Toy Hauler Shopping: We're 100% New

[LifeMadePortabl]

We're newbies. Plain and simple. New ... Bees.

... and we're going from never to full time right out of the gates!

My wife and I are motorcycle journalists who just started a new website, hence the screen name.

We need help selecting a toy hauler for full time RV living!

After a lot of research, here's what we know we want:

- 5th wheel for a long bed, 1/2 - 3/4 ton pickup
- less than 35' long (at the box, 31' preferred)
- under 13' high (closer to 12' preferred)
- separate garage
- can easily carry two sport bikes + tools, roughly 1500 lbs
- pop outs for live/work-space

We're looking at this from home buyer perspectives which lacks the familiarity everyone here has.

Our concerns come down to BRAND. We just looked at the "KZ Sportster" and were inspired but further review suggests they are known to have serious problems.

We originally were considering Keystone and their reviews seem more solid.

So, without any pride in tow (get it?) ...

Which brands have what it takes to keep us feeling safe and secure, a sound investment that isn't prone to failure?

[tinner12002]

LifeMadePortable wrote:
Well, we've got our eyes on a Keystone Carbon ... 35 long, 13.3 tall.

Any pluses/minuses worth noting?

Discuss.

Make sure you get one with 6 point level-up as its available on the 17s and 18s! Not heard any bad comments on the Carbon. They all can have issues, not sure if I would consider that line for a fulltime RV.

[1L243]

Nobody's really talked about cost. From a discount to high end Toy Hauler you can go from 40K to 110K. I always look at the price first (just me).

Agree on the one ton truck also you will be closer to 13 feet tall than 12 feet.

Next I look at must haves for full time living. Some may include

Queen King?

Slides?

Enclosed separate garage or open?

extra half bath in garage

Washer dryer ready

Four seasons insulation.

Satellite ready

Generator

fuel station

Triple axle or Dual

Patio deck

You will find every trailer will have some negative aspects on one thing or another. I would not worry about that. It's fate....

Happy Hunting

[JAC1982]

Assuming it's the Carbon 337 you're looking at? It's basically the same floor plan as our Impact, only with a shorter garage, and the entry to the bathroom is on the front vs the back, so you can access it even with the slides in, which is nice.

I would try to find one to walk through to make sure it's going to have enough storage in the kitchen for you since you plan on fulltiming. In our Impact, it has a lot of cabinets, but many of them aren't super accessible without a step ladder. I would also check to make sure you can get auto-leveling... some of the lower end models like the Carbon don't offer it, but that is a really nice feature that we love about ours.

Our old Travel Trailer hauler was a Keystone Raptor, which is now sold as a Carbon. It was a good trailer, we didn't have any major issues with it. It doesn't have the fancy finishes that higher end lines have but it was all fine.

[LifeMadePortabl]

Well, we've got our eyes on a Keystone Carbon ... 35 long, 13.3 tall.

Any pluses/minuses worth noting?

Discuss.

[SDcampowneroper]

Another thought, in addition to visiting dealers try to get some real life ideas about THs
rvs in general. Rvers as a rule love to share their dos, dont's dis-or satisfaction with their unit.
Go to a camp, visit with mgmt. about your intent, heed their comments then with their permission take a drive through introduce yourself to the owners of those with THs of any size. Ask about their experience with their choice. They will help you with the logistics of set up, backing, weather, maintenance, etc.
Go visit with mobile rv techs! These people are commonly warranty licensed by many makers, have experience with every age model size type and their mfgr and owners. They are also familiar with dealers, know of units for sale -- and why.
Good Luck!

[LifeMadePortabl]

I'm certainly comfortable with the maintenance, assuming I can get things coordinated with calendar-grade scheduling with a sidenote of "check this and that often".

"National presence" ... solid call, friend. Thank you for that.

13' isn't too tall, in my mind. That's doable.

[PhilipB]

Grand Design 327M is a nice size and GD is know to be a little "better" quality. Quality is subjective, so buyer beware. Unit has 10' garage and around 36' long.
Finding less than 35' will limit your search. Most are 38-40'.
Noticed serveral new units are coming without generators. Good way to save some weight and dollars if it's something you won't need.

[JAC1982]

Oh and I missed your height requirement. That's going to be tough with 5th wheel toy haulers. Even our old bumper pull Raptor was over 12' tall. We're at 13'1" with our Impact.

Also an RV, like most vehicles, is not an investment. Be ready to lose money. But for us at least, what we lose in money (both through depreciation and what we spend on maintenance etc) we gain in experiences. Our RV is our vacation fund.

[JAC1982]

We are on our second Keystone and have been happy overall. But, like others have said, every brand will have their issues. Since you plan on full timing and traveling around, I might go for a brand that has a good national presence, that way if you need service you can find a dealer that can do it.

As for the 35' max, with a garage, that's tight. I would agree with the others that you just need to get out there and start going through units to find what you like/don't like. Overall, we found many of the manufacturers all had pretty similar floor plans when it came to toyhaulers. Like, our basic floor plan was also available in a Dutchman Triton model, and a Forest River XLR model.

Ours is 38' with a 12'6" garage, and I would have a hard time full timing in it. The living space just isn't big enough, there's no room for a table/desk. I would also recommend a queen vs king size bed, to give you more room to walk around in the bedroom area. We have a king and it's nice and fine for us, but if we were full timing I'd want a bit more floor space. However, our neighbor has a Fuzion that's 39' with a smaller garage, and better living space. Still no space for a table (not counting the garage) though. They have a couple barstools. I guess you could set up an office in your garage? Would be a pain to break it down every time you hit the road though.

[DutchmenSport]

"Which brands have what it takes to keep us feeling safe and secure, a sound investment that isn't prone to failure?"

There's no guarantees on any RV, new or used, or any brand, make, or model. It's like buying a container of strawberries. They look absolutely magnificent in the store. Bring them home, put them in the refrigerator, and the next day they have 1/2 inch of mold growing on top of them. Next week, bring home another container of strawberries and they will sit in your refrigerator for 2 weeks and still look perfect!

The best advise possible for you now, is to encourage you to go visit the different RV dealerships in your area and start comparing them. Even if someone recommends a specific brand-model as being absolutely magnificent, the one you purchase might have been assembled on a Friday afternoon. You might get the "only" one with a defective refrigerator out of 1 million refrigerators installed, you may be the only one that has a window leak because the builder ran out of caulking in the tube and because it was Friday, decided to just skip that last inch of calking. It's because of this very thing that you really need to spend time visiting the various dealerships and spending time inside those campers. When you find the one that appeals to you, you agree to a purchase, then it's your responsibility to agree everything is OK with the camper when you sign the dotted line. Before you, you have the PDI (pre delivery inspection) and anything not right gets fixed first. (warranty work is such a hassle for RV owners, but on new units, it's almost always a given). If you know what you are watching for, because you've spend the time and energy comparing hands on with different campers, you will begin to learn to spot problems and have those things fixed before the purchase.

Also, EVERY camper.... regardless of make, model, brand, year, new, used, or anything .... every camper requires due-diligence maintenance and upkeep. It's a life-long process, and nothing can ever be ignored or just assumed. Campers, RV, MH are not plug-and-play systems, plug it in and forget it! They do require constant attention and work, otherwise, even the absolute very best ones out there (you know those 300 million dollar buses that musicians travel in) become junk within a short while. RV's are not plug-and-play, they are a life commitment "hobby" that demands attention. If you are ready for this kind of commitment, then any brand you buy will be a good brand.

[nayther]

nothing here

[LifeMadePortabl]

ALSO ... PLEASE EVERYONE ...

LET'S BIPASS THE FURTHER MENTION OF TRUCK SIZE. YOU'VE BEEN HEARD AND WE AGREE.

😄

[LifeMadePortabl]

Good information all around. Maybe we'll reconsider the KZ.

@Tinner, thanks for the tips. That's some excellent data. I'll add it into our notes and make sure we do the math there. THANK you!

At the same time, no, we won't be going that length. Also, we're not hauling Harleys, we're hauling lightweight performance bikes.

Wait ... I can't believe I just said that since our new Beemer is 565 lbs. (a pig by sportbike standards) ... but I digress.

We've already agreed that we don't want that kind of length and are proven comfortable in small environments. Both short ... spent years in a tiny 1-bed condo. We know how to "deal" with one another.

Plus ... there's an Aussie company that custom-builds roll up patios that are durable as heck. We plan on having one of those constructed as an external "muck" room.

[tinner12002]

The other thing you need to watch with a SRW truck and a toy hauler is that you don't overload your truck with the pin weight of the toy hauler which can easily be 18-20% of the GVWR of the RV. I think most newer trucks in the 1 ton cat will pull in the neighborhood of 17-17.5K but when you figure passenger and cargo plus pin weight of the RV you may be close or over weight. I'd take a look at the truck you may be interested in, research it for tow and haul capacities and then take a look at RVs in the range of the truck. For 5th wheel toy haulers, it doesn't take long to get into the DRW range/size of truck.