Hard to find TT under weight for newbie

[leamaarie]

I am a newbie when it comes to travel trailers and need some advice. We will be driving from Washington to Louisiana and not only camping in between, but also living in it for a month or two while waiting for housing. We own an Acadia that has a towing capacity of 5200 pounds and a gvwr of 6400 pounds. We are looking for a bunkhouse model with a queen bed and room for all (2 adults and 3 small children). We would love a slide-out, but I am having problems finding one within our weight. I do not want a canvas expandable because of safety and condensation. I have looked at so many trailers and many are over the weight capacity. We found an 20BH Eco Camp with the slide-out, but there are no dealers around us that have any anymore. I even looked for a expandable with a bunkhouse, but I cannot find those either or they have some over the weight limit. I have found trailers, but most are very, very small to fit us all.

Are there any that anyone can recommend that would be great that I have not seen yet? We get advice from dealers, but the trailers that they have mentioned are way over our weight capacity or at the very top. I looked at the Micro Lite 25BHS with a dry weight of 4377, but nervous that that is too much weight.
Is the smallness of a trailer really going to be a huge issue anyway?

Any advice would be great.

Thank you

[3LittleDucks]

Here's a Hi Lo (trailmanor style) trailer for sale in NV (was searching for a TT for another poster when I came across this one and remembered this thread).

http://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2006-Hi-Lo-31C-107465804

[dadmomh]

A hybrid with 3 bunkends is actually a good thought...lighter to tow, smaller size to tow but when set up you gain a ton of living space. Our HTT had 2 bunkends..the ROO 23SS model...towed approx 23' but opened up approx 30'. You would have the standard amenities of a hardside TT.

Agree no matter what you get, the towability is a problem....not just the weight but the frontal area against the wind. You need to do some serious homework before deciding. Good luck.

Re the security concerns...We had our HTT for 8 seasons and never a problem. Between the hybrid side of RVNet and also Hybrid Explorer, cannot recall ever hearing of security issues. Obviously, common sense is called for when overnighting, but if somebody really wants in, even a TT is a minor deterrent.

[leamaarie]

Thank you for all the advice. It is very overwhelming looking for trailers. Our Acadia is pretty new, so getting a new truck is out for now.We did not even think about trailer's 6 months ago when we were buying the SUV. Camping was not in the picture that long ago.

I think it is between the Mini Lite and Rockwood Roo 17, 183 or 19. The TrailManor looks great. We are trying to find a dealer to look at them. We are on a budget and trying to get the best one for the price.The kids will most likely get scared and sleep with me, so the hybrid trailer is a major contender. Now we are just doing the pros and cons of them and looking for the best deal and what we want out of camping for us right now.

Thanks again.

[Speedogomer]

nomad297 wrote:

Speedogomer wrote:
Just another thought.... Look into the trailmanor models... They're unique, and very light. Easily within your limits. They don't have a bunk model, but they have models with extra couch and beds that could work.

They have the space of a 27-31 ft trailer, with the weight of a 20ft model, and the towing profile of a pop-up.

The 3124KB looks nice. Sleeps seven.

And, here's a video showcasing the 3124KB

Bruce

The more I look at that unit, the more I think that may be the way to go... One of the only ways you'll get room in a TT that can be towed by a crossover.

[APT]

My sister in law has a Traverse and wants a new RV. She had a popup before towed by a Frontier that they never liked how it towed. Now she wants a high walled TT or hybrid. I have warned her. After a fairly exhaustive search, this is about it. But a month in it for a family of 5? You better be really close. 8 nights is pushing it for us.

Why do you want to RV? It is not cheap to purchase/maintain/own/travel. The extra fuel alone pays for a lot of hotel time. And there is extra travel time at lower speeds. If the driver is not comfortable towing then fatigue happens quicker.

So I agree with:

I don't think you will be able to find anything that the 5 of you can comfortably live in for a month that can be towed safely by an Acadia.

We add about 1500 pounds of stuff when we travel for a week. A month? We would take even more!

[campigloo]

Is there somewhere you could rent a 1/2 ton truck one way?

[nomad297]

Speedogomer wrote:
Just another thought.... Look into the trailmanor models... They're unique, and very light. Easily within your limits. They don't have a bunk model, but they have models with extra couch and beds that could work.

They have the space of a 27-31 ft trailer, with the weight of a 20ft model, and the towing profile of a pop-up.

The 3124KB looks nice. Sleeps seven.

And, here's a video showcasing the 3124KB.

Bruce

[Speedogomer]

Just another thought.... Look into the trailmanor models... They're unique, and very light. Easily within your limits. They don't have a bunk model, but they have models with extra couch and beds that could work.

They have the space of a 27-31 ft trailer, with the weight of a 20ft model, and the towing profile of a pop-up.

[Speedogomer]

Cotay wrote:

Speedogomer wrote:
Check out a micro Lite 23lb... Yes it's very small, but it's light enough, and has triple bunks.... Everyone would have their own bed.

I understand the concerns with a Hybrid... But they will definitely give you the most room. For security and safety, I agree with your choice to avoid them.

Edit: hitch weight is high for the 23lb

My only concern with the 23lb for him is that the dry unloaded weight is already at the upper limit of what is advisable. With five people in his family, the weights are likely to exceed his TV capacity or at the very least give little if any safety margin. The stated tongue weight of the 23lb are already too high as well. The KZ E196S at just under 3,000 lbs dry gives him some margin of error.

EDIT: I saw that you commented on the tongue weight. 🙂 I also saw you are now at Outbackers.net...glad to see you are enjoying the 260TRS!

Looking forward to enjoying the 260TRS soon!

For a family of 5, looking to live in, and travel in a trailer that's towable by an Acadia.... Definitely going to be tough.

Is a new tow vehicle in the budget? You would really open up your options as far as what you can comfortably tow.

[poppin_fresh]

I have a Traverse which is basically the same as your Acadia. My hybrid is small and not very heavy (except the tongue weight which is quite high), but I know its back there, especially on the hills here in the north east at interstate speeds. Secondary roads doing 55MPH or less are not really a problem at all.

You could look at something like the KZ Sportsman Classic 19BHS. It has very similar specs to my hybrid as far as weights. I think the Acadia would tow it ok, but its going to be tight for a family of 5. This is not only for you all in the camper, but its carrying capacity is low so you will have to pack light.

Also, its holding tanks are very small and might make dry camping a challenge. If you plan on always having full hooks, it should be fine.

Jon

[Cotay]

Speedogomer wrote:
Check out a micro Lite 23lb... Yes it's very small, but it's light enough, and has triple bunks.... Everyone would have their own bed.

I understand the concerns with a Hybrid... But they will definitely give you the most room. For security and safety, I agree with your choice to avoid them.

Edit: hitch weight is high for the 23lb

My only concern with the 23lb for him is that the dry unloaded weight is already at the upper limit of what is advisable. With five people in his family, the weights are likely to exceed his TV capacity or at the very least give little if any safety margin. The stated tongue weight of the 23lb are already too high as well. The KZ E196S at just under 3,000 lbs dry gives him some margin of error.

EDIT: I saw that you commented on the tongue weight. 🙂 I also saw you are now at Outbackers.net...glad to see you are enjoying the 260TRS!

[Speedogomer]

Check out a micro Lite 23lb... Yes it's very small, but it's light enough, and has triple bunks.... Everyone would have their own bed.

I understand the concerns with a Hybrid... But they will definitely give you the most room. For security and safety, I agree with your choice to avoid them.

Edit: hitch weight is high for the 23lb

[rexlion]

My Highlander is similar in tow rating and capability. My 16' trailer is 2700 lb loaded and the hitch weight runs from 360 to almost 400 lb depending on whether the fresh water and LP tanks are full or nearly empty. This is typical. So for you to stay under your 500 lb hitch weight rating, you realistically should not have more than about 4500 lb loaded TT, which means about a 3500 lb dry weight. That "Micro Lite" (misnamed IMO) is too heavy. You are not being nervous, only sensible.

The Livin' Lite Camplite 21bhs would be a good candidate, because it starts with a low 250 lb dry hitch weight. You can add 1000 lb of cargo to it and still be 500 lb under its GVWR (good to have some margin). And you should be able to keep the hitch between 450 and 500 lbs, which means the handling will be decent without overloading the rear end. A longer trailer than this 21' unit would make for more difficult handling while driving your comparatively short-wheelbase tug.

[ChooChooMan74]

I got 2 suggestions. 1) 3 bunk hybrid and 2) Some trailers like the Rockwood Mini-Lite 2306 has a Triple Bunk system. http://www.forestriverinc.com/TravelTrailers/MiniLite/default.aspx?model=mini&page=floorplandetails&... It also has an optional Murphy bed. My local dealer rents them out. They were showing me one that has had 3 years of rental use and was in great shape.