Seashellmama wrote:
gmw photos wrote:
With all due respect though, Bizmarks mom, and also to the OP, there is a difference here. You are pulling your Keystone with a nicely adequate truck (F150).
If the OP is adamant about keeping her existing tow vehicle, that in itself is going to dictate the limits of the rest of this purchase.
OP, have you considered one of the small camplite ( livin lite ) trailers ?
The Camplites are all too heavy, except for the CL11FK which is radically too small, and too expensive.
Unfortunately, the Pathfinder really hits all the sweet spots as our car- not outrageously bad gas mileage for the many miles we put on it in our daily lives, comfortable for the long trips (camping or not) that we take, room for dogs and the friends who sometimes accompany us, and capable of towing a lightweight but functional travel trailer for our periodic camping trips. It's not the perfect vehicle for towing and it's also not the perfect vehicle for around town, but it's better than a Prius V for towing or a crew cab pickup for parking at Trader Joe's.
If you want to come up with a really solid vehicle alternative and convince me, I've got three days left to change my mind on the Pathfinder. Others do seem to manage the 2013+ Pathfinder/3500lb trailer combo ok, though...
Take a hard look at Toyota 4Runners. They have much better reliability ratings than Pathfinders. 5000 lb tow rating, available in a variety of trim levels.
Also the Ford Explorer at the Sport or Platinum trim level has a 5000 lb tow rating and the 3.5L Ecoboost engine, which will get up and run for sure.
Those are my 2 top picks, am just waiting to do a little more comparison test drive, and a little closer to retirement to pull the trigger.
My intent is to buy a trailer in the 3500-4000 GVWR range, and load both it and the tow vehicle lightly. I'm not one of these people who feel the need to take everything in the house on a camping trip.
