Downsizing - How much?

[Gulfcoast]

Sold the class A and ready to downsize back to a TT.

I really prefer an RLS (rear living room) rig for just two older folks.

Is a 21' tandem-axle way too small, or would you go with a 26' RLS camper?

I could name a dozen or more reasons to get a smaller rig, but larger is nice only for the extra room to roam around in.

Decisions.....

Thanks

Edit: this is actual body length, not including the hitch.

[WTW]

Timtation wrote:
We have a 25 rear kitchen with slide dinette only. We have spent a little over 2 months in it. The front bedroom has a door which is good since I often stay up and read with the cat while wife goes to bed earlier. We have enough storage to lose things. Easily towed with our half ton. My requisite was not sleeping on a pull out couch, the extra bedroom was a plus. Also, there is no exit door for the bedroom, a friend has a rear living room version but he has a door exiting the bedroom and it really cuts into the usable space.

So what TT do you have? Thanks
We are Looking at rear living and rather not have second door?

[Timtation]

We have a 25 rear kitchen with slide dinette only. We have spent a little over 2 months in it. The front bedroom has a door which is good since I often stay up and read with the cat while wife goes to bed earlier. We have enough storage to lose things. Easily towed with our half ton. My requisite was not sleeping on a pull out couch, the extra bedroom was a plus. Also, there is no exit door for the bedroom, a friend has a rear living room version but he has a door exiting the bedroom and it really cuts into the usable space.

[ppine]

Just got a 24 foot Rockwood. With a Murphy bed it has a couch, large slideout, circular dinette big enough for adults to sleep on, nice bathroom and great storage. It has everything for 2 people and some dogs and will fit in most USFS and NPS campgrounds.

[Snomas]

MY DW and I just bought a 22' TT downsizing from a 40" DP. The new TT has 1 slide w/ a dinette and 1 couch under a Murphy bed. For a small TT we think it is must to have a Murphy Bed. Much more seating room and more interior room. We no longer are snow birds and won't live in our RV for months at a time. The new TT is for mostly 2-3 day trips around our AZ state.

[OleManOleCan]

I downsized from a 30' to a 20'. World of difference.
I also went from a slide, to no slide.
I like the smaller camper better.
We don't spend much time inside when we camp,
so there is plenty of room outside. 😉

We were able to shave 10 foot off our camper,
because we evaluated the things we really need or use.

[toedtoes]

As far as I've seen, there is no standard for TT dealer measurements. Some measure the box only, some include the hitch, some seem to just make up a number.

[richardcoxid]

Remember that RVs are measured by OA length. So on a TT that means you
Measure from the rear outside to the end of the ball hitch, so you would have to subtract 3-4 feet to obtain the actual floor length.

[Atlee]

Colliehauler's advice is best. Go at least one large RV show, maybe more if practical. Look at all of the TT models available. Once you pick out a few that seem to fit the bill, try to go to a dealer and just sit in them, move around in them, do a little pretend stuff like moving about while someone tries to cook, pretend shower, etc.

Only this way will you have a pretty good idea if a floor plan will work for you.

And what works for some, does not work for all. For example, we have a Jay Flight 23RB which does not have a slide. It is 23' 4" inside the living area. But it works fine for the two of us. I haven't been tempted to go bigger. Haven't seen another floor plan that causes me to consider trading.

Other couples might be claustrophobic in such a small area. Just depends on what you like and can get used to. I'd say any trailer under 30 will feel small to you since you're coming from a MH.

[richardcoxid]

For a smaller high quality TT with a rear LR check a Lance 2375!

[Farmerkev]

We just did this year what you are doing but for us it was a downsize that is actually an upsize.
Went from a 34' no slide motorhome to a 26' box trailer with 2 slides.
It's just much better for us.
Floorplan is such a personal thing, I thought I wanted a real living room but fell in love with this
https://www.rvusa.com/rv-guide/2011-heartland-north-trail-travel-trailer-floorplan-nt-king-26brss-tr4686

[colliehauler]

The only thing I would recommend is going to a RV show and check out different size trailers and pick a size that would work for you and how and where you plan to use it.

I spend more time outside then in so my 22 foot no slide works well for me for travel. At the seasonal site I spend a lot more time inside and the 35 foot works well for that purpose.

[2manytoyz]

I had a 36' Class A, sold it, bought a house, and a 25' travel trailer. It was fine for short trips. Very lightweight (3995 lbs), but no slides. There are only two of us, and we have a 20# mutt. If we spent an extended period of time in it, the walls would slowly creep in. The bathroom area was the biggest impact of tight spaces.

We are in the process of selling our TT to a niece, and we purchased a 34' Class A now that we are approaching retirement.

If we ever downsized again, I would look closely at a Rockwood 27' TT with a slide. My friend has one (since 2004), and it has far more usable room in it compared to our 25' model. Wouldn't think 2' makes much of a difference, but it certainly can!

In the meantime, we are enjoying the glorious amount of room we have once again.

Have fun shopping!

[OleManOleCan]

Sold my 30' travel trailer and am looking at moving down to a Vintage 20'.
Unless it's terrible weather I cook outside, and we eat outside.
We don't spend much time inside except to sleep.

My wife and I can get by with 20', because we want another small one for spending
2-3 days on the mountain, or at the lake. We have a couple of nice State Park Campgrounds within 45 miles of our house.
Gone are our days of cross country towing...
We're retired so our trips can be during the week when it's not crowded.

[CharlesinGA]

bgum wrote:
Our 25 ft Airstream was the perfect size for 2. It was half ton towable. It was our first travel trailer and wish we had never sold.

Which is why I will be looking for a 25 ft Airstream once I sell the motorhome. With the right floorplan, I consider it the perfect size for one or two people, space to move around, storage space, small enough to fit in most state and National park sites.

Charles