Rant - looking for a travel trailer

[johnsoax]

I wish some manufacturer made the trailer I was looking for. I have 4 children, and I use a SUV to carry the family. And from all the threads I constantly see here, and on other sites, I'm not the only one looking.

Right now I use a popup to fit everyone and still be able to carry all the gear we need. And for the type of camping we do, it is annoying to have to setup and tear down every day as we travel to our destination. Then when we are at our destination, we have to do a smaller setup and tear down everyday to convert tables and couches to beds to fit everyone.

Someone should be able to design a trailer that will give me 3 or 4 individual beds for the kids and a larger bed for my wife and I while still letting us have our gear for less than 550 lbs of tongue weight.

My vehicle is a pretty typical SUV that has a 550lb tongue weight and a towing capacity of 7700. Once I put all the gear in a trailer, I can pull the weight, but everything that has a floor plan we can use has a tongue weight that requires a 2500 or 3500 truck to pull it, before the gear is even in the trailer.

Why can't someone make something for larger families that fits the smaller vehicles that most people drive nowadays.

I know there are Hybrid trailers. If I wanted to deal with tenting issues, I would stay with the popup.

We want to be able to have a nice base camp for destination camping and be able to stop at places on the way there to make lunch/use the bathroom/ and sleep in the camper without deploying everything (stealth road camping).

Airstream used to build something like this, but they have gone $$$ high end, and super heavy. I can find much older trailers that might work, if I could actually find one for sale...

Anyone have any ideas?

[westend]

Had three bunks in the rear, and the bottom was covered in galvanized metal. Looked new. The seller had updated the electrical. I would have considered buying it had I been in the market.

Always good to hear something like this if I ever thought about resale.

Yes, the CanAm folks would be the best fit for the OP and his desire to keep the Rover for towing. They can wring out about all the towing capacity available.

Forum member Woodglue towed a Lance trailer with her Rover. I believe it was one of the smaller ones, though.

One of the immutable facts about TT mfg. and the market is that folks crave lots of room, queen beds, multiple bunks, and a full bath. All of these add weight and even with advanced materials in place of more traditional ones, there will still be significant weight involved. The cost would start to escalate quickly, too.

As others have mentioned, there are compromises involved and isn't that the be-all/end-all of most rants?

Good luck to the OP and his search.

[johnsoax]

2012Coleman wrote:
But there is one such company - Trailmanor. I linked them earlier, but I don't think the OP is interested. The rest of your post is spot on. I recently saw an old TT for sale on the side of the raod and stopped to look at it. It was 1975 model manufactured in Germany - spotless, well designed. Had three bunks in the rear, and the bottom was covered in galvanized metal. Looked new. The seller had updated the electrical. I would have considered buying it had I been in the market.

I've looked at Trailmanor and have never seen one with three bunks. Will look again. Thanks.

[rockhillmanor]

Anyone else tired of the trolling? :S

Other than rock star Prevosts they do NOT make a '5 bedroom' RV. :R

From these responses to EACH and EVERY reply I'd say this OP doesn't want to or shouldn't be camping/RV'ing. And has sucked everyone into 12 pages of suggestions where he dismisses every single one.



.....I wouldn't be trying to fool anyone. But I also don't want to disconnect the vehicle and the camper and have a pop up or hybrid all set up.

.....I have to tear down and set up every day... Also, as kids get older, they generally don't want to share beds...

......And then I am stuck with a vehicle that gets really lousy gas mileage and is too big 75% of the year.

.....

want 3-4 individual beds for the kids,

.....gain, the first response should not be "To buy this additional product, you need to change your tow vehicle".

.....But the suggestion that I change my tow vehicle is not a welcome one. Realistically, it isn't worth it to me. Period.

[colliehauler]

There is a Rockwood 2306 on ebay 2014 .

[APT]

Your TV sucks for pulling TTs if you keep within all its ratings. 1000 pound TW with 7500-ish pound tow rating would be a better match. There are TTs and SUVs that can handle that, but not mid sized ones. But at 1000 pounds of TW, few SUVs have the payload for that and a family of 6, even full sized half tons.

These are your compromised choices:
1) Keep your LR and find something near 3500 pounds dry. That will grow to 4200-4500 pounds with a family's camping supplies and near your 550 pound TW limit.
2) Get a more capable 3-row mid sized SUV. Dodge Durango may be the highest tow/TW rating in the 7500/750 pound ranges. Audi Q7 and MB GL are only slightly higher than you have now in the 650 pound TW range.
3) Get a larger/more capable 3row SUV. Tow ratings are in the 8-9k range, but TW limits and payload will limit you to near 6k dry.
4) You may be interested in CanAm customizations for your LR. They push the ratings of most vehicles, but their know the physics of towing and how to improve any vehicle. And they aren't terribly far from you.

[2012Coleman]

qtla9111 wrote:
As an SUV owner I understand some of the frustration the OP is going through. There are some legitimate points. It is obvious that the rv manufacturers pay little attention to the vehicle market and the growing number of SUVs. Some people like pickups and some don't.

I prefer an SUV as it holds up to nine passengers when not towing, gets decent gas mileage and can also pull my rv. You don't see many if any 24ft TTs with two slideouts.

Someone on page two mentioned the European market and with reason. The U.S. is way behind other markets and it's not just Europeans, it is also the Japanese and the Chinese.

Why would I want to go out and buy a new tow vehicle when there should be something manufactured to cater to the SUV market? Going out to buy a pickup to accommodate an rv is like putting the cart before the horse. Makes no sense.

I think the reason we are seeing this dilemma is because rv manufacturers realize how gullible the consumer market is. They can produce anything they want cheaply and people will find a work around to make it fit even if it means buying a new vehicle. Crazy.

But there is one such company - Trailmanor. I linked them earlier, but I don't think the OP is interested. The rest of your post is spot on. I recently saw an old TT for sale on the side of the raod and stopped to look at it. It was 1975 model manufactured in Germany - spotless, well designed. Had three bunks in the rear, and the bottom was covered in galvanized metal. Looked new. The seller had updated the electrical. I would have considered buying it had I been in the market.

[RobertRyan]

Lantley wrote:

krobbe wrote:

qtla9111 wrote:
Great video unfortunately, another downside to the U.S. market because in Europe they are big on diesel cars and SUVs. No need to defend the market, it's just that it is behind the rest of the world for some unknown reason.

Practical Caravan's Land Rover Discovery 4 3.0 SDV6 HSE tow car review
Read more at http://www.practi...

The US isn't behind the Europeans in anything! Some of us like larger vehicles and RVs. That doesn't make us behind anyone. That makes us Grand!

Exactly Europe simply doesn't have the vast areas of open space we have in the US. There roads cannot accommodate the large RV vehicles we have here. Do we want to compare fuel prices? Who's behind?

A case of what vehicle fits your needs, more than "better"

[johnsoax]

gmw photos wrote:

johnsoax wrote:

Lantley wrote:
When you become a serious/dedicated camper you will make the necessary changes,adaptations and compromises to obtain a capable tow vehicle and a RV that matches it.

As someone who has been camping in mutiple forms for over 30 years, this comment is breathtaking in its arrogance.

If you would meander into the Folding camper forum you will see I am not alone, by far.

This is quite the thread. However, it appear the OP has answered his own question:

"..... meander into the Folding camper forum you will see....."

So there you go. Buy a folding camper, hook it to the Rover, load up the family and go enjoy the great outdoors. Problem solved.

Obviously you didn't read the post, as I already have a popup.

[gmw_photos]

rbpru wrote:
If there were a market for a gonzo SUV one of the manufacturers would fill it.

If they did fill it it would cost a small fortune and ride like a truck.

If you do the math, how many families have a lot of kids; how many of those can afford a large SUV; how many of that group own TTs.

If I recall the appeal of an SUV is the sense of security it gives the owners, not its towing capacity.

Correct, on the idea of the manufacturer trying to fill that market. Ford tried it with the Excursion, and while it was a nice vehicle, and a capable towing machine, the buying public didn't care that much for it. In five years it was gone from the lineup.

[krobbe]

itguy08 wrote:

krobbe wrote:
[Sarc]Land Rover... Ick! Ship it back across the pond and get yourself a real SUV![Sarc]
Or continue to tow a popup that's within the Land Rover ratings. Tea anyone?

LOL. I'd say Land Rover is the original "Real SUV" and I don't even own one. Although the Evoque looks gorgeous.

Original SUV, maaybe. The LR got it's start in '48. The Burb was in '33. But didn't get 4WD until 1960. Oh well, semantics.

[rbpru]

If there were a market for a gonzo SUV one of the manufacturers would fill it.

If they did fill it it would cost a small fortune and ride like a truck.

If you do the math, how many families have a lot of kids; how many of those can afford a large SUV; how many of that group own TTs.

If I recall the appeal of an SUV is the sense of security it gives the owners, not its towing capacity.

[gmw_photos]

johnsoax wrote:

Lantley wrote:
When you become a serious/dedicated camper you will make the necessary changes,adaptations and compromises to obtain a capable tow vehicle and a RV that matches it.

As someone who has been camping in mutiple forms for over 30 years, this comment is breathtaking in its arrogance.

If you would meander into the Folding camper forum you will see I am not alone, by far.

This is quite the thread. However, it appear the OP has answered his own question:

"..... meander into the Folding camper forum you will see....."

So there you go. Buy a folding camper, hook it to the Rover, load up the family and go enjoy the great outdoors. Problem solved.

[befu]

johnsoax wrote:
And then I am stuck with a vehicle that gets really lousy gas mileage and is too big 75% of the year.

I had this same problem! I have a 1999 1/2 ton suburban and 5 children. Burb is great, but just not the best at towing really heavy stuff. So I bought a 2004 3/4 ton burb with an 8.1L and a Puma 31dbts. Best of both worlds! 1/2 ton burb for daily driver and handle snow in winter. 3/4 Burb for towing the camper. 31dbts is right about 10,000 lbs loaded with everything! Burb eats it up and I do not drive the 3/4 ton other than towing.

Worked so well I bought a third burb, another 2004 3/4 ton with 8.1L (twin to the other one) to tow the 8,000 pound Formula 272LS boat and trailer. Twin 496's in the burbs, twin 350's in the Formula! How cool.

The 31dbts is a triple slide unit and has four bunk beds in the back and room for two kids on the floor if friends come along. Doesn't even touch the fold out couch or dinette in the living area or the front bedroom which is for wife and I.

All these issues, it is simple. Find a trailer, buy another truck. Oh, also have a car with an LT1, so: 350, 350, 350 x 2, 496 and another 496.

I need a barrel for oil changes every year. Be realistic and buy a camper. Solved, I didn't even have to read this whole thread.... LOL! I plan to buy a forth burb next year so my 15 YO can have the 1999 as his first vehicle. Gas is still cheap, it doesn't burn spring water thank goodness!

Go camping!

[Lantley]

krobbe wrote:

qtla9111 wrote:
Great video unfortunately, another downside to the U.S. market because in Europe they are big on diesel cars and SUVs. No need to defend the market, it's just that it is behind the rest of the world for some unknown reason.

Practical Caravan's Land Rover Discovery 4 3.0 SDV6 HSE tow car review
Read more at http://www.practi...

The US isn't behind the Europeans in anything! Some of us like larger vehicles and RVs. That doesn't make us behind anyone. That makes us Grand!

Exactly Europe simply doesn't have the vast areas of open space we have in the US. There roads cannot accommodate the large RV vehicles we have here. Do we want to compare fuel prices? Who's behind?

[itguy08]

krobbe wrote:
[Sarc]Land Rover... Ick! Ship it back across the pond and get yourself a real SUV![Sarc]
Or continue to tow a popup that's within the Land Rover ratings. Tea anyone?

LOL. I'd say Land Rover is the original "Real SUV" and I don't even own one. Although the Evoque looks gorgeous.