Need some help on 21ft or less travel trailer

[Gavin60]

Hi Folks,
First time poster.
I need some help, but first off, some info about myself which may help. I'm 55 and want to retire by 62. There are three of us in the family and the wife and I like to travel around (and so does the kid.)
We have begun to look at travel trailers seriously because of vacation home rentals and hotels just keep going up and up and it looks like we could get more traveling time in with a good travel trailer when we hit a fixed income each month.Plus I just hate the hotel thing...I have always been an outdoors person, but we will need some amenities such as toilet, refrigeration and AC here in the sunny south
We are looking for a travel trailer under 21 foot and 15k or less.
Are there any suggestions out there in our size and price range, quality?
LOL since Im a history buff and major and we fell in love with the Shasta 61 retro model.
Possibly something in a weight class that would not need a huge "Duelie" truck to haul but instead something like a regular size pick up or Ford edge type crossover vehicle.
Im a newbie to this I welcome all suggestions and comments.
Thanks!
Gavin

[Samsonsworld]

The R-pods are small and light, and some even have slides.

[bsinmich]

One of the big limitations on the Edge would be the frontal area of the TT. In addition to weight you are adding a lot of wind resistance. Many car specs will list max frontal area in their towing specs. I like the Trail Manor folding hard side.

[Majja13]

Towing with the edge is your real limiting factor. It is not the 3500 lb max weight you have to worry about as much as the payload and tongue weight of 350. Edge towing guide this link will take you to the ford tow guide. you will also want to look on the inside of the door there will be a sticker that tell you what max payload for that vehicle is. This weight will include all passengers, cargo, fuel and all of the tongue weight of the trailer. If you have not figured it out do not put any stock in to model numbers such as 180BH that does not mean 18" for instance my TT is a 180 and it measures 25 feet tip to tail.

When you go to get the F150 look for one with Max Tow and Max trailer that will give you higher payload capacity's.

Something else you may want to try is look for a rental RV and try it a time or two just to make sure that it suites you and your family's travel style.

[Gavin60]

Majja13 wrote:
I would say you actually have lots of options. I am especially if used a consideration is. Take your time try everything out when you are looking. Get in the shower sit on the toilet etc. Make sure it fits you. Like mentioned earlier in a hard sided trailer a small to medium sized SUV will really limit what you can tow safely. Towing a trailer is all about how much payload the vehicle you are going to tow with. You will add several hundred pounds of weight when you start loading it with bedding, pots and pans, dishes food etc.

Also if you can find a RV show go look at several models in a setting where you can compare many different things.

Just a couple more questions for you. Are you looking for long trips or mainly weekend trips?

Is 21' just an arbitrary number or is there a reason that you picked 21'?

Are you looking for a TV (tow vehicle) now or do you already have one?

Good luck, welcome aboard and happy hunting.

Hi,
I just picked 21',thinking it might be within in the range of 3500 lbs towing limit
I will probably upgrade my truck to a f150 type 5.0/302 soon, but currently have a 3.0 V-6 Ranger....I haven't checked the gross it can pull but I think for the time being I need to downgrade my TT expectations to 3500 gross towing, ( if I plan on the Edge also towing...The DW has the Edge...I would like both vehicles to be able to tow the same TT, I know the Edge will limit this scheme with its total 3500 but will have to do until the eventual F-150.

[Majja13]

I would say you actually have lots of options. I am especially if used a consideration is. Take your time try everything out when you are looking. Get in the shower sit on the toilet etc. Make sure it fits you. Like mentioned earlier in a hard sided trailer a small to medium sized SUV will really limit what you can tow safely. Towing a trailer is all about how much payload the vehicle you are going to tow with. You will add several hundred pounds of weight when you start loading it with bedding, pots and pans, dishes food etc.

Also if you can find a RV show go look at several models in a setting where you can compare many different things.

Just a couple more questions for you. Are you looking for long trips or mainly weekend trips?

Is 21' just an arbitrary number or is there a reason that you picked 21'?

Are you looking for a TV (tow vehicle) now or do you already have one?

Good luck, welcome aboard and happy hunting.

[ependydad]

2gypsies wrote:
Ependydad: Sorry, I don't think your design would work. You have the bed in the was of the slides. Nice try! 🙂

Oops....I just saw that it's a Murphy bed. Good idea! 🙂 🙂

Ha! Good observation and good catch! You're right- the expectation is that it is a murphy bed so that the slides work out.

It would definitely be cozy getting around with the bed down. But I did try to make sure that you could sufficiently get to things with the slides in and still be functional in a small box.

[2gypsies1]

Ependydad: Sorry, I don't think your design would work. You have the bed in the was of the slides. Nice try! 🙂

Oops....I just saw that it's a Murphy bed. Good idea! 🙂 🙂

[ependydad]

Oh! Oh! Pick this one:


Ok, I'm full of it. It's a design that I designed but have no idea how to get it built. 🙂

[2gypsies1]

I just posted this link for another poster.

The R-Pod is a very nice little trailer with many floorplans and it doesn't require a big truck:

R-Pod Trailer by Forest River

[dcason]

FYI the casitas are tiny and claustrophobic and not for 3 people.

Trailer manor...friends of ours had one and it was a pain to deal with (set up not being able to stuff it at home). They stuffed their car and then when they got to destination, they popped it up and stuffed the trailer...they sold it. BUT it fit in their garage...big plus at the time.

We had a 20 foot trailer and towed with a van. It was perfect for two of us and when our adult daughter visited us in Florida it was doable. In THEORY, it slept seven people...comfortably three.
Donna

[quingus]

Welcome to the RV life and this forum. My first RV was a 31' Keystone Zeppelin with one slide. Fairly heavy but under the limits for my 4wheel drive Tahoe. My occupants were myself, wife a dotty and two cats. Plenty of room. Loved the trailer. But after a few years and 6k miles, I grew tired of the hook up hassle. Two times I did that in a deluge. I traded in for what I thought was a more simple setup. I purchased a one ton Chevy with duals 6.0/gasser. Could not find or order a diesel for six months, plus I got a screaming deal on the truck. Plenty of power, couldn't justify diesel anyway with us only taking two long trips a year. I mated that to a 30' Keystone Laredo 5er (fifth wheel). Had that set up for a bit. Enter another big dog. It was difficult for them to get up in the 5er, so enter my current RV. 30' Fleetwood Class C, no slide. Love it, much easier for family and big dogs. My point is make sure you get what you need to accommodate a family of four in a small space. Not saying bye a big brute. Go used if you can, if you want new, like most do then do the research, not just online. Go to every RV place or show you won't regret it. Always truck first then trailer, in that respect. Good luck sir.

[Rlaubert]

Welcome to the Great Adventure!

This is a topic I get asked a lot as a Certified RV Inspector. I want to tell you it is easy to decide, but that would be a lie. When I was researching this stuff for my book, I ran into several issues. I determined that selecting the Perfect RV is going to be different from everyone and will change.

I developed a few checklist that might help and will send them to you free just let me know if you are interested.

You need to look at a lot of things if you are going full time. Don't forget the young one needs will change over the years. So sleeping on the fold out sofa may not last long. Ease of set up and tear down is also an issue. At 55 it may not seem much, but by the time you reach 62 all kinds of things can change. Many first time RV buyers change rigs after a few years, so what you buy today may not be usable for you by the time you hit 65.

Best of luck. If you need to know how to inspect or buy that rig, just let me know. Always glad to help.

[MarkTwain]

GWolfe wrote:
Most TTs the size you are thinking about will be 30a/110v. Some bigger trailers will be 50a/110v.

djgarcia, sorry I missed the used part.

GWolf-
thanks for the response, I should have also said that used Lance trailers are hard to find. I guess this speaks for the quality and the future resale value of the Lance trailers. Once people buy them they tend to hang on to them:)

[GWolfe]

Most TTs the size you are thinking about will be 30a/110v. Some bigger trailers will be 50a/110v.

djgarcia, sorry I missed the used part.