No Slide Out Travel Trailer

Since you will be spending most of your time at your mother-in-law's, having a slide is not as important. With A house close by, that will automatically give more space by being able to go in there periodically. At least, your husband can. The older Coachmen did not seem to hold up very well. The newer ones seem to be better. We had a 28ft a Sunline that we really loved. It had a great floor plan with no slide which we did not need because of how it was arranged. We now have a Trail-lite which does have an enclosed underbelly, but the quality is not really there.
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hatchhanlon wrote:
Here is my contribution to the mix. I have two RVs, a 40’ Montana FW and a 2005 Bigfoot (BF), 25’ TT with no slide. The smaller unit replaced our 16’ Scamp and is our traveler and the larger one sits on a seasonal lot, during the warmer months.

My wife and I have two Golden Retrievers and recently spent the month of November traveling together, while visiting between Natchez MS and Fl. The day we left Williston Fl, it was 29 degrees, demonstrating that I have some firsthand experience with hearty environmental conditions.

First, staying in any type of RV for any length of time when the weather is 45 degrees or less takes a certain kind of person to make the situation work. Mind you, I love camping, but I try to avoid extended periods of cold weather, then again, your mileage might vary.

Second, temperature control is indeed one of the primary considerations, when the weather drops below the aforementioned level. From my direct experience, we could heat the TT to whatever internal temperature we wanted, without propane. We used a Vornado electric heater 24/7 and the parks we stayed in did not charge extra for electric. This TT was purchased as a four-season unit without a slide on purpose, because in my estimation, slides add a host of complexities that are not worth the tradeoffs in colder weather, at least to me. Plus, the BF has storage galore and the most comfortable walk around Queen bed that one could ever imagine. No kidding.

Third, I should be the Poster Boy for Bigfoot, because I am sold on this brand. After living seasonally in a 34’ Airstream for over 15 years, I can attest that the desirability of the BF for quality, workmanship, and environmental capability. My unit when loaded is approximately 7,500 lbs and I tow it with a ¾ ton diesel PU. It is not a lightweight and consists of a fiberglass top and bottom, connected in the middle. The one big tradeoff is that the dinette is your couch, desk, eating area, etc. Search my posts for a workaround.

Lastly, camping for many days, in other words living in a unit, is the same as camping for one day. Your satisfaction depends on your mettle and adaptability, a lot like over-wintering in a small cabin in the deep woods. Some people are not cut out for those conditions, but as far as the feasibility of your desired RV plan, its way doable, at least on paper. You will have to decide if you are the type of person, who has the wherewithal to pull it off.

Thanks so much. I have put together a list of trailers to look at. I didn't realize that a trailer with slide out would be harder to heat.

Hi Sara,

There are some guidelines. The absolute minimum for battery charging is 60 watts per 100 amp-hours of storage. The "reasonable maximum" is 150 watts per 100 amp-hours of storage.

If you full time and boondock and are running a generator for 120 volt power then it is best to maximize the shade free space on the RV and populate it with panels. Costs for a DIY install are under $2 per watt.

I'd further recommend a hybrid inverter--because that will allow the battery bank to supplement shore or generator power. This means a smaller cheaper generator can be used--and that fuel costs for it are reduced.

It may be wise to consider switching to a 24 volt battery bank, and using DC to DC converters to power the 12 volt stuff in the RV.

crochetdiva wrote:
Thank you. I'll have to sit down with my husband and try and figure out how much we'll need. I wish there was an average that you could start with and you could just add to it.

Here is my contribution to the mix. I have two RVs, a 40’ Montana FW and a 2005 Bigfoot (BF), 25’ TT with no slide. The smaller unit replaced our 16’ Scamp and is our traveler and the larger one sits on a seasonal lot, during the warmer months.

My wife and I have two Golden Retrievers and recently spent the month of November traveling together, while visiting between Natchez MS and Fl. The day we left Williston Fl, it was 29 degrees, demonstrating that I have some firsthand experience with hearty environmental conditions.

First, staying in any type of RV for any length of time when the weather is 45 degrees or less takes a certain kind of person to make the situation work. Mind you, I love camping, but I try to avoid extended periods of cold weather, then again, your mileage might vary.

Second, temperature control is indeed one of the primary considerations, when the weather drops below the aforementioned level. From my direct experience, we could heat the TT to whatever internal temperature we wanted, without propane. We used a Vornado electric heater 24/7 and the parks we stayed in did not charge extra for electric. This TT was purchased as a four-season unit without a slide on purpose, because in my estimation, slides add a host of complexities that are not worth the tradeoffs in colder weather, at least to me. Plus, the BF has storage galore and the most comfortable walk around Queen bed that one could ever imagine. No kidding.

Third, I should be the Poster Boy for Bigfoot, because I am sold on this brand. After living seasonally in a 34’ Airstream for over 15 years, I can attest that the desirability of the BF for quality, workmanship, and environmental capability. My unit when loaded is approximately 7,500 lbs and I tow it with a ¾ ton diesel PU. It is not a lightweight and consists of a fiberglass top and bottom, connected in the middle. The one big tradeoff is that the dinette is your couch, desk, eating area, etc. Search my posts for a workaround.

Lastly, camping for many days, in other words living in a unit, is the same as camping for one day. Your satisfaction depends on your mettle and adaptability, a lot like over-wintering in a small cabin in the deep woods. Some people are not cut out for those conditions, but as far as the feasibility of your desired RV plan, its way doable, at least on paper. You will have to decide if you are the type of person, who has the wherewithal to pull it off.

pianotuna wrote:
Hi Sara,

Zamp is expensive. Probably three times what the current prices are. Sol Man is using LI battery technology and that is generally more expensive than lead acid.

Here is one more affordable company:

http://www.solarblvd.com/

Their best price at the moment is around $0.65 cents per watt.

It is a good idea to get more solar than you think you need. It is also a good plan to purchase a larger wattage charge controller than you need to allow for future expansion.

Thank you. I'll have to sit down with my husband and try and figure out how much we'll need. I wish there was an average that you could start with and you could just add to it.

Hi Sara,

Zamp is expensive. Probably three times what the current prices are. Sol Man is using LI battery technology and that is generally more expensive than lead acid.

Here is one more affordable company:

http://www.solarblvd.com/

Their best price at the moment is around $0.65 cents per watt.

It is a good idea to get more solar than you think you need. It is also a good plan to purchase a larger wattage charge controller than you need to allow for future expansion.

pianotuna wrote:
Hi Sara,

Here is a simple flow chart.

Budget-->Energy Audit-->Battery bank size-->number of watts-->PWM or MPPT. What ever type of controller is chosen, make sure it has adjustable set points and a temperature probe that is on the battery.

One rule of thumb is between 60 and 150 watts of panels per 100 amp-hours of storage. The smaller the battery bank the higher the wattage needed (per 100 amp-hours). Here is a link to the rather special spreadsheet which includes an energy audit, that N8GS has created to help size solar battery charging systems!

Solar Spread Sheet N8GS

For a nice explanation of solar, try this link:

Golden rules of solar

crochetdiva wrote:
My husband is talking solar and I'm talking putting in enough electric to power the trailer so we'll see what we end up with.

Is it better to get the biggest system you can or is it better to get something you can add onto in time and just use an electric hook up when needed. I have been looking at Sol Man and Zamp Solar. Are those any good?

Hi Sara,

Here is a simple flow chart.

Budget-->Energy Audit-->Battery bank size-->number of watts-->PWM or MPPT. What ever type of controller is chosen, make sure it has adjustable set points and a temperature probe that is on the battery.

One rule of thumb is between 60 and 150 watts of panels per 100 amp-hours of storage. The smaller the battery bank the higher the wattage needed (per 100 amp-hours). Here is a link to the rather special spreadsheet which includes an energy audit, that N8GS has created to help size solar battery charging systems!

Solar Spread Sheet N8GS

For a nice explanation of solar, try this link:

Golden rules of solar

crochetdiva wrote:
My husband is talking solar and I'm talking putting in enough electric to power the trailer so we'll see what we end up with.

wannavolunteerFT wrote:
Here is one near me, it is bigger than what you mentioned (and could probably tow with your vehicle now). it has been advertized for a while, so seller would probably take less. You could probably get the seller to deliver to your location so you could begin using it sooner. I know it is a long ways from Dalton, but other than length, I think it would work for your needs. I have a Jayflight and have been very pleased with quality. They are green certified (so less likely to cause allergy issues).

You could take bunks on street side out and use area for recliners, rockers or whatever you want. Since their is an outside kitchen, you could tap those water lines to put washer/dryer in bunk room.

Strongly recommend that you have 30 or 50 amp service put in at your MIL's. If you have a correctly sized service plug, you will not need generator. Your TT will run on A/C's on it's electric service plug. You only need a generator is you are staying somewhere without enough electric service.

Thanks so much for the link. I really like it! My husband is talking solar and I'm talking putting in enough electric to power the trailer so we'll see what we end up with.

we bought our first TT last year, a 26 foot Jayco with bunkhouse beds, dinette, sofa, just as you describe. After one (that's right) weekend trip with kids we traded it for the same trailer but with a slide. That slide made an enormous difference in useful space in the trailer. Otherwise our trailer meets all your requirements and we like it. Jayco 264BHS.