Travel trailer recommendation

[paulfredricks]

We have decided to move up to a bigger travel trailer. We have a hybrid now. The choices are a bit overwhelming.

We do have a specific list of wants. Maximum overall length of about 30' or 31'. At least a queen size master bed in a separate or some what separate room, 74" long though 80" would be better. Full or double size bunks. Wrap around dinette. Slide out. Our tow vehicle max is 8,100 lbs GVWR.

We are considering new, but a few years old may save save us some money. I'm sure there there are as many suggestions as there are members here. Fire away!

[badercubed]

I agree with the Apex line as well.

We have an Apex Nano 208BHS and its killer. Definitely checked all our boxes when we downsized from a larger bunkhouse to a smaller one and after two years it's been a gem.

I think this one might fit the bill...

Apex Ultra-Lite 284BHSS

[paulfredricks]

Yes. Perfect. Thanks!

Now we just need to find the right camper.

[Jayco25E]

paulfredricks wrote:
Sounds reasonable. You say 6000 dry, because wet we would be approaching 7000+... getting near max. Right?

Yes that is correct in what he was saying. For example our new Apex dry weight is around 5975lbs. The GVWR is around 7600lbs. That means we can add up to 1625lbs of cargo. And our tow vehicle like yours is rated at 7800lbs. Now that does not mean you want to max your cargo if possible. We pack lite so we do not get close to maxing out are cargo weight. Never max your tow weight rating. You also want to consider how much weight you pack into your tow vehicle. And get a good weight distribution hitch. Your Yukon like my Avalanche is built on a truck frame even though the Yukon is considered and SUV. So you are ok in that department. When you see folks post comments warning about using SUV's to tow it is because of the mid size SUV's with big motors that say they can tow a lot of weight but have sub/uni frame designs. Hope this helps.

[APT]

6000 dry means 6500-7500 pounds loaded for a long weekend with 850-1000 pounds of TW. The SUV will likely be at or slightly over GVWR, but with a quality and well adjusted WDH, will be stable and comfortable to tow. You have plenty of power.

[Jayco25E]

We just did the same thing. Sold our hybrid and just bought a new 2021 Coachmen Apex 300BHS. The Apex line is very nice and are lite weight for 1/2tons to tow.

https://coachmenrv.com/travel-trailers/apex-ultra-lite

[paulfredricks]

Sounds reasonable. You say 6000 dry, because wet we would be approaching 7000+... getting near max. Right?

[APT]

I recommend sticking to around 6000 pounds dry or less. Get a WDH with integrated sway control and learn how to adjust it.

[paulfredricks]

The towing capacity of our Yukon is 7800 lbs and the payload is 1,461 lbs.

I'll be the first to admit I am a bit confused on what I can and cannot tow.

[MitchF150]

deltabravo wrote:

MitchF150 wrote:
Sounds like you have a nice 1/2 ton or SUV tow vehicle...

Not saying you can't tow something like that with your rig.

I didn't see any details in his post about a half ton SUV / pickup

Been here a looong time and just get a feeling for these kind of things without having a whole description of their rig... I think he posts what he has and it's actually less tow rating than he originally stated... And it's a 1/2 ton SUV... 🙂

Mitch

[bjkb1f]

We tow a 2019 Alpha Wolf 26DBH-L - which sounds like it checks your boxes. It's right at 7,000 loaded and ready to camp. We tow it with a 2018 F150 3.5 EB. It tows beautifully, but from what I've read, may be a bit much for an SUV. It's also creeping up toward your max. Tongue weight is right at 850 lbs loaded.

It's 32 ft hitch to bumper and longer than I initially wanted, but my wife talked me in to it. Fortunately, it tows really well. We see plenty of people towing TTs this size and larger with SUVs, but I'm not certain how safe it is in an emergency situation.

[Jebby14]

Pay very close attention to what you can actually tow. might want to post vehicle with specs here (payload for sure) as i suspect you might not have a full comprehension of how much camper you can handle.

[sgfrye]

midnightsadie wrote:
find the rv you want new/used hire a rv tech to inspect it. best money you,ll have spent. knowing there no hidden surprises.

excellent advice

[paulfredricks]

To clarify, we have a 2014 GMC Yukon XL Denali. Max tow rating is 7800 lbs. (I thought it was 8100)

I think our current hybrid is around 5500 lbs and I barely know it's there. 21' box, 24' over all length. I drive for a living so not much bothers me on the road.

[wing_zealot]

Deleted my comment, upon review, I'm not sure what he is saying.