travel trailer vs hybrid for long term living

[vtwindwalker]

Hi all, I am looking into buying a TT but I am interested in the hybrids. I love the light and the air that is associated with getting a hybrid. I am concerned about the hybrid though because I will be traveling mostly West of the divide and I know that some places require hard sided only. Any suggestions?

[mlts22]

+1 on the rear lounge model. For sanity reasons, I'd probably go with a floorplan similar to the Palomino Puma 26-RLSS, so you have a big window to look through on the back, but with a decent slide, and the total trailer is still a managable size.

Another option is the Jayco Jay Feather X213. It has a rear slide and a king bed, so it is close to a HTT, and is around 24 feet from ball to bumper. The advantage of this is that the front bunks will double as useful storage.

[fx2tom]

I would look more like a 25 foot rear lounge model so you get space and the RL models have big windows in the back that let in light and air.

[vtwindwalker]

Thanks for the new posts. Yes I have one small dog and two large but one of the larger dogs is elderly. I have crated them when I was gone in the pop up but I am thinking TT for sure now that you mention the noise factor. I have mostly camped in very remote FS campgrounds or done woofing in mine and there was no issue with noise, but if I'm going to try to get a job in a campground it is usually more populated campgrounds that need help. I was probably looking at a 18 footer with slide (couch area). I can put one of those with my truck no problem. I don't think I want to go ultralight due to "ding" issues. I will be buying when I head out west this summer or next. I know 18 is small but I am small and I really was just in the camper for evenings etc. Storage will be an issue!! hmm maybe one with a bunk bed so I can use it for storage? Or use the back of my truck for that.

[PAThwacker]

I'd look for a tt with big wards. You need clothes storage big time.

[kknowlton]

TT, absolutely. We enjoyed our HTT but would never have considered the extensive travel with it that we undertook once we got a TT. Much better weather protection, much less noise (from other campers, nearby highways, etc.), and at least a TT feels a little more secure.

[Cotay]

I loved our HTT and would consider one in the future, but only if it had a side slide. Even though our HTT was 23 feet when opened, it was still cramped for more than two-three people without the slide. We moved to a TT for various reasons, but mostly it was simply because we have small children and the noise from inconsiderate campers wreaked havoc on their sleep cycles. If I were going full-time, I’d certainly opt for a TT in anticipation of noisy neighbors.
You can get a TT with a rear bed slide that allows you open the windows and get the feeling of being camping. Maybe something like the Jayco Jay Feather Ultra Light X213, Outback Terrain 210TRS, or the Roo 23RS. These all have rear slide beds with at least one window (the Outback and Jayco have side windows in the slide as well).
What size unit are you looking for?

[dadmomh]

Major dog person here and without a doubt, at least in my opinion, you need a TT rather than a hybrid. We've had both and dearly loved our hybrid. Obviously, you're not going to be with your dogs 24/7....sooner or later you've got to go to the store. Unless you have small dogs and crate them, there is always the chance, no matter how good your dogs are, that something will get them stirred up and they'll scratch through the canvas. You don't mention what size dogs, but if they're small, I don't see any reason why you couldn't work it with a 20 - 22', with a small slide, if it had the right layout. We used to camp with friends who had a ROO 19 and a cocker spaniel. With the bunkends closed it would be a snug fit without a slide.

For an assortment of reasons, we moved - notice I didn't say moved UP - to a TT and it is perfect for us at this point in life. There are many things that I loved about our 23SS that regardless of what TT you go to, it's just not the same. I still wouldn't leave my dog alone and uncrated, just because that's me. But at least I'd know that she'd be there when I returned. My vote is TT.

[jaycocreek]

3 dogs spells slide out, depending on there size. I have two and a non-slide is out of the question for a Black lab and Australian Shepherd when there wet and muddy.

West of the devide year around spells rain/snow and cold. Canvas is out..Well insulated is in.:B

I have lived year around in an RV in Idaho for umpteen years and the winter can really be a pain especially with dogs needing in and out all the time....

Iffin it was me,I would go hard sided with or without a slide.

[mlts22]

vtwindwalker wrote:

dewey02 wrote:
Your thread title says long - term living, but you don't mention that in your post. Can you elaborate?
If you are really talking about living long term in your trailer, I personally think hard sided is the way to go. Is towing weight an issue? How many people? Lots of kids? How long of a trailer do you want to tow? These are all questions relevant to your decision.

Great Q's I will be living long term for at least a year... and then who knows. I have three dogs no kids and just me. I don't know how long a trailer. I lived in a pop-up for 8 months and it was fine, more than fine. I don't need a lot of space but I was thinking a 20ft is more than adequate. I have a 2011 F-150 6 eco-boost. I don' want huge!! or even big. I am not in it much! Thanks in advance for your help.

For a TT, I dry camp on weekends from January to April with a 28 foot trailer from ball to bumper. It can get cramped sometimes, but mainly due to width than length. I highly recommend getting a TT with a slide, and buy longer than you think you will need (but well within the tow capacity of your F-150.) The reason I state this is that a TT you are full-timing in, you will need more room for storage than you think, as well as room to move around, work, use your laptop, read, and other tasks. Plus, look for outside basement storage. That becomes extremely useful.

As for a TT versus HTT, I'm not sure what weather conditions the OP deals with, but the canvas part of a HTT can be more vulnerable to weather conditions like cold. It also isn't insulated, so a furnace or A/C has to work harder to keep the place cool/warm. I'd lean towards a TT with slideouts as opposed to a HTT, but that's just my two centavos.

[bid_time]

Campfire Time wrote:

Bears Den wrote:
Having owned a HTT and now a TT, I can tell you that the HTT was designed for sleeping more people but the living space was smaller. The TT sleeps less but has more in the way of living area,

This is hard to compare. Its not apples to apples. But I think this is more dependent on floor plan and personal preference. Every TT we looked at in the same size range as the HTTs we looked had far less living space that the HTTs.

Exactly, that's why people buy HTT's. You get the same living space in a 25' HTT as a 30' TT; and it weighs less.

[Campfire_Time]

Bears Den wrote:
Having owned a HTT and now a TT, I can tell you that the HTT was designed for sleeping more people but the living space was smaller. The TT sleeps less but has more in the way of living area,

This is hard to compare. Its not apples to apples. But I think this is more dependent on floor plan and personal preference. Every TT we looked at in the same size range as the HTTs we looked had far less living space that the HTTs.

[Bears_Den]

Having owned a HTT and now a TT, I can tell you that the HTT was designed for sleeping more people but the living space was smaller. The TT sleeps less but has more in the way of living area, now it is only the DW and I so less sleeping area and more living area is what's important to us. By the way, I pull a 30' 6000# TT with an F150 ecoboost have plenty of power. Now I know as a result of my stating this, you'll probably get opinions on tow vehicles also. As I always tell people, get what works for you.

[OpenRangePullen]

When you're long term ring you don't want to feel like your camping, you want to feel at home. Get a hard walled TT.

[vtwindwalker]

dewey02 wrote:
Your thread title says long - term living, but you don't mention that in your post. Can you elaborate?
If you are really talking about living long term in your trailer, I personally think hard sided is the way to go. Is towing weight an issue? How many people? Lots of kids? How long of a trailer do you want to tow? These are all questions relevant to your decision.

Great Q's I will be living long term for at least a year... and then who knows. I have three dogs no kids and just me. I don't know how long a trailer. I lived in a pop-up for 8 months and it was fine, more than fine. I don't need a lot of space but I was thinking a 20ft is more than adequate. I have a 2011 F-150 6 eco-boost. I don' want huge!! or even big. I am not in it much! Thanks in advance for your help.