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.

[Campfire_Time]

It really depends on your needs. Some need/want that longer bigger unit. Others prefer it smaller. There are lots of smaller trailers that have slide outs now. Our HTT has one and it only goes out about a foot, but it makes a huge difference in floor space and "getting around" one another.

Our HTT is 22' and we love it. We would not want anything bigger. I store next to my garage, easy in, easy out. We can take it anywhere. Our trips are pretty much along what you do.

We had a 17' HTT for 10 years. That was fine too, as most of our time is spent outside.

Again, you have to go look at them, sit in them, and imagine yourself using them a week at a time.

[RGar974417]

27ft isn't a small TT.16 ft would be small. The bigger the trailer,the fewer places you will be able to get into. Plus,it's more difficult getting into and out of gas stations and restaurants. But to answer your question,when we were younger,we camped with our 2 boys and my 2 nieces in a pop up camper. Yes,it was cramped but we made it work and had a lot of fun.Most of the time we were outside anyways.The only time it was a problem was when it rained. From there we moved to a 23 ft.TT.Better for sure. We now have a 27 ft TT with a slide out and we sometimes take 2 of our grandkids and the dog along. Plenty of room for us all. I would never go bigger than this because we prefer state and federal parks.

[NYCgrrl]

The man and I decided to follow traditional thunk and rent or at least spend the night in various sized RVs to better understand what we would feel comfy living in and towing.
We tried out the following units:

Keystone Cougar 33 footer
Prowler BH 30'
A friend's PUP. Can't recall the maker but it had beds on both ends and a kit.
Thor Baron(e?)model w/ no slide

and found them all too big for our specific needs. As toedtoes, pointed out some people like to spend a lot of time in their RV and others do not. We are in the do not category and are eyeing a TT that is less than 20' favorably.

[2012Coleman]

Don't let concerns over backing up dictate your choice. It took me 2 hours to back into my driveway the first time with a 25' TT. Now I can set it right back in there in one motion. Longer TT's are easier to back anyway - so its been said on here. I believe it.

Our current floor plan is becoming uncomfortable for us. We don't have good space to hang out when we need to. So consider that and get the floor plan that allows you to be comfortable. Envision where you would sit and watch TV if it was raining outside or if you like watching before bed after a shower. The dinette won't cut it - trust me.

Good luck!

[the_bear_II]

We moved from a 24ft TT to a 38ft 5th wheel.

Two Main problems with the 24ft:
1. Bottleneck at the kitchen. If someone was cooking or doing dishes the walkway to the bathroom was blocked.
2. We were stuck inside for several days due to a bad storm... cabin fever kicked in. There was no place to get away from each other.

In the 38ft there are no bottleneck areas. I can go to the bedroom if she gets on my nerves and watch the TV programs I want to watch.

[davosfam]

Forest River Surveyor has some nice smaller trailer floor plans that you might like. Here

[davosfam]

The travel trailer we just sold would have been perfect if we never camped with our adult children. It was 26' with a walk around queen bed up front, kitchen with dinette and couch in the middle and the bathroom in the back. After a very wet Memorial Day weekend and my adult son and his friend camping with us, we upgraded. Of course, we don't tow our 5th wheel anywhere. It stays put on our lot.

What you are wanting to do is totally doable. Lots of great floor plans out there. If you are worried about feeling cramped, get one with a slide. I think storage and a walk around bed would be my main concerns.

[GMandJM]

We were quite content spending winters in the 24VSD shown in our signature photo.

One nice thing was that it had the bathroom between the bedroom and kitchen/livingroom space. Good if someone visiting needed to use the "necessary room"... they didn't have to traipse through the bedroom to get there. Others have said that the "mid-bath" made them feel "trapped" in the bedroom, though.

If someone wanted to stay overnight, we could have (in theory) let them sleep on the fold-out sofa or made the dinette into a bed. We chose, however, to stick with the story that our ViewFinder slept only two people. 🙂

[RoyB]

If you really like camping off the power grids and back off the trails anywhere along a creek bed etc anything bigger than 24-26 feet long is going to be a problem... You just can't always get them down the forest service roads or beaten path trails...

If you are going to do mostly public camp grounds then the bigger units work just fine.

We are still using our Starcraft 14 R/T OFF-RoAD POPUP camper which has all of the modern conveniences. Watch HDTV every night and love sitting outside under the awning with our bonfire watching the wildlife and listening to the babbling brooks. About the only thing we miss is lots of moving around room inside the camper.

This is actually a blessing for us as this makes us do alot of things outside the camper trailer...

I guess the smaller trailers might be a challenge on carrying all the things along with you you might want to have. In my case my OFF-ROAD POPUP trailer has a 5X8 open front deck and along with my truck bed we can carry some serious camping supplies with us..

We started out in the early 60s tent camping and had large and small tents over the years. Always sleep off the ground in the tent beds that have legs with a slot for an air mattress... Always had a rug on the floor...

Finally got to a POPUP trailer in 2008. Been there ever since... We still go tent camping alot as well. Our best somewhat local place near us is SHERANDo LAKE near Waynesboro VA off I64. We go there a couple times a year just to do tent camping... Otter Creek up on the Blue Ridge Parkway is also a somewhat close by tent camping spot. Camping behind Harrisbuirg VA up on the VA/WVA wooded state line is both tent camping and with our off-road POPUP trailer. Really nice up there as well... You will not be getting a 26-foot trailer down those forest service roads...

The POPUP trailer is great for us - gets outstanding gas mileage with no wind resistance. Can go anywhere my 4X4 truck can go. Has indoor potty/shower combo and nice sleeping tent beds ends... What more do you need when camping off the power grid.

Of course it is all in what you want to do...

We can get in the truck and pull our OFF-ROAD Camper from Northern Neck VA to Gatlinburg TN Smoky Mtns on one tank of gas. We arrive all fresh and ready to do some back woods camping...

My sister and her hubby have the big MONTANTA 5th wheel camper with large diesel tuck pulling it and we meet up at various places at times. They are wore plum out the first night when we arrive at our favorite places. I reckon that is alot of work to safely head down the big roads pulling your house along with you... Definitely not my cup of tea...

We can pull into a McDonalds with our trailer setup and order from the window and not get out of the truck haha...

Roy Ken

[nineoaks2004]

I have had every type of RV, even homemade at one time or another. . I always go back to a Pop Up, it fits our needs, is easy to tow, great on gas mileage. Presently we have a Rockwood Freedom with slide and it can sit for months without being used (I just cover the tires because of UV ) But only you and DH can make the decision on what is overall best for ya'll.

[Bob_E_]

Everyone's different, so it's really up to you. I could be happy with a small enclosed cargo trailer with an air mattress. My wife and 2 kids (girls)...not so much. 🙂 We have a '08 Jayco Eagle 31BHDS...I think it measures around 33ft or so from bumper to hitch. Honestly, if it weren't for the kids, it would be overkill. On the other hand, it does make it really nice if the weather is crappy and you get stuck inside for awhile. It's not so claustrophobic. Having the slide-out really helps in this regard. And the back bedroom would be nice for storing things so the living area isn't so cluttered with stuff. Towing it isn't too bad, but you do have to really pay attention to it when in traffic or navigating tight turns and intersections. Most places we camp, it isn't a problem backing into spots. We usually look for places with full hook-ups so they are set up for bigger RV's. But I have run into cases where spots that were big enough were slim pickings. So it can be a bit limiting in that regard.

The camper actually belongs to my parents, but they bought it so that I and my brother could also use it with our growing families. That's why they bought such a big unit. Recently though, they have been talking about downsizing to make it a little easier to move around and just go for short weekend trips and stuff. Plus, a smaller, lighter camper would be cheaper on gas to tow behind Dad's truck. I just hope they don't go too small before I am able to buy my own camper. 🙂

[valhalla360]

We have the rig shown below but we spend weeks or months at a time.

If we were buying and only planning on weekend trips with an occasional weeks trip, we would look at something in the 16-24' range. Smaller, simpler and cheaper. Plus we wouldn't need the big truck.

Once you have committed to buying the bigger trailer and all that goes with it, it's not much harder to handle.

[Bumpyroad]

I traded my 34 ft. Class A in on a 17 ft. TT.
bumpy

[toedtoes]

It's what you make it. Many people share small spaces to live and/or play and do just fine.

With that, here are some questions to help you find your answer:

When you say "camping", what do you mean? Do you mean staying at traditional campgrounds and spending your time doing outdoor activities? Hiking, swimming, etc. Or do you mean staying at RV parks and sightseeing in the area? This could have a bearing on the other questions below.

How much time do you intend to spend INSIDE the TT on a regular basis? Do you plan on being in the RV whenever you are not out doing something? Or do you plan on hanging out outside unless the weather is bad?

How do you spend your time now? Do you each spend most of your time in a separate room from the other? Or do you spend most of the time in the same room?

What do you want to do when you're inside the RV? Do you want to watch TV? If so, do you watch the same shows or different shows? Can you read while the TV is on or do you need quiet to read?

Do either of you have habits/quirks that drive the other crazy? Does he nap during the day and snore? Do you tap your fingers when you're bored? etc.


Personally, I have no problem sharing my 21ft C with a friend (plus 2 dogs and a parrot). We spend most time during the day outside. If it rains, we come inside and talk, play cards or dominoes, etc. It's tight when we're fixing meals, but we make it work.

A few tricks I've found that make it easier:

1. Everything should have a dedicated place. If you have to move the lounge chair off the bunk bed and into the shower stall so you can go to bed; and then back to the bunk bed so you can take a shower; etc., you're going to get tired of it. I have very few exceptions to this rule - three items: popup canopy which I only bring for specific trips when I know it will be set up and used; folding table which I only bring for specific trips when I know it will be set up and used; and a set of dog steps which stay on the bunk bed during the day and get set up on the couch at night so the dogs can get in and out of the bunk bed. Everything else has a dedicated spot.

2. If it hasn't been used in a year, out it goes. No "but what ifs". For "emergency gear", I use the "if that breaks, can I still make the trip work?" rule. That goes something like: "if the fridge breaks, I can use a cooler and buy some ice to make it through the trip" - don't worry about fridge parts while I'm camping; "if the engine breaks down, then I'm stuck where I am" - keep some tools and parts to do basic repairs.

3. Get back to basics. People managed before microwaves and hair straighteners and entertainment centers. It's not that difficult to do without those for a week or two. That saves a lot of storage space and by not having to have a generator, you gain THAT space to store camp chairs, etc.

4a. If you have "sometime guests" (like the grandson), keep a set amount of space reserved for their stuff. Do not fill that space up with other things when they don't join you. Keep it empty. That keeps you from adding stuff you don't need because "there's space" and keeps you from having to find space whenever they join you.

4b. On the same theme as above, try to keep 20% of your storage space empty at all times. This gives you freedom to rearrange or add an occasional item (following the "if not used in one year, out it goes" rule).

5. Use packing cubes to keep things "confined". Instead of a junk drawer, put all that stuff in a small packing cube. It keeps those weird little objects from getting lost, etc. Use them for clothes - you can fit more clothes in a smaller space using them and keeps everything from falling out when you grab a shirt.

[APT]

I agree with most that length should only be considered based on what type/quantity of campsites you would fit into. Backing up a longer trailer is actually easier than a shorter one, all else equal.