newbie here looking for help

[poohgolf25]

Me and my wife are looking to get a tt or hybrid i have read to buy your 3rd one first or a used one we don't have any kids just the two of use we have tent camped before my tv is a 2010 chevy silverado 4.8 v8 4x4 any recommendation i would appreciate thank you.

[PAThwacker]

Tent ends are a no issue. drop, place pole, make bed. gizmos add more time, memoryfoam pads add storage pains.
the roo 23IkSS upped the interior comforts/layouts shared with top of the line TT.

[PAThwacker]

we have a baby sleeping on a tent end and she is an extremely light sleeper. State parks are quieter than our stick and brick house by 9pm.

i have been comtemplating jumping into a super cheap 31bhs and can't wrap my mind around losing hard covered storage, adding 4000lbs total, difficult maneuvaring, and difficulties parking at home.

If it was up to me solely, id get front deck 21SSL and a quad. Unfortunately that is not in the cards as a father of 2 girls aged 5 and 2.

[bikendan]

poohgolf25 wrote:
yes my wife is a lite sleeper give models that i should maybe look for

i'm assuming that if your wife is a light sleeper, either you've never owned a popup or you did and your wife didn't like it.

the tent ends will not block outside noises, like a regular TT would.
but it will also allow pleasant sounds, like birds singing, wind in the trees, the crash of the ocean surf and the babbling of a creek.
these are the things that a "shoebox" closed-up TT may not allow you to hear.
it's things like these sounds, like we still love to hear and listen to, while in our beds or with all the tent windows open to.
can't get that with a closed up TT, MH or 5th wheel.

but you may need to go with those, since your wife is a light sleeper.
for us, the sounds previously mentioned, actually HELP us fall asleep.

[Jayco25E]

I would agree bikendan said it best. I would add the we tow are HTT on long trips 6+ hours and have no problems. We even turtle it on trips that take more than one day with out using the bunks with no issues as well. At least with mine I can sleep two adults and two kids with out putting out the bunks. Yes its a tighter space but to stop for one night to get a few hours sleep its not bad.

[gaylec]

We absolutely love our hybrid, it's really the best of both worlds. bikendan pretty much said it all, and I agree completely!

We have camped in all sorts of conditions including a couple big rainstorms, and not one leak, anywhere. We take our X17z out at least once a month and wouldn't trade it for a hard sided trailer for anything. The only reason we will get rid of it is when it flat out wears out, and then we will no doubt replace with another hybrid. Love the real camping feel, but also the trailer amenities. Like I said in the beginning, it's the best of both worlds!

[PAThwacker]

Hybrids are ideal for state parks, short storage, and short towing. I have enjoyed ours for 3 years and the perfect fit for a young family.

[mdcamping]

AmericaOverland wrote:
Mike, since I am a new owner of a HTT that is eight years old, what are the extra maintenance that I would need to deal with, aside from normal TT maintenance (I've already resealed two roof vents plus the bathroom fan vent, and the shower skylight is next)?

Hi AmericaOverland,
I've had problems with the seams on my rv roof alone with some of the seams/caulking along on the buckends... this said I'm checking or recaulking after every trip. In addition, after every trip I reopen the tent ends and wash & clean along with the rest of the trailer. between the extra washing & drying and the repairs I'm 2 days to close down between camping trips where my previous TT my turn around was just 1 day. I guess this is the nature of the beast when it comes to owning a hybrid

Mike

[Hoosierdaddy47]

Yeah, Bikendan summed it up pretty well. I would like to address the statement made regarding the difficulty maintaining temperature; I installed a digital thermostat; the result being a temp swing of +/- 5 degrees. Yes, the furnace cycles on and off more frequently, but stays on for much less time, so propane usage is about the same, possibly lower. My wife is a light sleeper as well, but the CG's we frequent are really good about observing quiet hours...

[AmericaOverland]

Mike, since I am a new owner of a HTT that is eight years old, what are the extra maintenance that I would need to deal with, aside from normal TT maintenance (I've already resealed two roof vents plus the bathroom fan vent, and the shower skylight is next)?

[mdcamping]

SLSAntigua wrote:
Why would you consider a hybrid?

Here were my reasons.
1. It is light. My tow vehicle at the time was a GMC Envoy with limited Towing capacity.
2. Under tow it is 22 ft, open it was equivelent to a 25ft Travel Trailer but had one more sleeping unit.
3. the Sleeping areas do not impact the living area. Find a travel trailer with a queen up front, a full bed in the rear, slide, dinette and sofa bed, stove, frig, bath with shower under 5000# and can be pulled with that type of TV.


8 years I Have no complaints. First RV.
As with all toys, If you do not take care of them, they will cost you.

I agree with everything menchioned above, this was the driving force on why we went with a hybrid, had a 21'TT before but with our 20' hybrid we more than doubled our living space.

This said I haven't been totally happy, the extra maintaince I have to put into it has somewhat become a drag.

Mike

[mdcamping]

One area where the hybrid/rv industry has taken a step backwards is the government has made the industry go to more environmentally friendly caulks and glues. So when you buy an RV with one of those green stickers well guess what...if you get a leak it will cause MORE damage in LESS amount of time.

Bottom line you need to be even more vigilant with maintenance when it comes to the caulks on the rv roof/sides, this holds especially true with the hybrids.


My 2 cents...

Mike

[bigfooteriam]

don't let all this talk about leaks scare you.

I have fixed and redone a few trailers and motorhomes. everything leaks. the hybrid scares people because you see the leak right away. some do leak through a bunk door in a heavy driving rain. you see the water , you wipe it up, pretty easy. travel trailers on the other hand, you don't see the leak. don't kid yourself, its there. any time there is a hole cut in something the potential for a leak is there. I have pulled back panelling on a lot of trailers and there it is, signs of a leak, brown or black wood, water stains. even the full laminated fibreglass ones leak, its called delamination and it is caused by water entering the wall. just because you don't see water, doesn't mean its not there.

I have owned almost every type of rv, my latest is a hybrid. I love it. advantage is the expansion. set up a bed and leave it till the trip is over. no take down every day. lots of room to move and fresh air. if you are going to travel with stopover sleeps every night then , yeah a travel trailer might be more for you

whatever you choose, enjoy the trip, rving is so much fun and a great time together with family and friends.

[3LittleDucks]

I couldn't love my trailer more. But I'd love it less if we couldn't sleep turtled comfortably, which isn't an option with many floorplans. Shop carefully when considering your needs/lifestyle.

[Padlin]

Seeing as how you've tent camped before you're aware that tenting, as in HTT's, does not keep out external campground noise (you mentioned wife being a lite sleeper). We run a white noise radio to drown it out. a couple other cons: They are also harder to control the temperature level then hard sided campers, and I'm told more susceptible to humidity.
As far as models, that's totally a personal thing. Do go to the major manufacturers websites and look over what is available and where the nearest dealer is. Chances are a given dealer will only have a few models in stock so a phone call before you travel is in order. Many folks order their trailer, many do not want to wait so take what they can find.

Check the Rockwood Roos, Jayco's, and Starcraft sites. There are others too that I can't think of. As there are only 2 of you stick to a 2 bunk unit, couch and slide out if you prefer the extra space. Other then that they are all pretty similar, in floorplan and quality. Tub/shower size, dinette, and counter space vary, your choice. Most of us use memory foam toppers on the mattresses as they are fairly thin to allow folding up. Another con, you have to make the bed each time you setup.