What TT for a car enthusiast?

ChiTrailer wrote:
Hi,
I've been lurking for a week. My fiancée and I are looking to get our first TT.

I want something light that I can tow with my BMW 135. It's rated to 2000 lbs and I understand that anything I get should have a dry weight considerably less.

Why a compact bimmer when we have a crossover and I could also take my mom's SUV? For me, half the fun of these trips is getting out of Chicago and driving country roads.

We want something that has a full size bed and some cooking appliances. We thought about Little Guys and other tear drops but you can't stand in those. This will be a weekender and for long term living. No shower/bath needed. We plan on a sani potti for late night calls.

So far the Scamp 13 without a bathroom seems to make sense. What else should be be looking at? I'm open to other fiberglass brands as well as hard side popups.

Thanks in advance.

A tent.

Sorry, but realistically anything you look at will be above 2,000 lbs once you have your personal gear loaded (even most popups are at or above 2,000 lbs empty).

You need to find out how much CARGO your vehicle can carry.

ANYTHING you put INTO THE VEHICLE WILL TAKE AWAY AVAILABLE CARGO.

The tongue weight of the trailer will become CARGO of the vehicle.

To do that you need to find the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) which on most vehicles will be on the manufacturer certification sticker located on the drivers side door post.

Then you need to find the curb or unladen weight of the vehicle (this may be on the same door post sticker).

If unladen or curb weight is not available then you NEED to get the vehicle weighed.

Subtract the unladen weight from the GVWR, the result is your "cargo" weight.

Then you need to subtract YOUR and passengers weights AND THE MAX FUEL WEIGHT (tank size in gallons multiplied by about 8lbs per gallon) from the cargo.

The result is what you have left for the tongue weight.

Some vehicles also now include a max cargo weight on a separate sticker which is a bit easier (this number includes full tank of fuel plus 150 lbs for the driver factored in).

If your vehicle doesn't have a hitch you will need to add that to the vehicle, the hitch weight will also need removed for available cargo weight. This is provided you can find a hitch for your vehicle! Some vehicles you can not install a hitch.

Trailers need 10%-15% tongue weight, so a trailer weighing 2,000 lbs will have tongue weight of 200 lbs to 300 lbs.

This means you NEED to have at least 300 lbs of available cargo weight!

Personally, I think you need to rethink and move on to a better suited vehicle.