Considering a HTT- Family of 4-Please Share your Pros/Cons

[Baja_Man]

We have had Class A, C, TT, 5er. Never tented with family.

Now, one DS is 18 and the DS is 13. Our 13yo will be with us for many years as he has Autism. He LOVES to be on the road, camp, boat, and explore new places!

I have plenty of truck to pull a TT or 5er but looking for something more simple.

It will be a TT or HTT 28'MAX length.

Where do we typically camp:

Mainly RV parks with hook ups, some boondocking (beaches, Baja, etc)

Locales.....CA coast, inland parks, Sierras, NV/AZ lakes, Colorado River, 15-20 days per year 2017-18.

Summer 2018 and beyond......20-30 days per year with future plans on...

NM, maybe Texas, Colorado, Montana, and perhaps the South MS, LA, etc. Some Baja trips.

In 5 years, it will be primarily be my wife, me and one son using the camper.

Sleeping beds are very important. Boys would like their own beds and not the coffin size bunks in most older TTs.

Micro/Refer/Stove very important
Storage very important

Pros: I can get 3 FULL size sleeping beds, a full size dinette AND a good size couch in a HTT that is 23'-26'

Cons/My concerns:
Too Cold inside and when sleeping (coastal, Sierras at night, etc)
Too hot inside when its 100F outside

Please help me understand what I would be getting into with a HTT. Be honest, frank, and all of that stuff!

Thanks!

[bikendan]

rexlion wrote:
Setting up htt bunk ends involves placing support poles and such.

Again someone who has little knowledge of Hybrids.

Hybrids haven't had support poles since 2004.
And since around 2010, the canvas is pre-attached.
So all you do is drop the bunk doors and put the tent hoop up.

No bungees, no snaps, no velcro, no support poles, no kids or pets falling out.

Takes a couple of minutes.

[PAThwacker]

I had a hybrid for years and it was easy to use. Just thinking out loud, you state the wife and autistic child. I'm suggesting you get a travel trailerwith push button slides, push button awning, push button stabilizers. Hybrids are work, open doors, make beds, and setup the site.

[drenjoey]

We're on our third hybrid, and don't see the day we will get something different.
The new breed of hybrids are so easy to open up and shut.......no velcro and no setup poles under the camper. Just open the door and install the shepherd poles inside and you're done.

[Campfire_Time]

We bought our 1st hybrid in 2003 and owned it for 10 years. We've had our current hybrid for 4 years. For right now we wouldn't have it any other way. We've camped as low as upper 20s, as high as 100. Always comfortable. Of course we came from a tent and a pop-up so keeping warm was always a matter of an extra blanket or heated blanket.

That said I since you really don't have any tent or pop-up background I'm thinking a hybrid is not going to work for you.

Have you considered a tent for the kids? Not sure if this is even possible with your 13 yo, but our daughter used a tent when she went with us from about 14 on. Her and her husband still tent.

[rexlion]

Setting up htt bunk ends involves placing support poles and such. Go to a dealer or htt owner and see what it is like to set up and put back those bunks. It isn't for everyone.

A Trailmanor would have the beds, but not sure how much storage they have. I see used ones occasionally.

[Wavesprite]

We're in Carmel, California and do most of our camping in the coast. I don't' think we've ever been cold in it. It has a heater... We have been hot, but also have an air conditioner (that we installed this year, the previous owners had removed it). We love our HTT, but I don't think it's for everyone. We started in a tent, went to a popup and now a hybrid. It's not just park it and go, you have to setup and tear down (the ends) each time you move, we can do this is about 10 - 15 minutes..... We're getting to leave in 10 days for 3 weeks on the Oregon Coast (we go every year). Good luck in your search!!!!

[ricks99]

We've had our HTT for almost a year. We did camped through Oct and into late Nov. We used a small, portable heater (to supplement the furnace, when needed) and we were never cold. We've camped in the rain with no issues. We haven't been anywhere in heat yet, but have several trips planned throughout this summer. Between Reflectix and the AC, I think we'll be fine.

We love our Hybrid -- there's no way we could get 2 queen beds, stove, oven, dry bathroom, and almost 150 sq ft of floor space in a traditional TT..... all under 3500#!

[bikendan]

There are tons of happy hybrid owners in California, we were one of them.
8 years of hybrid camping in NorCal and SoCal.
Hot times, wet times, cold times and some snowy times, staying comfortable through all of it. Camped year-round.

What none of the others seemed to know about, are Popup Gizmos and Reflectix. Using these make temp control quite easy and also prevents condensation.

Hybrids are perfect for California camping.

[Baja_Man]

Talked to the boss a little more and she is not too keen on the HTT for the reasons some of you have mentioned. Although the larger beds is a great option with them, it won't mean much if family is cold or hot. Sleeping in either is not family wants!

So I believe I may see if I can find a 26'-28'TT with the double size bunks.... problem is they are newer and more than I want to spend. I have a budget of $10K

[NMDriver]

We tried a hybred for the lighter weight for a given length. Then went with a hardside when the temps got down to the 40's, which it does in the desert even when the daytime temps are in the 70's. It was impossible to cool down in the summer even when the daytime temps were only around 85 or so. We eventually got the 5er because we tend to spend weeks or a month in one spot.

AS stated above a hybred is a fair weather RV in my opinion. Wind, Cold, Heat and even heavy rain are all a problem or at least they were for us. There was also a shortage of storage space in the 23 fter we had but we were living in it for a couple of months so had everything and then some in there.

I think they are a step up from a tent or pop-up but no by much.

[DutchmenSport]

Here's a good article, pros and cons, as I've never owned one. But I have owned a pop-up and a hard sided travel trailer. And I've looked at many of them at dealerships, even considered one when changing from the pop-up to the hard sided trailer. Click here.

The biggest disadvantage (in my opinion) is the challenge to use one for winter camping. As the article cited above says, hybrids are good for fair weather camper.

The biggest advantage (in my opinion) is the shortened length when closed, and the expanded length when open. Also, if you enjoy tent camping, this keeps the feel of tent camping, with the comfort of a trailer. But that also is a disadvantage, because in a tent you can't block out campground noises, in a closed trailer, you can (to some degree). And, remember, if you can hear "them" outside the camper.... "they" can also hear YOU inside the camper! They lack privacy. (That's a disadvantage).

[WNYBob]

If you are not coming from a tent or pop-up, I would not recommend a Hybrid TT.

Maybe a TT without a slide.

JMO