Hello all... The concept of traveling around to many different places in this great country of ours is very tempting. I'm not comfortable with the idea of towing a big, tall & long trailer. I would want far better gas mileage than a big truck & 5th-wheel trailer would get. I cannot afford to even think about a huge all-in-one RV motor-home.I like the idea of the smaller hi-low or pop-up (hard side) trailers that could be dragged by a smaller vehicle. The less gas expense the more places I could go see. I am alone so it doesn't need to sleep a whole family. I do want an indoor toilet & shower along with a mini-kitchen & refrigerator. AC & heater are also a must. Apart from figuring out what equipment I'd need I also am curious how Y'all know where all the campgrounds & RV parks are so you can plan out your trips. Is there a computer program that marks available places along the roads you would choose to get to your destination? Places with 'hook-ups' charge per night and some offer discounts to those who have purchased memberships to some 'travel-clubs' right? Is that the way to do it or are those mostly scams? I know too many questions... where does a fresh beginner go to get educated?Thanks

I can't give you a lot of advice on the smaller trailers, but one thing I can tell you is that if gas consumption is a major expense be careful of the combination of vehicles you get. I have a 35 foot diesel motorhome and I get about 8 mpg. That means it cost me about 50 cents for every mile. The reason I bring that up is because I have known of people who got similar mileage by going with too small of a tow vehicle. I have a friend who has a Toyota Pickup with a 6 cylinder engine and tows a light weight trailer with it. Even though it's light, it still weighs up near the towing capacity of the truck. As a result he gets about 10 mpg when towing the trailer. He could tow a bigger trailer with a one ton full size diesel truck and get much better mileage than he does with his smaller truck-trailer combo. You could see the same results by using a car to tow something like a pop-up.

Sounds as though you are a candidate for a hybrid or pop up camper. What you need to do is start going to a lot of rv dealers or shows and checking out what is available. Learn about towing weights and figure out what you want to tow a small trailer with and then, what type of small trailer would work best for you. You have to do your homework before you can even evaluate the advice you will get here.Good luck!

You might enjoy this woman's blog: RV Sue. She has a Casita, as small fiberglass trailer that can be towed with a medium-sized SUV or pickup.

Beast-of-Burden wrote:Hello all... The concept of traveling around to many different places in this great country of ours is very tempting...ThanksSeen a number of folks come thru the door wanting to RV at the bargain basement level...isn't gonna happen.Operating an RV in any form IMO is just not going to be a low cost activity.Either budget for it and love it or walk away and have a nice dinner out somewhere.

Some folks will rent a trailer first to see if it going to work for them before they buy them...I am a OFF-ROAD POPUP guy and have traveled all over the East Coast and Gulf areas and as far West as TEXAS/OKLAThe beauty of the POPUP is there is minimum wind drag so my F150 truck doesn't know the trailer is behind it. We get the about the same 18-21MPG whether we are pulling the POPUP or not. Its the wind drag that hurts the worse. Even pulling a 24-foot long small travel trailer will only get 10-12MPG... This will be what you want to do. The tent camper trailer is not for everyone. My POPUP has all of the modern things the big trailers have but there is not much move around room inside the trailer. Makes you do alot of living on the outside which is what we like to do anyway...We are quite comfortable living in our OFF-ROAD POPUP tent trailer. Roy Ken

Interested but have zero experience... | Good Sam Community

Beast-of-Burden
Explorer
Sep 16, 2013
Well the show opened my eyes... there are a lot of very wealthy people dropping big bucks on land yachts. Motor homes over 1/2 million dollars... must be nice. Honestly there was only one line that came close to what I'd like to invest in but it would require an additional investment in a bigger tow vehicle. The TrailManor line & probably the model 2417 sport with slid-out dinette. Being the 2417 size is a newer offering if I was limited to buying a 'used' TrailManor trailer it would have to be a larger one that has been offered for more years like the 2720's or 2922's. They would need even a stronger vehicle. So much for my thoughts of getting economical gas mileage & traveling cheap. Probably a mini-van with a sleeping bag & lots of deodorant will be my 'reality'.
bsinmich
Explorer
Sep 16, 2013
After 16-20 GPH mo9n a boat a MH is an economy vehicle. I get 7-9 MPG and am very happy with that. There are some used Dodge Vans like yoi described and also some Ford and Chevrolets in the same category.
Veebyes
Explorer II
Sep 14, 2013
Good one rockhillmanor. When we were looking we would be sure to have a tape measure handy for the distance between front of the can to the wall. No wonder so many people want to be close to the CG bathrooms. They can't use their own built in ones.
rockhillmanor
Explorer
Sep 13, 2013
resmas wrote:
Beast-of-Burden wrote:
Defiantly a lot to absorb... I'll check out the RV show when it hits Dallas. That will narrow-down the type I should rent & try out before my purchase. I will go and visit a couple of local RV parks to check-them-out.
You all have been very helpful with your suggestions. Its now up to me doing more research before I now the next step...

If you are 6'4" tall, I would STRONGLY suggest laying down on the bed in whatever RV you think "fits" you. You might find most RV beds are made to accommodate shorter people.... And get in the shower, check your head clearance there and throughout the trailer...

......AND......SIT down on the toilet and see if you can close the door! :W

I bought my first TT without doing any of the above. Found out first trip out that if you were over 5'6" you couldn't close the bathroom door when sitting on the pot! Your knees preventing the door from closing.

When looking for my second RV the salesman would be yammering away about all the RV options and I'd push him aside and head for the bathroom and sit on the toilet and see if there was enough room in there to close the door. :B
Veebyes
Explorer II
Sep 13, 2013
Well you can't have it both ways. You can't have the comforts of home in a pop up trailer. On a long trip with frequent one night stops the setting up & tearing down routine is going to get old real fast with anything small.

Also towing whatever with an underated vehicle to save fuel is going to cost big time in the long run with wear & tear on the vehicle being expected to do more than it was designed to do.

There is no free lunch. I also get about 50c to the mile fuel costs & figure on $2000 a year for preventative maintenance in addition to oil changes every 5000 miles.

I think it is cheap travel. But then, I come from boating so just about any other form of transport is going to look cheap to me.
tejasemser
Explorer
Sep 11, 2013
Hummm ... actually the 'tall old guy could well be me' at 6' 4" and 70 YOA! The 2014 show sounds as if it could be the Tarrant County RV Show in FTW. I believe it's early January. It's much more convenient for us but I thought the Dallas show would have a bit more.
Beast-of-Burden
Explorer
Sep 11, 2013
"As I mentioned in a previous post, Sportsmobile is a custom builder - you can design your own vehicle. All those options are available. "

The 'pointed roof' & fold-up hard sides on a Chalet trailer is more what I'd want over a fabric & screen 'tent-like' raised roof option like the Sportsmobile offers. Besides I not looking to spend as much as those conversions cost new. Thanks for the suggestion though. I'll get a crash-course this weekend at the RV show as to the available options.
Beast-of-Burden
Explorer
Sep 11, 2013
Oh thanks a lot.... no I didn't know that. I did a search & there is one in the beginning of 2014 but I didn't see that there was one this weekend. I'm am sooo glad you mentioned that, I would have hated to miss it. Saturday sounds good to me too. If you see a old tall guy drooling like a little baby that will be me.
tejasemser
Explorer
Sep 11, 2013
Beast of Burden ... you mentioned something about "when the RV show comes to Dallas." I hope you know that it is this coming weekend; 9/12 thru 9/15 at Market Hall. I know that I and my much better half will be there Saturday.
Shearwater
Explorer
Sep 10, 2013
Beast of Burden wrote:
I don't think its available but, if I was to create what would work for my needs, it would be an economical Dodge Caravan stripped of everything inside except the drivers seat. It would have a roof that would open-up like the Chalet hard-side pop-up trailer has. Inside would be layed-out generally like the Chalet trailer is. If I wanted not to raise the roof section (like for a over-night sleep stop) I could still sleep, raid the fridge even use the toilet & wash basin. When the roof is raised I'd have a ton of headroom & the high ceiling would help to let the warm air rise & keep the van cooler. Add an awning, small generator, BBQ grill & I'd be a "happy camper". (Now if only someone already was making one like that)

As I mentioned in a previous post, Sportsmobile is a custom builder - you can design your own vehicle. All those options are available.

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