need 1st time advice on a TT

[mroberge82]

Im completely new to travel trailers and recently went to my first show in Syracuse NY. I really dont know anything about a good brand high quality and durability or bad brands. I did like the Coachman Catalina 283DDS, Jayco White Hawk 28DSBH and StarcCraft AR ONE 27BHS. Im open to other ideas of similar floor plan but am really going into this blind. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[mroberge82]

I guess I've narrowed it down to a jayco jay flight 28bhbe or a coachmen catalina le 283dds .

[2012Coleman]

You stated that you have a regular cab pickup. Where do kids and dogs travel?

[RedRocket204]

mroberge82 wrote:
We went to the show originally looking at toy haulers and learned we would rather have the living space and leave the atv in the truck. yes a double bunk rear with dinette, couch and front queen bed is what we are after with a slide out. ive been doing alot of research and it seems none of these are built very well and they all have there problems from new. i looked into the grand design it looks a little to high end for what i want. artic fox, nash and lance didnt seem to offer what i was looking for. too bad honda or subaru doesnt make rv's hahaha

You will be looking for something with designations such as 26bhs or with regard to Jayco Eagle TT 284BHBE. I'm not familiar with the Jayco brand, just putting that up there as an example. Although, seems a lot like the Jayco brand.

Agree with the last post about finding a dealer you can trust who will take care of you. Understand that buying new is very common to end up with a punch list of items that need to be fixed as something may not be quite right from the factory... same as new houses. Is this acceptable? No, but it is how the industry is and seems should be more inline with new car manufacturing than house building. If I were buying new right now, I wouldn't be so concerned with minor punch list type items showing up from peoples complaints about a brand, I would look more into major issues; structure failures, roof leaks, delamination, poor design or construction methods, cheap construction materials, etc. The major issues will be things that will not be easy to fix or won't get fixed. Most appliances are from one or two companies so you're not going to find major differences there.

[EA_Williams]

DEALER DEALER DEALER. Research the dealer as much if not more than the product. Go to the forums on this site with CW or GS in the title and start your research there. With just about any RV product line you will need a dealer that stands behind what they sell.

[mroberge82]

We went to the show originally looking at toy haulers and learned we would rather have the living space and leave the atv in the truck. yes a double bunk rear with dinette, couch and front queen bed is what we are after with a slide out. ive been doing alot of research and it seems none of these are built very well and they all have there problems from new. i looked into the grand design it looks a little to high end for what i want. artic fox, nash and lance didnt seem to offer what i was looking for. too bad honda or subaru doesnt make rv's hahaha

[Merlisk]

Bill & Kate wrote:
I would suggest that you decide on a basic floor plan that you think will work for, then make a list of make/models you see that seem to fit. Then look on the used market for late model one of those. Tons of people buy new, then figure out it wasn't what they wanted - make their loss your gain, and get a clean, depreciated unit with some after market stuff already installed, and most the bugs worked out. Some dealers will even give you a short warranty.

Use that for a year or two to find out if it is what you really like, then upgrade when you decide what you really needed .....

I think this is great advice. Realize that you're not going to get the perfect camper on the first try. It sounds like you want a bunkhouse floor plan and a toy hauler (if you're not putting your ATV in you pickup's bed.) Find a used one close to that, buy it, and realize that you'll want to upgrade/change when you're a more informed consumer. What's important to me (a toilet, decent shower, and a place for a coffee pot) isn't necessarily important to you. I often tell my friends that I can only help them to not buy a bad trailer. A "good" trailer is the one that the wife wants. 🙂

[FrankShore]

If you see yourself keeping the trailer for a few years, go the extra mile and buy a "higher end" trailer ie; Nash, Arctic Fox, Lance, Grand Design- they're generally put together with better materials and more care - for going down those rubbly roads, etc.

Watch a few YouTubes on the above named brands and see what you think.

[RedRocket204]

mroberge82 wrote:
We are outdoor people, with 2 labs and an atv.

There are dilemmas you will be faced with so decide what is best for you. I also have an ATV and TT, actually headed out to Moab mid April again 🙂

Do you want a trailer that can load the ATV? IF so, keep in mind not every place you go and setup you trailer will allow riding the ATV from the campsite. So, if you do go with a Toy Hauler trailer, make sure you have a way to transport the ATV to a staging area without having to pack up the Toy Hauler. If you have an open bed or DiamondBack cover for loading the ATV, then that issue become moot. Will you want moe than 1 ATV as the kids get older?

My TT is of the heavier variety, 26' cabin, 30' overall length and it GVWR at 9500 lbs and is not a Toy Hauler. I do have a 1 ton SRW truck and my ATV weighs in at ~ 700lbs which is loaded into my empty bed. I still have plenty of payload left over for my heavy TT tongue weight and associated gear. Hauling in the mountains and at altitude is grear, no problems there. However, I sometimes wish I had a much smaller TT so access into tighter areas, multi-switchback roads, etc. was easier. But, we use the TT for family vacations as well and it is a good fit for us. We have a bunk house with two bunks and a dedicated bed for my wife and me. The kids love having their own space and we do not have to make beds by tearing down a table or ? every night.

My trailer does work well for dry camping and if this is something you are going to do, large holding tanks are something to be aware of. 50+ gallons of water along with large black/gray tanks especially with a family of 4. What would be ideal is 120 gallons of fresh, 60 black and 60 gray. Additionally, solar would be nice to help recharge batteries but if you don't have that, a generator will be needed. These items might help make you more comfortable when force to dry camp when out ATVing or at a race when there are no hookups available.

If you plane to only stay at RV parks with hookups, then the dry camping items become less important. If I were you, I would take a serious look at a Toy Hauler TT as there are many nice options for the garage area including multiple bunks that can be raised/lowered for travel and toy storage. You can also make some of the garage doors into nice outdoor screened in decks. Lots of versatility.

Lots to think about.

[PatRenee]

OK my wife and I recently sold everything we own and decided to go full time... we are in our early 50's... the main thing for us was to be as close to the comforts of a house....
1. Glass door on a big sized shower..
2. Big bed.. preferably King..
3. W/D connections...
4. Bigger fridge than normal RV's...
5. Must be comfortable in hot and warm in cold....

After months of RV shows and research .. we decided on the Open Range 323RLS... It is the only TT on the market with all residential Stainless steel appliances, big glass shower, W/D connections, and it is really warm... i really liked the 0 degree test they go through... my friend bought a Forrest River RV and it was always hot during middle of day... AC would never cool down.... We have had ours a month now and stay in it full time... and we have a house it is parked by that is vacant.. we just prefer being in our trailer... It is VERY comfortable... my unit is still on my dealers website... go to tylerrv.com and click on new... then on Open range and scroll down a few trailers and you will see the 323 RLS that says sold... there are many pics of it there... the interior is great and very well built.. I don't think there is a better made unit than Open Range.... Now we have lived in it full time almost two months... When you buy consider where the TV is located... I am so glad ours is straight across from us.. having to look long ways at the TV on far wall on other side of kitchen was not an option.... Do you want to always look at TV with your head turned sideways....?????? I see you need a bunkhouse and they have a bunch of units to look at... Good Luck.

[aclay]

This is a great place for info. It would be helpful to most if you post a little more info. General questions like tow vehicle (looks like you mentioned that), how many people, how often will you use it (weekends, full time?), what's important to you (storage? enough beds or make up dinette/couch?, outside kitchen? bunks? etc, etc). Everyone has an opinion on brands, but some of it will be directed from how you'll use it and what you're looking for. I happen to like Jayco and Arctic Fox. I own a Keystone Sprinter now, it's ok. We had a smaller Jayco prior and it was built well (too small for us). Keep asking questions, keep going to shows, keep doing research until you find the right one. Good luck!

[Bill___Kate]

I would suggest that you decide on a basic floor plan that you think will work for, then make a list of make/models you see that seem to fit. Then look on the used market for late model one of those. Tons of people buy new, then figure out it wasn't what they wanted - make their loss your gain, and get a clean, depreciated unit with some after market stuff already installed, and most the bugs worked out. Some dealers will even give you a short warranty.

Use that for a year or two to find out if it is what you really like, then upgrade when you decide what you really needed .....

[mroberge82]

We are outdoor people, with 2 labs and an atv. i will go around the Adirondack mountains, a few races for long weekends, atving and such. sometimes it will have to cross a field at a car show or race other times it may go a few miles down a dirt road. dogs in and out often kids 5 to 10 yrs old and our selves sometimes muddy from atving. mostly in ny and pa. unfortunately cross country isnt in the budget or agenda yet.

[rbpru]

So much depends on what you want to do. Drive to Yogi Bear for a week is different than camping at a different park every few days across the country.

As mentioned, guess what you want then rent it for a week or more.

[TNRIVERSIDE]

You seem to be in good company. Lot of people looking for there first camper. Some will recommend to rent first. I agree. If you have tent camped that experience will help you. Also sharing your intentions will help. Staying in RV parks or state parks? Holding tank size is only important if you in campgrounds without full hook ups. Some national parks do not allow non hard side campers. To answer you question I can only speak for Coachman / Coleman. We have probably 15,000 miles and easily 300 nights. We love it our Coleman. And have not had any real issues. Keep going to shows and different dealers. Good luck.