Taking plunge on 1st TT - lots of ?s, best "value" brands?
I know this is kinda like going into a car forum and asking which one is best - you'll get a million opinions and not much in the way of logic.
HOWEVER I do have faith that this is different, and there IS logic behind choosing between some of the best TT's out there.
Quick background - I've been tent camping, hiking, backpacking, etc my whole life. I've also been around horses for most of my life, own one now, etc. I've ALSO been growing a small sports photography business locally for about a decade, which has really started to take off. Basically, I'm combining all three of the above - as I usually end up shooting at some of the larger horse shows on the east coast for 3-5 days at a time. My girlfriend of three years has joined in, and we pretty much do these shows as mini vacations and a source of secondary income.
The only issue is that we end up with very little time during the shows, and are generally leaving our primary jobs Thursday night, sometimes Fri AM - having to pack hundreds of pounds of gear into either of our SUV's AND leave space for our Australian Shepherd to roam around in the back. Once we get there (sometimes 3am!) I'm left setting up a monumental camp site by my self after 8hrs of driving - LARGE awkward three-room cabin tent, inflatable beds, sofas, a portable air conditioner, fans, all the electrical, mini ice maker, the "kitchen" setup outside, etc etc. I usually end up having to clothes-pin sheets to the walls so one "room" is insulated enough for the AC to actually work (even though it's 9000 BTU.
Our last show pretty much did us in, as we had to scramble to tear everything down and get on the road in 110 degree heat index, 8 hours from home knowing we had to work the next morning. It's a daunting task looking at that site and having to tear it down and tetris-fit it into an SUV! Plus as I'm doing this, I get to watch every other travel trailer and RV pack up and leave while I'm about to die. OH and while we were shooting the day before, a storm collapsed my fold-out canopy INTO one room of the cabin tent (kitchen) which collapsed as well, and sent stuff flying everywhere, not to mention the waterproof floor then did its job in reverse and totally flooded. Driving up to that scene after a day of work was NOT what I wanted on my vacation!
SO that's the preface basically. I just want a "portable camp site" more than anything. Doesn't have to be super nice at all. Most of these facilities are absolutely beautiful - and the last one we went to (twice this year) the Tryon International Equestrian Center in the NC mountains, had first class facilities with lodge-style welcome center, game rooms, TV room, laundry etc. Pads had full hookups. Anyways it's not like I'll really be in the wilderness - it's just an alternative to complicated complex camp sites.
With that in mind, I've been in / around lots of LQ horse trailers that some friends use during the show weekends - very familiar with their amenities and functions. I've also rented a few over the years, and have extensive hauling experience ranging from 40' triple axle motorcycle trailers to 36' 4h LQ GN's through cumberland, etc. The size isn't much of a factor, just weight/price.
Initially I THOUGHT we could get something cool like a pop-out or an a-frame, because it would be portable and super cheap - next logical step from a camp site right? NOPE. I was shocked to learn I could get a new ~26' coleman lantern w/ slideout for the same price as some of these little a-frame things!!!!
We did go to camping world Roanoke, VA on the way to Tryon last trip (all loaded up to roof w/ ****) and the guys were great, the girlfriend and I (and the dog) toured tons of them. Again, I was surprised how you can go from a 19' to a 26' for only a few thousand bucks price difference. The girlfriend wants a 17-19' that she could tow with her diesel jeep liberty if she needed, but for 3k more I sure wouldn't mind a decked-out 225 w/ slide.
My primary question / concern is that there are literally hundreds of companies out there making these things! When we came back that week on the major interstates, we must have seen no less than 80-120 TTs, RVs, even conversion vans (holiday weekend I guess!!!) but it just had me kinda lost.
Are they all fairly competitive? I'm trying to figure out who does what, what their sister brands are, which are "high dollar" and which have poor manufacturing / reliability / warranty reputations, etc. That's where the forum help would be invaluable!
I was surprised to learn that the coleman lantern came standard with the LED lit electric awning, speakers, etc.. I thought I'd be buying all that extra?
They were primarily carrying coleman lantern / lights, and keystone hideouts (in the price range / size were were looking at).
I will say, for a similar price the keystone hideouts seemed to have a noticeable improvement to the interior quality and "feel" - materials and colors, etc.
Wasn't a fan of the coleman lights for price/limited weight loss.
For now I'd be towing this with my Land Rover LR3 V8/6spd (rated @7,700lb - OE 4-corner leveling air suspension). I've towed 24' boats and our loaded up horse trailer (probably 6200lbs) with zero issues and have many miles and faith in the platform (incredibly stable, but it better be for weighing almost 6klbs and having two frames!! lol)
I do think I'd like to stick to a trailer around 5000lbs max - so that's right around a 25' or less depending on config. I'm talking dry weight here, as I'd be hitting the road around 2200lbs under my tow limits. That would tend to also land me just under a $20k budget, and would unfortunately limit me to MAYBE a couple models with a slid out (due to both weight AND price I guess - but fairly rare with ~25'ers it looks like?)
Sorry for the really long post, but obviously this is a huge decision and it's PROBABLY going to initiate me into owning a long series of TT's throughout the remainder of my life, just based on our location, road trips, and activities in general. Any advice or pointers you could lend me would be much appreciated. I've definitely grown very jealous of you all having the fun at these horse shows while I walk the fine line of heat stroke setting/packing up!
Cheers
HOWEVER I do have faith that this is different, and there IS logic behind choosing between some of the best TT's out there.
Quick background - I've been tent camping, hiking, backpacking, etc my whole life. I've also been around horses for most of my life, own one now, etc. I've ALSO been growing a small sports photography business locally for about a decade, which has really started to take off. Basically, I'm combining all three of the above - as I usually end up shooting at some of the larger horse shows on the east coast for 3-5 days at a time. My girlfriend of three years has joined in, and we pretty much do these shows as mini vacations and a source of secondary income.
The only issue is that we end up with very little time during the shows, and are generally leaving our primary jobs Thursday night, sometimes Fri AM - having to pack hundreds of pounds of gear into either of our SUV's AND leave space for our Australian Shepherd to roam around in the back. Once we get there (sometimes 3am!) I'm left setting up a monumental camp site by my self after 8hrs of driving - LARGE awkward three-room cabin tent, inflatable beds, sofas, a portable air conditioner, fans, all the electrical, mini ice maker, the "kitchen" setup outside, etc etc. I usually end up having to clothes-pin sheets to the walls so one "room" is insulated enough for the AC to actually work (even though it's 9000 BTU.
Our last show pretty much did us in, as we had to scramble to tear everything down and get on the road in 110 degree heat index, 8 hours from home knowing we had to work the next morning. It's a daunting task looking at that site and having to tear it down and tetris-fit it into an SUV! Plus as I'm doing this, I get to watch every other travel trailer and RV pack up and leave while I'm about to die. OH and while we were shooting the day before, a storm collapsed my fold-out canopy INTO one room of the cabin tent (kitchen) which collapsed as well, and sent stuff flying everywhere, not to mention the waterproof floor then did its job in reverse and totally flooded. Driving up to that scene after a day of work was NOT what I wanted on my vacation!
SO that's the preface basically. I just want a "portable camp site" more than anything. Doesn't have to be super nice at all. Most of these facilities are absolutely beautiful - and the last one we went to (twice this year) the Tryon International Equestrian Center in the NC mountains, had first class facilities with lodge-style welcome center, game rooms, TV room, laundry etc. Pads had full hookups. Anyways it's not like I'll really be in the wilderness - it's just an alternative to complicated complex camp sites.
With that in mind, I've been in / around lots of LQ horse trailers that some friends use during the show weekends - very familiar with their amenities and functions. I've also rented a few over the years, and have extensive hauling experience ranging from 40' triple axle motorcycle trailers to 36' 4h LQ GN's through cumberland, etc. The size isn't much of a factor, just weight/price.
Initially I THOUGHT we could get something cool like a pop-out or an a-frame, because it would be portable and super cheap - next logical step from a camp site right? NOPE. I was shocked to learn I could get a new ~26' coleman lantern w/ slideout for the same price as some of these little a-frame things!!!!
We did go to camping world Roanoke, VA on the way to Tryon last trip (all loaded up to roof w/ ****) and the guys were great, the girlfriend and I (and the dog) toured tons of them. Again, I was surprised how you can go from a 19' to a 26' for only a few thousand bucks price difference. The girlfriend wants a 17-19' that she could tow with her diesel jeep liberty if she needed, but for 3k more I sure wouldn't mind a decked-out 225 w/ slide.
My primary question / concern is that there are literally hundreds of companies out there making these things! When we came back that week on the major interstates, we must have seen no less than 80-120 TTs, RVs, even conversion vans (holiday weekend I guess!!!) but it just had me kinda lost.
Are they all fairly competitive? I'm trying to figure out who does what, what their sister brands are, which are "high dollar" and which have poor manufacturing / reliability / warranty reputations, etc. That's where the forum help would be invaluable!
I was surprised to learn that the coleman lantern came standard with the LED lit electric awning, speakers, etc.. I thought I'd be buying all that extra?
They were primarily carrying coleman lantern / lights, and keystone hideouts (in the price range / size were were looking at).
I will say, for a similar price the keystone hideouts seemed to have a noticeable improvement to the interior quality and "feel" - materials and colors, etc.
Wasn't a fan of the coleman lights for price/limited weight loss.
For now I'd be towing this with my Land Rover LR3 V8/6spd (rated @7,700lb - OE 4-corner leveling air suspension). I've towed 24' boats and our loaded up horse trailer (probably 6200lbs) with zero issues and have many miles and faith in the platform (incredibly stable, but it better be for weighing almost 6klbs and having two frames!! lol)
I do think I'd like to stick to a trailer around 5000lbs max - so that's right around a 25' or less depending on config. I'm talking dry weight here, as I'd be hitting the road around 2200lbs under my tow limits. That would tend to also land me just under a $20k budget, and would unfortunately limit me to MAYBE a couple models with a slid out (due to both weight AND price I guess - but fairly rare with ~25'ers it looks like?)
Sorry for the really long post, but obviously this is a huge decision and it's PROBABLY going to initiate me into owning a long series of TT's throughout the remainder of my life, just based on our location, road trips, and activities in general. Any advice or pointers you could lend me would be much appreciated. I've definitely grown very jealous of you all having the fun at these horse shows while I walk the fine line of heat stroke setting/packing up!
Cheers
