Question about R-pod Vs. other small trailers! New to this!

I thought of the Sportsmen Classic bunkhouse but did not suggest it because its hitch weight will be too high. Adding Timbrens will not increase hitch weight capacity, because they only reduce squat; they will not strengthen your receiver-to-sheet-metal mount integrity. You do not want your receiver to tear off on the highway and send your trailer careening into oncoming traffic, right? Now, if custom reinfocement is done by a good welder, that's different. Can-Am RV in London ON does this mod with good success.

Your Pacifica is rated to tow 3,600 lbs but the Salem trailer gross weight rating is 3,885. Too much trailer for the Pacifica and that doesn't address the payload concern mentioned earlier in this posting by toedtoes.

afidel wrote:

SpeakEasy wrote:

3. The key capacity figure that you need to pay most attention to is going to be the "payload" capacity. That's the amount of weight your vehicle can handle - counting passengers, gear, and trailer tongue weight. That figure is going to stop you before the "towing capacity" of your minivan.

On 3, no with a minivan it won't. The Chrysler minivans at least have very respectable payload capacity (~1500-1700 depending on configuration) but the soft rear suspension and unibody frame plus relatively weak transmission that isn't programmed to tow mean that they're much more limit than a truck with the same payload rating.

This. The OP already listed the payload from the door sticker, which is a respectable 1600lbs.

Some half tons are struggling to hit that payload number. We have packed our '15 Grand Caravan to the roof with clothes (for my wife business), with 4 passengers, and it didn't even blink.

I'm not sure how it would like the wind resistance of a hard side camper though.

Do they even make a receiver hitch that is rated for weight distribution for a Pacifica? Another thing to check.

Many of the smaller camper and PUPs require under seat storage. It is the trade off for a smaller size.

The problem with the dealers is they have no idea of how you camp. Your van has a specific tow rating that anyone can look up. It also has a cargo rating that is vehicle specific.

The dealer sees your van can pull 3000# and the TT weighs 3000# you are good to go in his book. He had no idea weather your family travels light or packs 1000# of toys and gear into the TT.

This is the situation almost all first time buyers face. Mostly because they have never heard of tongue weight, gross trailer weight, vehicle max cargo capacity. Add to this the literature only speaks of dry weights and it can be quite misleading.

Good luck

A counter-point on storage in the R-Pods. I helped a friend buy one and it seems like 90% of the usable storage is UNDER the dinette. It is generous on her model, but a PITA to get to.

When I had a Honda Odyssey we went trailer shopping and I was turned off by the suggestion of a Pop-up. That was before I knew much about camping. Now that I'm out so often, the Pop-ups impress me with what you can accomplish. There are trade-offs, but I've read how former Pop-up owners say they miss the big beds and open feeling.

Good luck!

rexlion wrote:
Hi, jaimez. I'm a fan of small trailers and have owned several. The first thing you need to watch out for is hitch weight. Your van probably is rated for about 350 lbs on the hitch. Any more than the rated weight will adversely affect the rear suspension, take too much weight off the front tires for traction and stopping, and could even tear the hitch receiver off the van during travel. That Salem has a dry hitch weight of 385 lbs. Too much! And 'dry' means without propane, maybe without battery, and definitely without any water or cargo in the trailer; in other words, real-world hitch weight will be more, sometimes WAY more, than the dry weight. Best strategy is to find something with no more than 275 lbs dry hitch weight. And you need at least 10% of total trailer weight on the hitch for good towing characteristics (no sway), btw.

Second: the biggest drain on your drive train will be wind resistance. Total weight will bite you more on the hills (the steeper the hill the bigger the bite), but towing a trailer with lots of frontal area will be tough on the minivan. One solution is to plan on driving more slowly, like 55 or maybe 60 mph. But you're still best off to look for a trailer with the least frontal area possible that still has the space and features you think you need. The Salem is taller and wider than the R Pod, thus it would tow harder.

A 16' Scamp will cost even more than the R Pod, but it will tow easier than the Pod because of its small frontal area and light weight. Layout #4 has bunks up front and dinette in rear that makes into a bed (the old ones have a very narrow "double", about 48" IIRC, but new ones can be ordered with 54" width). Hitch weight is likely to be under 300 lbs, and total weight around 2500-2700 lbs, when loaded.

If you don't mind 'basic' and 'no frills', you might be able to configure one of these Eureka Rambler 6.5x14 trailers to suit your family's needs. They are pretty affordable and I think they will customize the interior layout.

Of course, there is always the tried-and-true popup trailer, with canvas sides and pull-out bunks. These tow easily down the highway since they fold down so low and tuck behind your van. A hard-side option in folding trailers is the Aliner. Even their largest, heaviest Expedition model would work with a minivan.

This sounds like very good advice to me.

Another thing to remember, most vehicles (but not all), require you to subtract anything in your vehicle from the tow rating. So all the passengers (but perhaps the driver), cooler, dog if you have one, food, etc. will all likely subtract from your tow rating. Check your owners manual to be sure.

SpeakEasy wrote:
Advice from one who has been through some of what you're going through:

1. Don't be discouraged. What you're experiencing is part of the normal learning curve in RV-ing.

2. The truth is somewhere between what the salesmen at a dealership tell you (you can tow this!!) and what the weight police here on this forum tend to tell you (you need a 3/4 ton pickup to tow anything more than a popup).

3. The key capacity figure that you need to pay most attention to is going to be the "payload" capacity. That's the amount of weight your vehicle can handle - counting passengers, gear, and trailer tongue weight. That figure is going to stop you before the "towing capacity" of your minivan.

Speak

On 3, no with a minivan it won't. The Chrysler minivans at least have very respectable payload capacity (~1500-1700 depending on configuration) but the soft rear suspension and unibody frame plus relatively weak transmission that isn't programmed to tow mean that they're much more limit than a truck with the same payload rating.

Advice from one who has been through some of what you're going through:

1. Don't be discouraged. What you're experiencing is part of the normal learning curve in RV-ing.

2. The truth is somewhere between what the salesmen at a dealership tell you (you can tow this!!) and what the weight police here on this forum tend to tell you (you need a 3/4 ton pickup to tow anything more than a popup).

3. The key capacity figure that you need to pay most attention to is going to be the "payload" capacity. That's the amount of weight your vehicle can handle - counting passengers, gear, and trailer tongue weight. That figure is going to stop you before the "towing capacity" of your minivan.

Speak

Whatever you decide, try to rent a similar sized unit first. Nothing explains the advantages and disadvantages of a TT like a week or so of camping.

Good luck

I tow a 2017 KZ Sportsmen Classic 180bh with my 2006 Kia Sedona EX minivan. Even after upgrading to a larger fridge and a.c. unit, the weight of the travel trailer was only 2700 lbs. The 180bh has bunkbeds and a queen size bed with a regular mattress. It also has a large closet to hang your clothes. Some of the models you have looked at have no closet space at all. Also, 3,000lbs unloaded is too much for your minivan. Add the weight of the passengers and you will be over your weight limit.
Also, I highly recommend that you make a few changes to your minivan. Have the largest external transmission cooler added. I put Timbren suspension springs on the rear, E2 weight distribution hitch with built in sway control, and a brake controller.
The most important thing I did was to get the dealer to let me do a test tow before purchasing the travel trailer. The dealer let me test tow a used trailer that weighed several hundred pounds more than the one I was purchasing. This extra weight will account for a fully loaded travel trailer.
If the dealer will not do this, either rent a trailer for a day or find someone who has one for sale that will allow you to do so.
I have no problem towing with my Kia but you have a different minivan. I suggest you have the hitch installed first and then do a test tow before you invest money in the upgrades to your minivan. This way you will know if your vehicle can handle towing the travel trailer.
Another thing I do is travel with my water tanks empty and purchase most of my groceries after arriving at my destination.