Help me know what kind of camper to look for.

[JoshuaH]

We currently own a 2004 Flagstaff 176LTD pop-up. We bought it used about 4 or 5 years ago and have loved it, but we would like to move away from the pop-up to a regular type camper. The biggest reason is the need to raise it up and slide out the beds to do anything inside the camper like loading gear into it before a trip, then the same thing when we get home. We would also like the ability to camp in the camper while driving to our destination at a roadside campground, very hard to do with a pop-up. Also we like to camp off grid in the winter using solar panels to keep the batter charged for the furnace, so my thought was a solid camper would hold heat better than the canvas?

I don't want anything large, hoping 2000-3000 lbs, we will be pulling it with a V6 Jeep Liberty, which is rated to tow up to 5000 lbs. Eventually we will move up to a larger SUV but that will be a while, and even then we don't want a really large camper.

A lot of the campers I see in this size and weight range still have slide out beds with canvas which I was hoping to get away from. How do these hold up compared to a pop-up? Are these pretty much a must have for this size range? Will this still hold heat better than a pop-up?

There are only 3 of us, myself, wife, and currently a 2 year old, we aren't able to have any more kids so it will never be more than 3 people in the camper.

I will be shopping the used market BTW.

Thanks for your input!

[SoundGuy]

westend wrote:
Your Liberty is going to struggle, at times, pulling a hard sided trailer. Check your frontal area towing restrictions and keep the weight as low as possible.

OP - pay attention to westend's advice, it's not just about weight but also significant wind resistance when towing any full height trailer at highway speeds. You might also consider the sub compact size of trailer, examples being the Forest River R-Pod, some models of which have no slide but do have bunk bed, notably the RP-171 and RP-172. These units have been in production for quite a few years now so used models aren't too difficult to find.

[JoshuaH]

westend wrote:
Your Liberty is going to struggle, at times, pulling a hard sided trailer. Check your frontal area towing restrictions and keep the weight as low as possible. I'd assume that you have an adequate transmission cooler. If not, install one before towing.
The added drag of a hard side trailer is something you may be not prepared for. I'd suggest to rent a trailer similar to the size you anticipate buying (can even be an enclosed cargo trailer) and experiment with a short trip.

I do have the factory transmission cooler installed.

Thanks for the insight. I did do a trip several years back with a cargo trailer that was quite a bit taller than the Jeep. There certainly was quite a bit of drag at highway speeds but with OD off it did fine. I appreciate this though, I didn't know how much more drag a trailer this size would be compared to the pop-up, which it pulls pretty easily.

[westend]

Your Liberty is going to struggle, at times, pulling a hard sided trailer. Check your frontal area towing restrictions and keep the weight as low as possible. I'd assume that you have an adequate transmission cooler. If not, install one before towing.
The added drag of a hard side trailer is something you may be not prepared for. I'd suggest to rent a trailer similar to the size you anticipate buying (can even be an enclosed cargo trailer) and experiment with a short trip.

[JoshuaH]

SDcampowneroperator wrote:
You can go longer, more energy efficient and lighter if you avoid slide outs. Theres many a good 20-24' TTs within your criteria

Congratulations on your happy child. Every child is a blessing, even if its meant to be one.

Thanks for your kind words.

I don't want a trailer that long, especially towing with my Jeep Liberty. But even when we get a better tow vehicle I don't want anything that large.

[SDcampowneroper]

You can go longer, more energy efficient and lighter if you avoid slide outs. Theres many a good 20-24' TTs within your criteria

Congratulations on your happy child. Every child is a blessing, even if its meant to be one.

[htss]

The Forest River and Jayco are nice setups. I would add the Aspen Trail 1500BH. That was our first trailer and we loved it.

[JoshuaH]

I guess a question I should ask is this. These models that have the slide out beds, can you still get to all of the storage areas inside the camper without sliding out the beds for unloading and loading of your gear or cleaning out when home?

[Lwiddis]

I agree that the payload is about 1,050 pounds. With that payload and weight in the Liberty, your choices are limited, Josh.

[JoshuaH]

Thanks, also forgot to mention having a shower would really be nice!

[Lwiddis]

“pulling it with a V6 Jeep Liberty, which is rated to tow up to 5000 lbs.”

What is the Liberty’s payload? What is the weight of everything you plan to carry in the Liberty when pulling the trailer?

[coolmom42]

One of the best things you can do is get on a site like RVTrader and start looking at floor plans. Don't limit your search to used to begin with... you just want to see what is out there. You can limit your search to travel trailers under a certain weight.

Then start looking up RV dealers in your area and see what they have in inventory.

The Forest River Wolf Pup 16FQ is an example of something that would work for you. It's a starter trailer, but that's OK. Your kiddo is small enough to sleep in the converted dinette, or even on a mattress in the floor. The Jayco Hummingbird 16FD would also work.

You will be wise to stick with something in the range of 4000 lb GVWR. Overtaxing your tow vehicle will shorten its lifetime and be a very unpleasant towing experience.