Just getting started... looking at small trailer choices

[Jawn]

New here, just looking for a sanity check... My wife and I are looking at smaller trailers... either pop-up, hybrid, or lightweight TT. It's going to be 2 of us and a baby coming early next year, won't rule out additional little ones in the future. We tent-camped not long ago and decided we'd camp a lot more often if we weren't on the ground (and had A/C if it's not cool at night). We want a queen or larger bed for us, and room for at least 2 other people to plan for the future.

My thoughts of a pop-up are it would be much easier to tow, less cost, more "camping" feel, but not as much privacy in the campground. And many don't have any toilet/shower facilities.

But on the flipside, I think a hard-side unit would be really hard on my truck. The truck is a 29-year-old Chevrolet half ton, but in excellent condition for its age. We like the truck, it's sticking around at least until there's more than one child... Its TBI 305 is no real powerhouse but I think the real weak spot would be the 700R4 transmission and 3.08 gears. It drags a 14' utility trailer around just fine, but I imagine any camper would make that seem like nothing.

Am I overthinking it, and would be ok with a small/light travel trailer? (I'm talking about one of the ~3000 lb units, maybe 16-18ft.) Obviously no towing in OD, and an aux cooler and temp gauge would be added. I really don't want to mess with a ring/pinion swap, but that's not out of the question.

[drsteve]

R-pods are great unless you don't like the wet-bath.

I had to Google wet bath. Sounds like a PITA.

[FrankShore]

You can start looking at a used Lance on their owners group:

Lance Owners Of America (LOA)

I think you have to get an inexpensive lifetime membership to look at the trailers/campers for sale section.

[henkelphoto]

R-pods are great unless you don't like the wet-bath. My wife and I were pretty sold on one, but decided the wet-bath wasn't for us.

You will want to subscribe to the r-pod users group website; http://www.rpod-owners.com . There's a lot of good information there.

[Jawn]

Well, this escalated a lot more quickly than I thought it would. 🙂 We set out today to hit a few dealerships to see some used inventory. First dealer we stopped at... looked at a hybrid we'd seen on their site, but didn't like the condition of it. Also on the lot was a 2012 R-pod 177... looked inside, great condition and roomy for how small it was thanks to the slide-out. Walked around the lot some more to check out some new pop-ups, went back and hung out inside the R-pod for a bit and pondered.

Ink's not on the paper yet, but we have an appointment on Tuesday to finalize everything, have them show me how all the systems work, and then we'll take it home.
:B

In the meantime, I'm working on adding a brake controller to my truck and appropriate wiring connector.

seaeagle2 wrote:
One thing to keep in mind the 87 to 93 TBI and 700R4 combo is a real dog for towing....They were sort of a stop gap between carb and turbo400 and modern fuel injection and electronic transmissions.

I'm aware it's a dog, and I'm quite ok with being in the slow lane with it. If we end up with more than one child, we'll probably want a different tow vehicle anyway, so this truck will do for now.

seaeagle2 wrote:
Be sure you have or add a transmission oil cooler and not just the one in the radiator.

Definitely will! A temperature gauge too.

[2gypsies1]

Google 'small travel trailer with bunks' and a lot of sites come up. Some even have a bathtub which would be ideal for little ones. Here are a couple sites. Then start looking for used ones in RVTrader, etc.

http://www.rvingplanet.com/rvs/travel-trailer/bunkhouse

http://www.jayco.com/tools/archive/2015-jay-flight/23mb/

I think with this type you'd really use it a lot and it's perfect for a small family. You'll probably be looking at a 23' one although you might find a shorter one. The bottom bunk could easily be a crib for the first baby and could be moved upward when the second one arrives. 🙂 Bunks give children their own space and can be put to bed early without disturbing the parents. Also, bunks are nicer than converting a table into a bed every night and finding room for the bedding. The table is in the center of the room so no easy parent time.

[Alabama_Jim]

We used a pop up when the children were small and now have the hard side TT. The TT is much nicer and more fun. A well built one is the units built by Riverside in Lagrange, In. We toured the factory and saw the Amish doing their best first hand.

[seaeagle2]

One thing to keep in mind the 87 to 93 TBI and 700R4 combo is a real dog for towing....They were sort of a stop gap between carb and turbo400 and modern fuel injection and electronic transmissions.Be sure you have or add a transmission oil cooler and not just the one in the radiator. I had a 1992 with 5.7, I added a aux cooler and temperature gauge. I was towing an 18 foot boat, and just towing my boat home from the ramp on residential streets and backing into the driveway would send the transmission temp soaring.

[Roy_Lynne]

Think about the kind of camping that you want to do and when you want to camp. If you envision camping in the boonies or at a resort might dictate the kind of camper you want to buy

What about something like this

My only issue with a pop up is that I believe it limits you as to where and when you can camp. If you live in the south, that wouldn't be an issue, but cold or wet weather might.
Casita, Scamp or one made in Canada are real lite weight TT that also might work for you, but they are small. I toured a Casita last month and I was really impressed with them.

Fall there are a lot of RV shows going on and I would check them out.

[Bowfreak]

Try finding a used Trailmanor. They are a hard sided pop up that pull super easy and will fit in your garage. They will have a lot more room than a soft sided pop up and even have a small bathroom with sink, toilet, and shower. We bought a used one last year and couldn't be happier.

[FrankShore]

You might also look at the Lance 2185. It's a wonderful "bunkhouse model" the is small enough to fit into national parks, etc, as the bunks are located in the East/West position and not the traditional North/South, saving you that room. You'll still fit into National Parks and smaller space. 2185 can sleep 7 comfortably and they're extremely well manufactured - employing materials and techniques that other trailers at that price point just cannot match or duplicate.

Good luck!

[DrewE]

Maybe a Scamp 5th wheel?

The normal travel trailer Scamps (and a few other similar trailers) are neat little rigs, too, but I'd think might get pretty cramped pretty quickly.

[MarkTwain]

You can't go wrong with a small Lance trailer, used ones are hard to find but just keep looking. Based on your future plans and needs I would rule out any RV other than a small trailer with a bathroom/shower, stove, heater and refrigerator especially if you are planning on having kids RV with you. Having to go outside in the cold/rain at 1:00am to use the restrooms would not be fun:)

[corvettekent]

I would think a 3,000 lb. trailer would be fine.

[Jawn]

FrankShore wrote:
You'd be just fine with a nice hardsided TT, small but sleeping 4 people, correct?

You might look at a Lance 1575 or even a 1685

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Lightweight shouldn't be a problem with your older tow vehicle!

Good luck on your search

Those are great looking trailers, thanks!

However I guess I left off one important detail... we're probably going to lean more towards something used. Not totally ruling out a new one yet, but other planned purchases may make that decision for us.