Too many Brands to choose from for a TT.

[TheDave]

UPDATE:

Here is what I am about to get on Friday. Thoughts? I went with everyone suggestion and got a slide!! Please check out my post below and respond in that post on any comments or concerns.

Final Greywolf 26DBH


We have ordered the truck we wanted and now I need to find and finalize our TT. Please feel free to respond and offer suggestions and opinions. We camped with a 18 foot 20 year old trailer towed with our 02 Trailblazer. While it worked for us as a first camper it showed us what we really wanted. There are 4 of us. Wife, 2 daughters 10 and 8 and me. A queen bed for the adults, bunks for the kids and a couch. I came upon this Aspen Trail RV 2760BHS. Also this with out a slideAspen Trail RV 2710BH. Not sure I really want a slide, would like to keep things simpler and easier to camp with. When we were in AZ we did a lot of boondocking on BLM and Unimproved federal camp grounds. Now I know that now living in the Chicago area our camping style will have to change so not so sure on what to get. Was looking to keep the camper around 28 feet in length. Wanting to do the double bed bunks for the kids so they have the room they need. Also have the table and couch double as sleeping areas for them to each bring a friend. I will include the truck specs below. Not concerned on towing. Think I have just about have that aspect covered. Looking to do most of our camping in the Midwest. We will do a trip to Disney World in Florida in the future and a trip this summer to Yellowstone for camping. Thoughts?


On order 2014 Silverado
Trailering & Payload 6.2L EcoTec3 V8 engine 4WD
Curb Weight 5370 lbs
Max Payload 1805 lbs
Max GVWR 7200 lbs
Max Conventional Trailering, 3.73 Rear Axle 11800 lbs
GCWR, 3.73 Rear Axle 17700 lbs
Spring Axle Capacity
Front Gross Axle Weight Rating 39650 lbs
Rear Gross Axle Weight Rating with 3.73 Rear Axle 4100 lbs

Regards,
David

[djcjc]

slides are the best thing to ever happen to camping trailers

[campigloo]

Don't know how long you have lived away from AZ but there are lots of places east of the Mississippi where 3 or 4 days of rain are not uncommon. My advice, with or without young'uns, is lots of slides. After spending a few days in one, a camper seems to get very small very quickly. Slides are very reliable and a topper will eliminate most of the maintenance requirements. Attend some of the RV shows. It's really nice to be able to see so many in one place. I find don't keep a bunch of brochures of things you know you don't want. There are so many to look at, they will become jumbled in your mind. Above all, have fun shopping!

[Lynnmor]

If you do opt for one with slides, be sure that everything is accessible with the slides in. That way you can pack easier, take lunch brakes and use the facilities along the way.

Look at how much weight you can carry in the trailer. Too many are built at the edge and can be overloaded with just a normal amount of stuff on board. With your growing family and a desire to travel, you need to be able to carry full water tanks and plenty of supplies.

Read about blown tires, bent axles, cracked frames and other failures. You want an extra margin of safety, not just the minimum.

[WoodGlue]

Look at the Lance 2185. Full queen bed and 3 bunks in a small package!

Nice and well built!

WoodGlue

[DukeAJuke]

TheDave wrote:
We have ordered the truck we wanted and now I need to find and finalize our TT. Please feel free to respond and offer suggestions and opinions. We camped with a 18 foot 20 year old trailer towed with our 02 Trailblazer. While it worked for us as a first camper it showed us what we really wanted. There are 4 of us. Wife, 2 daughters 10 and 8 and me. A queen bed for the adults, bunks for the kids and a couch. I came upon this Aspen Trail RV 2760BHS. Also this with out a slideAspen Trail RV 2710BH. Not sure I really want a slide, would like to keep things simpler and easier to camp with. When we were in AZ we did a lot of boondocking on BLM and Unimproved federal camp grounds. Now I know that now living in the Chicago area our camping style will have to change so not so sure on what to get. Was looking to keep the camper around 28 feet in length. Wanting to do the double bed bunks for the kids so they have the room they need. Also have the table and couch double as sleeping areas for them to each bring a friend. I will include the truck specs below. Not concerned on towing. Think I have just about have that aspect covered. Looking to do most of our camping in the Midwest. We will do a trip to Disney World in Florida in the future and a trip this summer to Yellowstone for camping. Thoughts?


On order 2014 Silverado
Trailering & Payload 6.2L EcoTec3 V8 engine 4WD
Curb Weight 5370 lbs
Max Payload 1805 lbs
Max GVWR 7200 lbs
Max Conventional Trailering, 3.73 Rear Axle 11800 lbs
GCWR, 3.73 Rear Axle 17700 lbs
Spring Axle Capacity
Front Gross Axle Weight Rating 39650 lbs
Rear Gross Axle Weight Rating with 3.73 Rear Axle 4100 lbs

Regards,
David

Check out the 2014 Keystone Hideout 280LHS bunkhouse. Great TT for a family of four. I just picked mine up from the dealer last week. You an get it for $16,000 out the door. Very good quality and a lot of camper for the money. I'm pulling it with a F150 SCREW EB and it pulls and stops with no problem at.

http://www.mooresrv.com/product/new-2014-keystone-rv-hideout-280lhs-104774-29

There is also the 28BHS, which has the exact same layout but it has an enclosed underbody and a few luxury extras. Those go for about $24,000 out the door.

[Speedogomer]

I understand the simplicity of no slides, but really I couldn't buy a camper without them. I think everyone here will echo my statement too.

I like the Aspen Trails... Very affordable and they were really sharp looking in my opinion.

If you're looking at a 27-28ft bunk model with a front queen bed.... Your options are limitless. Every single company makes at least 30 of them. All are very very similar. Find one that you like, but don't over think it, you can easily get overwhelmed with the choices. Check out an RV show... I went to 2 of them and they really helped me.... Although they helped me decide I wanted something a little different than the standard floor plans.

One unit I really like, is the Grey Wolf 26bh. No slides, is a really attractive trailer, can order a limited package with some cool options, and is priced around $15k. Every time I see one it takes my eye, they're a head turner for such an inexpensive trailer.

[Scooter86]

We are just trading in a Jayco in the exact configuration above. Two growing kids and two dogs later it is serviceable, but the lack of a slide makes inside time feel a bit like one of those box puzzles with the sliding pieces at times. I too was against slides on our first TT for simplicities sake, and actually don't regret buying that floorplan one bit. BTW, pretty much every manufacturer has a model like that.

[AH64ID]

I have 3 kids and moved up to our current trailer, in sig, from a 18CK non-slide with a single bunk.

I can tell you that we where anti-slide at first but we are going on our 3rd season with this trailer and 80+ nights and it's not a hassle at all, it's a blessing.

Most of our camping dispersed on forest service land in the mountains and we spent the vast majority of the day outside, unless a big storm hits. When we all go inside the added room of the slide is great, we aren't stepping all over each other.

I would assume with more campground camping you will spend a bit of time inside, maybe not??, but a slide would be worth looking at IMHO.

I am not sure if they go that far east, but we have been more than pleased with out Outdoors RV. They have multiple bunk models, and a bunk model link on the home page.

Any of there larger stuff will likely be too heavy for a 1/2 ton, but they have some smaller bunk models too. Our 26BKS has 1,100-1,300 lbs of tongue weight depending on how it's loaded.

http://outdoorsrvmfg.com/

[DutchmenSport]

The Aspen is part of the Dutchmen family line. Thor Industries owns Dutchmen, Keystone, AirStream, Coleman, a few more. You can get to the main page for all their associated brands through thorindustries.com

I've owned 3 different TT's now, all were ThorIndustries brands, and each has been a good camper for us, until our needs changed, family size changed, time changed. If you start searching there, you'll run into more options.

My first 2 campers did not have slides. I was dead-set against them, and actually, the 2 campers worked quite well for us. But our third camper does have slides, and the difference is like night and day! (and it's just my wife and I, and the dog. But it makes me wonder why I was so against slides in my former lives!

If you are a family of 4 and you are planning on bringing 2 extra children with you, I suggest you rethink the slides. If you do, you'll have way too many options to choose from. There are lots of models with 4 bunks, and that would leave you the option to get a real table and chairs and even nix the (often very uncomfortable) jack-knife couch, and get something that is comfortable. Something else you might consider is an outside kitchen model. They have bunks and all the cooking mess stays outside (not a bad idea with 4 kids to deal with!)

Searching the Keystone site, I came across this one (no slides), so there are other options out there other than Aspen: