All ActivityMost RecentMost LikesSolutionsRe: post pictures of your HTT Re: Help us pick!!We came from a class A bunkhouse and as our girls got older they found them to cramped. We purchased a Keystone passport 217exp three queen beds and dinette slide out. We absolutely love it. We live in prairies in Canada and it is either cold or very hot no in between. We have regulated the temps with pop up gizmos and reflectix in the windows. This has made all the difference in the world and the A/C works no harder than in my class A. We did add a heated mattress pad for the cold nights and the DW has not complained since. We keep a container of ear plugs and only use them if we happen to camp in a noisy area, but lets be real no matter what type of camper or RV you have you will hear partyers and ear plugs do the trick. Based on what you have said this might be a great solution for you. It takes no more than 30 minutes for setup from the time we pull up to our site. Happy Camping!Re: Considering a HTT- Family of 4-Please Share your Pros/ConsWe came from a class A bunkhouse and as our girls got older they found them to cramped. We purchased a Keystone passport 217exp three queen beds and dinette slide out. We absolutely love it. We live in prairies in Canada and it is either cold or very hot no in between. We have regulated the temps with pop up gizmos and reflectix in the windows. This has made all the difference in the world and the A/C works no harder than in my class A. We did add a heated mattress pad for the cold nights and the DW has not complained since. We keep a container of ear plugs and only use them if we happen to camp in a noisy area, but lets be real no matter what type of camper or RV you have you will hear partyers and ear plugs do the trick. Based on what you have said this might be a great solution for you. It takes no more than 30 minutes for setup from the time we pull up to our site. Happy Camping!Re: Bought an HTT, now what?We were in the same predicament as you a mid sized SUV with a 6000lb towing capacity and a 750lb tongue weight. I have a passport 217exp which is 4350 dry and 6500 loaded. Here are the challenges you are going to face. While my numbers are different than yours the theory is the same. 1. You will definitely need a good 4 point sway control hitch rated for 500 lbs tongue and 5000 lbs trailer easy 85lbs (counts as payload). 2. Your SUV will only support max 500lb tongue weight - This should be the first red flag you see. Ensure the trailers tongue weight is less than that (lots of ways to measure this before purchase. DO NOT TAKE THE DEALERS WORD FOR IT) 3. Ensure your SUV's tires are rated for this kind of load usually they are not and beefier tires are needed. 4. I would be shocked if your SUV has a payload capacity in excess of 1200 lbs that means by the time you fill your fuel tank load your self and the DW in the SUV attach the trailer and load a small amount if cargo in the back of the SUV you are in excess of this or right at the limit and that can be bad. 5. Your may be in excess of your SUV GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating) this means that with time and dependant on how much you pull you will blow up your rear end on this SUV. I would go see the dealer so they can pull the axle code and tell you what the weight rating for the axle is **very important and often overlooked** 6. Frontal area of the trailer my Jeep had a limit of 65sqft which was quite low and if you ran into a head wind you would struggle to maintain speed. 7. Tail wagging the dog. Your SUV has a short wheelbase which means even with the sway control you will experience some trailer sway, not to say it is not manageable it is just going to require you drive with two hands and pay close attention when being passed by large trucks. I finally came to senses on this and purchased a used F150 and have never looked back, I still use a 4 point sway control only because I like to drive with one hand and not worry about the tail wagging the dog. I have driven in 80km per hour winds and the trailer did not budge. I know this is hard to hear but it is reality and nothing is more important than your safety. I am not trying to talk you out of you decision just wanted you to have one more opinion. P.S. DO NOT LISTEN TO THE RV DEALER WHEN THEY TELL YOU "NO PROBLEM YOU WILL BE FINE WITH THAT SUV". They tell everyone that just to get the sale they could care less after that. I have an excellent Excel spreadsheet that will do the math for you on the towing capacities. It does not form opinions like all of us on here but simply gives you the facts based on your numbers. If you would like a copy message me and I will email it to you.
GroupsTravel Trailer Group Prefer to camp in a travel trailer? You're not alone.Mar 05, 202544,027 Posts