I need advise on what SUV and what travel trailer !

Well guys you helped me to make a decision to get an RV and pull a small Suv behind it. Will fit us a little better!

Vending gear in back with a shell = lots of weight. Everything else in the TV including passengers, WD hitch, and a tank of gas, and you will be over payload way before you reach the mythical max towing capacity number. You better rsearch this thouroughly before jumping in with an inadequate TV. Your towing a big box down the highway. If gas mileage is a concern, you need to look into a popup - there are hard sided popups like Trailmanor. MPG should be the last thing on your mind... PS - been to Asheville a number of times - very nice place to live.

ok the idea of a 2 wheel drive f-150 with 20mpg highway is intriguing... could be the compromise that is worth it.. vending gear in back with a shell. No Fifth wheels, but still..I'm not sure about the payload thing though. I see that a F-150 can town 7500 lbs but it didn't say what the payload is..
So between a Ford Van, and A Ford F-150.. what is better?

I had a ford ranger, and it was just a pain in the ass to get all the gear in and out. I would rather get a full size van like a 2004
Ford Econoline Van.. oh I cannot afford new. Looking around the 2000-2004 range.

2004 Ford Econoline Cargo
MAXIMUM TOWING CAPACITY** 6800 lbs. MAXIMUM PAYLOAD** 2166 lbs

2004 Chevy Tahoe:
MAXIMUM TOWING CAPACITY** 7700 lbs. MAXIMUM PAYLOAD** 1463 lbs

2004 Ford Explorer:
MAXIMUM TOWING CAPACITY** 5780 lbs. MAXIMUM PAYLOAD** 1416 lbs

what about something like this:
2015 Forest River Wildwood X-Lite 195BH Bunk House: GVW: 3,903 lbs.
http://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2015-Forest-River-Wildwood-X-Lite-195BH-Bunk-House-113097650

or this:
2005 Trail-Lite Trail Cruiser 26QBH, Super lite Bunk House Travel Trailer with walk around queen bed. Unloaded vehicle weight is 3329

or 2008 Outback 30QBHS Weight: 5940

Forget about those listed towing capacities, you're going to run out of payload capacity before you reach those larger towing capacities, especially if you load down the vehicle.

If it was me, I'd be aiming for a vehicle that had better gas mileage but I don't know the miles traveled. 4x4 SUV's have some of the worst MPG. Have you looked at what a Ford Ecoboost supercab and how it might work for you? If buying new, the newer Dodge with the Eco diesel may also offer what you need, better mileage unloaded and the ability to tow a fair sized trailer.

So which 2001 Tahoe are you thinkin' about? There's a 2,000 pound spread in tow capacity among the models you posted.

thank you for all the information! it's a lot to take in.
I have been working lots!

So my current van is a mini van. It's a 2004 Grand Caravan, and it gets hauled down with three people and festival gear. It was getting 12mpg! I would not pull anything with it, as it can barely pull itself.

I'm also going to be parking the trailer at peoples houses. So maybe when I got to Florida, I might move it every two weeks, or a month. Sometimes it may be easier to sleep in the van/truck/suv for an event, or just stay inside with friends, and leave it parked. Eventually I'll come back to Asheville, and use it for summer and winter trips, or park it behind the house for an guest house!

so I'm thinking that a Chevy Tahoe would work, because I could store my festival gear in that, take the third seats out. The government rating for the gas is 15.5mpg on average, and right now my van is 17mpg, sometimes it gets more 18.5 or less 12mpg.

So then whatever trailer I get would have to fit that. this is the towing capacity of a 2001 Chevy Tahoe:
Second generation Tahoe's equipped with four-wheel drive and the 5300 V8 have a maximum towing capacity of 8,800 pounds when fitted with the 4.10 axle ratio. Two-wheel drive Tahoe's of this generation have a maximum towing capacity of 8,100 pounds when equipped with the 5300 V8 and the 3.73 axle ratio. Base model two-wheel drive models have a maximum capacity of 6,100 pounds while base model four-wheel drive Tahoe's have a maximum capacity of 6,800 pounds.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/list_7326589_chevy-tahoe_-towing-specifications.html

Or A Fifth Wheel, could be an option too, but then I couldn't keep festival gear in the truck...

Here we are again, talkin' to ourselves.

New member O.P. has not been back since the threadstarter posted four days ago...

Honestly, if you are going to full time you will need a trailer with at least 1 slideout. You do not say how old your son is, but all kids need some room to stretch out. If I were to do what you are planning on doing, I really would look at a 5th wheel. Most of them are built better (not all) and have more room. Very stable on the road. And you said "be able to be self sufficient if we camp at an event that does not have hook ups." Most 5th wheels also have larger water and waste tanks, room for larger propane tanks and batteries.
Something like this: http://www.northwoodmfg.com/images/rsync/floorplans/mountain-335BHS.gif

A 5000 lb. TT is about all you would wish to haul with a ½ ton pickup. Ours is a 26 footer. Anything larger and a ¾ ton would be a better choice.

In our case we had never pulled and RV, so we decided to rent a 26 footer to see how it would pull with our truck. That is how I ended up with a newer e-boost pickup. It is also how we dicovered 10 mpg.

If you are going to stick with a van, I would definitely “try before you buy”.

Buying used is a good idea if you have a large enough selection to choose from. However, it is easy to get tied up with the conveniences of a larger TT; it is another to pull one of those barns down the road.