Looking at a Wildwood XLite 26BH...thoughts?

[lisanix]

My husband and I just bought a Chevy Traverse with a towing capacity for 5200lbs. Our current trailer is too big, so we are down-sizing. He found the Wildwood XLite 26BH that weighs 4050 dry and GVW at 5400 (a couple hundred over our towing capacity, so we figured we'll just be careful).
Here are a couple of questions I have:
Honestly, how much weight does the average 5 person family pack? AND...does anyone have one of these trailers and have any opinions they'd like to share? Just looking at it, I'm concerned with the small amount of closet space (and no drawers) and general lack of storage throughout. Am I just being picky? Again, I realize we are downsizing, so perhaps this is what I'm going to have to get used to, but if someone has another trailer they'd recommend, I'd love to hear about it BEFORE we purchase. Thanks in advance for any advice.
I posted this on another forum...I think it fits here better, I hope!

[rracer5]

Not to be bias but, check out Prime Time Manufacturing, Manufacturers of travel trailers and fifth wheels and their 235BH. It weighs about the same as the 26BH but the bath is completely enclosed (no bathroom sink next to the fridge as in the 26BH). Although I like the couch in the 26BH alot. Also, Prime Time's customer service is the best. Forum member "RVGuy" is the president of the company and is readily available to answer your questions. Check out the "Prime Time" section on this forum and review the customer raves.
Prime Time Manufacturing, Manufacturers of travel trailers and fifth wheels

Good luck and happy camping.

[bikendan]

i hate to tell you but you should have asked on the forum, before buying the Traverse.
that's a poor choice for towing a 28'+ TT.

the 26BH will weigh close to 4500lbs., on the dealer's lot.
because manufacturers' don't include the weight of things that all trailers' have, in the "dry" weight, which is a fantasy number.
my HTT weighed 400lbs. over its "dry" weight. this was for the weight of things like: spare tire, oven, a/c, awning, water filter and so on. pretty normal stuff.
you also have to subtract the weight of anything over a 150lb. driver, that is in the tow vehicle.
so, say Mom weighs 150lbs, Dad weighs 200lbs. and the 3 kids total 300lbs.
now the Traverse can only tow 4700lbs. and that's without any cargo in the car. and the trailer will already weigh 4500lbs. before you add propane, water and cargo.
the Traverse will be easily over its tow capacity.

and i really can't believe you plan to to a 28'+ trailer with a mid-sized SUV. i would never risk my family pulling such a long trailer with a short wheelbase car designed for carrying passengers and not for towing.
you really should be towing that size of a trailer with a full-size SUV/truck with a v-8, like a Suburban or Expedition.
IMHO, you need to be looking at a trailer under 21' and with a "dry" weight of 3500lbs.
i'm sorry for sounding harsh but what you've chosen is way too big for the Traverse.

[Terier]

Sorry but with the little I do know I also have concerns about being to tow safely your intended trailer choice with the Traverse. The more I read the more I know that dry weights are of no value other than ruling out a trailer from the get-go. A lesson I also learned after the fact.

"IMHO, you need to be looking at a trailer under 21' and with a "dry" weight of 3500lbs."

Are you sure that will be in the good range? My TT dry weight is within that range and it was suggested that I get something that is rated slightly higher than 8000 lbs. I live on the west coast and would like to go to mountains and Grand Canyon.

There are so many factors to consider I had a hard time understanding at first.

[bikendan]

Terier, with a "dry" weight of 3500lbs., most TT's of that size will have a GVWR well within the 5200lbs. tow max of the Traverse.
it should still weigh under 4000lbs. on the lot.
i was talking the max they should be looking at.
i'm actually more concerned with a Traverse pulling a nearly 29' TT, along with the fact that that trailer will be over its tow max.

you point about living out west is well taken. we had the same concerns, since we often travel through the Sierras, Cascades and Siskiyous and needed to factor that into the weight of the truck/trailer we would buy.
we love our current combo. the HTT weighs, loaded, a little over 5000lbs. and our Avy has a tow max of 7200lbs.
so, we have a ton of extra capacity and it's a good thing because of where we live.
we wouldn't want to tow anything bigger with it.

[Terier]

I have a couple of years before I can upgrade to my own tow vehicle. In the meantime I've learning what I need from posts on this site. You guys are great in sharing your knowledge and helping guilde others here on the site.
Thanks!

[prof_fate]

You need several numbers:

vehicle curb weight and GVWR
GCWR rating for the tow vehicle
Trailer dry weight
tounge weight

2011 Chevy Traverse Crossover Specs and Features | Chevrolet says curb weight is 5066 across the board. That is a lie. Options can change that by up to 400 lbs. Now chevy itself isn't showing tow ratings, GVWR or such for that vehicle - that says something right there IMO.
This site HowStuffWorks "Chevrolet GVWR" says GVWR is 6411 - so you have a load capicity of 1350lbs for all your passengers, gas, food, clothing, etc.

I know myself, wife, 2 younger kids and the dog add to 700lbs, and a tank of gas will be 200 more. That leaves 450 for hitch and tongue wt. 2011 WILDWOOD XLITE 26BH (26 BH): Forest River Travel Trailers Sale has a trailer like yours at 3881 lbs dry, which will go up a bit, and add 120 lbs for battery/propane - say, 4000 (without any cargo like food, bedding, dishes, etc). 10-15% of that has to be tounge weight for safe towing, plus say 60lbs for the WB/sway of the hitch - 660 lbs more on the TV. But now you've overloaded the TV!

What's the GCWR for your trucks? HowStuffWorks "Chevrolet GCWR" says 9500 lbs.

Now your truck weighs 5066 w/o passengers and the trailer 4,000 w/o cargo. That's 9100. Add in gas/batt/propane/hitch (~380lbs) and you're a about 9500lbs. As long as you're willing to run along side carrying all your food and clothing you should be good.

I feel your pain. Trust me! We were originally looking for something like a Roo 23' and ended with a gray wolf 28' w/ a slide (slides add ~400lbs). Yep, there was a sticking on the wall by the door that said 'small suv towable' (trailer weight is 5465). Hmm...what small SUV? Technically an explorer can tow 7000. We ended up with an F150-based expedition and it can tow 8100lbs. And we'll be right at our max GCWR of 12,500 according to my calculations.

and that's ignoring lots of advice here about trailer length and wind of passing trucks and how a longer wb tv is important for safety.

If you run at or over your limits it may not be safe and will certainly cause more wear and tear on your TV.

[flyrotor]

How much a family packs will vary greatly, depending on your camping style, (i.e. backpackers can go for a couple of weeks with much less than #100) the issue begins with the dry weight of 4050, usually without any extras including your propane tanks and propane, water, batteries, you get the picture. Anything extra adds weight. You can estimate 500-700 pounds before you ever start loading personal items.

As you state your are downsizing, you probably already have an idea of what you take camping.

I personally would opt to a trailer that was well under your tow capacity, I too think the trailer length compared to your Traverse is a bit too long.

I don't profess to know all the numbers nor will I say don't do it, just be sure you want to push your limits above the max.

The tow capacity of 5200# takes into account one thing only, that is the weight, when you put a large wind breaker behind your truck, the truck only knows resistance, not weight, therefore it may seem like 7500 pounds of resistance. Even a large kite generates a lot of pull on a medium adult when the wind picks up.

Be cautious. Look around a bit more before making a decision, and first and foremost don't trust the RV dealer that says your truck will pull it just fine.

p.s I too looked at that model when purchasing, at the time I had a Suburban 1/2 ton and felt it was too heavy for me, I purchased a smaller trailer (WW 23BHLE) and still ended up trading off the Suburban because I felt it was too hard on the transmission even with an aftermarket transmission cooler.

[lisanix]

Thanks Everyone...we didn't purchase the trailer after all. Too many concerns (and I didn't think it was truly a good match for my family's needs). Went with a used Dutchmen. Picking it up on Wednesday. Woowhooo!!! Can't wait to get out there and start camping!

[bikendan]

Congrats on the new-to-you family toy!

give us some feedback on the Traverse as a tow vehicle.
haven't seen any Traverse owners give feedback on using to tow a full-height TT.

[Terier]

Congrats on the new-to-you trailer! Do you have any outings planned yet? We love pictures here so feel free to share.

[sidney12345]

Just bought one of the 2012 Wildwood XLite 26BHXL. Towing it with a Ford explorer with V8 engine with towning capacity of 7100lbs. Havent towed it yet anyone see any problems with that? Dry 4050lbs