Rant - looking for a travel trailer
I wish some manufacturer made the trailer I was looking for. I have 4 children, and I use a SUV to carry the family. And from all the threads I constantly see here, and on other sites, I'm not the on...
Forum Discussion
First I would not say that your SUV is typical. Most mid sized and larger SUVs have tongue weight ratings at 10% of tow rating. Yours is 7% which is fine for maybe some boats, but not any typical trailers in the US. I suspect your SUV is European in which trailers are designed with a little less TW% and towing speeds are 50-55mph, not 65-75mph that we tend to think is acceptable.
You need to accept that RVing is not cheap. It is a lifestyle choice for recreation/vacationing. Part of that cost is having excess capability for non-towing situations. We effectively replaced our minivan at about 17mpg mixed/daily driving with our 3/4 Ton Suburban which is 14mpg. Subtract 1MPG from each in the winter. I have spreadsheets for lots of things. The extra fuel costs is insignificant compared to the cost of the vehicle which was over double for the same level of equipment/luxury with extra towing capability.
Regarding the setup/tear down time - it won't shrink with a high walled RV. You'll end up taking more stuff since you have the space! When we get to the campsite, I tend to send my wife and kids away to explore for half hour which I park the TT, level, and prepare all the outside stuff. Then my wife sets up the inside for another 20 min. So while it could take less time, we spend it anyway in order to save time throughout the camping trip.
You need to accept that RVing is not cheap. It is a lifestyle choice for recreation/vacationing. Part of that cost is having excess capability for non-towing situations. We effectively replaced our minivan at about 17mpg mixed/daily driving with our 3/4 Ton Suburban which is 14mpg. Subtract 1MPG from each in the winter. I have spreadsheets for lots of things. The extra fuel costs is insignificant compared to the cost of the vehicle which was over double for the same level of equipment/luxury with extra towing capability.
Regarding the setup/tear down time - it won't shrink with a high walled RV. You'll end up taking more stuff since you have the space! When we get to the campsite, I tend to send my wife and kids away to explore for half hour which I park the TT, level, and prepare all the outside stuff. Then my wife sets up the inside for another 20 min. So while it could take less time, we spend it anyway in order to save time throughout the camping trip.
