best travel trailer in the 3000 lb. range

brmiller wrote:
We bought a Colman 17fq a few weeks ago. Single axel, 3,200lb dry weight. It's a bunk model so you might not need that feature? If it's just the two of you then Coleman has some 16' models with rear baths that are right at 3,000lbs.

yeah, Colman is the base model of TT but it's inexpensive and if you're not full timing then it's a good return on your $

I bought the Aspen Trail 1700BH. It is identical to your Coleman 17FQ with different badging. Living in Montana, I flipped the axle and gained about six inches. I really love the layout. It is a very efficient use of space. Others make the same layout (Jayco 174 as one example) but they are all only 7 feet wide vs the 8 feet on ours. That makes a big difference. You have a full size dinette vs a cramped two person and storage next to the bed AND a 41 inch wide bottom bunk making a BIG difference in sleeping back there.

Interestingly, Dutchmen makes a Kodiak version of this (175BH). It runs around 3500 to 4K difference in price (in the SE) and has all the bells and whistles AND a better suspension (tortion) with a higher cargo capacity (1100 vs 650). I actually have seen a few of the Kodiaks in the SE under 15K (Temple GA). IF I had that choice, I'd go with the Kodiak if ONLY for the capacity. The Bells and whistle are very nice though along with the outside looks. They run from 21K to 25K up here in the Northwest. I could buy two of the Aspen Trails for that price. Enjoy and watch your capacity. The 3500 lb Dexters with the springs do have their limits. And consider a WDH.