Looking for a smallish BHS trailer, first timer

[littlemisspopup]

Hi there,

My husband and I got a 2007 Coachman Clipper this year (little popup not hardside) and love camping. I am ready to upgrade to something with A/C and bathroom though.

Our friends have a Forest River Salem with a Bunkhouse and it gave me the itch.

Looking for recommendations for trailers in the 19-23 foot range. Ideally will have bunks, and a queen bed (Murphy is awesome cause hubby can crawl out to go pee in middle of night easier).

I thought the Apex Nano 193BHS and 194BHS were awesome layouts (Bunks and slider for more room).

But just beginning the search and open to any and all suggestions and feedback.

So glad I found this community 🙂

[Kevinwa]

dcb17b wrote:
Kevinwa,The big camp side dinette window was one of the things that drew us to it. We are heading out tomorrow for 4 days to give it a good shake down.

yeah, there are only two things we dislike about our minilite. The small small windows and the small small windows. I would gladly sacrifice the cupboard space above the dinette window if I could double or even triple the wndow size. Even the ones by the Murphy bed. Only about one foot square and a big open wall. Why not make them 18 inch square so they are see out able

[dcb17b]

Kevinwa,The big camp side dinette window was one of the things that drew us to it. We are heading out tomorrow for 4 days to give it a good shake down.

[Kevinwa]

Looked at the wildwood on the forest river site. Very very similar to our minilite 2504s but in a three foot shorter layout. It looks like the main thing they got rid of in those three feet is storage. One plus I see is larger windows. The windows on the minilite are so tiny that we have to turn lights on on sunny days.

[dcb17b]

I just bought a 2020 Wildwood FSX 179DBK. It has a murphy bed up front and double size bunk beds.It comes with a lot of features for a small camper. It weighs in at under 3500 dry and about 22 ft long end to end. Take a look at the Wildwood or Salem series as they are about the same.

[morley]

Have a look at the Winnebago Minis and Mini Winnies. They have lots of different floor plans sizes, etc. My step daughter and her husband just bought a Mini bunkbed one and love it.

[littlemisspopup]

Yup, 25K - but Canadian. I't try to find a used on in the USA for 10-13 before I'd pay 25K canadian though (18.4K usd). We'd still save many thousands after transporting it.

[kellem]

littlemisspopup wrote:
I feel like I found the ultimate layout.

https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/travel-trailers/wildwood-fsx/178BHSK/4584

I can't find a lot of information on the FSX trailers but I am assuming they are entry level. There is 2019 used for sale here for 25K cad which seems a little high but it seems to pack a ton features into a 23foot trailer (double sized bunks, slide, and murphy bed!

Anyone have any thoughts on these rigs? 🙂

Am I reading that correctly, 25k used ?
A quick Google search shows under 16K brand new......source, RV nation.

It does appear to be a nationwide shortage of trailers currently.

[littlemisspopup]

I feel like I found the ultimate layout.

https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/travel-trailers/wildwood-fsx/178BHSK/4584

I can't find a lot of information on the FSX trailers but I am assuming they are entry level. There is 2019 used for sale here for 25K cad which seems a little high but it seems to pack a ton features into a 23foot trailer (double sized bunks, slide, and murphy bed!

Anyone have any thoughts on these rigs? 🙂

[Kevinwa]

We have a rockwood minilite 2504s. Probably a bit bigger then what you are looking for. It we love it.

[theoldwizard1]

Most bunk house trailers are over 24', so you will have to do some shopping.

I dislike outdoor kitchens, especially on smaller trailers, because they eat up too much inside room. Of course this depends on how many people you need sleep in the bunks. Double bed bunks are fine for kids under 12 yo. Once they are 13 or so they are going to want their own bed.

[kellem]

See what you can safely tow, pay particular attention to trailers GVWR.

Wife and I went to a couple of RV shows late 2019 and will say, have fun as there's a plethora of trailer choices.

Having limiting factors help narrow down the trailers.

I gave the wife a length limit and GVWR limit and said.....have at it. Lol

She did well.

[Kampfirekid]

We just bought a KZ 241BHKSE and are waiting to pick it up. We had a Coyote years ago and loved it. KZ is known for great quality and better than average customer service. They have a 231 with a Murphy bed, but our 241 is the same layout with a walk-around queen. Our selling factor after past experience was the bunks are long, and are good for average-sized adults should we take friends along. Weight and length are perfect for us too, should our college kids decide they don’t want to camp and it’s just mom and me.

[afidel]

That 194 layout is slick, the only downside I see is the microwave being down low. I'm also not sold on 4,800 pounds on a single axle and set of tires. Otherwise it's a great list of features in a small trailer and I'm jealous of the 30 gallon holding tanks and the outside kitchen.