yet another new couple to tts with questions

Wow, thank you to all who posted responses. Very helpful. We are looking forward to continuing the search!

Be prepared to get about 10 mpg while towing. Just so you know.

Coachmen is one of many brands owned by Forest River. If you find a floor plan you like, you may be able to find the same or similar layout in one of FR's other brands, and compare the prices that way. Trim colors will vary but the construction quality will be about the same. Googling a brand/model will often pull up prices at dealerships in other locales.

Watch out for "queen" beds that are only 76" long instead of 80". Many (most?) companies sell a short queen, which can be bothersome.

If I were shopping for a new TT, I'd take a hard look at Lance.

We moved up from a pop-up to a Jayco 20BH TT in 2007. Whatever brand you decide on, whatever layouts you like, just make sure you get a walk around bed. We learned the hard way with our first TT by not getting a walk around bed.

You have already got a lot of good responses.
Ditto on knowing truck towing capacity, especially the payload factor.

Double ditto on just looking at a lot of diffrent trailers made by different manufacturers. We've been real happy with our Winnebago...not the cheapest nor the most expensive. Jaycos have a nice warranty. And we liked a lot of the features of the Passport line of trailers.

Take your time and really look for indications of quality control and fit and finish. Also, consider storage space (another reason we went with our Minnie) and whether you need space for longer trips.

And, knowing that you have a decent dealership to handle warranty issues/repairs can help. But with a lot of small stuff, it's easier to take care of it yourself.

Good luck and I hope you find a real gem!

Shop Craiglist for a used one you will save $$$. I purchased one TT from eBay that was 500 miles from home. When I went to pick it up, I was so pleased with it (more features that listed) that I would have paid $5,000 more for it than I did it I had saw it on a dealers lot.

wrenchnone wrote:
Great advice thank you. Funny thing about used. I buy almost everything used: cars, motorcycles, lawn mowers......but I can fix all those. I don't want to buy problems in a tt I can't fix. Leaks and stuff. I appropriate your thoughts!

If a used unit has been well taken care of, it shouldn't have any leaks and stuff. That's not to say it won't get any.

Leaks and stuff can also happen on new units. We drag these things down the road at 60+ MPH and let them sit out in nasty weather. Stuff is going to come apart. Part of maitaining a TT, even a new one, is finding and fixing active or potential leaks. Regular inspections and repairing things, inside and out.

Determine your truck's payload capacity first as that will be the limiting factor. Do not buy based on factory listings of dry weights. Tongue weights and total (GVW) of TTs always go up, sometimes not a lot, sometimes a lot. Our tongue wt., for example nearly doubled with the TT fully loaded up.

Do extensive due diligence because the last thing you want is regretting what you buy, esp. if you have little experience owning a TT. Our first "forever" TT only lasted 1 year until we realized it was too small and cramped. Might be an idea to see if you can rent a TT somewhere to see what they're like. You might be able to find a CG that has rental TTs which is what we did in the beginning. Going to an RV show is an excellent idea. Take a notebook and camera and don't listen to salesmen. Factory reps can help be helpful sometimes for detailed tech. questions. Look under units carefully as not all frames are alike and some are good and some aren't. Consider functionality carefully - where to store all the kitchen stuff, linen, books and DVDs, where to hang a coat or two, etc. Many TT manufacturers love to install blank panels on cabinets, don't put shelving inside cabinets and give you an almost unusable cubby hole either side of the bed instead of drawers, etc. which can become annoying.

If I were to be shopping for another TT, I'd be looking closely at the sofas. Some are quite uncomfortable as they tend to be shorter from front to back and some don't have enough support at the front edge. Sometimes you can do an option upgrade to a hide-a-bed (more wt. tho.), recliners or theater seating. Hide-a-beds can be more comfortable sometimes. You might even consider negotiating a delete price for the sofa and installing your own such as the De Leon double recliner made specifically for RVs. Not cheap but it'd be comfortable. It's very shallow front to back and fits in the same space as an RV sofa.

You should be able to find what you want in a 26' unit that your truck can easily haul. That's room for a bedroom with a sliding door, a decent size bathroom, a small sofa, 2 door fridge, & dinette. Personally I like the front bed/rear bath layout, with kitchen & dinette in the middle. A real closing door on the bedroom is nice if you and your travel companion don't have the same sleep schedule.

DO get a good weight distributing hitch like an Equalizer.

I always suggest folks like you go to a RV show so you can see lots of units all in one stop.
Also keep in mind that every dealer berates every other company's products. If you find one that instead talks seriously about the merits of his own units your better off.

Hi John, there is a big RV show coming up in February in Rosemont Il that will have a huge selection of all types of rv's for you to look at and compare. Since you've spent time sleeping in a popup ( especially a small pull behind cycle popup) you already know somewhat what your getting into. Find a camper that you like the layout in your price range, then look at all the little fit and finish things on the interior, they will tell you a lot about the overall quality in the workmanship of the overall rig. I have a hybrid that was made by Holiday Rambler ( now they aren't even making travel trailers anymore) and love it, but since buying it a couple years ago, I find myself wishing I would have chosen different. For example... A couple years ago I wanted a small easy to tow trailer with the most room, so I got a hybrid. Small when closed, but huge once set-up. My wife and I got a couple scooters for riding around the countryside. Now, for us to take the scooters along, they must be tied in the bed of the truck, so I lose all that extra room for camping gear. I wish I would have looked more at toy haulers!
Since you pull a pop-up behind your cycle, you may want to sometime put your cycle in a toy hauler trailer, and bring your cycle along for scenic drives. Its just one more thing for you to consider now versus later like me. There are some pretty nice small pull behind toy haulers that easily are 1/2 ton towable.
As for brands, any one of them can be perfect, just as any one of them can be a lemon, just make sure you look it over good and do plenty of comparing. I love my hybrid , my previous was a Dutchman pop-up which I also was very happy with. My ideal choice would be a small to mid sized 5th wheel toy hauler now but I cant justify the price of the 5er and a bigger truck, so I get by with what I have.
Sorry if I just made your search a little more complicated, I'm just trying to help you make the best choice now instead of later!