Totally confused trying to buy travel trailer

We have an '04 bought new, 8 years straight we lived in it with single digits. I can personally state that year around TT's are available. I'm afraid your budget will have to be revised upward in order to get you what you want. In '04 we paid in the $28K range.

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Dinettes are almost universal at that size, because it is usually also the main bed, or at least a secondary bed. To get away from that might mean........
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And that is part of why I suggested the OP look at the funfinder 189FDS. There is nothing but storage drawers under the dinette seats, so it would be an easy mod to simply pull the dinette out, and use that space for a chair or sofa. That space is 32" x 72" and is in the slideout area ( along with the refrigerator. The queen bed is separate at the front of the trailer.

The OP should also consider her needs regarding refrigerator space. Many of the smaller trailers have a very small single door fridge. This trailer has a larger fridge ( double door, separate freezer and fridge ) which can be handy when extended staying.

In mine. I am actually able to have a comfortable chair at the back wall, and I have retained my dinette. I like the dinette table as a place to work at the computer and to eat. I modded where the TV set goes, and changed from the wimpy sized 19" TV set to a 32" HDTV that is now 7' straight in front of my chair. This had to be "livable" for me, so I am willing to mod it any way I have to.

I can see why you are confused. You "wants" list is pretty much self defeating. Not trying to sound negative here, but to expect to have an out-the-door ready four season trailer, that is simple and on budget at $10K is going to be tough.
How negotiable are you on a couple of things:

1. the four season issue
2. the part about being not real technically handy ?

If you are willing to get in there and get your hands dirty, learn about building/modifying things, then you "could" make something like my funfinder 189FDS work for you. But it would take some modifying to make it four season capable, and you might need to mod the interior to suit your needs. Send me a PM thru the forum here if you want to see some photos of how I have modded a few things. I can essentially full time in this trailer. I am wintering in Arizona currently in it, and am in a totally livable space for myself and small dog.

Budget is of course ALWAYS the thing that hampers any project. Throw enough money at any and all of the problems, they can be made to go away. That's why I suggested being willing to do some labor yourself. Materials are inexpensive. Hired labor is not.

Casita and Scamp TTs in 16-17 foot size come down to around 10,000 dollars at 12-15 years old, and sale at that age is pretty rare. People either sell them soon after buying because they find they can't deal with a space that small, or they love them and keep them forever. It is a tough market for buyers.

There are other, similar egg trailers, some brands no longer manufactured, some more upscale than Casita and Scamp, others smaller, lighter, simpler in fittings (so they might be towed by your V-6 whatever, or even a compact car).

I don't know of any trailers in this class built for 4-season, particularly Montana (or northern plains) winter conditions, but maybe Bigfoot TTs come the closest, of the molded fiberglass type. Bigfoot makes a 17-footer, but it is somewhat heavier than a 16 Scamp or 16 or 17 Casita, and about twice as expensive when new.

Many TTs can be made warmer with some modification, some work in setting up a more permanent (mobile home) installation, but you have to pay somebody to do that work if you are not up to doing it yourself.

Dinettes are almost universal at that size, because it is usually also the main bed, or at least a secondary bed. To get away from that might mean finding a custom builder or getting an empty shell and furnishing it yourself. That works better for RVs assembled as a box of walls, because furnishings in molded trailers tend to be molded into the shell, part of the structure.

There is a forum somewhere for owners of molded fiberglass trailers, where you might find information about what has been manufactured, how they are used, how people customize them, and possibly even a market where you might find something.

Yes, sales people will sometimes try to sell you what they have, convince you that is what you need. "If you don't know what you want, don't waste my time" was my worst salesman experience. But I've also had better experiences, people trying to help me figure out what are my needs, and how to fit them. This is particularly the case with the sales department at places that do direct factory sales, and sometimes will be able to discuss special needs, though modifications likely have a price.

Your price point is more likely to be met, 2-3 years old, at about 19 foot, in TTs that were sold new in the 10,000 to 12,000 price range. I see those kinds of prices on entry-price models like KZ Sport and Gulfstream's Amerilite, but these are nothing like a Casita, nor even like an modern box trailer assembled from sandwich panels.

I am in a similar position as you with the shopping needs, minus the winter use. Bought my new F150 4X4, trailer/tow package so the truck is ready to tow up to 9300 pounds. Remington Sunnybrook(owned by Winnebago) has a 22 foot with nice space, a full bed, and a comfortable couch and a table, that appears to be very worthy of long term use. I am making a list of their properties/highlights so that I cam compare them (trailers)side by side on paper. I have already seen the ones that I like in person. No one trailer has everything that we want so we have to compromise. You have to priortize your wish list as to what you can't live without.

You do have a lot of wants/needs for this. I would think if you could find something maybe 1 - 3 years old, the original buyer took the $$$ hit, you might get into the price range. There are a FEW trailers that do not have the dinette, but just a sofa, which could solve that problem, but you're going to have to really work at finding it. The recliner is a fine idea, but as far as I know, the only ones that will fit through an RV door is a Lazy Boy and they are pretty pricey. Our TT has 2 swivel rockers and I swear they built the trailer around them. Seriously. If you're still up north, suggest starting on craigslist or similar. Prices are going to be better off season. You have your work cut out for you, but given some time and a lot of effort on your part, I think you can make it work....just not likely today.

The most limiting need in your agenda is having livability in Montana in the Winter. In truth, nearly all trailers are not designed for this use and only a few approach having the insulation value to make it somewhat feasible.

FWIW, I had the same conundrum and figured out early that I would have to buy something and strip it to the bones and insulate to have any chance of getting close to Winter full-timing in the North. My second thought was that if I bought something nearly new, I wouldn't have the heart to start ripping it all apart.

What I ended up doing is chronicled in the thread in my signature--The Cowboy/Hilton. For the insulative value, I chose to continue with the same wall, floor, and ceiling dimensions, installing as much insulation as possible. I removed the typical jalousie windows, lowered the window count, and replaced with residential Low-E windows. I also replaced the inefficient mechanical systems, furnace, fridge, and plumbing were replaced.

After 6 months of work and $5K, I have a rig that can be heated in Winter with a single electric space heater or the simple propane heater. I still have to insulate and heat the waste tank, that is something I'm saving until Spring. I've also installed a solar charging system to be able to live off-grid. That is in addition to the rest of the cost.

I guess what I'm trying to drive home is that anything bought off a lot, even the best Arctic Fox or Bigfoot trailer will be marginal for what you envision. You can do it but have a large budget for propane and get some warm socks. Forum members Pianotuna and Bobs your Uncle have been living in their trailers this winter in Canada. Their posts will indicate what's necessary to make it through Winter.

Good luck with your plans.

4 season or close to that first. Most what are called 4 season trailers are far larger and heavier than you are looking at. The only exception might be Arctic Fox. The rest of the wants inside are probably not going to happen unless you strip a lot of stuff out and start from scratch. Most of the "camping" size trailers are going to have a small kitchen area, a booth dinette, a couch that makes into your bed, and a cramped bathroom and very small closet. In other words they are not really designed for a full timer, but a small family for a weekend and occasional week. Tank capacities are also going to be on the small side, limiting your boon docking ability.
You might consider moving up to around a 25 foot TT. At least then you will have a fighting chance of getting most of your wants.

It sounds like the modifications you prefer would be fairly simple, and your truck should have no problem with the weight of anything in the 16' to 19' range. I can't imagine spending winters in Montana in one, so could we assume you will head for warmer climate during the really cold stuff? To me, keeping everything heated and avoiding frozen water lines would be a real trick.
As far as the recliner goes, if it will fit through the door, I would think it's do-able. In our camper, only one bench seat can be removed since the furnace is located under the other one...still would be enough room for a single recliner. I'm not sure you will find a small camper without the bench seat set up though.
By the way, I totally get how it feels to be on a 'budget'!

DRockNut,

First of all, welcome to the forum. You have quite the dilemma here and this should make for an interesting discussion.

Here are your stated facts -

1. Newer 16' or 19' travel trailer with not much fix up to do
2. Newer than 2002 F150 4x4 V8 to be bought
3. Not technically minded so all the hitch weight calculations and such confound me
4. Limited on budget <= $10,000 for trailer
5. I'd like to put in solar so I could dry camp
6. I want to be happy with whatever I get since I'll be living in it
7. Montana, so 4 season trailer is required
8. Don't trust salesmen or saleswomen

While I cannot say that this is impossible, it is not far off. I can however guarantee you won't find the answer here, and could well end up still confused. ;)

Being not technically minded means (a) someone else has to do the work for you, or (b) nothing needs to be changed. This is at odds with the budget limit but who knows.

Solar to allow dry camping can be expensive, but can come later - perhaps not out of the $10,000 budget.

The all season part is also not going to be cheap, especially for a person who is not technically minded. There is the initial cost of a trailer designed for winter, and as far as I know no RV is really designed for living in Montana winters, let alone a 16' - 19' trailer.

Like I said, this thread should make for some interesting responses, especially ones that tell me that I am wrong. ;)