Are you happy with the size?

[tenhorsun]

Of your travel trailer that is. I'm a new poster here and we're researching buying our first TT. Our main requirement is that we don't want to have to convert our table into a bed every night. So, fixed bed. Other than that, we think we'll be happy with small, with no slides even. We're on a limited budget.
A salesman said having bunks increases the re-sale value. Maybe, but with just 2 of us, we really have no need for bunkbeds.
Then a friend pointed out that even though there's only 2 of us, we have 2 dogs (medium/large) that will take up a lot of room. So she really suggested getting a bigger (longer) TT, and even one with a slide.
But again, budget. And other than sleeping/eating, we intend to be outside doing stuff. So how big do we need?
Have any of you bought a TT... only to later regret the size? Do you wish you had more room/space? Or (I would think this is rarer), do you think you would have been perfectly happy with a smaller TT? (smaller payments, less gas, etc.)

[SoundGuy]

rbpru wrote:
There may be people that get 12 to 15 mpg. I have no reason to question their math.

SoundGuy wrote:
I do ... 'cause I'd like to know how they do it! :h If there's some magic potion out there that will allow anyone to consistently achieve 15+ miles to the US gallon while towing any full height trailer other than an Airstream with a gasser I'm sure we'd ALL like to know about it. Please, enlighten us! 😛

TacoPuller wrote:
240mi/15.48 gal = 15.5mpg by my calculations. No magic potion. I drive at 60mph. a) This was at the end of the trip, so the trailer was empty (no fresh / gray/black), and we pack light so I estimate the weight to have been 3603 dry + clothing + paper plates. Maybe somewhere in the 3750+lb range. b)By 'full-height'...do you mean 11-13 feet? This is not a full-height trailer; it tops out at a maximum of 9'9" at the AC, and is a foot lower and streamlined in the front. c)This is Michigan (FLAT), so we were able to travel in overdrive (1900-2000 RPM) and the transmission doesn't hunt. I apologize if I implied that this was consistent mileage; it is not; it was simply a data point. In 4th gear at 2500 RPM, 11-12mpg has been consistent, though; the V6 seems to be happy with this setup. Keep in mind the truck normally gets 22mpg without the trailer, so at 50% below normal, this is still a big hit to our mpg. I used to get 10mpg towing our 5th wheel with a GMC, but it didn't get better than 12-13mpg when it wasn't attached which was why we bailed for the Tacoma. YMMV.
Happy Camping!

You bet, My Mileage Does Vary, and is not even close to 15+ miles to the US gallon, nor dare I say would it be for anyone save for running down a long mountain slope with the engine idling. :E Selecting just one particular run and referring to that as "fuel mileage" isn't realistic so it's helpful to know that your actual consistent mileage is really in the 11 - 12 mpg range, which is where the rest of us towing a trailer similar in size, weight, and height to yours are also getting. "Full height" trailer? - sure yours is full height, just as is mine ... anything that doesn't fold down or collapse for towing can be considered "full height" regardless of whether it's 9' or 12', the point is it's a barn door that's catching the wind and is the primary reason none of us will ever see 15+ mpg when towing one. I too consistently achieve 22 miles to the US gallon on the highway with our Avalanche when not towing and half that, ~ mid 11s, when towing our 19' Freedom Express which typically averages ~ 4500 lbs loaded and ready to camp - same as you, the difference being my Av's 5.3L V8 isn't working anywhere near as hard as your Taco's smaller displacement V6. 😉

[TacoPuller]

SoundGuy wrote:

rbpru wrote:
There may be people that get 12 to 15 mpg. I have no reason to question their math.

I do ... 'cause I'd like to know how they do it! :h If there's some magic potion out there that will allow anyone to consistently achieve 15+ miles to the US gallon while towing any full height trailer other than an Airstream with a gasser I'm sure we'd ALL like to know about it. Please, enlighten us! 😛

240mi/15.48 gal = 15.5mpg by my calculations. No magic potion. I drive at 60mph. a) This was at the end of the trip, so the trailer was empty (no fresh / gray/black), and we pack light so I estimate the weight to have been 3603 dry + clothing + paper plates. Maybe somewhere in the 3750+lb range. b)By 'full-height'...do you mean 11-13 feet? This is not a full-height trailer; it tops out at a maximum of 9'9" at the AC, and is a foot lower and streamlined in the front. c)This is Michigan (FLAT), so we were able to travel in overdrive (1900-2000 RPM) and the transmission doesn't hunt. I apologize if I implied that this was consistent mileage; it is not; it was simply a data point. In 4th gear at 2500 RPM, 11-12mpg has been consistent, though; the V6 seems to be happy with this setup. Keep in mind the truck normally gets 22mpg without the trailer, so at 50% below normal, this is still a big hit to our mpg. I used to get 10mpg towing our 5th wheel with a GMC, but it didn't get better than 12-13mpg when it wasn't attached which was why we bailed for the Tacoma. YMMV.
Happy Camping!

[TrailerTravele1]

Agree with the how you will use it assessment. We just returned from our first extended trip with our Lance 1685 - a 20'9" t/t with a slide. Lots of room, some don't like the sideways bed, but it doesn't bother us to save the extra 3' - the next size up with the walk-around queen bed is an extra 3'.

We discovered we like camping outside of national parks, BLM, forest service etc. We like less people, less "rules" -- when we can & can't use the generator for example, no one around to bother. Having never had dogs, not sure, but there might be less restrictions on dogs in BLM/forest service campsites? But the travel trailer might need to be different as well as the tow vehicle.

We love our trailer - we lucked out when picking the trailer ... the tow vehicle may need to be re-evaluated. We discovered we really like exploring dirt roads - not quite 4X4, but definitely beyond Tahoe/Suburban capabilities, or that's what we were told. We have a 4 Runner and had planned to buy a Tahoe ... until we talked to some people that were unhappy with their Tahoes due to wheel base and ground clearance for some southern Utah dirt roads.

Just a few considerations outside the usual. Good luck & ENJOY!

[CavemanCharlie]

Grodyman wrote:
I have found over the years that my favorite rig was the one I owed the least money on. Good luck.

Gman

Good advice.

[BubbaChris]

mbopp wrote:
We had a hybrid TT for 8 years and looked for a hardside TT for two years. We realized we'd never find the "perfect" TT but the 21FBS in my sig works well for us. At 26-1/2' ball to bumper we can still get into our favorite state cg's and the slide keeps us from getting cabin fever on rainy days.
But if we had pets I doubt the floor plan would work. One dog, maybe.

I'm one step up from mbopp and we currently take 3 dogs and 3 crates with us. The sofa is a shared resource for the humans and dogs (they aren't allowed on the dinette).

However I lucked into my TT. We were definitely shopping in the 20-foot range (Premier Bullet and Lance) and I saw this on Craigslist. From the model number I assumed it was a small step up, but it is a 26-foot box (about 30 ball-to-bumper).

We're partway into year 2 with this one and still love the size and layout. You can choose your TT but you can't choose the weather. We've spent rain days inside without tripping over each other - In fact, our next trip is a confirmed "we're going rain-or-shine" event.

[Grodyman]

I have found over the years that my favorite rig was the one I owed the least money on. Good luck.

Gman

[SoundGuy]

rbpru wrote:
There may be people that get 12 to 15 mpg. I have no reason to question their math.

I do ... 'cause I'd like to know how they do it! :h If there's some magic potion out there that will allow anyone to consistently achieve 15+ miles to the US gallon while towing any full height trailer other than an Airstream with a gasser I'm sure we'd ALL like to know about it. Please, enlighten us! 😛

[marquette]

Our scenario earlier this spring was some what similar to the OP. Wanting small, light weight and on a budget. We ended up with a 2009 Wildwood X-Lite 22RB for $4800. It has some cosmetic hail damage but no structural damage. We started looking at extremely small TT (13-16 ft) then small 5th wheels (18-22 ft) and finally back to larger TT's. The decision to go TT was that a SUV fit our life style better than a PU and a walk around bed. Now having used the trailer for only a short while here are my observations. It is big enough to be a weekend and traveling camper but too small to set up in one place and live in for 2-3 weeks. No couch or recliner when you have a dog used to spending time in a lap drives him nuts. Two people not being able to pass each other down the middle of the camper is inconvenient but not a deal breaker. Dual bulb overhead lights that don't have the option for either 1 or 2 bulbs being on are too bright. It needs water in the front fresh water tank to get enough TW to tow right. I tow with a 2001 1500 Suburban 5.3 with 3.73 gears and it is OK but more power would be nice. I get 10-11 mpg at 60-63 mph.

[rbpru]

There may be people that get 12 to 15 mpg. I have no reason to question their math.

But, I can tell you it is not going to happen pulling 6000 lbs. with a standard size TT and an F-150 at 55 to 65 mph; even with a stout tail wind. Figure 10 mpg. and you will not be too disappointed.

If you do get better mileage, and your math is correct, be sure to make a burnt offering to Magnanimous Travel Gods. I understand they like Fritos over a friendly camp fire.

[4X4Dodger]

tenhorsun wrote:
Of your travel trailer that is. I'm a new poster here and we're researching buying our first TT. Our main requirement is that we don't want to have to convert our table into a bed every night. So, fixed bed. Other than that, we think we'll be happy with small, with no slides even. We're on a limited budget.
A salesman said having bunks increases the re-sale value. Maybe, but with just 2 of us, we really have no need for bunkbeds.
Then a friend pointed out that even though there's only 2 of us, we have 2 dogs (medium/large) that will take up a lot of room. So she really suggested getting a bigger (longer) TT, and even one with a slide.
But again, budget. And other than sleeping/eating, we intend to be outside doing stuff. So how big do we need?
Have any of you bought a TT... only to later regret the size? Do you wish you had more room/space? Or (I would think this is rarer), do you think you would have been perfectly happy with a smaller TT? (smaller payments, less gas, etc.)

I bought a used Gulfstream Innsbruck, a very well built trailer 30 feet with two slides, one large one for dinette and seating and the other opposite for a two bunk area. This was unusual at the time. I paid all of $8300 for it and it was in near new condition though older.

This gives us (Two people who do not sleep together) and Two Dogs plenty of room. The bunk slide does not have to be deployed to work as a sleeping quarter.

Also the vast majority of National parks can accomodate a 30 footer and this was our reason for limiting the length to that. (althouogh measured the trailer is really 31 feet)

Now we spend a considerable time at a stretch in ours...months not days...and this was a consideration.

Recently while at Monument Valley we met some folks who had a brand new small travel trailer that had a great floorplan It was a Forest River R Pod. It even had a slide. It was one of the better floorplans I have seen in a smaller TT. Take a look at those too.

Good Luck

[SoundGuy]

TacoPuller wrote:
When it comes to size, how you want to use your RV is everything.My wife and I love camping, and we don't have kids or pets. We also REALLY like the solitude of rustic camps without the noise of others; we just want to get away and relax. We just recently bought a 22', and it fits us perfectly in the spots we used to pitch a tent. In the past, we pulled a larger fifth wheel around, but found it impossible to fit in some remote campgrounds, so we went smaller this time.

Exactly why, when the opportunity arose, I really wanted to downsize from our 24' triple bunk bed Spree (26' 9" coupler to bumper) to our current 19' couple's model Freedom Express (22' 6" coupler to bumper). Although I never found it impossible to place our Spree on sites like that shown in the TacoPuller's pic it certainly is just that much easier with our FE. We do have an 80 lb dog but even with just a shallow sofa slide that extends out only 18" there's never a lack of room for the three of us. If anything, the bathroom might be considered rather small but it is fully equipped and considering the brief amount of time we actually spend in there this just hasn't proven to be an issue. JMO, but inclement weather or not I just don't see how any couple couldn't find a well designed couple's model in the 19' to 22' range fully satisfactory ... after all, this is a camper, not a house. :h

By the way, the taco pulls this rig well- between 11.7 and 15.5mpg depending on hills.

Pulling our Spree which averaged ~ 5500 lbs loaded and ready to camp I'd typically see 10.5 to low 11s towing with our Avalanche, towing our FE which averages ~ 4500 lbs ready to camp I typically see ~ 11.5 to low 12s ... 15.5 mpg I couldn't possibly imagine! :E

[TacoPuller]

When it comes to size, how you want to use your RV is everything.My wife and I love camping, and we don't have kids or pets. We also REALLY like the solitude of rustic camps without the noise of others; we just want to get away and relax. We just recently bought a 22', and it fits us perfectly in the spots we used to pitch a tent. In the past, we pulled a larger fifth wheel around, but found it impossible to fit in some remote campgrounds, so we went smaller this time. This next picture sums up what we were after; it was taken last weekend, minutes apart; we were at a national forest campground, looking across the lake at an RV park where larger units could fit. We were alone in the CG. Loved it. EDIT: By the way, the taco pulls this rig well- between 11.7 and 12mpg depending on hills. (To clarify, it achieved 15.5mpg max, single data point, on flat ground in overdrive).

[danimal53]

we just bought our first TT (actually we pick it up in a few days) but size was definitely a tough decision. I think the place to start (for us anyway) was our tow vehicle. Getting a new TV was not an option/consideration, so we had to get one we could pull (5000lb limit). Myself, wife, and 2 dogs (50lb huskies). We went to an RV show at a nearby convention center to get an idea, as standing and actually seeing the space makes a huge difference versus just seeing a floorplan. We decided on Coachmen Clipper 17BH. No slides, and yes its small, but we don't plan on being inside a whole lot. Dogs can sleep on the bottom bunk or on the floor, I guess we'll find out if we made the right choice!

[rbpru]

Floor plan, TV, and cost. All three have to fit your needs.

We have a 25 foot Dutchmen with a small slide out pulled by an E-boost F-150. It gets 10 mpg. at 55-60 mpg. It is also easy to pull through a town.

It is a perfect fit for two adults and a dog. Others would consider too small.