Traveling across the country in a Hybrid???

[debden]

We are going to be newbies to the RV world and my husband wants to get a hybrid. I would like to have experienced RVer's opinions on using a Hybrid to do an 8 week tour across country. We are from north of Toronto Canada and want to travel in the US.

Thanks in advance for all input!

[ncrowley]

In parks with bears, hybrids can be restricted, I assume because the bear can get through the material in the slide out section. I have seen these restrictions in a couple of national parks.

[pitch]

Setting up a hybrid tent end may take 3 of 4 minutes at the most and only a portion of that is outside. Getting wet setting up or breaking down the tent ends is a non issue, you still are going to be ten minutes in the rain hooking up the hitch bars lights, picking up your leveling blocks,etc.
We have camped in our HTT in torrential downpours and they DO NOT get wet inside at least we personally have never had any leakage.
Hybrids are noisier than 4 hard walls and the temperature varies more. Hybrids are a compromise between weight and space. I tow 23' on the road, but have 28 in camp. A 28 foot hard side would absolutely max out my half ton truck, while my 23 is a perfect fit.
Go to a show or dealer have them demonstrate setting up and breaking down the tent ends and try it yourself.
We have taken ours on a couple of 7 or 800 mile trips, an overnite at a Wal Mart or truck stop we usually turtle, just for security reasons.
As to bear resistance I can't speak,but although you do hear of an occasional problem I don't give it a moments thought.

[tenbear]

When we bought our first RV we were planning a trip to Alaska. We were advised to get a hard sided camper because of the bears. We had previously done quite a lot of tent camping in northern Quebec and Ontario with no problem with bears, so I'm not sure how valid that advice was.

I have watched others campers take their hybrid down in the rain. It always makes me glad we have a hard sided camper.

[Road_Ruler]

Welcome fellow Ontario resident.

We have been across the country with our Mini van/pop up. Many other trips east and south. Worked fine. But traveling with a full height trailer with amenities (wash room, etc) is nicer.

[scbwr]

We had pop-up tent campers when our kids were growing up and did a lot of traveling. Our longest trips were around 3 weeks at a time, but I don't see a problem traveling for longer trips in a hybrid. As mentioned, there is a noise factor if you stay in campgrounds that have small sites, but that can be avoided for the most part by careful planning and using a good campground directory. I suggest having an AC if you plan on camping where the temps are higher. Although we've had a TT for over ten years now, I still miss the openness of sleeping in a tent camper!

[bikendan]

first, you should have posted this question in the Hybrid Forum, if you wanted more responses from actual hybrid owners.

having owned ours for 7 years now, we still love ours. but i wouldn't choose it for doing cross country, UNLESS you'd be staying in each stop for at least 3 days minimum.
even though hybrids are easier than popups to setup, it would still be a hassle to have to go through the setup, just to put it all back the next day.

and they aren't the best choice for the typical private RV campground where your neighbor is right next to you. they are better suited for national/state/COE campgrounds, where you have some room.
private campgrounds tend to cram in as many sites as possible and you may have a Class A diesel pusher right next to you running their engine in the morning, with the fumes wafting into your tent end.

hybrids are wonderful RV's for many but they do have limitations and additional hassles.

[kknowlton]

Hybrids are wonderful if you like to spend time in state/national parks & forests. They are great in nice weather. Like popups, they can be a bit damp in rainy weather, and they are a pain to set up completely in a pouring rain. (Anything is, but if you want to deploy the bed ends, you and the beds will get soaked.) If you are camping in a noisy spot - right by the interstate highway, for example, or in a crowded campground on a holiday weekend - you will get all the noise as if you were outside, since canvas absorbs very little sound. Should you choose to "turtle" and sleep on the couch/dinette instead, be aware that in most models, those alternatives are made for young children, and not full-size adults. (Been there, done that, exactly ONCE.)

If your kids have a minivan, they may have trouble pulling any but the smallest hybrids anyway. Just a thought. (We pulled ours with a 6-cyl older Explorer, and decided to avoid mountains entirely.)

Only you can decide what's best for you, but if it were my choice, for long periods of use, I'd go with a fully enclosed trailer.

Good luck with your decision!

[skipnchar]

Really nothing different in whatever type of rv you use. May take a few minutes longer to set up and break down camp but that's about it.

[vermilye]

One compromise between the two is to look at fiberglass eggs. I have pulled one 36,000 miles around the country with a V6 RAV4. Check the fiberglass trailer link on my web page for manufacturers and models.

[campinginthewoo]

Hi & Welcome You may also look into the ultra lite travel trailers as the give you a hard sided travel trailer and are lighter in weight. I have a 25 foot Coachmen Catalina Lite and used to pull it with a 1/2 ton Silverado and have even pulled it with my Ford Explorer when I had issues with my Silverado and I was camping. I currently drive a F250 CC and for now it's a lot of truck but I'll have the bigger truck when the time comes to upgrade to a bigger camper it's just something to think about. Happy Trails

[debden]

Thanks so much for your speedy reply. We are not stuck with the 8 wk as my husband is retiring in March so will not have a time frame but 8 wks sounded good for the first run out. We have a new Dodge Ram 1500 sport. He was thinking that if we got the Hybrid it would still be able to be used by our kids and their families driving a VAN etc. I personally would like to have a typical travel trailer as I feel that it will be safer (ie: metal all around)??? I don't think he wants to pull too heavy a load either. We will probably have to scale down to doing sections of the country at a time. We are huge blues fans so probably go where the music is.

[YnotTurbo]

Hello and welcome to the forum... I would recommend a camper that you do not have to constantly open up the bed areas every time you leave and arrive at a campground. If you are going to tour all over the US in your 8 week time frame, you will want to spend more time relaxing after getting to a campground and some of the hybrids require extra set up time. Look at all your options. You will find the price difference may not be too substantial. Quick set up and tear down will be nice when on your vacation. Good luck and enjoy.