Which travel trailer do you recommend

[kprutzman]

Hi Everyone,

We are shopping for a travel trailer and narrowed it down to three. To give you a little background on my towing experience. To help in the deciding factor. 🙂 I never towed before, but did give it a try. A little rusty on the backing up, but was able to back into a space between two campers and feel I will get better over time. We have the 2016 F150 2.7L with eco boost. Max towing 7500 lbs.

Now for our three choices in travel trailers.

• 2018 Coleman Light 1805RB - 22’9” 4136 lbs. dry weight, dual axle.

• 2018 Forest River RV Rockwood Mini Lite 2104S - 21’9” 4543 lbs. dry weight, dual axle.

• 2018 Forest River RV Rockwood Mini Lite 2109S - 21’7” 4238 lbs. dry weight, dual axle.

Any recommendations, thoughts or advice? Good or bad.

Thank you and happy camping!

[theoldwizard1]

kprutzman wrote:
We have the 2016 F150 2.7L with eco boost. Max towing 7500 lbs.

Did you get the optional Trailer Towing Package ? A couple of important items were included in that: auxiliary transmission cooler and a higher rear axle ratio. The standard ratio is way too low for towing !

[kprutzman]

Thank you everyone for the responses.

Sadly I haven’t made the purchase yet. I went back to look at the 2104S model again today. (With the anticipation of buying.) But couldn’t do the purchase on it. After looking at it again I realized there wasn’t much storage space for clothing. Unless we were planning on wearing socks and underwear most of the time. Also, the kitchen cabinet at the sink consisted on one flip out trough (for like the sos pads) and one big drawer for pots and pans. There was a nice size pantry for food. But what about dishes and utensils? There was no drawer for utensils or silverware. Seriously!? The one other odd storage thing I saw was the pass thru storage opening was small to others we looked at and the driver side one didn’t even align the opening with the pass thru. ??

Next attempt is to look at the 2109S. Unfortunately, I am going to have to wait on getting to see this one. The only dealer in our area that carries the Rockwoods has on order, but isn’t in yet. ??

The Coleman Light 1805RB is still on the mind. But this model we looked at didn’t have the murphy bed and the two dealers with these didn’t give me anywhere near comparable prices to the Rockwood. (Yet the one dealer had the same starting price as the Rockwood 2104S and the other had a $4,000 less starting price as the Rockwood. But the cost was going to be a LOT more. Sounded like this dealer was trying to make a huge profit off of the Coleman.) The one other concern is what ScottG commented on the Coleman campers. I don’t like to base my opinion on one review. Any others with issues with the Coleman Light 1805RB travel trailer or brand that anyone can give me? Thank you again for the tips, suggestions and reviews.

[beemerphile1]

theoldwizard1 wrote:
...I like eggshell campers but they are SO MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE!

Not when you consider resale value. The molded fiberglass trailers hold value extremely well. Buy a used one a year old, use it for seven years and sell it for $500 less than you bought it for.

[theoldwizard1]

Small TT benefit greatly from a Murphy bed. The Mini Lite 2104 has that as an option. I think I like the layout of the Mini Lite 2304KS better and it has a Murphy bed standard.

[theoldwizard1]

colliehauler wrote:
While Dutchman gave you a lot of good info I disagree about trading every 3 years. Most people I know keep a camper around 10 years if not more.

To get a camper to last 10 years require EXCEPTIONAL care of the exterior ! Storing under a roof is best or at least a god cover/tarp. Even with these precautions, you will still need to wash and treat the roof with a UV protectant at least once a year. If stored with no protection, you should wash and treat it TWICE a year.

colliehauler wrote:
I would check out the fiberglass egg type campers as well. They are better built with the best resell value. Scamp, Castia, Oliver and several others.

I like eggshell campers but they are SO MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE !

[trail-explorer]

patperry2766 wrote:
Lance

Lance are kinda heavy to tow with a Ford Egoboost.

[beemerphile1]

You are looking at the wrong numbers. You should figure on towing the loaded trailer at the GVWR of the trailer. Figure 13 percent of the GVWR will be tongue weight.

Also compare cargo capacity. Figure on carrying a minimum of 250 pounds per person for food, water, and personal effects.

[Ron3rd]

Post the gross weights of the trailers; ignore the dry weight, you will never be towing at that weight. The Gross Weight is close to what you will be seeing.

[Lwiddis]

“A little rusty on the backing up, but was able to back into a space between two campers and feel I will get better over time.”

Just keep backing, you’ll will get better and it won’t take that long.

[colliehauler]

Out of the choices I would prefer the Rockwood, only you know the best floor plan for your intended use. While Dutchman gave you a lot of good info I disagree about trading every 3 years. Most people I know keep a camper around 10 years if not more. The neat thing about the small size campers is the fact you can take them to small remote campgrounds. It sounds like you already have experienced small campers with your class C.

I would check out the fiberglass egg type campers as well. They are better built with the best resell value. Scamp, Castia, Oliver and several others.

There are some premium box style campers as well, Livinlite, Lance, Winnebago that are small.

[patperry2766]

Lance

These might be worth looking at. While they are more expensive that the others that you referenced, many have commented before that their build quality is better than most.

There are several videos on YouTube about how their built.

[mat60]

The reason I have a $16k 26F camper is in part the price and low payments. I no cash is best but I don't see that at my age now. We had a 1977 20ft and the size was never a problem for the two of us it just needed two much more cash invested in it. We don't need or want anything larger or a fancy unit. I'm hoping to make this TT last many years and it will probably be our last one. Its cool the guys that have large expensive things that take there kids and can afford to travel. I'm very happy with what I have but do understand some people get a new RV and are back at the dealer getting a larger unit or one with a different floor plan in no time.
I think its good the OP gets to here the two sides of this.

[kerrlakeRoo]

While I agree with the others on the appliances and other fittings being the same, All else being equal, I would still choose the Rockwood, Better cabinetry, (screwed and glued) Enclose underbelly (Coleman May be option), And I think the Rockwood has the torflex axles.
I dont know how much more they are running than the coleman, but if cost are similar, I would look that way,
Oh and I like the U dinette, it lets two people basically have a j lounge, but thats just my preference.

[jfkmk]

All very nice campers with good floor plans.

Despite some opinions, not everyone is into huge campers and use smaller campers as stepping stone for huge campers. It's hard for some to imagine, but there are folks (myself included) who prefer smaller campers. We don't need a rolling condo to be happy.

I don't think many campers are designed for 2-3 years use, that sounds ridiculous. We've had our 17 footer for 5 years, and it's in as good a shape as when it was new. Does it have cheaply made cabinets as described? Yeah, so do most other sub $100k campers, and our previous class C.

Go for any of the campers you listed, and have a blast.

[kprutzman]

Thank you DutchmenSport for the advice.

Though we aren’t worry about needing to upsize in a couple of years or being upside down on a loan. We owned our used Class C 22’ RV for 9 years and had it paid off in two years. We were comfortable with the size and still are today. It just didn’t have slides. So, moving around in the Class C was difficult. And our other reason for upgrading is it is a 1999. So, it’s getting old and beginning to show wear and needing a lot of updates. Also, it’s not fun getting to a campground and not always having a shuttle service to get around the area. This is our main reason to going to a travel trailer. Will have the truck to get around.

Thank you ScottG for the Coleman tip.