Travel trailer questions

[Laelkhunter]

Realize one thing about the weight. If it says 5500 lbs on the tag on the tongue, that is the weight of the trailer when it rolled off of the production line. That is BEFORE any extras were added, such as awning, propane fuel tanks, pots & pans, interior additions, even the air conditioner etc , etc. You can easily add over 1500 pounds of stuff, and that is before you put water in the fresh water tank, fill the fridge, etc. EVERYTHING that goes in or on the trailer after it rolls off the line is additional weight you have to factor in when you think about the capability of your tow vehicle.
Towing on level or slightly hilly terrain might be doable, but take it out West, and try to climb some steep grades with an underpowered tow vehicle, and you are asking for trouble. Additionally all of your camping and hunting equipment including passengers, Fido, and minoo-cat you put in your truck all have to be factored in the weight of the gross cargo weight when towing in addition to the weight of the trailer and all of it's contents. Most vehicles now come with auxillary transmission coolers, so make sure you consider one if your tow vehicle isn't so equipped.
As someone stated earlier, be aware that your trailer salesman will assure you that your Prius will safely tow your 35 foot trailer with no problem. IT WON'T !!!! So don't buy too much trailer for your tow vehicle.

 

[Rob5589]

Realize one thing about the weight. If it says 5500 lbs on the tag on the tongue, that is the weight of the trailer when it rolled off of the production line. That is BEFORE any extras were added, such as awning, propane fuel tanks, pots & pans, interior additions, even the air conditioner etc , etc. You can easily add over 1500 pounds of stuff, and that is before you put water in the fresh water tank, fill the fridge, etc. EVERYTHING that goes in or on the trailer after it rolls off the line is additional weight you have to factor in when you think about the capability of your tow vehicle.
Towing on level or slightly hilly terrain might be doable, but take it out West, and try to climb some steep grades with an underpowered tow vehicle, and you are asking for trouble. Additionally all of your camping and hunting equipment including passengers, Fido, and minoo-cat you put in your truck all have to be factored in the weight of the gross cargo weight when towing in addition to the weight of the trailer and all of it's contents. Most vehicles now come with auxillary transmission coolers, so make sure you consider one if your tow vehicle isn't so equipped.
As someone stated earlier, be aware that your trailer salesman will assure you that your Prius will safely tow your 35 foot trailer with no problem. IT WON'T !!!! So don't buy too much trailer for your tow vehicle.

It's pretty crazy to see what people tow with a 1500/half ton. Now that I have been researching and figuring out what is appropriate, huge numbers of towers are significantly overloaded.

 

[wapitibob]

My f-150 is rated for over 13,000# and I've read where people say they pull 10K "just fine". yea, ok

 

[CCH]

I have owned every type of RV over the past twenty five years or so other than a 5th wheel or motorhome starting with a beat up Hi-Lo that taught me a lot about maintenance to pop ups, a 30' bunkhouse, an R-Pod and others. We have purchased one new and it certainly had some issues to be ironed out (for the record it was a Forest River.) The used ones had little things to deal with has well. I think buying used can be a good idea if it's not too old -- they are built to be disposable and the lifespan for most simply isn't that long -- and you check it out thoroughly. Most really aren't built that well, and the components (fridge, stove, furnace, A/C, etc.) are all made by the same manufacturers so there isn't a ton of quality difference there between brands. Airstreams take a lot more work to make, hence the price, and they do stay on the road a lot longer. However, there are plenty of people with complaints about them, and they are a challenge when it comes to leaking.

We were in the market and looking at some more expensive models -- but not Airstream level. Checked out a super cool Intech Terra, but it wasn't really as 4 seasony as we'd like. Do keep in mind that most campers are described as 4 season these days, and it really isn't true. The salesman showed us a Lance as well and to hear him tell it, I expected it to provide sexual services it was so awesome. Lance has a base price and EVERYTHING is optional including the spare tire so you get up to close to $60,000 pretty quickly. Given current inventory, there isn't much dickering these days.

Heed the advice on tow ratings, especially tongue rate and knowing what your camper is going to weight all up combined with what you have in your truck. If you're going to go up hill ever, realize that you don't want to be anywhere near your max. Learned that the hard way when I bought a "half-ton" camper that quickly turned into the purchase of a Dodge diesel 3/4 ton. I find current half ton tow capacities to be ridiculous. How are the brakes on stopping something that heavy? I have a Silverado 2500HD gasser that does not have a super high tow capacity compared to a lot of trucks, but feel much more comfortable with it that I would with a half ton with a couple thousand more pounds on the spec sheet.

We found a 2019 Arctic Fox 22G that was stored under shelter and hardly used. That's our huckleberry and we pick it up Monday. You will take a chance with anything new or used, but your odds are lower for quality if it's coming out of Elkhart, Indiana like so many campers do. The Northwoods stuff is not perfect, but overall it seems to have a better rep than most and is definitely better in the four season department. I found a surprising amount of bad reviews on Lance, but that may be because at that price people expect perfection.

I think the ultimate lightweight, four season camper is probably an Oliver. I looked at them, but they are like the Lance when it comes to options and much more money. They are couples rigs, and the better half of our couple can't stand a wet bath. Good luck, and pay attention to the details.

 

[Silveroddo]

Lots of good info and experience here, the biggest thing is, they are what they are, and you need some level of mechanical ability/handiness to really enjoy owning one, because if you have to take one in to get worked on for every little thing, you'll get frustrated quickly. Water kills them, 2x on the water issues. Don't be afraid of an older unit if its in good shape and everything works. We just got back from a 3500 mile trip cross country through the mountains with a '99 Jayco and never skipped a beat and were comfortable even when we got to 113 degrees out. I've owned 10-15 of them over the years from old bumper pulls to 36' triple slide Montana's and the 2 we've kept the longest are Jayco Eagle fifth wheels. Nothing amazing about them, but they are usually well designed and family friendly with decent build quality. The other 2 important things to note are matching them size wise with your current reliable tow vehicle, and never buy one your wife doesn't like if her participation is something that will affect your ability to use it. (Read that 2nd part again).

 

[Rob5589]

The info is great and much appreciated. But man, no brand sounds like it is quality unfortunately. Sounds like I will be putting my decades old mechanic skills back to work. Along with plumbing, electrical, mechanical, etc.

 

[Southforkguy]

Just going to add that almost all of these are manufactured in northern Indiana. I worked with some of these sales guys. And yes, they are a slimy sort of folk. And northern Indiana is a shit hole.

 

[riversidejeep]

My 2 cents. Over the last 35 years I've been through 6-7 bumper pulls and all had more than their share of problems with most being leak problems that rot out the roof , floor, etc. I finally got tired of repairing before every trip and went on the hunt for a GOOD trailer. I was originally going to find a used Airstream, strip it down and rebuild the interior. After consideration I hated the rounded corners as it eats all the storage but I loved the idea of the aluminum exterior as it shouldn't rattle apart . Then it was the fiberglass 2 piece Scamp / Casita. Hell ya! A full fiberglass clam shell that cant leak! But I was no way a single axle again. Then , Eureka, I found it! not the exact one but damn close, I wanted a 21' but could only find a 25'. Bigfoot, made in Canada, 4 season, full fiberglass clamshell with 2" ridged foam insulation, no interior framing. Almost nothing to rattle apart. 12 years of 2-5000 miles a year of towing all over the western U.S. forest service/ BLM. and no problems other than routine maintenance. I believe they still produce them and Oliver has the same design I believe.

 

[cnelk]

Here’s a Pro Tip

Inspect the wheel well trim for proper length.

I learned the hard way last
summer when I was replacing my tires. The back of my hand went up into the trim edge when I loosened the lug nuts.

Kinda looked like a Slick Trick entry hole. Lol

 

[Rob5589]

My 2 cents. Over the last 35 years I've been through 6-7 bumper pulls and all had more than their share of problems with most being leak problems that rot out the roof , floor, etc. I finally got tired of repairing before every trip and went on the hunt for a GOOD trailer. I was originally going to find a used Airstream, strip it down and rebuild the interior. After consideration I hated the rounded corners as it eats all the storage but I loved the idea of the aluminum exterior as it shouldn't rattle apart . Then it was the fiberglass 2 piece Scamp / Casita. Hell ya! A full fiberglass clam shell that cant leak! But I was no way a single axle again. Then , Eureka, I found it! not the exact one but damn close, I wanted a 21' but could only find a 25'. Bigfoot, made in Canada, 4 season, full fiberglass clamshell with 2" ridged foam insulation, no interior framing. Almost nothing to rattle apart. 12 years of 2-5000 miles a year of towing all over the western U.S. forest service/ BLM. and no problems other than routine maintenance. I believe they still produce them and Oliver has the same design I believe.

Sounds like the rv guys need to get together with the Flex Seal guy.

 

[Finch]

@Rob5589 Good luck with your search. My family of 4 along with our dog have been doing the pop up thing for a few years now. It's tight, sometimes a PITA to set up or take down, but I love this thing. I'm sure we'll upgrade sometime but this PUP holds a special place in my heart.

I'd say a lot of campers will be going up for sale once the pandemic blues wear off of people and they learn camping is not for them.

 

[Finch]

Coming back from our last trip we saw this funny sign. I want to put it on my spare tire cover.

 

[Spike elk]

Outside of Bozeman today I saw a newer camper and nice Toyota Tundra upside down in the middle median of the Interstate. Not sure what happened but the trailer looked way to long for a half ton. Be careful out there.

 

[Fatcamp]

Bunch of naysayers up in here. What we perceive is what we achieve.



That picture is from today. #southdakotastrong

 

[smokewrench]

My 2 cents. Over the last 35 years I've been through 6-7 bumper pulls and all had more than their share of problems with most being leak problems that rot out the roof , floor, etc. I finally got tired of repairing before every trip and went on the hunt for a GOOD trailer. I was originally going to find a used Airstream, strip it down and rebuild the interior. After consideration I hated the rounded corners as it eats all the storage but I loved the idea of the aluminum exterior as it shouldn't rattle apart . Then it was the fiberglass 2 piece Scamp / Casita. Hell ya! A full fiberglass clam shell that cant leak! But I was no way a single axle again. Then , Eureka, I found it! not the exact one but damn close, I wanted a 21' but could only find a 25'. Bigfoot, made in Canada, 4 season, full fiberglass clamshell with 2" ridged foam insulation, no interior framing. Almost nothing to rattle apart. 12 years of 2-5000 miles a year of towing all over the western U.S. forest service/ BLM. and no problems other than routine maintenance. I believe they still produce them and Oliver has the same design I believe.

Just watched an Oliver walk through. Impressive design and quality.

 

[smokewrench]

@Rob5589
Almost the big five o here as well. Bought a 2021 22' Cougar on my way to Elk camp last fall. If I had a "do-over" I wouldn't buy a Keystone.


Daughter showing me where she wants to hang her quiver

 

[Fatcamp]

Just watched an Oliver walk through. Impressive design and quality.

That has to be the worst website I've ever been on.

 

[Fatcamp]

LOL. So the little truck wasn't actually hooked up. Whoever has that site has an incredible sense of humor. I will say, the hygienist that works on my teeth told me earlier this summer they were in a campground that had a Tacoma with a fifth wheel plate. She and her husband are long time campers and the girl is no fool. Said 100% they were pulling a fifth wheel. That's next level for sure.

We drove around a couple huge long term campgrounds yesterday looking at stuff. We saw one Northwoods camper. An Arctic Fox 27. Just a cursory view from the road shows that to be a different vehicle for sure. It looks just like what we are after. We are 5 or six years out from travel nursing full time and moving our permanent residence to Wyoming. Probably upgrade to a 3500 if we go AF as those things are heavy. Glad for the conversation as those models get very little press, I'm sure due to not being part of the big groups in RV manufacturing.

 

[BadDogPSD]

We've owned a few different travel trailers & 5th wheels over the years including a Nash, Arctic Fox, and our current Desert Fox toyhauler. These are all made by Northwood Mfg. and have all been well made.

 

[sneaky]

It's pretty crazy to see what people tow with a 1500/half ton. Now that I have been researching and figuring out what is appropriate, huge numbers of towers are significantly overloaded.

My favourite thing to do right now is watch all the overloaded rigs come by the house. Some of them look like they're about to break in half. Getting up to speed isn't the problem, stopping them is

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