Help me decide??

[95jersey]

I have narrowed down my search to 2 used trailers that are fairly local with a great price. I decided I will pay cash.

One is a Hybrid 19' and the other a 17' traditional travel trailer. I am going to see both next week. The Hybrid is a little more expensive.

I want to sleep at least 3 with everyone in their own bed. This is my first RV so while I know I am buying a very small trailer, in case things don't work out, I can always sell without losing much.

Which one should I go with? These are NOT the actual units themselves, but these websites have good pics and information.

Choice #1 (2014 KZ Sportsman Classic 18RBT)asking $11,000 but says negotiable
KZ RBT 18 Hybrid

Choice #2 (2015 Forest River Wildwood x lite fs174bh)asking $8000
Wildwood 17' travel trailer with bunks

The KZ is more expensive, but I am sure if I show up with $8k or $9k in cash he may seriously consider the offer on the spot. The Wildwood is priced REALLY good but is a smaller trailer, but has everything I need for weekend trips.

[SoundGuy]

SoundGuy wrote:
JMO, but you're making the same mistake many before you have already made - assuming that a conventional travel trailer and a hybrid are comparable when in fact they're really two entirely different animals. Either you absolutely want to sleep under tenting and are willing to deal the many vagaries of any trailer with tenting OR you're not. That's the factor on which you should be making your decision.

95jersey wrote:
I really don't care. Wish I had a better answer. I don't know what I don't know. Just looking for the best bang for the buck.

Unfortunate you "don't care" as the "best bang for your buck" is a trailer that ultimately works best for you, not the price you paid for it. 😉

Good luck in your search. 🙂

[95jersey]

PawPaw_n_Gram wrote:
I had many 'discussions' with my wife before we bought our first trailer.

I experienced pop-up / hybrid camping when I was young.

I wanted a full-time standup bathroom. One I could always use, even when traveling down the highway. I could pullover and use the bathroom.

That meant TT.

A lot of other reasons. I absolutely HATE having to pack-up in the rain, pull the rig home, unpack/ open everything up to let it dry out. It will happen if you have a hybrid.

My father found that pulling a popup, pulling a hybrid - were much 'worse' than pulling a TT.

I suspect part of the issue was his truck was not the right one for the popup and the hybrid.

The post from gbopp is very important. What type / make / model tow vehicle do you have?

Too much trailer for the TV is an expensive problem to solve.

Lastly - three beds in under 20' is hard to do. Because the beds will become storage for all the stuff a 20' trailer doesn't have cabinets, etc to store. But don't let that stop you. We all had to start somewhere, and your style of camping might be able to work with that.

My wife used to carry 15 pillows in our first bunkhouse TT. 'Because the grandkids might come over and they need a pillow.' We have five grandkids. I never got the 3 to 1 ratio.

We now have one bed, and six pillows. One huge one in the way all the time 'because it makes the bed look better when made up'.

Some things I've learned to just shut my mouth and accept. Keeping the wife happy is a VERY IMPORTANT part of having an RV.

We don't camp. We live in our 36' TT full-time, and often take it to great campgrounds. We also often take it to places to stay while we visit local attractions. There is a difference.

Not sure I follow you. The Hybrid is actually 1000lbs lighter than the TT in this example. So how would that be harder to tow? Both are under 3500lbs which is almost as light as you can get. Wife in this case doesn't care or know anything about them. Most of the time it will be me and my dirt bike friends.

[pianotuna]

Many Popups take a long time to set up--and possibly even longer to strike. After a long day's drive the last thing I want to do is to have to do set up.

I'd caution you to look HARD for any signs of water leaks.

[95jersey]

gbopp wrote:
One question often asked is, what will you use to tow your TT?

Make sure you have enough tow vehicle to pull whatever you decide to buy, before you make the purchase.

RAM 2500. No issues with towing.

[95jersey]

SoundGuy wrote:
JMO, but you're making the same mistake many before you have already made - assuming that a conventional travel trailer and a hybrid are comparable when in fact they're really two entirely different animals. Either you absolutely want to sleep under tenting and are willing to deal the many vagaries of any trailer with tenting OR you're not. That's the factor on which you should be making your decision.

I really don't care. Wish I had a better answer. I don't know what I don't know. Just looking for the best bang for the buck.

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

I had many 'discussions' with my wife before we bought our first trailer.

I experienced pop-up / hybrid camping when I was young.

I wanted a full-time standup bathroom. One I could always use, even when traveling down the highway. I could pullover and use the bathroom.

That meant TT.

A lot of other reasons. I absolutely HATE having to pack-up in the rain, pull the rig home, unpack/ open everything up to let it dry out. It will happen if you have a hybrid.

My father found that pulling a popup, pulling a hybrid - were much 'worse' than pulling a TT.

I suspect part of the issue was his truck was not the right one for the popup and the hybrid.

The post from gbopp is very important. What type / make / model tow vehicle do you have?

Too much trailer for the TV is an expensive problem to solve.

Lastly - three beds in under 20' is hard to do. Because the beds will become storage for all the stuff a 20' trailer doesn't have cabinets, etc to store. But don't let that stop you. We all had to start somewhere, and your style of camping might be able to work with that.

My wife used to carry 15 pillows in our first bunkhouse TT. 'Because the grandkids might come over and they need a pillow.' We have five grandkids. I never got the 3 to 1 ratio.

We now have one bed, and six pillows. One huge one in the way all the time 'because it makes the bed look better when made up'.

Some things I've learned to just shut my mouth and accept. Keeping the wife happy is a VERY IMPORTANT part of having an RV.

We don't camp. We live in our 36' TT full-time, and often take it to great campgrounds. We also often take it to places to stay while we visit local attractions. There is a difference.

[gbopp]

One question often asked is, what will you use to tow your TT?

Make sure you have enough tow vehicle to pull whatever you decide to buy, before you make the purchase.

[SoundGuy]

JMO, but you're making the same mistake many before you have already made - assuming that a conventional travel trailer and a hybrid are comparable when in fact they're really two entirely different animals. Either you absolutely want to sleep under tenting and are willing to deal the many vagaries of any trailer with tenting OR you're not. That's the factor on which you should be making your decision.