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mitechie's avatar
mitechie
Explorer
May 26, 2013

shopping research, alternatives to SC 227CKS

I'm doing research for our first trailer. We've been backpackers and tent campers and now looking to do a hybrid for some trips with our 3yr old. Tent camping with a 3yr old in the summer just isn't much fun. ;)

I fell in love with the Starcraft 227CKS, but after learning more and more about doing the towing numbers it's really pushing things. I'm in a 2013 Touareg TDI with up to 770 on the tongue and 7,700. The trouble is that the tongue weight is the real limiter. If I stick around the 15%, that gives me 5,133 for total trailer weight. A nice chunk less than the 7,700 on the sticker.

I've started looking at other brands and the Jayco x23B seems nice if a bit of a step down from the starcraft. I've also looked at some of the Roo floor plans based on seeing a lot of them in threads around here, but the floorplans I like are also on the heavy side (21DK).

I took a look at a coachman 22DSX, but again, it's on the heavy tongue weight side empty.

Does anyone have any other suggestions for models to look into? I'm more than happy to pay a bit more for quality. The sheer number of brands (and the fact that they're kissing cousins to each other) is proving to be a pita telling them apart and trying to assess quality differences.
  • mitechie wrote:
    tractorboy30 wrote:
    Well I have a palomino solaire 199x 2013 and we love it. it has a dry weight of 4,400 and loaded max weight of 7,400lbs and hitch weight of 485lbs min with lots of room for our family to move around you should take a look at them.
    Frank


    Interesting. I was checking out the list of forest river made products and that wasn't listed at all.

    http://www.forestriverinc.com/HybridTravelTrailers/


    that's for the FR brands. the Palomino, Coachmen, Dynamax, PrimeTime, Shasta and Vikings brands were recent acquisitions. their RV's aren't listed on the FR home website, though they are listed on the bottom of the FR Corporate website: http://www.forestriverinc.com/default.aspx?src=frrv
  • Type in Palomino and you will find them as I had to due the same when i was looking up there specs. but the dealer in my town is a palomino guy and that was another reson i bought it to.
    Frank
  • tractorboy30 wrote:
    Well I have a palomino solaire 199x 2013 and we love it. it has a dry weight of 4,400 and loaded max weight of 7,400lbs and hitch weight of 485lbs min with lots of room for our family to move around you should take a look at them.
    Frank


    Interesting. I was checking out the list of forest river made products and that wasn't listed at all.

    http://www.forestriverinc.com/HybridTravelTrailers/
  • Well I have a palomino solaire 199x 2013 and we love it. it has a dry weight of 4,400 and loaded max weight of 7,400lbs and hitch weight of 485lbs min with lots of room for our family to move around you should take a look at them.
    Frank