Newbie to tt -- looking to buy--and confused! Lol!

Since it seems you really like the outdoorsy style of camping, but with amenities, have you looked at hybrids?? We just made the move from our wonderful ROO 23SS to a TT, but only because age and all that goes with it was making camping a bit of a chore rather than mostly fun. You can click over to the "hybrid travel trailer" side and read all about them. They are a combination of a hardside trailer - complete with kitchen, bathroom, A/C,furnace, dinette and/or sofa - with usually queensize beds that fold out of both the front and back. Benefits are that they're usually lighter weight, you tow something in the 23' range, but when you get set up you've got around 30' of space. The beds are tentends and have windows that upzip, so you can have the breezes and fresh air or not. The downside is that if it happens to be rainy when time comes to close up to come home, you have to open up the ends and let them dry completely. We rarely had to do this, but for some it happens more often. We loved our hybrid and never saw anything that would make us want to change, but age crept up while we weren't looking and all the stuff that goes with it, so the change to our wonderful new TT is perfect for us now. A hybrid might be just the perfect thing.

As stated above you need you think about weights and usage of the tt. some rv resorts limit age of tt, some national parks dont fit longer tt, you have to realize the longer you go, you trade off some nice sites.

now lets discuss what you can tow. you stated you were confused on weights.. Instead of telling you what you can tow, I'm gonna show you how to correctly figure this out. This way a salesman won't sell you something you really can't tow.

You need to know more about your trucks capabilities than just my truck can tow x lbs. (I learned this the hard way). Most TV are limited by their payload. To find out your TVs true towing capacities then you need to go weigh it. Load the tv up with all occupants, pets, and cargo that will be in it when towing plus a full tank of fuel and then go weigh it at a local scale (www.catscale.com ). Weigh each axle on a separate scale pad so it will give you a breakdown of front and rear axle weights individually and a total weight. Take the total weight and subtract it from your Trucks gvwr to get your available payload. Take the scaled Truck weight and subtract it from your Truck gcwr to get your adjusted towng capacity.

Next understand you will never tow an unloaded or dry trailer. Those numbers are somewhat irrelevant. You can either add the amount of weight of cargo you will tow to the dry weight (this is heavier than you think as most add 1000-2000 lb of gear) or simply use the tt gvwr to do your calculations. Being that this is your first tt, using the tt gvwr is the safer route for you. Next understand that the tt loaded tongue weight needs to be subtracted from your available payload. The loaded tongue weight is typically 13-15% of the loaded tt weight. For your purposes go wiith 13-15% of the tt gvwr. Remember you will need a good wdh, preferrably one with integrated sway control like the equal-i-zer or reese dual cam.

Once you have done all that then it is time to look at floorplans. Think about your usage, you will want larger sized fresh, grey and black tanks for boondocking.
(You might also want to think about a generator or solar battery charhing system for boondocking). In the tt think about where people will sleep, where you will put things (ie moms clothes in this closet, dishes in that cabinet, kids toys in that drawer etc), act out daily usage in the tt with doors closed (ie kids playing with toy trucks, mom cooking, dad walking to bathroom, and don't forget to account for tripping over dogs). Hope this helps you find the right solution for you. Happy hunting.

I have a Passport 300bh trialer and pull it no problem with a Dodge 1500 hemi..trailer is 34 foot long..got it at Lakeshore rv in Mich saved 8000 grand...drove from NJ-Mich to get it

Thank you so much everyone for the replies! You've really helped me put this all in perspective and realize 1) more shopping is needed! Also thanks for pointing out the tongue weight thing! I think that was one of my concerns in going larger just didn't know how to phrase it correctly. Dry weight, tongue weight etc confused me but I get it now.. You guys are awesome and hubby and I have decided to just continue our search a little more well informed. Happy June 21st! Longest day of the year.. Make it count! Thanks again :)

Fire Instructor wrote:
Don't know exactly where you want to camp, but some of the more snooty CG's place "restrictions" on how old a trailer they will allow.... Not my idea of a "friendly" CG, but a '96 may not be allowed in some places...

As for the unit that you are looking at, my biggest concern would be the roof. Get up there, look for cracking in the materials and seals, look for any signs of a repair, which may indicate a problem area, and look inside for any water staining. Tires are also a likely issue, but can be easily replaced. You can check the mfgr date of tires by looking up the codes. I wouldn't run tires more than 5 years old anywhere too far....

Good advice. If you are confused, then your reality testing is probably pretty good. Comparisons are very difficult.

Before you buy anything I suggest doing the weight numbers on your 1500 to make sure you're within limits. Good hunting!

Rent different types a few times then decide and buy!

I think you are going about this new adventure very smartly. My first was an older 27' Class C that we paid cash for and created lots of great memories. We discovered what was most important to us for our latest TT like a walk around queen bed, more counter space, and designated beds for the kids instead of using the dinette. I've managed to avoid spending big bucks and plan to keep our current TT until we become snowbirds in 15 years.

Keep a close eye on the tongue weight (not the dry #) of any TT you come across, since the payload of the Ram is relatively low... Driver + Dear Wife + kids + fuel + cargo in the truck does not leave much for the tongue weight.

Don't know exactly where you want to camp, but some of the more snooty CG's place "restrictions" on how old a trailer they will allow.... Not my idea of a "friendly" CG, but a '96 may not be allowed in some places...

As for the unit that you are looking at, my biggest concern would be the roof. Get up there, look for cracking in the materials and seals, look for any signs of a repair, which may indicate a problem area, and look inside for any water staining. Tires are also a likely issue, but can be easily replaced. You can check the mfgr date of tires by looking up the codes. I wouldn't run tires more than 5 years old anywhere too far....

Just don't be too hasty to buy. Even look at new just to see what is available. Look at thoselist prices the figure 30% off. Then when you look again at used you will get a good idea of resale & what they sell for used. Sometime people buy new dring good time and then arn't realistic in selling it used. Just spend lots of time looking.