Looking for suggestions

Thanks everyone. I guess for now I will keep using my small popup (trailer is just over 1,000lbs) and a tent. Not optimal but I would rather do that than carry too much weight and risk lives.

The van scares me - that many people and their EXTRA gear, towing much of a trailer will quickly over load the rear of the van.If you can limit the van to passenger's only ? Using a 15 foot are so trailer may work - depending on what you load your trailer with ? Be careful you are making a serious decision, that will affect your family and their safety.Travel tralers are for fun so choose carefully.

kevin79 wrote:
That gives me around 340lbs for cargo and tongue weight right?

Right.

As I suspected from my own experience, the upfitter used up most of your payload capacity with the heavier than stock interior. Conversions are not good tow vehicles.

Sounds like a new tow vehicle might be in order and if that is the case look for a tt with a slide in the bunk. Some of them have a trifold couch that will sleep two and with three more bunks you can fit all five back there.

kevin79 wrote:
Got to the scales today. My van with a full tank of gas and just me weighed 6160lbs. I figure everyone else wieghs around 700lbs (probably less) and the GVWR listed on the sticker is 7200lbs. That gives me around 340lbs for cargo and tongue weight right?

Unfortunately yes, which leaves you only enough for the tongue weight of a light pop up trailer. Some will say it is ok to exceed the GVWR slightly as long as you stay under the tire and axle ratings but even that won't leave you enough weight room for the size of trailer you want/need. I wouldn't be comfortable doing that with my family on board.

Only real options are a 1 ton van with sufficient payload, tow with your current van but bring a second vehicle with all the passengers (then you would have nearly 1k of weight available for tongue weight), or stick with a pop up and tents.

Our old Outback will sleep ten but it will not live ten. I think you would need a tent or two to make living seven possible. I would also think that you would have to be near enough to park bathrooms to use them.
My mother had to wonderful time camping in tents with her family of eleven so it is possible. That was in very early 1900s.

Got to the scales today. My van with a full tank of gas and just me weighed 6160lbs. I figure everyone else wieghs around 700lbs (probably less) and the GVWR listed on the sticker is 7200lbs. That gives me around 340lbs for cargo and tongue weight right?

My grandkids moved into tents when they were about 10 years old. At first they slept under the PUP pull out beds then farther away.

Who wants to sleep with a bunch of old people who snore? :)

Oasisbob wrote:
We have a family of 6 and always take extra kids along. I have learned that as kids reach teen age years they want to tent it outside regardless of weather. for what it's worth

Yup, and then before you know it they are gone. Off to their own lives.

A 14 year old vehicle with 1000 miles or 200k miles has fatigue. Springs, shocks, bushings, clutches, fluids, hoses, metal. Nothing performs better at 14yrs than new. Someone could replace/upgrade certain components to improve certain capabilities, but the sum of parts is not likely greater than when new. My point is that towing any high walled trailer near it's tow ratings for that era vehicle is likely to be pleasant, from the driver, passengers, or vehicle maintenance. I towed my TT with a a vehicle of similar vintage capability. It was acceptable 6 years ago. Had I kept that truck, I would not entertain an RV at that tow vehicle age. I would want overkill of same vintage.

Newer means lots of things. Some involve engineering improvement. Some are just less fatigue/wear.

Those points are independent of the fact that towing nearly any RV with a large family tends to put most half tons 500+ pounds over GVWR. Brand new 2017 full sized half tons with 400+hp and 8+spd transmissions have the same issues with larger families and towing an RV.