Hi I'm brand new here and my wife and I are thinking about buying a TT or hybrid. We have had our pop-up for 7 years and love it but we like the idea of easier set up. We also would like a bathroom and a bigger sink and bigger fridge. We could go with less sleeping room and more moving around and storage room. We need to be able to sleep 3 as our son (14) will be with us most of the time for the first few years then will likely be tired of camping with us all the time. We have a '99 Suburban 1500 4X4. It's tow rating is 6000# so I guess we're looking for a GVWR of 5000 or so. We have 3 reputable dealers in the area as well as a Camping World. I would like to avoid Camping World based on reviews. One dealer has a lot of Jayco, one has a lot of Keystone and one has a lot of Forest River. We like the Jayco Jay Feathers and the Keystone Passports but something like the Cherokee wolf pup is closer to my price range. I'm hoping to find something new or slightly used for around $15000 if possible. Is it a good idea to wait until late summer when the 2017's are on the lot and try to get a 2016? How much less will they sell them for If I wait a few months?I appreciate any comments or suggestions anyone may have.

You'll love a hard side over your current pup. Having bought both used and new TT, I highly recommend USED as you'll get a better unit for same price. Having a slide makes a huge difference in space. I see a future upgrade to a 3/4T in TV in your future...

We loved our hybrid but it's not any less setup than a pop up. Consider a hard side with slides if you want the room with the least setup.

We traded our pop-up for the same reasons. Enjoyed the pop-up 5 years and no regrets to moving to a hard side.Know your prices and floor plans you like. Keep an eye on the used market for a like new trailer at a good discount.

Your three selections of campers are all on the same playing field. And all 3 are very popular brands. So, in the end, it really comes down to floor plan and aesthetics (what looks pleasing to you).I always caution on 2 different things: First, if the camper has slides, how functional is the camper when the slides are IN. If you get a Hybrid trailer, how functional is the camper if you are not able to open the bunk ends? There WILL be times when you'll be using the camper where you cannot open everything up. Can you still function as a family with it buttoned up?Second: The KING of the family and his "Royal Throne!".... (Most) men sit on the Royal Throne with their knees apart, and usually, the farther apart the more comfortable the "experience" is. So many campers put the "Royal Throne" in very tight quarters, and with the bathroom door shut, there is simply NO knee room. Before settling on a specific camper, make sure everyone actually sits on the "Royal Throne" and make sure it comfortable for everyone. (I'm serious here, not joking). Our first 2 Travel Trailers had a very narrow space for the Throne and with the door shut, the space was just about wide enough for a wide bottom and the door prevented one knee from moving and the sink prevented the other from moving. Consider it was just my wife and I in the camper alone about 99.9999% of the time, we often used the bathroom with the door open, so we (both) and more knee room. So ... my STRONG advise, sit on "IT" before buying the camper. I do not advise getting a hybrid. They still have tent ends. You're not gaining much over a pop-up camper, except you don't have to pop it up. You still have to deal with wet canvas when it rains.

I've owned a couple of Popups. The last one I had for 9 years.We now have a 25' Rockwood Ultalite TT. Bought it in October 2006. Custom ordered by using the RV Wholesalers online. Paid $16K, fully loaded. That was about $3K LESS than a Fleetwood Niagara Popup at the time.Ours weighs just under 4000 lbs, with all the options. I towed it for 4 years with a Nissan Xterra, using an Equalizer W/D hitch. The tow vehicle was rated for 5000 lbs, and had no issues towing it.What surprised me when we looked is that the hybrids weigh MORE than our TT. Hybrids do offer more room as the beds are outside the camper footprint, but the tenting around the beds offer little insulation. An important detail when camping in a Southern region during Summer, or further North in Winter.Another nice feature of a TT is the ability to use it at every rest stop. We never use the bathroom elsewhere as ours is always clean! Also, very convenient to make lunch at rest stops.We just returned from another camping trip this weekend. Excellent initial quality camper, and holds up well from years of use.

Thinking about upgrading from pop-up | Good Sam Community

TrueBlueKC
Explorer
May 03, 2016
adam9280 wrote:
Jebby14 wrote:
....the ram is the most cost effective solution (and also the crappiest of the 3)

The Ram's are quite nice now.

Are they? I see a lot of them. I still think they are the least pleasing to the eye but I'm more concerned about performance and reliability.
TrueBlueKC
Explorer
May 03, 2016
adam9280 wrote:
SpeakEasy wrote:

Adam, we bought a Flagstaff 23LB (which is the same as a Rockwood 2306). It has the murphy bed, two bunks, and a dinette-bed. Most of the time only 2 of us will be camping, but we wanted space to be able to bring along some grandchildren. Maybe that floorplan will work for you?

2 adults and 3 kids would be tough in that trailer. We're looking for a smaller trailer with murphy bed, u-dinette and bunk room. Hard to find.

Yes it is. We saw this Jay Feather that fits what you are looking for but it's 4800 lbs. dry. It's a nice one but we don't need a bunk so we didn't look at it long.
adam9280
Explorer
May 02, 2016
Jebby14 wrote:
....the ram is the most cost effective solution (and also the crappiest of the 3)

The Ram's are quite nice now.
adam9280
Explorer
May 02, 2016
SpeakEasy wrote:

Adam, we bought a Flagstaff 23LB (which is the same as a Rockwood 2306). It has the murphy bed, two bunks, and a dinette-bed. Most of the time only 2 of us will be camping, but we wanted space to be able to bring along some grandchildren. Maybe that floorplan will work for you?

2 adults and 3 kids would be tough in that trailer. We're looking for a smaller trailer with murphy bed, u-dinette and bunk room. Hard to find.
Jebby14
Explorer
May 02, 2016
tell me about it. I am getting close to replacing the wj and the new grand Cherokees are not jeeps IMO which means ill have to go truck. I keep looking, then fixing the wj because im not ready to spend the cash. for what its worth the ram is the most cost effective solution (and also the crappiest of the 3)
adam9280
Explorer
May 02, 2016
TrueBlueKC wrote:
Wow pick-ups are much more costly than I remember! Even used. I found a 2015 Silverado 1500 5.3 for $32,000. They sure tow a lot more now though.

Used car dealer here. Yes, trucks are hotter than ever.
TrueBlueKC
Explorer
May 02, 2016
Wow pick-ups are much more costly than I remember! Even used. I found a 2015 Silverado 1500 5.3 for $32,000. They sure tow a lot more now though.
TrueBlueKC
Explorer
May 02, 2016
This one we liked very much.

http://www.keystonerv.com/passport/#/floorplans

And this one
http://www.jayco.com/products/travel-trailers/2016-jay-flight/24rbs/

Both would need more TV.
TrueBlueKC
Explorer
May 02, 2016
After looking at some trailers I have made no progress in my decision. This is due to the fact that I fell in love with one that would exceed my suburbans capacity. Now I'm thinking about trading in the Suburban. I'm a mess!

The good news is that I have no debts whatsoever so I have many options. The best option may be to just keep saving and wait.

It may be time to start researching full size pick-ups.
SpeakEasy
Explorer
Apr 29, 2016
adam9280 wrote:
camp-n-family wrote:
We loved our hybrid but it's not any less setup than a pop up. Consider a hard side with slides if you want the room with the least setup.

We went from a tent to a hybrid trailer 3 years ago. You're correct on the amount of setup/teardown. We're already tired of the amount of time and effort it takes to put down the beds and put on the sheets and blankets.

Thinking about a murphy bed model with beds for 3 kids. Hasn't been an easy search.

Adam, we bought a Flagstaff 23LB (which is the same as a Rockwood 2306). It has the murphy bed, two bunks, and a dinette-bed. Most of the time only 2 of us will be camping, but we wanted space to be able to bring along some grandchildren. Maybe that floorplan will work for you?

-Speak

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