Travel Trailer Shopping

[tmet01]

Wife, Dog, and I will be buying a travel trailer soon. We'll be part time campers. Tow vehicle is a 2016 Tacoma with towing package. We're looking at the 2016 Forest River Mini Lite 2109 as our first trailer. Any comments or advice welcome. PM if you like.

[tmet01]

Thanks again everyone. As far as making an offer, is 30% off MSRP a good place to start?

[FrankShore]

Lance makes some very nice lightweight units. Quality construction. Also there are Coachmen models that are very nice (lighter weight too)

[tmet01]

Thank you for your responses. Given our limited towing capabilities (6500/650)does anyone have a comparable model they think we should look at? We want to keep gvwr below or at 5500.
Thanks again for your help.

[bikendan]

tmet01 wrote:
Thanks Bear...but question about the inverter recommendation. When you are on 'shore power' the inverter is not in play is it? Still being educated.

all RVs come with a CONverter.
very few come with a factory INverter.

CONverters and INverters operate differently.
converters change 120v AC shore power to 12v DC power.
an inverter does the opposite.

usually, only some motorhomes and 5th wheels come from the factory with an inverter or even one as an option.

i don't know of any TT that comes with an inverter.
i installed a 400w inverter in my Rockwood Roo, to run the tv, dvd and recharge electronic devices.

[davosfam]

I like the layout of that one. One thing to consider is if either of you are tall, the short queen might be a no-go.

[NYCgrrl]

Niceeeeeeeeeeee use of space in that model and the island bed is a real winner!

[tmet01]

kknowton - the 2109s (with a slide out)is what we are looking at. Tacoma towing/hitch rating is 6500/650.
Thanks for your response. More the better. Still being educated...

[tmet01]

Thanks Bear...but question about the inverter recommendation. When you are on 'shore power' the inverter is not in play is it? Still being educated.

[kknowlton]

All good advice. This would be a good entry-level TT, IMO. Are you looking at a 2109S (with a slideout), or without the slideout? The slideout will give you more space, but will weigh more (not sure what the towing capacity of your vehicle is). Anyway, we downsized to a Mini-Lite and have in general been pleased with it.

[tmet01]

Thanks!

[Kittykath]

I was sold on that very model last month until the husband vetoed it. We were downsizing, but coming from a 39' was too extreme for him. We went with a 25' trailer which allowed for a larger slideout.

I thought the layout in the 2109 was very smart. The countertop space is roomy for a small unit, lots of drawers, convenient under bed storage, good sized tanks, and all the other features are what you would find in a larger trailer. Be sure you're both comfortable with the sofa/table combination as your only seating area, and the jackknife sofa isn't the most comfortable bed for guests. But this is a great trailer for two!

[Dick_B]

To help you decide on what RV to buy you could go to www.rvknowhow.com and read Joe and Vicki’s suggestions and/or download their e-book `RV Buyers Homework’, which walks you through the process of choosing the best RV for your needs, selecting the right floor plans and features, determining the RV’s cargo-carrying and towing capacities and evaluating its livability. (Nov-Dec Highways, pg. 21)
RVtravel.com and the Better Business Bureau have a DVD that covers the same subject
(http://rvbookstore.com/shop/detail.aspx?p=710&m=2) and Chuck Woodbury has an ebook with similar advice.