not too big TT is what I am looking into.
The most important item driving your towing comfort is how well the truck and trailer are matched.
Your truck could ride like a Cadillac, while unhitched, and scare you to death, if it is hitched up to a trailer that pushes it beyond it's ratings. Being tensed up and fighting the steering wheel, makes a real uncomfortable ride.
As others have mentioned, visiting RV shows and multiple dealers, will give you a better idea of floor plans and trailer sizes that will suit your wants and needs.
While shopping around, think about where, how, and who, will be using the trailer, and what you might bring along. Be realistic any maybe think a few years down the road. IE:
Possible cold weather use - There are a lot of them who say, "They have heated tanks", but, that tank heat comes in varrying degrees. If this is what you need, ask exactly how the tanks are heated.
Exteme hot weather use - Maybe, a second air conditioner would be in order.
Possible use without hookups (water, electric, sewer)- Maybe tank sizes are important, maybe you need more battery power, maybe you want solar panels (some are prewired) or a generator.
Beds - Are there enough of them?, Are they big enough (RV queen is six inches shorter than a standard queen, standard sheets don't fit quite right)?, Are they laid out to allow enough privacy?
Access to bathroom / kitchen (while on the road) With some floor plans, the slide out, when pulled in, blocks access to areas such as the bathroom or kitchen. Could be important if you want to stop at a rest area and use your own bathroom, or fix lunch.
Bathroom - If there's going to be small children, you may want a tub vs a stand up shower.
Pets - Will you bring a kennel?, Is there floor space for it?
Storage - They have varrying amounts of storage accessible from the outside. You'll need some boards or leveling blocks, camping chairs, maybe charcoal, maybe a grill of some kind, maybe some equipment for tire changing, etc. When the trailer is in storage, is there a place to store the hitch? Might be OK to store some of these things on your bed, others not so much.
Trailer storage - Where? Is it accessible (24/7)? What does it cost? Some home owners associations restrict RV parking, will you have that issue?
Sit in the chairs, sit on the sofas, lay on the beds. Imagine being stuck in there on a rainy day. Are those things going to be comfy? Do you have a good view of the television, from your comfy seating?
We bought a bunk house trailer, thinking we needed room for grown up sons to go hunting with me, or grandkids to go camping with us. After five years, the bunks had been used twice. The rest of the time, they collected junk. That same trailer, had the issue with the slide blocking the bathroom door, if someone was cooking, they blocked access to bunks and bathroom, and it had a short queen bed with walls at both ends. I'm 5'8" and couldn't stretch out. It would take 4 -5 days to get used to the short bed. Didn't get much sleep on weekend trips.
When we went shopping, I made up a list of things we were looking for, or not, and used it to make score sheets. Wife and I, both filled out a score sheet on every unit. Then we plugged the scores into a spreadsheet and went back for a second look at the top five. Scored them again, to narrow it down to two.
Congrats on your decision and let the fun begin.
