First look at travel trailers today at Camping World

[breeves2245]

Looking to buy a travel trailer and was thinking 16-18ft would be about right. Just me, so only need one bed.

Never stepped foot inside of a travel trailer so I had no idea how it "felt" inside in terms of roominess, etc. Went to Camping World at lunch today for a quick look see.

The 16/17/18 were fine but the 23ft felt exponentially larger and felt more livable.

I can figure which layout makes sense for me based on how I will be using it, but what I can't know is how much different does a 23ft 4,200lb trailer with twin axles tow vs a 17ft 3,000lb single axle. Have a 1/2 ton Silverado with towing package, so no concern there either way with 8,200 lbs towing capacity and 1,000 tongue weight.

I gravitate to the smaller ones because I envision it being so much more nimble to tow and get in/out of gas stations, etc.

If I had to buy today, it would be a 17ft Casita/Scamp/Escape. None of which were at Camping World.

[atreis]

If going solo, I'd definitely go with a fiberglass egg camper (Casita, Scamp, etc...), but only you can decide if a trailer is too small or too big.

Single axle vs. double axle: Not that different. I've had both, and haven't noticed a significant difference when setup properly. The only extra concern with a single axle is that a blow-out will be "felt" more, since there's not an extra tire. On the other hand, when it comes time to replace the tires, the wallet feels it less with a single axle. 🙂

17 foot vs 23 foot: A little difference when towing if there's high wind, but if properly setup with sway control, it should be negligible. The smaller the trailer, the more sites you'll be able to use it in, and the easier it is to maneuver through tight quarters. Whether that matters to you is up to you.

Egg vs. non-egg camper: Eggs tend to have nice rounded fronts and backs. They slip through the wind nicely. Non-egg campers don't (especially the back - and nothing sucks like a vaccuum). All else being the same, the eggs tow a lot nicer, and usually with moderately better gas mileage.

As with many things, this is a very personal choice. The only way you'll make the right one for you is if you look around and think carefully. Take your time. (Or if you're in a hurry, buy a used trailer that's readily available with the plan to replace it after you've had the time to think carefully about what you really want.)

[Last_Train]

breeves2245 wrote:
Looking to buy a travel trailer and was thinking 16-18ft would be about right. Just me, so only need one bed.

Never stepped foot inside of a travel trailer so I had no idea how it "felt" inside in terms of roominess, etc. Went to Camping World at lunch today for a quick look see.

The 16/17/18 were fine but the 23ft felt exponentially larger and felt more livable.

I can figure which layout makes sense for me based on how I will be using it, but what I can't know is how much different does a 23ft 4,200lb trailer with twin axles tow vs a 17ft 3,000lb single axle. Have a 1/2 ton Silverado with towing package, so no concern there either way with 8,200 lbs towing capacity and 1,000 tongue weight.

I gravitate to the smaller ones because I envision it being so much more nimble to tow and get in/out of gas stations, etc.

If I had to buy today, it would be a 17ft Casita/Scamp/Escape. None of which were at Camping World.

Lots of great advice for you in this thread, but I will chime in with perhaps another consideration . . . i.e. for any given trip, how long you will be "living" in your rig? How you "felt" as you explored the interiors of the 16/17/18' TTs is only a hint of what it would be like to be traveling for an extended period of time. How long is that? Only you can answer that question.

Took us over a year of research back when we bought our 2016 Coachmen Freedom Express 192RBS (it's a tandem axle) for the wife and I and our dog (~46lbs). Each year we have towed only a little over 5,000 miles, consisting of a number of smaller scale ventures of only 3-4 nights and one larger scale trip annually that lasts as much as just over 3 weeks. Our first year we were up your way in the Ozarks (Devil's Den State Park south of Fayetteville and a private park in Eureka Springs). In that region you need the ability to maneuver in some tighter turns both in and out of parks, and our truck and tandem axle trailer were great. That trip lasted only a little over two 1/2 weeks via multiple parks in Oklahoma and Texas before getting back to the Houston area.

2017's longer trip was to the Black Hills/Mt. Rushmore area - just over 3 weeks on the road. And last year's longer trip was to the Midwest; i.e. Illinois, Indiana (Brown County State Park was spectacular!) and Ohio (Zanesville area). That trip was almost one month.

In each case we have felt comfortable and not come anywhere close to committing murder on these longer trips! We think we have found a happy balance between ability to maneuver and comfort while traveling. So think about how you will actually use your home on wheels while on the road. You might not need to be on the road more than a week or so. If that is the case, a smaller TT just might suit you fine.

[myredracer]

First thing I'd say is, on your "first look" at CW, is that don't let that be your first mistake if you buy from them. There have been many horror stories here on both the initial purchase and more on getting warranty issues dealt with. I'd look at an independent dealer. However, many of them are useless as well, especially on getting warranty problems fixed properly, if at all. I'd do some investigating on a dealers's "quality" before buying. Anyway...

Our first TT was 20' overall (with dual axles) and was towed with a reg. cab truck. That was a nice length and allowed us to drive around Walmart and Freddies parking lots EASILY all day long. Could even park in two end-end parking spaces. Never had a problem backing it up and in one CG I had to back it up about 1/4 mile on a twisty road to get into the last available site in a CG. Our current TT is 29' and there's no way I can drive it up and down the lanes in parking lots. We now tow with an extended cab truck and the extra wheelbase also makes it harder around turns. Not sure around what length it starts to get noticeably more difficult to get around turns. Personally I find our 29' TT harder to back up into a site because when the truck & trailer are at an angle, it blocks your view rearwards more and is harder to get a sense of where you're at in relation to obstructions and getting aligned where you want to be.

There have been countless discussions on single vs dual axle TTs. I'd look at the FR R-pods. I think they look cool but they don't seem to have sofas. A slide out makes a BIG difference in a TT.

The biggest issue we had in our 20'TT was that the kitchen counter was directly across from the bathroom and passing each other all the time was a PITA due to the narrowness of the aisle. For one person only, I'd definitely be thinking about where to sit comfortably for extended periods, whether watching TV, reading a book, etc. Dinette seating is not that comfortable and sitting upright in a bed isn't comfortable either. Some smaller TTs have a murphy bed which might be something to consider. Perhaps get a rear picture window model - they let a lot of light in and can make a small space feel less claustrophobic. A bathroom with separate toilet and shower/tub would be better.

If a first RV, it might be a good idea to rent one and get a better sense of pros and cons between different makes & models. Some CGs have permanent rental TTs on site. One annoying thing with any RV can be the kitchen counters with almost zero work space and some are better than others. Or something as simple as where to have a garbage container (hanging a plastic bag off a knob on a stove is so annoying). You want to avoid finding annoying things after you own a TT. Selling down the road and replacing it can be a costly mistake.

Choose wisely... 🙂

[Larry-D]

trailer_newbe wrote:
I dont agree with the CW political views and frankly I wish he would keep that to himself but regardless of his past comments CW where we live has been a very good experance. Nothing wrong with buying from CW.

We're on our third from two CW locations, very happy with them.

[Boomerweps]

Buying used is a great plan. Be aware that TT tires are usually good for about FIVE YEARS. Granted, in my case, it's an opinion gleaned from all the posts here. ST (special trailer) tires have a date of manufacture code on them. Look up how to find that and check on any used trailer you are considering, could be an immediate expense.
I bought my my 1st TT new last year but I searched and found a great deal on it and it was 150 miles away to get the TT I wanted for a price I would pay. IIRC, it was either RVfinder.com or RVlocator.com that I located it with. I found Utube video tours to be a great help on comparing features.
IF you can sleep comfortably in a bunk, there are several smaller bunkhouse trailers that use a Murphy bed (fold down) for the master bed that when shut up has a large couch in front of the bed. Then you get a couch and sleeping options in a smaller unit.

[trailer_newbe]

I dont agree with the CW political views and frankly I wish he would keep that to himself but regardless of his past comments CW where we live has been a very good experance. Nothing wrong with buying from CW.

[GrandpaKip]

Oh, by the way, there’s nothing inherently wrong with CW. Just like there’s nothing wrong with independent dealers. Until you hit a bad one. I’ve been fortunate. The CW here has been fine and Sonny’s RV was, too.

[GrandpaKip]

If I were to go solo, I definitely would look at one of the eggs. I would also want a permanent bed and a bathroom.
A lot depends on your style of glamping. I tend to use the camper as a place to sleep and store my stuff. Others gotta have a large tv, DVD player, fireplace, recliners, etc. The majority are somewhere in between.
Enjoy the search.

[drsteve]

The nice thing about buying a used Casita or Scamp is that these fiberglass eggs hold their value much better than conventional construction. You can buy one, use it for a season or two, and sell it for close to what you paid.

[scbwr]

I'll second the motion that if it's your first trailer, buy used and after a year or two of using it, you will have a better idea of what will be your ideal trailer. And, by buying used, you shouldn't take to much of a hit when you sell it.

In terms of smaller trailers, I suggest you check out the Winnebago line of trailers. They are better than entry level and they have a wide range of size and weight ratings. We had a 2014 Minnie 2201DS trailer and it was well made and we only had a couple of things that had to be done under warranty. If you want a 4 season trailer, look for used Arctic Fox but be aware that they tend to be heavier due to their construction, but are great for cold weather camping.

I can see why you would want a Casita or Oliver trailer. But after having some experience, you'll be in a better position to know what size will work for you and what amenities are important to you.

If you plan to camp without hookups, you will want to compare tank capacities and the ability to easily increase the number of batteries and/or solar panels for keeping them charged.

Good luck in your search!

[rexlion]

If you had a short wheelbase vehicle, I'd say get the short trailer for sure. But with that pickup, it's not much of an issue.

I started with a popup, for just one summer. Didn't like it. Then a 23' Rockwood, nice but had to sell (2007) due to wife's med bills. She won't camp any more, so since then I've had a 17' Burro, then a 16' KZ, then a little Aliner. Now I'm camping out of my Li'l Hauley cargo trailer (an empty Snoozy shell). The Burro and Hauley tow noticeably easier (a couple mpg's higher) than the boxy trailers; they are more rounded, more narrow, and shorter so the wind resistance is less. Wind resistance will matter more than weight to a great degree for highway-speed towing.

I would recommend a TT that allows a full time bed (so you don't have to make it daily) and a comfortable place to sit (those upright dinette seats are the pits after a couple hours). A front bunk, side bath Scamp 16 would work; you can leave the dinette made up as the bed all the time, have the front set up as a 'sofa' and use a tv tray type of table for eating up front. The back cushion is canted so it's more comfortable. If you buy a boxy TT, I'd say try to keep the width at 7' or max 7.5'. Oh, and no slideout. JMO.

BTW, that KZ I owned for 3.5 years and it developed a roof leak shortly after I sold it. I felt bad for the new owner and went halfway with him on a re-seal.

[ken56]

I towed my 30ft. 6500lb Coleman with a 1500 Silverado 5.3, 3:73 rear end with absolutely no problem, even in mountains. I had no issue in gas stations for the most part although you do need to be able to size one up pretty quickly if you can get in and out. If its just you then 22-24 ft. would give you space for some comfort. I can't imagine being tucked into an Rpod for rainy days, not that I would melt from getting wet. Rain is only somewhat of a deterrent to some folks. Don't be too hasty to buy one. As others said, look for a lightly used unit. They are out there.

[Lwiddis]

"and 1,000 tongue weight."

SoundGuy is right. My Tahoe is rated to "pull" 8,500 pounds but 6,000 is a resonable limit. I'm 5,200 wet and loaded. You haven't discussed your truck's PAYLOAD...not the same as bumper weight limit.

[SoundGuy]

breeves2245 wrote:
I have the 5.3 with 3.73 rear end. So no issue.

Yeah, same thing all newbies say. :R Believe it, you won't want to be towing any more than 6000 lbs fully loaded with your Silvy, less would be even better. Our 19' Freedom Express typically averages 4500 - 4800 lbs loaded & ready to camp and I can sure tell I'm dragging nearly 2.5 tons behind me with my Silvy. :E