Pounds "average family packs"

MargaretB wrote:
I'm so nervous about the whole weight issue, which still isn't entirely clear to us.

You weighed the trailer and assume you were under the weight ratings....it's not any more complicated than that.

OOps, did forget the beer. So.....12 oz x 6.....and the wine.....whatever a 3ltr box weighs. Whew!

MargaretB.....go ahead and spring for the coffee maker.

I have 2305lb payload sub, rear seat removed and 1600lb payload hybrid.

I have no problems carrying a ton of beer.

I'm the queen of over-packing in every other phase of my life, but not here. I'm so nervous about the whole weight issue, which still isn't entirely clear to us. So we have lightweight eating gear, including paper plates, for 4, plastic drinkware for four, bedding for two, two folding chairs, a tiny plastic folding table to put our drinks on, two little plastic Melitta drip thingies to pour hot water over coffee grounds right into the cup (no coffee-maker,) minimal kitchen gear, lightweight pots and pans,minimal food... Our new TT has a complete outdoor kitchen and an incorporated BBQ, so we don't need to bring any of that. We travel with maybe 10 gallons of water in the tank and load up at the campground. In the TV, it's just us and a bag of potato chips. When we weighed before our maiden voyage, we were about 600 lbs. over empty weight.

Our TT delivered from the dealer was 6900 lbs...I added a second battery, spare tire, jack, tools, heavier foam mattress, plus all the dishes/linens, BBQ etc etc etc. At the scale with "some" water in the fresh tank it weighed 8500 lbs. When we dry camp and I fill the fresh water all the way and bring the coolers and firewood we're closer to 9000 lbs.

Doesn't matter what's in the trailer, and packing light doesn't help stuff like a spare tire or generator....so the 1200 lb number is a rough way to estimate what the TT is likely to weigh in addition to the dry weight when all is packed and ready to camp.

Too many newbies shopping the dry weight of the trailer against the tow rating of their truck...then was proposed by many to shop the GVWR of the trailer vs your tow rating, but then you're assuming that the thing will be stuffed to the gills. Obviously no two campers pack the same stuff the same way, but the idea was to give folks a realistic estimate of what they will to the dry weight.

If you look at the responses to this thread you can see these numbers are pretty accurate. Of course smaller trailers that don't have much storage limit what you can pack by default.

myredracer wrote:


When people say that the additional weight is 1500 lbs (or more), I just can't see it. Even if we had a family of 4 or more, I would think the additional cargo would be mostly clothing, maybe some books & DVDs and possibly more food or drinks - definitely not another 1K lbs and 3 times what my weighing showed. Anyone towing with one or more full holding tanks would of course drive the total up a lot.

I always travel from home to campsite with full fresh water tank. We sometiime was a little water on the road and it is easier to fill at home then while camping as most our sites are electric only.

Having kids adds a lot more food, at least double what my wife and I would take. Not that they eat more, but they like choices so we take extra. And toys, games, etc. So while their chairs, clothes, may be lighter per person, we take more things for the kids than for just us.

In April we took delivery of a new 2014 TT (our 3rd). After reading so much on forums about the additional weight owners add to their TTs, I decided to do a more "scientific" study and do detailed measurements of weights from the time we picked up the TT to the time it was loaded for camping. I went to a scale on the way home, next I weighed each mod./upgrade item individually before installation and then after all fully loaded for camping, I went to a scale for a weigh-in. This is what I found.

• Weight of TT as delivered to the dealer was 190 lbs higher than the factory dry weight just before it left the plant. Some of this would be propane and battery (only 1), but not sure about the remainder.

• Weight of all mods and upgrades (shocks, Dexter equalizers, snap-up brackets, 2nd TV, etc.) came to 119 lbs.

• The weight of all cargo incl. things for two of us (BBQ, outdoor carpet, wheel chocks, sewer fittings, leveling blocks, coffee maker, toaster, dishes, cutlery, food, pots, clothes, bathroom stuff, etc., etc.) came to 555 lbs.

The final total of anything and everything added on top of the factory dry weight including the additional as-delivered increase totals 864 lbs.

When people say that the additional weight is 1500 lbs (or more), I just can't see it. Even if we had a family of 4 or more, I would think the additional cargo would be mostly clothing, maybe some books & DVDs and possibly more food or drinks - definitely not another 1K lbs and 3 times what my weighing showed. Anyone towing with one or more full holding tanks would of course drive the total up a lot.

I think it's a very good idea to weigh a TT after all fully loaded for a trip. On a previous TT, we ended up weighing just 200 lbs under the GVWR and it was with ordinary cargo, one battery, only a few mods and empty tanks. I can see some unknowingly going over their GVWR which on a TT is not good. Actual cargo carrying capacities in some cases can be a lot less than what is advertised.

As you can see, it is easy to gather 1000 lbs. plus in stuff in your TT.

When we travel we carry 20 gals. of fresh watter in reserve for when we dry camp. We dump our black water and grey water when 1/2 to 3/4 full.

So at times we can waddled down the road with as much as 60 to as 80 gals of liquid in the tanks before we get a chance to dump. That is 500 lbs or more just waiting for a convienient dump stop.

HELLOOOO! Nobody is counting the weight for their beer!? :p

When we pack it is like trying to squeeze ten pounds into a five pound bag.
I would be scared to know what our trailer and truck weigh when fully packed but they have not collapsed in about 50 thousand miles so I am happy with that

Jack L