Your Thoughts on Camping with a smaller Travel Trailer

[Campin__Nana]

Sorry for all the questions. Hubby and I are doing so much research and getting opinions from others on things has helped us immensely! Thank you again to everyone who has helped and offered suggestions.

We have been looking at the Jayco 27 RLS's which have an overall length of 31' 6". My husband has never camped before and while he has pulled boats and flatbed trailers, he is concerned about pulling and backing something so long. (We have a F250 Super Duty truck.) We are wondering what your thoughts are on an adult couple camping in a smaller TT. We won't be fulltimers. Just random camping trips and 1 or 2 week long trips. Are there any couples here that camp comfortably and HAPPILY 😉
in a smaller TT, say 24'-26"? What are your experiences with that? Thank you!

ETA: Our 2 year old grandson will come with us sometimes.

[Campin__Nana]

0488FB wrote:
We have a Forestriver 26rr which is a Toyhauler. In November of 2013, we bought a 25rr and thought we were set for a long time. However, we found out that the small bathroom and bed in front which I had to crawl/fall over DW made us realize this was not going to work for the long haul. Shortly after our purchase, the 26rr came out and boy did the layout address these problems. Came to the realization of trade up now or keep what we really don't like. We can't be happier for our decision and really look forward to each outing now. Your doing the right thing by gathering as much input as you can combined with past experience. Doing your homework first will pay off in the final decision. Good luck and have fun shopping.

Thank you so much. We have spent the last 3 months checking out various dealers and trailers. We are learning a lot from the experiences of kind folks like yourself. Thank you for taking the time to help. 🙂

[0488FB]

We have a Forestriver 26rr which is a Toyhauler. In November of 2013, we bought a 25rr and thought we were set for a long time. However, we found out that the small bathroom and bed in front which I had to crawl/fall over DW made us realize this was not going to work for the long haul. Shortly after our purchase, the 26rr came out and boy did the layout address these problems. Came to the realization of trade up now or keep what we really don't like. We can't be happier for our decision and really look forward to each outing now. Your doing the right thing by gathering as much input as you can combined with past experience. Doing your homework first will pay off in the final decision. Good luck and have fun shopping.

[Campin__Nana]

SoundGuy wrote:

Campin'_Nana wrote:
We have a son and DIL that have their own small trailer who we'll camp with often. They would get together with us in ours to eat or play games, so that is something for us to consider as well. Thanks!

A rather important "detail" that had you mentioned it back in your original post would have saved those suggesting a shorter sub 20' model the trouble of even bothering. :S Seems to me you and your DH really need to sit down and collate a list of requirements that suit your particular situation, then go forward to consider various offerings that meet those requirements rather than those of others that have been offered in these 5 pages of discussion. :R

Soundguy, what's your problem? We are new at this and are learning from people as we go along. Please stay away from my posts if I'm wasting your time. I have FMS and I don't think well at times out of sheer exhaustion and the after effects of kidney cancer! So, please excuse me if I don't get my thoughts across on this forum exactly the way you think I should! (And I'm not clear on how my thread is any different from your 6 page posts on tents? Perhaps you should have done a little more research before you asked your question?)

[Campin__Nana]

davosfam wrote:
We have friends who went from tent camping to a 19' trailer (that probably includes the tongue) with a bed in front, kitchen/dinette in the middle and bathroom in back. The bed is boxed in and they have to climb over each other in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. When they were looking for a trailer, they wanted small and said that anything was better than a tent. Now that they have had it for a year, she wishes they had more room. Hindsight is 20/20. 😉

That's the mistake we don't want to make! From glancing at forum signatures here and on a Jayco Club facebook page I follow, it seems like quite a lot of people have rigs around 27'-30'. That seems to be about average. We're thinking if we stick around 27' that should suit our needs. I'd like to go smaller, but don't want to have the regrets you mentioned. The time to wish you had a different sized trailer is not after you lose value, due to depreciation, as you're driving off the lot. 🙂

[SoundGuy]

Campin'_Nana wrote:
We have a son and DIL that have their own small trailer who we'll camp with often. They would get together with us in ours to eat or play games, so that is something for us to consider as well. Thanks!

A rather important "detail" that had you mentioned it back in your original post would have saved those suggesting a shorter sub 20' model the trouble of even bothering. :S Seems to me you and your DH really need to sit down and collate a list of requirements that suit your particular situation, then go forward to consider various offerings that meet those requirements rather than those of others that have been offered in these 5 pages of discussion. :R

[Campin__Nana]

toedtoes wrote:

Campin'_Nana wrote:
The tent was when I was in my early 20's and I'm 50 now. Never again...LOL!

I just meant that for most people the "never again" part of the tent is the set up, sleeping on the ground, and the rain. If you were happy in a tent as a family, then you'll be fine in a small trailer as a family - you'll just have more comfortable beds and a bathroom.

I knew what you meant, toedtoes. I didn't mind the tent family wise....I did mind the oppressive temps, the rain soaked everything and no bathroom. 😄

[davosfam]

We have friends who went from tent camping to a 19' trailer (that probably includes the tongue) with a bed in front, kitchen/dinette in the middle and bathroom in back. The bed is boxed in and they have to climb over each other in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. When they were looking for a trailer, they wanted small and said that anything was better than a tent. Now that they have had it for a year, she wishes they had more room. Hindsight is 20/20. 😉

[Campin__Nana]

jfkmk wrote:
All great posts, and they show it all boils down to personal preference and what you like to do when you camp. We have a small 17' tt we've used for 4 years now. We love it and plan to hang onto it until retirement. At that time we plan to do a lot more camping with trips that are much longer. Right now our longest trips are two weeks long. Most of the time it's just the two of us, but sometimes one of our older(20 something) kids join us.

What we like is the camper has everything we need. It's light, easy to pull, and we get into any site available. The small size kind of "forces" us to do what we love....spend time outdoors.

What we would want in a new camper includes a couch of some sort so we don't have to sit at the dinette all the time, a bed that has access on both sides (my wife complains every time the bed is made) and lose the "pinch point" between the kitchen and the bathroom wall.

As far as being stuck inside the trailer for three days, I can't take being stuck in a 3000 sq ft house, the trailer would kill me! Our trips always include site seeing and visiting, so for us that's not an issue.

Good luck and have fun!

We have a son and DIL that have their own small trailer who we'll camp with often. They would get together with us in ours to eat or play games, so that is something for us to consider as well. Thanks!

[SoundGuy]

jfkmk wrote:
All great posts, and they show it all boils down to personal preference and what you like to do when you camp.

Apparently the OP doesn't seem to think so. Ah well, one can lead a horse to water but can't make it drink. :S

[jfkmk]

All great posts, and they show it all boils down to personal preference and what you like to do when you camp. We have a small 17' tt we've used for 4 years now. We love it and plan to hang onto it until retirement. At that time we plan to do a lot more camping with trips that are much longer. Right now our longest trips are two weeks long. Most of the time it's just the two of us, but sometimes one of our older(20 something) kids join us.

What we like is the camper has everything we need. It's light, easy to pull, and we get into any site available. The small size kind of "forces" us to do what we love....spend time outdoors.

What we would want in a new camper includes a couch of some sort so we don't have to sit at the dinette all the time, a bed that has access on both sides (my wife complains every time the bed is made) and lose the "pinch point" between the kitchen and the bathroom wall.

As far as being stuck inside the trailer for three days, I can't take being stuck in a 3000 sq ft house, the trailer would kill me! Our trips always include site seeing and visiting, so for us that's not an issue.

Good luck and have fun!

[myredracer]

For us, in the getting older category (57/62), things we could not do without are a sofa, walk-around queen bed, walk-in shower, decent kitchen counter space, separate bedroom with door and a slide. Now have a 29' TT that suits us really well and has all of this. We also have a good amount of storage space overall inside. Never a problem finding or backing into a site.

After initially buying a 20' TT, we got tired of it in just one year from having to watch TV from the dinette sitting at an awkward angle and having to suck our stomachs in when passing each other between kitchen and bathroom. Lack of storage space not good either. Lost thousands of $$ in depreciation and on mods.

Friends or ours have a 26 footer with a U-shaped dinette and no sofa. Bed is open to the living area and tiny 20" TV. DW & I hate their layout. Can't get comfortable watching TV and NO privacy between bedroom and kitchen/living space. Thx but no thx...

First time I ever drove our 20 footer, I was in full panic attack, white knuckle mode.. Didn't take very long tho. before I was flinging it around corners and driving in and out of crowded mall parking lots. With our 29 footer, it definitely is more of a handful to tow but it was just fine once I got used to it. Now have no problem flying down the interstate with a semi truck on either side or on twisty & bumpy mountain roads. The only thing I do find is that it is harder to do right turns on some single lane city street corners, but is partly because we have a long wheelbase truck (8' bed & supercab).

When assessing various models and floor plans, note that some floor plans and features can be significantly more efficient and provide more comfort features for the same overall length. Length in itself shouldn't be a major deciding factor.

BTW, it sure helps for you and your spotter to learn hand signals when backing in. Took DW & myself a couple of years to get it right. Now a super smooth process when backing in and no hurt feelings anymore. :W

[Campin__Nana]

SoundGuy wrote:

Campin'_Nana wrote:

In a past life, I had a 20' TT with just a dinette, no couch or recliners. 2 adults and 2 kids traveled in that and it was fine. We're older now, though and wonder about having a comfortable space.

With this experience under you belts I don't see how anyone here can tell you anything you already don't know. :h You know the routine, go look at a few examples in different sizes, and make your own decision. 🙂

As I said earlier, my husband has never camped before in a TT. My experience with the TT was 25 years ago and a past husband. I am not looking for someone else to determine for us which camper to buy. We are simply looking for opinions from others, because we find that helpful and we learn from the experience of others. The responses we have received have been helpful and considerate, up until now. 😄

[SoundGuy]

Campin'_Nana wrote:
I should clarify, that by "happy", I didn't mean my husband and I couldn't share the same space and be happy. I just meant if you're stuck inside for 3 days straight because of bad weather, we probably would want enough space where we weren't tripping over one another.

Surely a considerable exaggeration, especially from someone who has previously owned a 20' trailer :h ... after all, who in their right mind would sit inside any camper "for 3 days straight" just because of inclement weather? :S Obviously, if it's pouring rain you're not going to go sit on the beach or be inclined to go for a long hike but there are plenty of other activities that will get you out of the camper even when the sun isn't burning a hole in the sky. If you want more interior space then the solution is obvious - a longer trailer, preferably one with a slide - just don't expect it to be quite as universally maneuverable as a sub 20' model. Personally, in a couple's model I'm really fond of rear lounge models but any I've ever seen are way longer than I ever want to deal with so we passed ... for you it could be just the ticket but no one here can make that determination for you.

We love to play board games, etc. It's such a hard decision to decide which length TT to get.

Then you'll probably want a dinette table of some sort but in a 20' model that means no sofa ... if you want both then by definition you're going to end up with a longer model. You could alternately choose a model with a Murphy bed that can be converted to a sofa and therefore have both a dinette & a sofa in a shorter trailer but you'd be giving up the huge pass through storage compartment common to most trailers with a front queen walk around bed. In our case we have little use for a dinette as we eat outside most of the time so we specifically chose a model with just a sofa and a huge front passthrough storage compartment that I use to great advantage ... works well for us but perhaps not so much for you.

In a past life, I had a 20' TT with just a dinette, no couch or recliners. 2 adults and 2 kids traveled in that and it was fine. We're older now, though and wonder about having a comfortable space.

With this experience under you belts I don't see how anyone here can tell you anything you already don't know. :h You know the routine, go look at a few examples in different sizes, and make your own decision. 🙂

[FrankShore]

Have a look at the Lance line up. Their longest TT is 22.6 (floor length) They offer attractive, well built TT's

Lance TT's