trailer length

[perigaut]

We are looking at buying our first travel trailer. We are a family of 7 with 5 kids ages 7 and under. Our tow vehicle is a Dodge 1500 with a 5.7. We are going to use a WD hitch to tow as well. For the time being we are going to travel in 2 vehicles, loading up our non towing vehicle with gear/kids. So the pick-up will not be exceeding payload. We have done the math with our weight and there are plenty of options within our weight limits. So length is my next concern.

We are looking at some bunkhouse trailers and they all seem to be incredibly long. Some (most) of them are 30-34 feet with quad bunks. Even with double bunks (thinking we can double up kids for a while) are pushing 30 feet. That just seems like a lot of trailer for first timers and with our tow vehicle. Am I being overly cautious?

Any thoughts on this? We are not in a position to upgrade our tow vehicle yet. So.........has anyone run into length being an issue for a vehicle this size? Any recommendations?

We appreciate the input. Thanks.

[bikendan]

Sinbadman5024 wrote:
Have you considered a 5er bunkhouse? Many of the 5ers are now 1/2 ton towable.

not true, only a handful of 5ers are truly 1/2 towable.
the vast majority have pin weights that exceed nearly all 1/2 ton payload capacities.

[Sinbadman5024]

Have you considered a 5er bunkhouse? Many of the 5ers are now 1/2 ton towable. They are easier to drive and steer and backup. Plus they are safer to tow than a long bumper pull. You don't get the sway from the wind, passing trucks, etc. Just a thought, but once you two with a bed mounted hitch, you won't go back to a bumper pull.

[Bigfoot2005]

I really like this one for size with the quad bunks. Not sure it too small for your family or not.

Rockwood MiniLite

[pitch]

We camp in our Hybrid most often to the middle of October in NY.
Now if you're a native Californian or Southerner your blood may be too thin. We are comfortable into the high thirties with just our blankets and the trailers furnace.

[RVcircus]

We have an older KZ Sportsmen that is a 25' quad bunk with a queen bed in a rear manual slide. KZ no longer make these, but it's similar to the Jayco JAY FEATHER X254

[perigaut]

Thanks for all the info. We are currently in CA for another year. I would think hybrids are great for this type of climate. But we will be back on the East Coast (military) for the next 3 years or so, thinking a hybrid may be to chilly for Fall in Virginia.

So, we will keep looking for something at 30 or just under.

[2gypsies1]

bikendan wrote:
Having camped all over California for 30 years, your choices for places for larger RVs will be more limited.
The California State Park system has done very little to revamp their campgrounds for today's larger RVs.

Best bet will be private parks or state beach campgrounds.

We've been in some mighty nice national forest campgrounds and county parks in California with our 40' motorhome. They beat the state parks by a mile. 🙂

[bikendan]

Well, one issue that comes with camping in California, is that most of the state park campgrounds have few, if not none, for RVs 30'+.

Having camped all over California for 30 years, your choices for places for larger RVs will be more limited.
The California State Park system has done very little to revamp their campgrounds for today's larger RVs.

Best bet will be private parks or state beach campgrounds.

If your preference is public/state parks, you might want to look at 3 bed hybrid trailers.
Sleeping for up to 10, in something like the Roo/Shamrock 233S, in a lighter 25' package.

We've owned a hybrid TT for almost 10 years and consider it perfect for California camping.

[DannyA]

I towed a 30' travel trailer for years with a F150 with no problems.
The scariest thing was not pulling or backing but the turbulence you have going down the highway. For me that took some getting used to, but not sure I ever got used to it. Be careful while you learn about this. Got the best sway control you can afford.
Get out and enjoy!

[Grit_dog]

All good advice. And yes a 30' trailer is a lot of trailer for someone who's never towed or is inexperienced. That said, it's not horribly difficult to tow and back a trailer.
The length don't mean much when towing down the road, it when you get into tight quarters of as mentioned, don't fit somewhere you want to camp. Idk how often that happens though. Not a campsite expert.
I do tend to forget the challenges learning to tow and back a trailer since its second nature now.
If you are reasonably adept at spatial and mechanical concepts then I'd suggest taking the New trailer by yourself for a couple practice runs. Do city, highway, practice backing, etc.
I think you'll find it's not terribly difficult. Just requires more attention than driving around bobtail.
The 2 car thing isn't a bad idea, mainly to remove distractions..... The kids!
Fun to stick the wife with them lol and trust me much easier to think about what you're doing.
I've been towing all kinds of trailers since I was 15 and 25 years later I will get distracted by the kids and yell at them. They don't seem to notice when you're heading up the pass, in snow, trying to change lanes, back into a driveway etc.

[camp-n-family]

We have found that anything over 30' really starts to restrict the number of sites available to fit in. Our 35' tt only fits in around 15 percent of sites in our local parks (not many pull through a here). Takes a lot more planning and reserving well in advance. Sometime the sites are listed as big enough but they were extremely difficult or impossible to get into because of narrow roads or entrances. Always seemed to be a tree or rock in the way. Never had that problem with our old 28'

[NanciL]

I have that same truck. Mine is a 2014 with a complete tow package.
I tow a 5500 pound 25 foot long travel trailer, and my big fear with the amount of weight you will be towing is stopping on wet pavement.

I have had two different occasions where on wet pavement just crawling and then putting on the brakes both the truck and trailer skidded just as if I was on black ice due to the weight.

I consider myself a safe driver, and always take my foot off the gas and coast into traffic lights and cross roads, but on one of the occasions it was on a down hill and my rig skidded right into the middle of an intersection with the light against me.

So be forwarned !

jack L

[ken56]

The longer the trailer the easier it is to back up.....all you need is maneuvering room in front of the truck to turn and swing things into place. I have a 6500 lb. 30 ft. trailer I pull with my Silverado 1500, 5.8 liter 3:42 geared 6 speed trans with 1666 payload and do so with no problems. If you stick with the ultra light models then you can tow it safely with what you have. Length is not that big an issue really if you stay with in you weight limits. Your truck needs to be in good mechanical condition with good load range E tires. Get the floor plan that works for you. That is the most important factor IMO or you will be trading it in after the first year when you find it doesn't fit your needs....and take a beating on the depreciation. Save your money for a new truck and get the trailer that works for you.

[BB_TX]

The bunkhouse is going to add 6-7 feet of more onto the standard living/dining/kichen/bedroom floor plan. So, yes, they are going to be longer. As long as the weights are right you should be ok. But the longer the trailer the more side winds will likely affect you. But that can be handled.

Up to 34' would generally not be a problem in most campgrounds.