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leamaarie's avatar
leamaarie
Explorer
Mar 24, 2014

Hard to find TT under weight for newbie

I am a newbie when it comes to travel trailers and need some advice. We will be driving from Washington to Louisiana and not only camping in between, but also living in it for a month or two while waiting for housing. We own an Acadia that has a towing capacity of 5200 pounds and a gvwr of 6400 pounds. We are looking for a bunkhouse model with a queen bed and room for all (2 adults and 3 small children). We would love a slide-out, but I am having problems finding one within our weight. I do not want a canvas expandable because of safety and condensation. I have looked at so many trailers and many are over the weight capacity. We found an 20BH Eco Camp with the slide-out, but there are no dealers around us that have any anymore. I even looked for a expandable with a bunkhouse, but I cannot find those either or they have some over the weight limit. I have found trailers, but most are very, very small to fit us all.

Are there any that anyone can recommend that would be great that I have not seen yet? We get advice from dealers, but the trailers that they have mentioned are way over our weight capacity or at the very top. I looked at the Micro Lite 25BHS with a dry weight of 4377, but nervous that that is too much weight.
Is the smallness of a trailer really going to be a huge issue anyway?

Any advice would be great.

Thank you

20 Replies

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  • Cotay's avatar
    Cotay
    Explorer
    Mar 25, 2014
    Speedogomer wrote:
    Check out a micro Lite 23lb... Yes it's very small, but it's light enough, and has triple bunks.... Everyone would have their own bed.

    I understand the concerns with a Hybrid... But they will definitely give you the most room. For security and safety, I agree with your choice to avoid them.

    Edit: hitch weight is high for the 23lb


    My only concern with the 23lb for him is that the dry unloaded weight is already at the upper limit of what is advisable. With five people in his family, the weights are likely to exceed his TV capacity or at the very least give little if any safety margin. The stated tongue weight of the 23lb are already too high as well. The KZ E196S at just under 3,000 lbs dry gives him some margin of error.

    EDIT: I saw that you commented on the tongue weight. :-) I also saw you are now at Outbackers.net...glad to see you are enjoying the 260TRS!
  • Speedogomer's avatar
    Speedogomer
    Explorer
    Mar 25, 2014
    Check out a micro Lite 23lb... Yes it's very small, but it's light enough, and has triple bunks.... Everyone would have their own bed.

    I understand the concerns with a Hybrid... But they will definitely give you the most room. For security and safety, I agree with your choice to avoid them.

    Edit: hitch weight is high for the 23lb
  • rexlion's avatar
    rexlion
    Explorer
    Mar 25, 2014
    My Highlander is similar in tow rating and capability. My 16' trailer is 2700 lb loaded and the hitch weight runs from 360 to almost 400 lb depending on whether the fresh water and LP tanks are full or nearly empty. This is typical. So for you to stay under your 500 lb hitch weight rating, you realistically should not have more than about 4500 lb loaded TT, which means about a 3500 lb dry weight. That "Micro Lite" (misnamed IMO) is too heavy. You are not being nervous, only sensible.

    The Livin' Lite Camplite 21bhs would be a good candidate, because it starts with a low 250 lb dry hitch weight. You can add 1000 lb of cargo to it and still be 500 lb under its GVWR (good to have some margin). And you should be able to keep the hitch between 450 and 500 lbs, which means the handling will be decent without overloading the rear end. A longer trailer than this 21' unit would make for more difficult handling while driving your comparatively short-wheelbase tug.
  • dalejiw25's avatar
    dalejiw25
    Explorer
    Mar 24, 2014
    Check out one of the new Vikings. They have a couple with bunks and they're all under 3700 GVWR and under 400 lbs. hitch weight. Nice campers IMO. They are made by Coachmen and reasonably priced. OOps these are HTT. My bad.
  • 3LittleDucks's avatar
    3LittleDucks
    Explorer
    Mar 24, 2014
    Check out this page, has a summary of older trailers that might work, complete with specs. Could at least provide model numbers if you are looking for pre-owned.

    http://wesleggett.com/4+1.htm
  • Cotay's avatar
    Cotay
    Explorer
    Mar 24, 2014
    That Acadia is going to limit you severly I'm afraid. I wouldn't tow more than 3500 (fully loaded) with an Acadia. You've got a 500 lbs max tongue weight and your tow vehicle rear axle max payload (which will need to account for the tongue weight) is likely limited. As has been noted, the weight of the passengers is going to also limit your weight limits.

    Something like one of the ligher KZ Spree Escapes might work (like the E196S) (see the Spree Escapes here: http://kz-rv.com/spree-escape/floorplans.html). Without your full weights specs, it's hard to know.
  • 3LittleDucks's avatar
    3LittleDucks
    Explorer
    Mar 24, 2014
    You might be ok with a 21ft bunk model...jack and jills in the back and a U dinette at the front that converts to a queen bed. Trail Cruiser made one, a few friends have it (we have the HTT version). Works for a family of 5, I think it would be tight without the flip out, but doable. Your tow capacity will definitely limit your choices.
  • DavisK's avatar
    DavisK
    Explorer
    Mar 24, 2014
    I don't think you will be able to find anything that the 5 of you can comfortably live in for a month that can be towed safely by an Acadia. Don't forget that all of your food, clothing, toys, etc. has to be included in the gross weight. Have you considered a 3/4 ton crew cab truck?
  • lbrjet's avatar
    lbrjet
    Explorer
    Mar 24, 2014
    Keep in mind that the weight of any passengers and cargo inside your SUV reduces your tow rating pound for pound.

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