Travel Trailer to Sleep Family of 4 with Full Time Dinette

I am also looking for a TT this year. The end of the month I plan on looking at a Lance as we now have a dealer within 2 hrs of us. Looking at the brochure sent to me Lance has a model (2185) that would fit what you are describing. Dry weight 3930 (without options) Hitch weight 500 and total length 25' 8".

When I priced them out, yes, Trailmanors were 2.5X to 3X the cost of similar travel trailers that had more amenities. We'll just have to agree to disagree. ;)

Cassette toilets or Recirc toilets without black water tanks are okay on inexpensive units but not on VERY expensive units. Each to their own.

Height is a priority. Walking in a 6'4" ceiling in an Amerilite and walked right back out. Felt like a coffin but each to their own. I'd rather be in a tent or a soft sided pop up that has a much higher ceiling.

Mike Up, I have to correct a statement you made. TrailManors do not cost 3x what other trailers cost.

If you compare trailers of the same overall size, with similar sleeping capacities, and similar empty weights, TrailManors are about the same price. Most trailers of similar size weigh much more than TrailManors. Yes, other trailers are about 10% less (show pricing and sticker pricing), but I prefer the advantages I get in my TrailManor. Not even close to a 3x difference.

I have walked the shows, comparing units that are 24' long (to compare to the TrailManor 2417), 27'/28' (to compare to the TrailManor 2720), and others, and have found all of the comparable fixed-sided trailers weigh substantially more. The TrailManor has an interior height of 6' 3", which is less than many trailers. Height isn't a concern to me, as I am less than 6' tall.

But, that added height on fixed-sided trailers adds substantially to wind drag, and cross-wind buffeting. To me, that is a big difference.

Your comment about the Thetford used to be valid. The recirculating toilet has people on both sides of like/dislike. Now, however, you can get a cassette in any TrailManor. I had one in my first TM, and am getting one in my second. I prefer the cassette to a blackwater tank, as I can empty it as often as I want, without having to move my trailer to a dump station.

The only amenity I can think of that a TM doesn't have, compared to full-height units, is a larger refrigerator/freezer. Certainly a factor, if one doesn't want to haul an extra ice chest.

I am not saying TrailManors are for everyone, as they are not. But, when someone is looking for a trailer, they may want to look at a TM, as there is certainly a market out there for them. There are full-timers using them, and weekend campers. Don't rule something out when you are "seeing what is out there", as it may actually be the best fit for someone's situation.

For an easy start, suggest you spend time online with RVWholesalers and RVDirect. Both sell a huge variety of brands and will have floorplans and usually pictures and sometimes videos. All in the comfort of your home. Slides are extremely popular and I would normally suggest not getting one without a slide simply for resale value. They do add a lot of nice living space and are a huge benefit when the weather turns nasty. But, you are right about adding weight. If you find a few floorplans you might like, then just google those plans and see a variety of dealers and maybe some prices. RVW and RVD don't post their prices, but do post the MSRP. You can guesimate about 30% off their prices and both are experienced in selling units that will be going across the border, so all paperwork is ready.

Re the tow vehicle....suggest you absolutely, positively comfirm that the particular vehicle you're looking at has the specs you need. Not all packages are the same within the same line. Having an F-150 CC with factory tow, 5.4 and 8000#, guess that would be my choice. If you find that you often haul firewood, chairs, outdoor rug, it's certainly easier with the truck bed. Our '03 gets about 18 in town. Regardless of what you choose, if you get 10mpg, it's a good day.

Excellent that you're doing your homework before rather than after the fact. What you're looking for is out there, but finding one without a slide is a bit trickier, however still doable. Good luck. Keep us posted. Happy shopping!

avoidcrowds wrote:
I will throw my 2-cents in here.

I have two Grand Cherokees, one a Hemi V8, the other a diesel. Both tow our trailer just fine. I prefer the diesel, but that's just me.

We have a TrailManor 2417. Had a Sport version, sold it, and have a Standard on order. The Sport and Standard both can come with two beds (king in back, double in front). The boys could sleet on the double, with their heads at opposite ends. The dinette can be left as a dinette. If the boys want to bring friends once in a while, the dinette will sleep kids.

If you get the Standard version, it is 6" wider, so the beds are a little longer, for growth of the boys.

Our 2417 Sport, fully-loaded for a week, weighed 3300#. It tows at 17', and opens to 24'. Hard-sided, so bears are not a problem. We use a weight-distributing hitch, so we ride level.

I think this setup would work fine for your family, as it works fine for us. Granted, we don't always have 4 people in the GC, but there is room in the trailer for bulky items.

Just take a look at the TrailManor, as it may be what you are looking for. Tows very easily, as it has much less wind resistance than a regular TT.

The trailmanor doesn't have the full amenities, standard ceiling height, or the internal width that a travel trailer does plus it's about 3X the cost.

With as light, as short, and as low as they are folded up, many midsize crossovers with little towing capacity, should be able to handle these pop ups with ease.

It's a good alternative to a travel trailer if you don't mind a pop up with less room and less amenities, for 3X the cost. With that you can save money on a lesser tow vehicle, and store your pop up in a large garage or backyard. I just don't like their toilet's self contained black water storage, with no dedicated black water tank. Very limited, I would rather have an electric thetford cassette toilet as I did in my Starcraft pop up so that I can take the cassette out and empty it in the local bathroom.

I will throw my 2-cents in here.

I have two Grand Cherokees, one a Hemi V8, the other a diesel. Both tow our trailer just fine. I prefer the diesel, but that's just me.

We have a TrailManor 2417. Had a Sport version, sold it, and have a Standard on order. The Sport and Standard both can come with two beds (king in back, double in front). The boys could sleet on the double, with their heads at opposite ends. The dinette can be left as a dinette. If the boys want to bring friends once in a while, the dinette will sleep kids.

If you get the Standard version, it is 6" wider, so the beds are a little longer, for growth of the boys.

Our 2417 Sport, fully-loaded for a week, weighed 3300#. It tows at 17', and opens to 24'. Hard-sided, so bears are not a problem. We use a weight-distributing hitch, so we ride level.

I think this setup would work fine for your family, as it works fine for us. Granted, we don't always have 4 people in the GC, but there is room in the trailer for bulky items.

Just take a look at the TrailManor, as it may be what you are looking for. Tows very easily, as it has much less wind resistance than a regular TT.

PAThwacker wrote:
we were not in any mood to deal and entertained ourselves after getting offered $4k for our hybrid.

For that year, the $4K is a bit low, you should be getting around $5.5K if it's in perfect/excellent shape. That's trading it in. You could probably get about $7K if you sold it outright.

Been there, done that. Travel Trailers depreciate quick and aren't that expensive new so their trade values are pretty low. Best to sell outright if you can't take the trade hit. But you do make some of it back since you subtract the trade price off of the new price, for sales tax calculation.

Mike Up wrote:
For a family, your vehicles won't work as the payload capacity is to low on those vehicles for the tongue weight of the camper along with the weight of your family and gear. That's why people use full-size trucks for travel trailers and pop ups for lesser tow vehicles.

Tow ratings for anything less than a 3/4 ton truck are useless as payload determines what size travel trailer you can tow. Do some searches, there are dozens of threads on the subject.

Yes, I think that is what I'm realizing. I don't want to drop a large sum on the GC just to realize that its not up to the task of towing the trailer that works best for the 4/5 of us. Anyways, put that into action today by buying a Subaru instead of the GC. Will check out the RV shows in the next 2 months, and once we've found the ideal trailer for us we'll getting a suitable used TV. I was even leary of pulling the trailers listed here behind a GC through the Canadian rockies which is our usual camping area.

Thanks guys.

we were at the lehigh valley rv show today and saw a few. Nothing to wr
ite home about. We liked the coachmen apex 30bhs as the longest/lightest bunkhouse but it was too pricey ($25k). aspen trail 281bhs seemed ok discounted to $18k, and the ole standbye roo/flagstaff 233s.($24k) we were not in any mood to deal and entertained ourselves after getting offered $4k for our hybrid.

For a family, your vehicles won't work as the payload capacity is to low on those vehicles for the tongue weight of the camper along with the weight of your family and gear. That's why people use full-size trucks for travel trailers and pop ups for lesser tow vehicles.

Tow ratings for anything less than a 3/4 ton truck are useless as payload determines what size travel trailer you can tow. Do some searches, there are dozens of threads on the subject.