Looking for first Travel Trailer

[carbine]

Wife and I have been talking about getting a bumper dragger for cross country travel and camping (Boondocking) for a while. I envision us using it 6-12 times a year, as vacation balance for our respective employers permits. Even if we only use it 2 times a year, it would open a lot of possibilities for us to relax; our last real vacation was almost 10 years ago. I'll also use it as a place to sleep during hunting trips; I have access to some land that is very mild to get to - there will no "4 wheeling" with the TT other than a dirt road.

So far, I'm starting to look at used trailers locally. Might as well let someone take the hit for driving it new off the lot and then parking it somewhere. I'm going to try to stay to 1-3 years old. We know that there are a few features we want;

-Door between the "master bedroom" and the main area/bed our son will be sleeping in.
-Generator (Although, as long as I can add it after purchase I'll be happy - any downside to a propane generator?)
-1 Slide
-24-26' (Would like to hit national / state parks and need to stay within limits)


I wish I could do a toy hauler to fit a Honda Pioneer 1000-5 (2/4 seater convertible Side by Side), however the weights just become too much for what I've seen for my tow vehicle (2014 F150 3.5L EcoBoost, super crew, 4x4 - NOT max tow).


What are things I need to know about buying a used TT? I'm curious on what I need to look for.

Is there an advantage other than aesthetics to fiberglass over the metal siding?


I appreciate any help; I'm fairly far outside of my element at this point.

[carbine]

Thanks guys.

Found an RV show not too far away yesterday and went looking. Salesman that I ended up talking to understood that we were not there to buy, but getting a mental list of things that we liked and layouts we wanted.

Found one TT where the rear bunks had about 12-18" of space above the mattress. My 6 year old couldn't even get back there. Aside from pets, I really don't see how a space like that is usable. Some of the better bunk setups had plenty of room.

I need to do more reading on going with a wood frame vs alum frame unit; pros and cons of both.

So far, we liked the North Trail 26DBSS and the Duchman 283BHSL; the salesman admitted they didn't have a ton of TTs. It was the last few hours of the show and the lot was empty. Guess they had a good weekend.

Looking online, the Nash 25C looks nice. It's just heavy compared to the above listed trailers.

[Grit_dog]

carbine wrote:
Reference towing abilities for my truck. These are the specs from ford for the build on my 1/2 ton:

Base Weight 5731
Trailer Max Weight 9200
GCWR 15,100
Payload - 1520
GVWR 7200

I'm sure you guys understand what that means better than I do.

It means different things to different people on here. You've already heard from someone saying you can't tow a decent trailer with your truck but then again he's admittedly talking about something he's unfamiliar with.
If you're not experienced with towing and vehicle mechanics/limitations, then would likely be best to stick to the mfgs reccomendations, which in your case is 9200lbs. That's a lot of trailer and pretty much anything within your requirements 24-26' weighs less than that.
Don't shy away from the toyhauler if you are buying a trailer and want to go wheelin too. There are Some smaller toyhaulers that you can stay under 9000lbs. Won't have the amenities of a TT though. That's personal choice.
Generator, get a Honda to pack with you. Make sure it will run your AC if that's a concern. The 2000W generators will only run the smallest of RV air conditioners.

[jwandvassie]

Consider a rear living TT. The best view from inside a TT is nearly always to the rear.

[Lynnmor]

DutchmenSport wrote:
I don't know of any "travel trailer" that is equipped for a generator. Generators are usually stand alone, self contained, separate from the travel trailer. Toy Haulers have them, but not travel trailers. A stand alone generator will work just fine though, if you get the right kind. Folks who have "Honda" generators seems to really like them.

Some higher end TT's like Artic Fox Silver have a generator option.

[ScottG]

LOL, sounds like my TT would be perfect for you like it has been for us (and still is).
Check out models that have designations like 25RKS.

[DrewE]

I'm not quite sure how they're computing the payload and base weight. If the base weight is the curb weight of the truck with full fuel, then you have 7200 - 5731 = 1469 pounds for what I would consider payload: people, stuff, and the trailer tongue weight. I'm not sure where the extra 51 pounds comes from. At any rate, you can figure your own weights for the people and stuff and work from there, but I'm guessing it will work out to something around 700 pounds maximum tongue weight, or around a 6000-7000 pound maximum trailer weight.

Don't be too stingy in figuring how much stuff you'll carry in the truck; it has a way of adding up when camping. (Likewise, don't be stingy in figuring how much stuff will be added to the trailer above its dry weight; that definitely has a way of adding up for campers.)

Anyhow, you can pretty much ignore the GCWR and the Trailer Max Weight numbers as you'll be limited by the GVWR (or payload rating, which is another way of saying the exact same thing). This is not at all unusual or unexpected.

[ppine]

I would try to stay under about 23 feet if you want to be in Nat Parks and Nat For campgrounds. Your tow vehicle is going to a little marginal in the mountains beyond that anyway. The newer aluminum frames with the fiberglass skin is going to be a lot lighter than stick and tin like Drew mentioned. You can buy a portable generator around 2000 watts that will run everything except AC. For that you need more like 2,600 to 3,000 watts.

I would buy an older unit than 1-3 years. Most trailers don't get used much. People tend trade up or down a lot and it costs a lot less with a little older units. I just bought a 2002 and everything works fine. I spruced up the outside and people think it is new. I will sell it for more than I paid for it.

[carbine]

Reference towing abilities for my truck. These are the specs from ford for the build on my 1/2 ton:

Base Weight 5731
Trailer Max Weight 9200
GCWR 15,100
Payload - 1520
GVWR 7200

I'm sure you guys understand what that means better than I do.

[Terryallan]

carbine wrote:



What type of lifespan do you end up getting from TTs that get used? I would like our first to last us 5-8 years. That'll put me at the point that I'll be looking at a new truck due to high mileage; at that point I'll probably upgrade to a 3/4 or 1 ton which will open a ton of options to upgrade.

Travel Trailer will last a VERY long time IF you take care of it. Meaning, do the required maint. Keep the finish clean, and waxed. not real hard to keep them in good shape.

My last one was nearly 10 years old when we sold it, and still looked like new, every thing worked, and it didn't leak. just have to pay it some attention

[carbine]

Thanks for the info so far guys, really appreciate it.

As far as weight goes... about a year ago I did the math and found out what my max would be; I have it somewhere in a text file on my computer, I just need to dig it out again. I'm going to stay within those limitations and factor filling 4 people in my truck (friend for the boy) and 2 dogs.

External generator isn't a problem, and I'll be happy with gas. Just liked the idea of a propane to avoid the stale gas issues; more prep time and more pre-storage time isn't going to be a big deal in the long run for me.

I'm 100% sold on getting a travel trailer and not something self powered. Main reason is so that we can disconnect the trailer and drive the truck around. Worst case scenario, when I'm going with a buddy, I'll have him tow the side by side and I'll tow the camper.


What type of lifespan do you end up getting from TTs that get used? I would like our first to last us 5-8 years. That'll put me at the point that I'll be looking at a new truck due to high mileage; at that point I'll probably upgrade to a 3/4 or 1 ton which will open a ton of options to upgrade.

[DutchmenSport]

I don't know of any "travel trailer" that is equipped for a generator. Generators are usually stand alone, self contained, separate from the travel trailer. Toy Haulers have them, but not travel trailers. A stand alone generator will work just fine though, if you get the right kind. Folks who have "Honda" generators seems to really like them.

[DrewE]

It frankly sounds to me like you might be trying to buy more trailer than your truck could comfortably pull in practical terms. I could be entirely wrong about that, though; I'm not really familiar with the specifics of the truck's capabilities, nor precisely up on the weights of trailers such as you're looking at. It's just a gut feeling. Make sure you pay attention to the truck payload weights (including the trailer tongue weight) and not just the stated tow rating, which often is only practical if there's nearly nothing being carried in the truck.

A propane generator has the disadvantage of burning propane at a pretty good clip. Propane is harder to come by than gasoline, and the propane tanks for RVs are often comparatively small, and propane has less energy per unit volume than gasoline so it takes relatively more of it to get the same generator power. There are advantages; it's generally pretty clean burning, and it doesn't go stale and cause carburetor problems if left sitting for awhile (and indeed there isn't much of a carburetor as such). Still, I would generally prefer a gas powered generator. A portable inverter generator sized for your electrical needs should be suitable.

I might suggest not eliminating motorhomes right away. Many class C motorhomes might work out well for you in terms of length and accommodations, and would be able to pull a trailer with your side-by-side. I think it would be worth looking at, especially if you'd have to upgrade the truck to get a trailer to suit your needs.

[John_Wayne]

Look for one with a walk around bed for you and wife not fun crawling over each other in the middle of the night. I'd also think about a bunk bed model son has his own sleeping spot, could take a friend along, extra storage space if no friend goes along, extra sleeping for hunting buddies. Gets annoying making up the dinette every morning from sleeping to eating or the couch for that matter. Plus if no bunk bed you need to go to bed when he does because the living area becomes his bedroom.

[BizmarksMom]

If you're doing any dirt road travel, stay away from the ultra light trailers. My Keystone Bullet was coming apart after a few years of boondocking. No 4 wheel stuff, just pretty good dirt and gravel roads. Nothing you'd think twice about driving a regular car on.

Take a look at the Northwood Manufacturing lineup (Arctic Fox and Nash), and the Outdoors RV line up. They're built with a heavier chassis and will hold up much better. I take possession of a Nash 22H tomorrow.

[carbine]

bikendan wrote:
Trailers with metal siding are called Stick and Tin construction since theyou are wood-framed and have aluminum siding. They will be heavier.

Trailers with Filon-sided walls have aluminum frames. The Filon-sided is a bonded sandwich construction. They will be lighter than their wood framed counterparts.

Both types have their advantagesite and disadvantages.

While I realize this could be a lengthy reply; what are the advantages and disadvantages? I'd like something that I can keep a long time without it turning into a pile of junk (mold, stuff falling off, etc). From what I've read, there's a lot to be desired in quality of some units.