which TT is the best to downsize?

aka4170 wrote:
We "think" we would still like the bunk beds for the two girls but then again, that is what blow up mattresses in the sofas are for, right?

You should get bunks for the kids. Rigs in that size/ weight/ price range are not likely to have sofa's which include air mattresses. More likely it is going to be a jack knife sofa. Those are actually better for sleeping than sitting.

But having to make up the sofa and dinette for beds each night gets old.

We replaced our Cherokee Grey Wolf 26BH with a bigger trailer with opposing slides and couch, recliners and table dining area - in part because we found the bunks were used as storage space the 90% of the time we didn't have the grand kids.

Since your girls will be with you on every trip, til they discover boys, my belief is that each will want a space of their own - and bunks can be that.

Plus they will be out from underfoot in the late evening.

I would recommend you stay under 5,000 lbs 'empty weight' if you can - and 30 foot length. The weight will be okay for an F-150.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I am going to advise you to take a look at the models with a double double bunk. Typically, these are available in the 28 foot class, although I may have seen one that was labelled a 27 foot class by the manufacturer... Can't remember which one.
This is the floor plan we chose. We have a 14 y.o. Son and a 12 y.o. Daughter. We came from a very small travel trailer that had the smaller bunks, but those really became too small for our kids. The double double model will grow with your kids as long as they care to come camping with you.

The particular model we chose was the Cruiser Viewfinder Signature 28BHSS but there are a growing number of this floor plan out there from various manufacturers. Oours does not have an outdoor kitchen, but that's what we have the Camp Chef for. It's got a separate queen "bedroom" with sliding hard doors rather than curtains. Large slide with what is referred to as a "mega lounge" - which is a large u-shaped sofa with the ability to place 1 or 2 tables or just leave as a large sofa. This option seems to be rather rare, with a separate sofa and dinette being more common, personally, I like the large lounge.

If you like the floor plan, check out the offerings from Jayco WhiteHawk, Keystone Bullet, Aerolite and others. It really was the perfect layout for our family. The kids can double up in the double bunks if need be or the dinette and sofa make into beds as well ( in the separate sofa/dinette models).

Good luck and have fun in your search.

Edit to add: we were looking for a model that came in under 6,000 lbs dry. The Viewfinder came in under and there are others that are lighter yet. For the newer F150 with the 5.0 liter or Ecoboost 6-cylinder, you shouldnt have to worry too much, but watch the payload. I have a 2012 5.7 liter Toyota Tundra and it pulls it just fine. I can't recall the hitch weight right off hand, but I'm right in the ballpark ( a bit under, I believe) of my payload with passengers, fuel, tongue weight (including propane and battery) and the conservative amount of stuff I pack in the bed of the truck.
Dean

I just downsized from a class A motorhome with one slide, 34ft, a design we loved (but it was old and had mechanical issues) to a 23FB Puma TT. Reasons for picking it: I can tow with my Suburban 2500, no slide=no slide issues, aluminum siding=no delamination issues, it has a bedroom door that closes, and I got nice recommendations from other Puma owners.

Searching is a lot of fun, nothing is guaranteed to work perfect.

My APEX is VERY light, ( 4811 lb yellow sticker) and right at 30' overall, and has bunks, a sofa, dinett, Good floor plan

Forest River Wilderness, Rockwood Ultra lites and other FR products like the Roo. Jayco are well made and have a bunch of light weight floorplans too.

DW & I bought our North Trail 21FBS from Ballards on Southwestern Blvd. We like DEC campgrounds and at just under 27' it works well for the 2 of us.
A 22FBS comes in at just under 30', it's not a bunkhouse model but it has a couch.

How much smaller? I have some preferences, and reasons I think are good, to like Casita at the under-18 feet size, but haven't studied the 20-30 foot range lately.

When last looking at around 20-22 feet, I liked Bigfoot, Airstream, and the Northwood brands, but these are not necessarily light weight and tend to be expensive. I've not seen many "lightweight" or "ultralite" models that I cosidered well constructed, but there are now some new players, with somewhat limited marketing, in that category. Depending on where you are you may need to travel to shop, maybe even go to the factory to buy.

Better liightweights seem to be found mostly on the West Coast, coming from western manufacturers.

Check out the Forest River brands (Rockwood/Flagstaff and Surveyor). They offer bunkhouse models which are 1/2 ton towable. They are well built trailers; and you get great feature for your $$.

In your situation I would certainly look at a tent trailer. You can find nice ones used on places like Craigslist for under 4K that will give you lots of room, easy to tow. DD and SIL have bought and sold two, never losing a penny on them.

Most manufactures make great bunkhouses that are 25 feet and under with lots of room that your 150 could tow easily. I just got rid of ours that was 24 feet long that I towed with my Silverado 1500 without a problem. It was older and a little heavier than the new ones. Start looking, that is half the fun! Happy camping, Bill