Hi all:I am a newbie in the world of camper trailers, trying to buy my first camper trailer to get started. I am in my late 40s, married with wife and two kids - a 20 year old college going daughter (home only occasionally) and a 10 year old son. Mentioned this to give some idea on what we would need in a camper.For towing the trailer, I bought a 2017 Ram 1500 ecodiesel with a 3.92 Rear Axle Ratio. Specs show a "Max Trailer Weight Rating" of 7540 lbs. for this truck.In our local market, I spotted two trailers (on craigslist) that I want to investigate further:1. A 2016 Forest River Shasta Oasis 25RS. The owner mentions "excellent condition" at a listed price that sounds reasonable. I have googled the model and watched some youtube videos and so far, wife and myself like the floor plan. We have not gone to physically take a look yet, will probably do that in the coming week.2. A 2016 Coachmen Catalina 261 BH SBX. This one we went to take a look yesterday, and through our newbie eyes, it did look like in excellent condition. We liked the floor plan on this one also.The floor plans are mostly similar, with one main difference being the slide out in the Shasta. My engineering experience tells me that a slide out means more moving parts, and more possibilities for developing a leak. But wife prefers the space the slide out offers. FYI - the slide out is for the sofa and refrigerator.One last point - the asking price for both the trailers is similar. The Catalina does come with some kind of a transferable warranty through mid 2023.Being a complete newbie, I would like advice from trailer owners and experts on what they like and not in a slide out, quality of construction of the two brands etc. of these particular models to help me further decide.Thanks in advance for all the comments!

when you decide on which rv, hire a mobil tech to do a inspection on the rv, best money you,ll spend is knowing if its a good one or not.

IMHO pick the one you like the best. Do slides add complexity? yes. Do slides add room? yes. Are slides likely to give you an problem. No, like anything you could end up with a problem, but in reality current slides are quite reliable.Personally, I like the space slides offer. However one of the big drawbacks of SOME slides is that when in they block access to what you may find critical for a rest stop or quick morning start. things like bathroom, fridge, dinette, cooktop, etc. So if this is important to you see what you can or more importantly CAN'T do with the slide in.

ktmrfs wrote:IMHO pick the one you like the best. Do slides add complexity? yes. Do slides add room? yes. Are slides likely to give you an problem. No, like anything you could end up with a problem, but in reality current slides are quite reliable.Personally, I like the space slides offer. However one of the big drawbacks of SOME slides is that when in they block access to what you may find critical for a rest stop or quick morning start. things like bathroom, fridge, dinette, cooktop, etc. So if this is important to you see what you can or more importantly CAN'T do with the slide in.^^What he said^^

The slide increases your square footage considerably in a smaller TT - it also adds to the weight. Watch your weights with the half ton truck.Bill

We don't have a slide because of what Ktmrfs said and the fact that its just the wife and I. It was also less expensive for us buying new.

Newbie travel trailer buyer question - to slide out or not

midnightsadie
Explorer II
Dec 31, 2017
when you decide on which rv, hire a mobil tech to do a inspection on the rv, best money you,ll spend is knowing if its a good one or not.
ktmrfs
Explorer II
Dec 31, 2017
IMHO pick the one you like the best. Do slides add complexity? yes. Do slides add room? yes. Are slides likely to give you an problem. No, like anything you could end up with a problem, but in reality current slides are quite reliable.

Personally, I like the space slides offer. However one of the big drawbacks of SOME slides is that when in they block access to what you may find critical for a rest stop or quick morning start. things like bathroom, fridge, dinette, cooktop, etc. So if this is important to you see what you can or more importantly CAN'T do with the slide in.
RinconVTR
Explorer
Dec 31, 2017
ktmrfs wrote:
IMHO pick the one you like the best. Do slides add complexity? yes. Do slides add room? yes. Are slides likely to give you an problem. No, like anything you could end up with a problem, but in reality current slides are quite reliable.

Personally, I like the space slides offer. However one of the big drawbacks of SOME slides is that when in they block access to what you may find critical for a rest stop or quick morning start. things like bathroom, fridge, dinette, cooktop, etc. So if this is important to you see what you can or more importantly CAN'T do with the slide in.

^^What he said^^
Trackrig
Explorer II
Dec 31, 2017
The slide increases your square footage considerably in a smaller TT - it also adds to the weight. Watch your weights with the half ton truck.

Bill
mat60
Explorer
Dec 31, 2017
We don't have a slide because of what Ktmrfs said and the fact that its just the wife and I. It was also less expensive for us buying new.
Bird_Freak
Explorer II
Dec 31, 2017
I see no slides as less room and lower resale.
BB_TX
Nomad
Dec 31, 2017
Slide problems are very small compared to the number of slides out there. 4,5, and even 6 slides are common on larger RVs. For the xtra room provided by a slide, I think you would be happier with the slide model, assuming you like that floor plan.
Lwiddis
Explorer II
Dec 31, 2017
Happy with my slide. Makes a small or moderate size TT big.
Max trailer is only one of many numbers for your truck and 7540 isn’t that much for a truck. Payload is far more important. What is it?
Sorry but I believe the 2016 Forest River Shasta Oasis 25RS and the 2016 Coachmen Catalina 261 BH SB are too heavy for your truck. You’ll be maxed out. Go smaller. Remember it’s not just what you can “pull,” it’s what you can also CARRY.
ScottG
Nomad
Dec 31, 2017
I will never own another RV without slides.
Never!
And I don't care if they block anything when in. It takes a few seconds and the push of a button to partially deploy them enough to do what ever is needed.
Our last RV required the slide be partly extended to make lunch on the road. It took ten 10 seconds to do so.
I guess I'm just not in that big of a hurry that a few seconds bothers me.
Merrykalia
Explorer
Dec 31, 2017
I'll add my $.02 to the mix and here is my opinion:

The slides add so much more space to the already limited space inside an RV. Mine now has 4 slides and until all of our kids are gone and not camping with us, we will continue to have them.

Get whichever RV YOUR WIFE wants as long as it is in good shape and has no known problems (get an RV tech to look it over well).

If you have been married long enough to have a 20 year old daughter, you already KNOW that you won't be happy if she's not happy.