First Time Travel Trailer Purchaser

[aplan]

Hey! First time to Open Roads Forum. Looking to purchase first travel trailer and hit the roads this spring. Seeking advice on travel trailer purchase. Two people only; wife and me. Pull vehicle: 2017 GMC Denali 1500 Crew Cab, short box, 6.2L 420 HP, 3.23 axle ratio, 9,100 tow capacity, trailering eqpt. package. Travel Trailers being considered: Keystone Premier Ultralite Bullet 26'PBPR or 29'RKPR, and Winnebago Minnie Plus 26'RBSS or 27'RBDS. Your advice would be greatly appreciated. Andy

[bid_time]

You can get good, unbiased information here.
clicky
You can also do a search for "husky_towing_weight_demonstrator" that is a super good spreadsheet you can play with the numbers and figure out what you can tow. It's an xls spreadsheet so you have to download it.

[troubledwaters]

I wouldn't be too worried about length, what you need to more concerned on is weight. You should have two stickers on the door of your truck. One is going to have 3 numbers on it "GVWR", "Front GAWR", & "Rear GAWR". The second is going to be a yellow one that is going to say "combined weight of occupants ...." and its going to have a number _____ lbs. That's the information that is needed to determine how big a trailer you should be looking for.

[ppine]

If you want to pull in the mountains, first you have to get there before you can enjoy all of that space. A 22 foot tt will fit almost anywhere.

[aplan]

I really appreciate all the advice. You all seem to be recommending a smaller (22') vs something longer (24' to 28'.) Just the two of us, but we plan to take long trips - three to four weeks at a time, and we don't want to be cramped. I do want an easier pull, though - we plan to hit some Colorado mountains this summer.

[N7SJN]

We have a 28' TT and have not found a place we couldn't fit. True we saw some real small spots but after FT for the past 13 years I would first consider where I was going to be camping. We have a 7K trailer that we started pulling with a 1500 suburban then changed to a 2500 with a bigger engine and it did make a difference. We have covered all of the lower 48 plus some of the Canadian provinces but we are coming to the end of the trail the end of May will be when the TT wheels will go to some other lucky person.

[Haznavy]

I am right there with aplan, but with two adults and two small children (5 and 2). Ford F-150 8cyl w/ tow package. Is there a "Travel Trailer for Dummies" out there, I need it? Looking at the Keystone 30BHS for our first. Opinions appreciated.

[aplan]

Thank you all! I shall heed your advice. Smaller trailer, easier tow.

[aplan]

SoundGuy wrote:

aplan wrote:
Looking to purchase first travel trailer and hit the roads this spring. Seeking advice on travel trailer purchase. Two people only; wife and me. Pull vehicle: 2017 GMC Denali 1500 Crew Cab, short box, 6.2L 420 HP, 3.23 axle ratio, 9,100 tow capacity, trailering eqpt. package. Travel Trailers being considered: Keystone Premier Ultralite Bullet 26'PBPR or 29'RKPR, and Winnebago Minnie Plus 26'RBSS or 27'RBDS. Your advice would be greatly appreciated.

No magic, it's the same story for everyone. Forget that silly "tow rating" of 9100 lbs as you'll never tow any trailer that heavy with this truck because you'll run out of payload capacity long before you get anywhere near this heavy a trailer. Instead, weigh you truck with a full tank of gas, allow ~ 100 lbs for the hitch equipment, and if you're in the truck at the time subtract your weight from the scale reading so you know just what your particular truck weighs as it sits there ready to be hitched to a trailer. Subtract that number from it's GVWR which is listed on the driver side door jamb and you'll have it's real world payload capacity, that which you will use to account for the weight of all people and all additional cargo in the truck - whatever is left is what you'll use to account for any trailer tongue weight transferred to the truck once it's hitched. That's the Achilles Heel for most truck owners - lack of sufficient payload capacity. The fact your truck has a larger, more powerful engine certainly helps but likewise the fact it has a non-tow friendly 3.23 axle does not. Start by weighing the truck.

[Bobbyg2013]

So many manufactures and models to choose from. Look until you get sick of looking, then two things, weight of the unit so your pull vehicle will not labor when pulling it and last, the floor plan both of you like. Then go for it and enjoy our beautiful country.

[LeoandLil]

Whatever you finally decide on, look into purchasing it through Costco (costcoauto.com/RV). I did, and saved a couple thousand dollars over several local dealer's "best prices". In my case, I had to drive out of state to pick it up, but for me it was worth it. Just use the following URL: "www.costcoauto.com/rv/" Click on "locate a dealer" then enter the unit you are looking for and they will match you up with the dealer nearest you. In my case it was Colerain RV in Dayton. OH. I had a fantastic sales person! She (Amy) was excellent, it was a ridiculously easy transaction and the service folks were very thorough during the inspection process. Buying new, but at wholesale pricing, allows you to use a new trailer for a year or two and trade-in or trade-up without the risk of a loss.

[Lwiddis]

Your two TT preferences are longer (32 and 34) than will comfortably fit in many CA state parks, USFS places and Kings Canyon/Sequoia NPs for instance but smaller than many who park at private RV parks. Could be a "happy medium" but it depends on what you want to do. At 22 feet we can get in almost anywhere.

[DutchmenSport]

Although I am highly biased toward Keystone and I give you a "thumbs up" on your Bullet selection, here is a web site that will absolutely blow your mind! Before settling on a specific camper, please do have fun exploring!

Your floor plan is available in many different brands of Camper, some even mimic the floor plans between fifth wheels and campers, even though there is a split level in a fifth wheel.

Don't over look Toy Haulers, Hybrids, and even fifth wheels.

Have fun in your research, and if you are really heart-set on the Bullet, go visit an RV dealership that sells that model. But before you do, look up other brands with a similar floor plan, so you can compare between them.

Anyway, have fun searching: Click here and have a great journey!

And by the way, with your tow vehicle of choice, I'd stick more with 18 - 22 feet in length trailer, maybe even single axle size, or a unibody-egg shell style to accommodate a more comfortable tow. You may "think" you have enough truck, but you really don't for the Bullet. Please listen to the voice of experience on these forums and save yourself lots of pain in the future.

[krobbe]

The 8-speed will certainly help that 3.23 axle ratio. You may be limited to 4th, 5th or 6th gear, but that's ok. Mine is only a 4speed with a 3.73.
All that aside, take a look at the "not to exceed cargo weight" tire sticker on the drivers door. That is what you have to work with as far as payload goes.
Add up the weight of passengers, anything you'll carry in the bed and the weight distribution hitch. Subtract this from the payload limit and you know how much weight is left for the trailer tongue weight.
Divide that tongue weight by 0.13 and that will be the maximum fully loaded trailer weight to look for. Once you have this number, you can compare it to TT dry weights by adding 1000 to 1500 to the dry weight. (I carry 1500# of stuff including water)
After you find/purchase a trailer within your weight limits, you'll then want to replace the P rated tires on the truck with LT.
Just remember, the further away you are from the TV's max limits, the better the tow.

Edit: I repeated some info from handye9. But we were writing at the same time.

[handye9]

Ditto !! On forgetting that max tow number. Those are "perfect conditions" calculations. Those perfect conditions do not include aftermarket accessories (bed covers, bed liners, bed cap (could be 2 - 300 lbs) step bars, floor mats, etc), passengers, or cargo of any kind. Every pound of accessories, passengers, pets, or cargo, takes a pound away from your available payload and your max tow capacity.

A few tips and averages that may help in your planning and shopping:

1. Dry (unloaded) weights on travel trailers, only go up. The trailer gains weight (propane and batteries minimum) before the end user takes delivery.

2. Loaded for camping, the trailer will be 800 - 1000 lbs heavier than when it left the dealer lot. Ten to fifteen percent of this weight adds to tongue weight.

3. Tongue weight is not a constant number. It fluctuates during every trip. Depending on location of the holding tanks, in relation to the trailer axles, that fluctuation can be considerable. (My tongue weight can run between 950 and 1200 lbs)

4. Passenger (P) rated tires are not friendly with towing long heavy loads. Their softer sidewalls flex much easier than truck tires. This flexing makes the tow vehicle feel a bit unstable.

5. Check your available payload, subtract the weight of occupants, accessories, cargo, and 100 lbs for a WD hitch. The left over is available for trailer tongue weight. If you divide that number by .13, it will give you a ball park of loaded trailer weight that will put you near your max capacity.