Travel Trailers?

[eldirector]

Many moons ago, my wife and I enjoyed tent camping. I'm a somewhat outdoorsey person, and even though she really isn't, we had a great time. The tent was fine, but just became too much like "work" over the years.

Over the last couple of years I've planted the seed again, hoping we can start taking our daughter on weekend trips. Well, it must have taken, because my wife is now really interested in picking up a camper of some sort. Time to strike while the iron is hot!

I'm a real n00b to the whole camper/RV/Trailer scene. Done tons of research and reading, but its a while 'nother world. So, I come to the great, all-knowing, collective INGO brain for advice!

What I think I want:
- Sleeps the 3 of us comfortably (Queen bed? Maybe a bunk for the kiddo?). Not really interested in folding down a sofa or table for another bed.
- Full bathroom (the whole reason my wife wants a camper).
- Pretty self-contained for a long weekend. Fridge, stove, microwave (?), and sink. LOTS of water would be nice, since we may over-night without hook-ups.
- Good use of space and compact. The smallest unit that has everything we want (I don't want to pull a house).
- The truck has a max. trailer capacity of 14,000#. I'm thinking no more than half of that. I'd like to stay under 30', or even 25'.
- Fifth wheel or "bumper" pull? Both have pros and cons. I'm leaning towards a 5th. You seem to get a lot more space with the bed over the hitch. Should tow nicely, too. I've got the wiring pigtail for a 5th, but would need a hitch.
- Definitely buying used. These things depreciate like mad. No way I'm taking the hit. Be paying cash, too. No financing of toys. So, price is set at $10K and below.

So, what do I REALLY want? For those of you with campers, what features do I NEED and what is a waste of money? Any manufacturers to look at or avoid? Other than Craigslist, where are the best deals?

We are going to hit a couple of the big retailers, just to get some ideas and walk through a bunch.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Head down to Camping World in Greenwood... Walk through their lot to see what all they have available.

Wait until fall/winter/off season to buy.

Just like buying a firearm or a car, it's subjective.

Go out and walk the sales lots!

 

[patricktjms]

what truck to you have? Fifth wheels are nice, especially now that B&W has the hitch that will go in and out with the pin. We had a 21 foot normal hitch camper and it was a touch small for wife, me, child and dog but it had everything we wanted and then some. we used to pull it with a crew cab S-10 and it was "ok". Look at some of the newer aluminum frame campers. lighter for the same size. I agree, go somewhere that has a good selection and walk through a bunch of them to see what floor plans you like. For what its worth, we bought ours new at Modern in New Castle for right at 10k. I think it was a Hornet 21.

 

[eldirector]

what truck to you have?.

I have a 2009 GMC 3/4 ton diesel crewcab (6 1/2' bed). I know I'll have to watch the distance between the front of a 5th and the cab, with the shorter bed. I think they make hitch extensions, too, if it comes to that.

 

[kludge]

Is the Jeep in the picture or no?

I would think that a truck camper would work great for you if your truck has the weight capacity to put on the camper and tow the Jeep at the same time. But most times you're kind of stuck putting the table down to make it into a bed. And a "full bathroom" is kind of a stretch in a truck camper - shower and potty are the same stall.

But for a bumper pull you shouldn't need 25-30 feet to get what you want.

There's a Scamp 19ft 5th wheel that has a loft queen bed and a couch/bunk that means you don't have to covert the kitchen table. The bathroom/shower is tight, shower and potty are the same stall again, but...

It's $13-$16k new. That's the smallest/most compact thing I know of that gives you everything you want. A 19'-20' bumper-pull will technically give you more "space", but the 5th wheel gives you a shorter overall length... and you'll still have a good amount of space to haul gear in your truck bed.

 

[eldirector]

Man, that Scamp is SMALL!

I think we've shot down the slide-in for the truck. With the shortbed, there just isn't one that gives us the room we want. I'm not much in the mood to take it on/off, either. I'd like to be able to leave the camper parked and drive the truck around, too.

Don't tell my wife, but I've got this crazy idea I may tow the Jeep behind the camper at some point (flat-tow, or a super-short trailer).

Here is a sample of a 5th I've started to really like, at least the floor-plan.
KZ Recreational Vehicles: Sportsmen® S245BH

or a similar tag:
KZ Recreational Vehicles: Sportsmen® S231BHS

 

[Boiled Owl]

I'll chime in:
We went from an Aerolite 7'6" wide and 21' long. Dinette convert to bed. Two bunks. Was way too small. Converting bed was a pain, usually left bed set up and ate outside.

Then we bought a 38' toy hauler fifth wheel. Now I'm a semi going down the road. Great when we get there, if we can fit into the spot. But really too large. 5th wheel pulls good, but you have the hardware in the bed.

DON'T BUY THE SUPERGLIDE HITCH! **** poor design. (mine broke in Minot ND) If your trailer is light, a set forward pin will keep the trailer off the cab.

Somewhere between is the ideal. I'm thinking 24 to 28' toyhauler (ability to take something along, bike, quad, golf cart) and not a fifth wheel. Queen Bed upfront. Convertible sleeping and dining in rear.

 

[Hal42]

If you're willing to make the trip, it'd be worth checking out Cunningham Campers in Jeffersonville, IN. Home | Cunningham Campers

 

[nighthawk80]

The RV boat and travel show (or whatever its called) usually comes to the state fairgrounds. they have alot of campers you can check out.
There is also a nice size Camper store right off of Emerson and 465 on the southside. They have alot of the smaller campers there.

 

[IndyDave1776]

You may want to consider a used Airstream. They are a quality unit and aside from buying brand new, the value never seems to drop provided that they are maintained. Grandparents used to have one, as did the neighbors. Good reviews all around, in addition to great resale.

Here is a starting point:

Airstream Forums

 

[kludge]

Don't tell my wife, but I've got this crazy idea I may tow the Jeep behind the camper at some point (flat-tow, or a super-short trailer).

Remind my to stay in front of you. Flat tow 37"s?

Here is a sample of a 5th I've started to really like, at least the floor-plan.
KZ Recreational Vehicles: Sportsmen® S245BH

or a similar tag:
KZ Recreational Vehicles: Sportsmen® S231BHS

Not bad. They come without the slide out? I like the floor plan of the 5th wheel better... I don't see a reason for another door, you get a bigger bunk and another closet.

What about a car hauler built out in the front with a bed/bath, RV door, AC and throw down a cot for your daughter?

Car Hauler Living Quarters | Featherlite

Will a enclosed car hauler even fit a jeep with full-widths? I've seen a few pictured with a flat bed on the back and 5th wheel in the front.

 

[eldirector]

I'd love to drop a 20' (behind the hitch) 5th on the front of a 35' gooseneck trailer. But, now we are talking about REAL money, and a super-long trailer. Would probably be over-weight for my truck, too. Maybe one day, but not this day...

Car haulers with living quarters are out of budget, too. And you are right on the width AND height, for my Jeep in the back.

So, we are sticking with a reasonable camper. My wife is still excited by the idea, so we might go browse some this weekend.

 

[kludge]

Like you need another project, but you could always go full on redneck and and half-cab a school bus and flatbed the back end. Your wife would love it!

And it would look so nice parked in the driveway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=lr4jKevcm-M

 

[6mm Shoot]

The wife and I started with a 22' travel trailer. I had to go out west and work and she went with me. There wasn't enough room.

She had no place to do her things. I was working all day and had the truck so she was stuck there doing nothing most days. We now have a 32' travel trailer and it has a room that she has set up for her sewing and such. Now we have plenty room.

It is only 1000 pounds more in weight and we love it. It has two push outs that make it very roomy. We really enjoy it. It would have been so much nicer if we had it when we went out west.

It is my understanding that with a fifth wheel you need a truck with duel wheels. If you have a flat on the truck with out duel wheels you can roll the hole rig over. That is what I have been told. I pull a trailer and have never used a fifth wheel so I really don't know. I do know that there are half ton trucks pulling fifth wheels that could never pull the same weight with a trailer.

Good luck with what ever you decide. We have had some great times with ours.

 

[karl77]

dual wheels make the rig more stable in a cross wind (and a margin of safety for a blown tire).

Should you desire to sometime tow a jeep behind a trailer, you MUST have a 5th wheel and limited to 1900pds on 2nd trailer (most tow a boat) and limited by the routes traveled to triple trailer use (not allowed in a lot of places other than IN toll road)

 

[Jeepers]

We went through this ten years ago and tried a smaller TT as our first one before settling on a 26.7 with a slide. It is a nice size for the two of us and yet not to big to get around in. Buying used is fine but try to stick with more well known brands as there is a difference in quality. Just make sure you look them over real good.

 

[eldirector]

Well, I won't be upgrading my (relatively new) truck to a dually any time soon, that's for sure! If I was looking at something on the larger end of the spectrum, I would certainly understand the need for duals. As it is, I tow about 6500# (My pig of a Jeep on a trailer) routinely, and my truck hardly knows it is there. The trailers I'm interested in aren't any heavier.

We visited Prophetstown State Park over the weekend, and took a walk though their campgrounds to "browse". We seem to gravitate to the 5ths, with an overall size of 20-25'. Everything else seems either way too long, or uncomfortably small.

I'm wondering... are there any features that are "must haves"? It seems you can add thousands of dollars to the price with bells and whistles. Is anything worth the cost, or do the "base" models have pretty much everything you need?

One day, THIS is what I'd like to have. More of a retirement thing, though: