Buyer's remorse??

[Herimpression]

Hi. I'm totally new to this site and RVING. Hubby is in the Navy and got orders to Virginia...we decided to take advantage of living on the other side of the country by traveling to all the neat places we've heard about. So buying a TT seemed like a no-brainer. We looked at everything from Class C to fifth wheel to ultralights. We decided to get a light TT so we didn't have to upgrade our vehicle. We have a 1500 suburban with a tow package that can pull 8100 pounds.

So after a year of looking we were in between the Keystone Bullet Premier 31BHPR or 34BHPR The bunk house and outdoor kitchen were requirements and both have them. So after a lot of thinking we picked the 34BHPR because it has more interior storage and we liked the kitchen layout with the island. (This was a really hard choice because the other model has an exterior door to the bathroom and it's 500 pounds lighter because it only has 2 slides we thought that was great too.) So, we put our down payment down and we are waiting for them to do the do the walk through with us next week when we take it home.

Now I'm waking up at night worried we picked the wrong one because of the island. I hadn't seen the inside with the slides pulled in until the day we bought it. When the slides are in you can't get to anything because the slides pull right up to the island and you would have to climb over it to get to the bunk house. And getting to anything in the kitchen or storage under the table isn't possible with slides in. So you can only get to the bathroom and master bedroom with slides in.

Is this going to be a big deal??? We are in Virginia and are planning on going all the way up to Maine and down to the Florida Keys. I'm scared I'll hate that I can't get to our stuff on long hauls. We usually pack a road trip cooler in the car when we travel so hubby doesn't think we'll need anything from the trailer when we're on the road. But I don't know since we're new to this. Please give me advice. I can still change my mind and buy the 31BHPR that doesn't have an island...the dealer will be mad...but we haven't signed on the dotted line yet. Thanks in advance for your help!

[Cecilt]

We have a center island and no access to fridge, bathroom or bedroom. We are weekend warriors and vacationeers so we are not overnighting in Walmart or rest stops. We don't mind rest areas and use them when traveling when needed. We keep a small cooler in truck with drinks and snacks if going more than 4+ hours at a time. No biggie to us to open slides when we need to.

Your BIGGEST buyers remorse will be too much trailer for your Suburban. You are creating a safety issue for your family and others on the road that you have no idea exists until you get on the road. That Burb in winds or being passed by a semi will toss you around. For your familys sake and others please either back out on the TT purchase and go smaller--30' and under 6k lbs loaded or BUY a 3/4 ton truck.

Any V-8 will pull your camper down the road. 1/2 ton V-8's don't have the frame, chassis, suspension to handle the load safely. Do not confuse pulling power with weight and suspension.

[Golden_HVAC]

Herimpression wrote:
Hi. I'm totally new to this site and RVING. Hubby is in the Navy and got orders to Virginia...we decided to take advantage of living on the other side of the country by traveling to all the neat places we've heard about. So buying a TT seemed like a no-brainer.

Now I'm waking up at night worried we picked the wrong one because of the island. I hadn't seen the inside with the slides pulled in until the day we bought it. When the slides are in you can't get to anything because the slides pull right up to the island and you would have to climb over it to get to the bunk house. And getting to anything in the kitchen or storage under the table isn't possible with slides in. So you can only get to the bathroom and master bedroom with slides in.

Is this going to be a big deal??? We are in Virginia and are planning on going all the way up to Maine and down to the Florida Keys. I'm scared I'll hate that I can't get to our stuff on long hauls. We usually pack a road trip cooler in the car when we travel so hubby doesn't think we'll need anything from the trailer when we're on the road. But I don't know since we're new to this. Please give me advice. I can still change my mind and buy the 31BHPR that doesn't have an island...the dealer will be mad...but we haven't signed on the dotted line yet. Thanks in advance for your help!

Thanks to both of you for serving our country! Yes he might have been the one that signed up, but you are serving our country by supporting him and allowing his service to take place.

So you are worried.

My first thought is the slides are electric push button, so slide them out in the supermarket parking lot when you are buying groceries on a road trip.

500 pounds one way or the other is not going to matter much to the 1500 Suburban. It will pretty much tow either the same way.

Length might become a problem in some parks, but if you stay in full hookup places, many are pull through, and backing in is not a problem. Either way, 4 extra feet will not matter most of the time. Just remember to have your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel, and turn it the direction you want the back of the trailer to go.

As for the person helping back into the site, use your ARMS to indicate what direction to go in. He can not see your finger in the tiny mirror, and will not understand what you want. Plan on the driver getting out after you are part way into the site. The director can say "Look out for this sprinkler head, and the electric box, and the slide must not be to close to this tree, or it will not open all the way." You hate to unhitch the trailer from the truck, then discover the electrical storage compartment box cover will not open all the way because it is 9" from the electric box, and you must move the trailer forward 2 feet or to the passenger side 1 foot or something.

I like it when the person directing me into a site uses there arms to direct me left or right, or both straight up to go back. Hold your arms about 2 feet apart when there is less than 2' to go, and close your hands together as you reach the parking spot to stop the trailer. . . If they start wailing their arms around, I know I am going the wrong direction, or hit something, or need to get out and look at something. No need to have the driver back all the way onto the side, then come up to them and say "It is perfect, but move it over to the passenger side by a foot to clear the slide outs."

Most of the time pulling out of a site you do not back up and pull left and right several times. The key to backing into a site is practice, and also looking where the trailer tires will be when you leave a site, then put them there before backing into the site. If your site is on the right, then pull to the right, pass the site by about 6 or 10 feet, then pull toward the left. As you back up, the trailer will be pointed towards the site, and will go right in.

Good luck!

Fred.

[Need-A-Vacation]

Welcome and congrats on looking for a tt!!!!

Floor plan wise, it all comes down to what will work for you. Some people will stop and make lunch while traveling, others stop at a restaurant and won't get in the camper until they arrive at the cg.

But a 1500 Subruban towing that trailer, you are definitely going to be over a lot of the ratings as other have stated. What year is the Burb? If a '06 or newer (I think it is), there is a yellow sticker that states "All passengers AND cargo not to exceed XXXXlbs..." (Something like that!), what is that amount??? Regardless of how much it is, that is the weight that is stated by GM that your Burb can safely handle. That weight is all the passengers, any coolers, bags, electronic devices, and accessories added (step bars), AND the trailer tongue weight. As mentioned, that trailer could have ~1200lbs tw (tongue weight), which most is "carried" by the tv (tow vehicle). Follow the links in my signature to understand how a wdh (weight distribution hitch) works, how to set one up, and how to weigh at a CAT Scale to better understand all the dynamics involved in towing. Just because your Burb is rated for xxxxlbs towing, there are other variables involved as well that will limit the actual total trailer weight.

Make sure you do get a good wdh with integrated sway control. The Reese Dual Cam, Teese SC, and the Equal-I-Zer 4 way system are all very good ones. The DC (Dual Cam) is a little more finicky to set up, and if the tw changes a fair amount (fresh water tank full vs empty unless over axles), but very good. The SC and 4 way are very similar. The Reese hitch head (same for both models) will allow a little more fine tuning for the wd bar adjustment thah the Equal-I-Zer hitch head. But you can't go wrong with any of these models!!! Make sure you get all the paper work with the hitch. And most importantly, the proper size rated wd bars!!!! If the trailer has a "brochure" tongue/hitch weight of say 900lbs, do not buy the 1000lb bars!!! The actual loaded tw will go up. The manufactures don't even include the weight of the propane tanks or a battery on the tongue in the "brochure" dry weight!!!

While calling GM is a start, the people on the phone only know the "tow rating", and may not understand all the other variables that should be taken into account to figure out a properly size trailer for your particular vehicle. And the rv dealer sales person..... as mentioned, all they see is a sale!!!! I should say most of the seals people only see a sale!!! There are a few out there that do understand and care only selling what you can safely tow.

Good luck!!!

[DutchmenSport]

I do admire the OP for thinking "ahead" a few years down the road, in terms of that 3rd or 4th trailer and getting the right one the first time! (very smart there!) With small children, a trailer of this size would serve well for a long time. Now, if only they had that heftier truck?

[camp-n-family]

I have the smaller 31bhpr. It a great trailer and floor plan but still WAY too much trailer for your tow vehicle. You will definitely have remorse when you first try to tow either trailer with that suburban.

[IdaD]

Two entry doors can eat into storage space but they can also help slide access issues. In our fiver you can access the front bedroom through the front door and the fridge/kitchen, back bunks and restroom through the back door. With three young kids being able to pull off on wide spots and get them into the bathroom easily is very handy. Again not a trailer you can pull with your Suburban or a half ton, though.

[Jack_Diane_Free]

The floorplan in our trailer is similar. With slides in we can only access bathroom and bedroom. Fridge is blocked by island. It is never a problem when we want to access the fridge. Open slideout a bit to get into fridge, about 10 seconds if that, close slideout, oh dear another ten seconds. This is not a problem.

[Lantley]

On the slider out issue getting to the bathroom without using slides is a must. Fridge access would be nice to but not a must for me.
As other have mentioned exceeding your Suburban ratings is a bigger issue than the floor plan.

[DinTulsa]

We have a open range Roamer 310bhs. It has the center island, and we have to run the slide out to get to the fridge and the bathroom. Is it a little bit of a hassle, compared to my in laws class C....yes. But I will take the added room when we are camping any day. I don't mind rest stop restrooms,the wife is different, I have to run the slide out 2 ft to gain access to the restroom, no big deal. But hen again we are not full timers, if we were that might change my stance.

As far as length and weight, you will want a bigger TV for sure. Granted our unit is 11,500 gvwr, but it is 37'3" overall and even with my 2012 F250 psd you know it's back there. That trailer will tax the life out of your suburban.

[RoyB]

Your Navy base should have a great MWR Recreational Services and perhaps you can check out a small trailer. Even DOD folks can use the MWR tiems. Here at Dahlgren VA they have a couple of campers available. Most bases also have a set aside camp ground somewhere too... The one for this base is at PAX RIVER...

Might give you a good idea how big a trailer your SUV will like to tow and be safe.

I'm thinking anything over 24-26 feet is going to be your maximum for safe towing... Your 34 foot trailer will want a minimum F250 and probably a F350 would be better. Its not all just the weight it is the wind load as well to consider. Try passing a over-sized log truck coming at you at 70MPH on a two lane road with you pulling a high trailer and see how that works out... The last you may remember is the driver with a big smile on his face haha... Been there done that a couple of times - me loves Gerogia Pacific trucks in Arkansas on US82...

My 28-foot fifth wheel that the salesman said your F150 truck will pull this baby with ease still sits in my back yard setup as a get-away place for us and the grand kids... We pull a 4000 lbs loaded OFF-ROAD POPUP trailer with our F150 all over the East and South areas from here in Virginia...

For us however it is all about RV CAMPING not RV TRAVELING. That a whole different ball game and a really bigger expense...

Roy Ken

[Herimpression]

Man, our dealer seemed so honest. I'm laughing at myself while typing that!
😞

[samsontdog]

MFL wrote:
I would not want an RV with no fridge access when traveling. We use the fridge at rest stops, and other areas when traveling. I would not want to have to put a slide out to get to it.

Jerry

I agree with Jerry. I would not buy any RV if I could not get to the rest room or ref

[shar3890]

I have no clue how you could possibly pull a trailer of that size with a 1500 Suburban. We used to pull a 28ft weighing 6000 lbs with a 1500 and hated it. We could barely make it up a hill. We upgraded to a 2500 and could then finally tow without constant white knuckles. I still would not want a trailer that big behind any Suburban. You are going to seriously regret such a large RV. Beware-dealers will tell you anything you want to hear just to make a sale.

[midnightsadie]

GM is not telling you the truth. and just my opinion slides look pretty but there a pain in the butt. there in they closed and leak when open. ITS A CAMPER,not a house.

[Herimpression]

Oh, and I know we don't NEED to get a TT this big. But we decided to because everyone said we'll buy one and upgrade in a few years. We don't want to upgrade in a few years because we don't want to loose money on depreciation. So we are trying to get one we won't outgrow. We currently have a 2.5 year old and are trying for at least one more (maybe 2 more) kids. Plus our 3 dogs will be camping with us.