Please recommend an all-season travel trailer with bunk bed?

[whitebear80]

Hi, all, We finally decided to get a travel trailer for our family:C
We have an 4X4 expedition EL with tow package and is stated to have 8700 tow capability.
Normally we would go out 4 (2 adults and 2 kids), but sometimes would have six persons.
We live at north and all-season would be great.
And we like to go mountains, so the smooth towing would also be important.
The floor plan of Nash 25C is quite good, but the weight is a little bit scary to me, almost 8000... and still need to include the passengers' weight.:h

So one bed and bunk beds and a dinette are required, all season required, better good for towing. The shorter the better.
Please give us some suggestions, can't wait to pull the family out!:B

And one more question is that, if we use trailer and we need to check out before 12:00pm, where do you guys park the trailer if you still want to play a while before heading home?
We are new to the RV world, only tent, so any advice/suggestion is highly appreciated!

Thank you so much!

[cyberiankhatru]

Congrats! Looks like a great unit. We tow a 25' camper with our 07 Exped. I hope you got the Equalizer hitch in your deal. You will need it.
Let me caution you about loading the camper. That big side door is great but be careful how much weight you put behind the wheels. It can cause you to sway like crazy and that's no fun. Be sure to load it equally front to back and side to side. Look on the web for how to weigh your tongue with a bathroom scale. there is a way to do it safely. Weigh the tongue with the camper loaded ready to camp. Also, you should check to see if your local landfill will weigh the whole shebang for you. Or find a truck stop. There are guides online and on this website to help you get the right weights.
The "camp driveway" is a great idea. We did our first trip and a local lake campground about 30 min away. Let me also say that Wal-mart is your friend but also caution you that you don't need every kind of gadget made for campers. I will say that a small step for the kids to get up to the first step was a must for our little one. Also an outdoor rug or mat will keep the floor cleaner than nothing. Be prepared to holler "close the door" 1000 times each trip. I fastend a mini-bungee to our screen door to keep from doing that after the first few trips!
Good luck and keep us posted on your adventures!

[3ringcircus]

The 23bhs is a great choice! We bought one in October13 and towed it back to PA from WA with our 04 Expy. They pair well. Can't wait for the spring thaw to get back out...though that might not be til July LOL. Happy Camping! ENJOY!

[mikeb9550]

It depends on what you mean for all seasons. I don't think there is a camper made for true all season. It would need 4-6" walls for a lot of insulation. I have yet been in an RV that didn't get hot beating in the sun or cold if the heat was off. Especially if you have a slide out.

[nevadanick]

Since your Ex El has the rowing package i would have looked at houseboats. 🙂

[whitebear80]

Hi DiskDoctr , thanks for the tips, will try that before we head out . We are still cold outside. Don't want to forget something important output there.
Hi GHCreekside, will post the photos once we get it and will dig the posts to find out tips about traveling with travel trailers!
Actually we only have experience with tents... A lot to learn ...

[GHCreekside]

Good choice. I've had my eye on the 23BHS. I think you'll like the construction of the Creekside. Make sure you post pictures of it when you get it.

[DiskDoctr]

whitebear80 wrote:
Thank you guys so much for helping me!
We settled on a creekside 23bhs and deposit today! Can't wait to pick up!

Cheers!

Congrats!!!

We did our first overnights in our backyard. It was interesting how many things we forgot or wanted to add/change in our camper. I recommend you keep a tablet and pencil in the camper to jot down thoughts, idea, questions, and 'oh, I have to remember that' items.

Many folks have done this to learn how to use all the gadgets and features before camping. A very wise idea, sure makes the first trip more comfortable.

I told DW I am tempted to use the frontend loader to dig out our camper and head South. We are jonesing to camp, but gotta go further than GA 😉

[whitebear80]

Thank you guys so much for helping me!
We settled on a creekside 23bhs and deposit today! Can't wait to pick up!

Cheers!

[Sach7581]

Check out the Evergreen I-Go 256RB. Easy towing, light, and good build. They are a little narrower than most but have a deep slide. They are also insulated between the frame rails. Down to freezing and with four people in it you should be able to heat it with a tiny electric heater without the furnace coming on. They use a lot of on demand hot water heaters too; nice for long hot showers provided you are hooked up to the sewer. It's a real luxury in really cold weather.

[kodiakcanuck]

Not sure what the concern is over 8700 lbs towing capacity and 1363 payload. That's all most 1/2 tons can do, and I've seen a lot of them towing trailer way over the length and weight the OP wants to tow....:h

[doxiluvr]

I am not sure what you mean by 4 season. Do you actually plan on camping in 32 degree weather or less with kids? You are looking at pipes freezing up and all kinds of problems. Since it is hard to find a small trailer with bunks, you might consider a trailer with a bed for you and wife and put the kids on a sofa bed. If you have extra people coming, tell them to bring a tent.

[nevadanick]

I have a KZ Sportsmen and though not 4 season have used it in temps to -12.

[DiskDoctr]

What year is your Expy? Here is a link to 2013 ratings http://www.ford.com/suvs/expedition/specifications/towing/

At a GCWR of 15,000lbs I would do it if it were mine, being about 1700lbs below the 8700lbs published towing capacity.

But it's up to you to decide what you want to do.

[APT]

Is that right, 800 pounds of people?

1363-800 = 563 * 7.7 = 4335 pounds loaded, or like 3000 pounds dry.

Almost 7000 pounds dry? No way!

2013 Ford Towing Guide wrote:

Trailer tongue load weight should be 10-15% of total loaded trailer weight. Make sure vehicle payload (reduced by option weight) will accommodate trailer tongue load weight and weight of passengers and cargo added to towing vehicle. Addition of trailer tongue load weight and weight of passengers and cargo cannot cause vehicle weights to exceed rear GAWR or GVWR. These ratings can be found on the vehicle Safety Compliance Certification Label.

You may need to upgrade your Expy first. If you plan to carry 800 pounds of people, you do not have much payload left for trailer tongue weight. 3/4 or 1-ton passenger vans are relatively cheap. 3/4 Ton SUVs are rare but you get 4WD optional at a price.