Thinking about upgrading from pop-up

[TrueBlueKC]

Hi I'm brand new here and my wife and I are thinking about buying a TT or hybrid. We have had our pop-up for 7 years and love it but we like the idea of easier set up. We also would like a bathroom and a bigger sink and bigger fridge. We could go with less sleeping room and more moving around and storage room. We need to be able to sleep 3 as our son (14) will be with us most of the time for the first few years then will likely be tired of camping with us all the time.

We have a '99 Suburban 1500 4X4. It's tow rating is 6000# so I guess we're looking for a GVWR of 5000 or so.

We have 3 reputable dealers in the area as well as a Camping World. I would like to avoid Camping World based on reviews. One dealer has a lot of Jayco, one has a lot of Keystone and one has a lot of Forest River.

We like the Jayco Jay Feathers and the Keystone Passports but something like the Cherokee wolf pup is closer to my price range. I'm hoping to find something new or slightly used for around $15000 if possible. Is it a good idea to wait until late summer when the 2017's are on the lot and try to get a 2016? How much less will they sell them for If I wait a few months?

I appreciate any comments or suggestions anyone may have.

[TrueBlueKC]

adam9280 wrote:

Jebby14 wrote:
....the ram is the most cost effective solution (and also the crappiest of the 3)

The Ram's are quite nice now.

Are they? I see a lot of them. I still think they are the least pleasing to the eye but I'm more concerned about performance and reliability.

[TrueBlueKC]

adam9280 wrote:

SpeakEasy wrote:

Adam, we bought a Flagstaff 23LB (which is the same as a Rockwood 2306). It has the murphy bed, two bunks, and a dinette-bed. Most of the time only 2 of us will be camping, but we wanted space to be able to bring along some grandchildren. Maybe that floorplan will work for you?

2 adults and 3 kids would be tough in that trailer. We're looking for a smaller trailer with murphy bed, u-dinette and bunk room. Hard to find.

Yes it is. We saw this Jay Feather that fits what you are looking for but it's 4800 lbs. dry. It's a nice one but we don't need a bunk so we didn't look at it long.

[adam9280]

Jebby14 wrote:
....the ram is the most cost effective solution (and also the crappiest of the 3)

The Ram's are quite nice now.

[adam9280]

SpeakEasy wrote:

Adam, we bought a Flagstaff 23LB (which is the same as a Rockwood 2306). It has the murphy bed, two bunks, and a dinette-bed. Most of the time only 2 of us will be camping, but we wanted space to be able to bring along some grandchildren. Maybe that floorplan will work for you?

2 adults and 3 kids would be tough in that trailer. We're looking for a smaller trailer with murphy bed, u-dinette and bunk room. Hard to find.

[Jebby14]

tell me about it. I am getting close to replacing the wj and the new grand Cherokees are not jeeps IMO which means ill have to go truck. I keep looking, then fixing the wj because im not ready to spend the cash. for what its worth the ram is the most cost effective solution (and also the crappiest of the 3)

[adam9280]

TrueBlueKC wrote:
Wow pick-ups are much more costly than I remember! Even used. I found a 2015 Silverado 1500 5.3 for $32,000. They sure tow a lot more now though.

Used car dealer here. Yes, trucks are hotter than ever.

[TrueBlueKC]

Wow pick-ups are much more costly than I remember! Even used. I found a 2015 Silverado 1500 5.3 for $32,000. They sure tow a lot more now though.

[TrueBlueKC]

This one we liked very much.

http://www.keystonerv.com/passport/#/floorplans

And this one
http://www.jayco.com/products/travel-trailers/2016-jay-flight/24rbs/

Both would need more TV.

[TrueBlueKC]

After looking at some trailers I have made no progress in my decision. This is due to the fact that I fell in love with one that would exceed my suburbans capacity. Now I'm thinking about trading in the Suburban. I'm a mess!

The good news is that I have no debts whatsoever so I have many options. The best option may be to just keep saving and wait.

It may be time to start researching full size pick-ups.

[SpeakEasy]

adam9280 wrote:

camp-n-family wrote:
We loved our hybrid but it's not any less setup than a pop up. Consider a hard side with slides if you want the room with the least setup.

We went from a tent to a hybrid trailer 3 years ago. You're correct on the amount of setup/teardown. We're already tired of the amount of time and effort it takes to put down the beds and put on the sheets and blankets.

Thinking about a murphy bed model with beds for 3 kids. Hasn't been an easy search.

Adam, we bought a Flagstaff 23LB (which is the same as a Rockwood 2306). It has the murphy bed, two bunks, and a dinette-bed. Most of the time only 2 of us will be camping, but we wanted space to be able to bring along some grandchildren. Maybe that floorplan will work for you?


-Speak

[gmw_photos]

TrueBlueKC wrote:
I like this one except it appears to have one of those toilet in the shower things. That might be a deal breaker there.

TrueBlue, if you like and can live with the east/west bed like that one, take a look at the floorplan of the FF 189FDS. A lot folks want a north/south bed, and so automatically rule out any trailer with a sideways bed. Me, I'm now by myself, so I prefer the E/W bed.

[bartlettj]

We went from a small popup to a small bunkhouse hardside when we had kids. After owning the tt for a few years, the only thing I miss about the popup is the gas mileage. The hardside isn't any more work to hook up, tow, manoever, set up, or maintain than the popup, only that it's bigger. We have a bathroom! We can camp in the rain and just come home, and don't have to pop it up again to dry it out or empty the fridge. We camp in the rain all the time... it's Oregon.

[TrueBlueKC]

I like this one except it appears to have one of those toilet in the shower things. That might be a deal breaker there.

[TrueBlueKC]

Yes indeed gmw! Go Royals! I bought our pup at the Jayco dealer, Trailside RV, and have zero complaints about them. We'll be looking there and at the other one in Grain Valley and then the one up in liberty to start the looking phase as soon as we get a chance.