TH for a family of 4 and NO off road toys - Yes - No?

[Baja_Man]

We have had Class A, C, TT, 5er. Never tented nor owned a TH.

Now, one DS is 18 and the other DS is 13. Our 13yo will be with us for many years as he has Autism. He LOVES to be on the road, camp, boat, and explore new places!

I have plenty of truck to pull a TT or 5er but looking for something with three queen beds. Considered HTT but after much thought we decided on a hard sided trailer.

The reason to consider a TH (bumper pull) is more for 3 queens beds than any other reason...but we do like the ability to have the openness of the rear door. We really like the utility nature of the TH and the generator.

Would like to keep length as short as possible with front queen.

Toys: We may get a quad or two later on down the line, but we are not desert/off road types. Quads would only be used at baja beaches or trails that allow them near lakes/rivers. I taught my 13yo son with autism to ride a small quad when he was 7-8 on our 3/4 acre property. He LOVES quads, but wife is scared he will injure himself/others in open areas like beaches. I/we prefer fishing, lakes, rivers.

Where/how do we typically camp?:

Mainly RV parks with hook ups, some boondocking (beaches, Baja, etc)

Locales.....CA coast, inland parks, Sierras, NV/AZ lakes, Colorado River, 15-20 days per year 2017-18.

Summer 2018 and beyond......20-30 days per year with future plans on...

NM, maybe Texas, Colorado, Montana, and perhaps the South MS, LA, etc. Some Baja trips.

In 5 years, it will be primarily be my wife, me and one son using the camper.

Sleeping beds are very important. Boys would like their own beds and not the coffin size bunks in most older TTs.

Micro/Refer/Stove very important
Storage very important

Cons/My concerns about TH:
Too dark inside
Too cramped due to no slide out
Stuffy due to the abve reasons


Please help me understand what I would be getting into with a TH. Be honest, frank, and all of that stuff!

Thanks!

[JAC1982]

DutchmenSport wrote:

1jeep wrote:
I have not seen a toy hauler with 3 queen bads, you have the front bedroom and then most have the garage setup with one bed and one couch that folds into a bed. I would not want to sleep on it as an adult.

BTW...as others have noted even if you dont have toys the versatility of the TH is great.

I think the OP is considering an arrangement like this, where the bunks in the garage raise and lower:

I learned on our last trip that our drop down beds aren't the same as a queen size, they're longer, so sheets are challenging. But yes, we have 2 of these in our garage and they're plenty big for 1 man size human to sleep on. One does have the option to fold into 2 bench style couches, but it could be made into a comfy bed when folded flat, with a memory foam mattress topper. My husband napped on it without a topper just fine when the AC in our bedroom area stopped working.

[DutchmenSport]

1jeep wrote:
I have not seen a toy hauler with 3 queen bads, you have the front bedroom and then most have the garage setup with one bed and one couch that folds into a bed. I would not want to sleep on it as an adult.

BTW...as others have noted even if you dont have toys the versatility of the TH is great.

I think the OP is considering an arrangement like this, where the bunks in the garage raise and lower:

[1jeep]

I have not seen a toy hauler with 3 queen bads, you have the front bedroom and then most have the garage setup with one bed and one couch that folds into a bed. I would not want to sleep on it as an adult.

BTW...as others have noted even if you dont have toys the versatility of the TH is great.

[JAC1982]

lincster wrote:
I think toyhaulers are very versatile.

I will comment on your truck question.
If u r referring to the truck in your signature, hate to tell you but you don't have enough truck to pull a big 5er toyhauler.

My toyhauler, empty, weighs 12000lbs with 2700lbs of pin weight. That will put you over al of your tow ratings of your truck.

You will be ok with most any pull behind, but 5ers, you will need to stay below 33'.

He said in his OP they'd do a bumper pull.

[lincster]

I think toyhaulers are very versatile.

I will comment on your truck question.
If u r referring to the truck in your signature, hate to tell you but you don't have enough truck to pull a big 5er toyhauler.

My toyhauler, empty, weighs 12000lbs with 2700lbs of pin weight. That will put you over al of your tow ratings of your truck.

You will be ok with most any pull behind, but 5ers, you will need to stay below 33'.

[Dirtclods]

I like the versatility of my toy hauler I can load my dirt bikes and go to dez. Or hit the beach and load bicycles and surf boards. Even not loaded just going camping I like our toy hauler. And like you said having a generator is a plus too!

[JAC1982]

I think you would really enjoy the space/flexibility a toyhauler offers. I don't find toyhaulers to be dark or cramped.... our previous travel trailer had a separate garage and a slide out. Our current 5er has 2 slides and a separate garage that is separated with a glass sliding door and 2 huge windows in the garage. I think if you find the right floor plan the things in your negative list would go away.

The only negatives I can really think of are (I'm biased of course, we've never owned anything but a toyhauler)

-They are heavier than a similar sized travel trailer. So, meaning, you'd need a bigger truck. But it looks like you already have one.

-There's less comfy living space. Our old TT didn't have a place at all to sit down and relax other than the dining bench, but that was a model problem. Even now we just have the one couch. I'm sometimes envious of people with a similar sized regular 5th wheel with their cozy living rooms in the back. But, if you plan to spend most of your time outdoors, this doesn't matter.