Small bunkhouses with slide?

[kincade]

My wife and I are looking to switch it up and get out of our Hybrid TT... We are looking for smaller bunkhouses with the following requirements:

-queen bed accessible from both sides.
-2-3 bunks
-decent size slideout to give some floorspace
-some counter space for kitchen prep

We really liked the Lance 2185 but it's too long for our pad at 25'. The ideal trailer would be very similar but a bit shorter.

Any tips you could give us would be greatly appreciated.

[kincade]

Thanks Woodglue, I will check those out as well!

[WoodGlue]

You might look at the BlackRock by OutdoorsRV. They are sturdy and might fulfill your needs.

WoodGlue

[Mike_Up]

Good luck, hope you find something that works for you.

[kincade]

Mike - I would prefer a shorter trailer. The 2185 is the absolute MAX we can accomodate on our pad, and it won't be comfortable. But we've been unable to find a shorter trailer in a front walk around queen, rear bunkhouse with slide. The Jayco X213 is really the only other plan that works for us. I'm driving today to check one out.

Ideally we'd like a shorter version of Nash's 25C, but at 28' it's far too long for us.

The comments about Lance's quality are a bit concerning for a few reasons.. One, I've not been able to find many on the internet; there are some, but then so are some for every trailer. There are a TON on forest river (which we currently own), some for Jayco, some for Northwood, etc. AFAIK Northwood, Jayco, Lance - all seem to be premium manufacturers with less complaints than others. I've not found a trailer without any complaints, although Northwood trailers seem to be close to zero. So I guess the question is, does Lance have more than a normal amount of defects/problems for a manufacturer? For the cost they should have less.

Thank you all for your advice!

[Mike_Up]

kincade wrote:

The length of the 2185 is about max for us so most of the trailers mentioned here won't work for us. The Jayco X231 would work as it's about 2' shorter so we plan to look at one of those as well.

Thanks for all the feedback.

Since the 2185 is 26' in length, it's much longer than your Roo. Surprised that length would work for you.

I will admit that the 2185 is a nice floorplan, if not a bit small and cramped for a family of 4. You should be able to find this floorplan from other makers as well. I wouldn't be surprised if Forest River had it as well.

I think you'll like the Jayco. It's a VERY NICE camper. The problem with a bed slide out is that it can get cold in late fall months from the lack of air space in-between the floor and the mattress. However it's a very large bed, second to none, and a mat heater can most likely take care of that cold. It has a much better living area with 2 large bunks, a separate sofa sleeper, a standard sized dinette/ sleeper, and a large permanent 'king' bed. The only downfall is it's laminated build quality to save weight along with it's lower ceiling height of 78" .

[Mike_Up]

kincade wrote:
Thanks for all the comments. I've not read comments about Lance's durability and craftsmanship - is this really an issue? From my inspections they certainly seem to be much better built than the Forest Rivers and other trailers I've owned.

The length of the 2185 is about max for us so most of the trailers mentioned here won't work for us. The Jayco X231 would work as it's about 2' shorter so we plan to look at one of those as well.

Thanks for all the feedback.

Over the years I've read as many major complaints with them as Forest River. Also owned a Forest River Nightmare. I choose to avoid both makes.

[kincade]

Thanks for all the comments. I've not read comments about Lance's durability and craftsmanship - is this really an issue? From my inspections they certainly seem to be much better built than the Forest Rivers and other trailers I've owned.

The length of the 2185 is about max for us so most of the trailers mentioned here won't work for us. The Jayco X231 would work as it's about 2' shorter so we plan to look at one of those as well.

Thanks for all the feedback.

[tragusa3]

colliehauler wrote:

tragusa3 wrote:
Thanks. Like I mentioned, my purpose for knowing box length is for my carport at home. If I have tongue sticking out in the weather I'm okay with that. I just want the entire roof/box under cover.

I think it's a fair enough estimate when I'm window shopping on the internet to just subtract 3-4' from the lengths posted. This is good news, as a 26' (23') trailer is doable for me!

I own a Wildwood 26 BHSS, You might look at these as they have a large 12' slide out booth and sofa with 2 bunk beds in back and a full size queen in front. The queen is not a walk around.

I don't think that qualifies for a = or < 23' box? It is a beautiful TT though, that I'm sure we sould love! It's also at the limit of my tow capabilities, and I don't care to be at the limit.

[Mike_Up]

WoodGlue wrote:
If construction and materials are important to you, I'd stick with the Lance. They are unrivaled in construction practices and the materials that they use.

WoodGlue

Matter of opinion. I've read a lot of complaints about Lances poor craftsmanship. Do a google search and you'll find a lot of complaints against Lance.

[colliehauler]

tragusa3 wrote:
Thanks. Like I mentioned, my purpose for knowing box length is for my carport at home. If I have tongue sticking out in the weather I'm okay with that. I just want the entire roof/box under cover.

I think it's a fair enough estimate when I'm window shopping on the internet to just subtract 3-4' from the lengths posted. This is good news, as a 26' (23') trailer is doable for me!

I own a Wildwood 26 BHSS, You might look at these as they have a large 12' slide out booth and sofa with 2 bunk beds in back and a full size queen in front. The queen is not a walk around.

[Mike_Up]

I've found most tongue lengths from the coupler to the trailer frame, are about 3.5' .

[WoodGlue]

If construction and materials are important to you, I'd stick with the Lance. They are unrivaled in construction practices and the materials that they use.

WoodGlue

[tragusa3]

Thanks. Like I mentioned, my purpose for knowing box length is for my carport at home. If I have tongue sticking out in the weather I'm okay with that. I just want the entire roof/box under cover.

I think it's a fair enough estimate when I'm window shopping on the internet to just subtract 3-4' from the lengths posted. This is good news, as a 26' (23') trailer is doable for me!

[Mike_Up]

The model numbers reflects nothing. It's just a model number.

Jayco and Starcraft have clones with different model numbers. Most makers do not measure the box at all, they measure total length.

Rockwood's model numbers are close to their trailers total length.

Go by the makers specs to find length. If they don't offer a box length, as most, then they are not measuring it.

If you want to find your box size, you'll have to measure it yourself.

Campgrounds use total length when making reservations. You are not going to take the box off the frame, so the frame has to fit into the site as well. 😉