Considering a change

[beyond-there]

I bought a Flagstaff T12RB (hard-side popup) last September and I quickly learned on the one and only time we camped in it that it very very small even for two adults. So I am at the dealership in Bath NY looking at one of the Shamrock models, however my 2010 Subaru Forester only has a towing capacity of 2400 lbs. Needless to say I was disappointed to learn that my vehicle had such limitations and that I would not be able to purchase a larger unit.
Can anyone suggest a good towing vehicle that does not have to stop at ever fueling station? Thinking about a Chevy Suburban, but I haven't researched them yet, maybe a club cab? We are middle age couple that love our dog who comes along with us where ever we go. Something else worth mentioning is I am a full time student that commutes 80 miles to class and back so millage is a huge consideration.

[Triguy]

What size hybrid are you considering? The smallest Shamrock 17 hybrid is going to need something in the 4,000lb plus range. Then they go up from there in size with slideouts and 3 bunks being the largest.

Do you know which one you want?

Suburbans are fairly large for two people and a dog IMHO. Are you looking just at an SUV or would a pickup work? Personally, if it were just me and my DW and our golden, I would probably buy one of the new Ford Ecoboost pickups.

[beyond-there]

Originally Posted by Triguy

What size hybrid are you considering? The smallest Shamrock 17 hybrid is going to need something in the 4,000lb plus range. Then they go up from there in size with slideouts and 3 bunks being the largest.

Do you know which one you want?

Suburbans are fairly large for two people and a dog IMHO. Are you looking just at an SUV or would a pickup work? Personally, if it were just me and my DW and our golden, I would probably buy one of the new Ford Ecoboost pickups.

I'm not sure which one I looked at except it was shorter than the others were with a front and rear slid-out sleeping compartments. The price of it was $16000.00

[Twisty]

Many options...
I had a 2006 Ford Ranger 4x4 V6 Auto SuperCab that had a 5800 lb tow rating.
We carried 2 adults - 2 dogs.
12 to 14 city 18 to 19.98 hwy. Never broke 20 mpg with it.
It is a body on frame truck. You could get one cheap.

Now - 2011 F150 XLT 4x4 5.0 V8 Auto Supercrew cab 7700 lb tow rating.
12 to 14 city 19 to 22 hwy.
A Supercrew XL 2wd, you could get a brand new one cheap.

[ependydad]

Ditto to what Scott said- I think the new ecoboost engines will give you a nice towing capacity and the gas mileage you desire!

[bodzcampers]

I love the Suburbans. Classy Truck! After having a pop-up are you sure you want a hybrid with tent beds still? Not saying anything negative about them, just saying be sure.

[Wiscampsin]

As long as your looking at a new TV might as well get one that will tow more than the Shamrock. Camper upgraditis comes on quickly as you are discovering.

[Triguy]

Originally Posted by beyond-there

I'm not sure which one I looked at except it was shorter than the others were with a front and rear slid-out sleeping compartments. The price of it was $16000.00

Got it!

Its probably the 17, which as you can see below has two bunks and is their shortest unit.

Its GVWR (heaviest it is rated to weigh loaded) is ~3,800lbs. If you loaded to that extent, then I think any SUV or truck at 5,000lbs towing capacity and 1,000 lbs payload would be good for you. This would actually provide you some cushion, but not so much that its a gas guzzler.

Consider that Ecoboost if a pickup is your thing. Its reported to have some nice mpg ratings along with a fair amount of power. Otherwise, you have plenty of SUVs in that range, too. Just don't follow my lead. I tow with a Sequoia because of my family of 5 and a dog. I definitely would not recommend it if good gas mileage is key. Works well for me, but it can get thirsty.

[beyond-there]

Originally Posted by bodzcampers

I love the Suburbans. Classy Truck! After having a pop-up are you sure you want a hybrid with tent beds still? Not saying anything negative about them, just saying be sure.

The Shamrock was the first I have looked, does anyone know much about the the Micro? I'm not sure who manufacturer's it. My goal at this time is not to get an RV that is overly big or costly.

[beyond-there]

Originally Posted by Triguy

Got it!

Its probably the 17, which as you can see below has two bunks and is their shortest unit.

Its GVWR (heaviest it is rated to weigh loaded) is ~3,800lbs. If you loaded to that extent, then I think any SUV or truck at 5,000lbs towing capacity and 1,000 lbs payload would be good for you. This would actually provide you some cushion, but not so much that its a gas guzzler.

Consider that Ecoboost if a pickup is your thing. Its reported to have some nice mpg ratings along with a fair amount of power. Otherwise, you have plenty of SUVs in that range, too. Just don't follow my lead. I tow with a Sequoia because of my family of 5 and a dog. I definitely would not recommend it if good gas mileage is key. Works well for me, but it can get thirsty.

I like the Ecoboost and the price is more attractive than other pickup's I have looked at. I'm certainly going to give it careful thought when I'm ready to trade in my Subaru

[Triguy]

Micro Lite is also made by Flagstaff and is in the same brochure as the Shamrock. Rockwood makes the exact same trailers in the Mini Lite and the Roo.

[bikendan]

here's what i learned when i was shopping:

Decide what type and model trailer you want, first. then buy the vehicle to tow the one you want.

asking about what tow vehicle you want, before you've even decided whether you want a hybrid TT or a regular TT not which floorplan you want, is kinda backwards.

my first question: do you want to sleep under canvas and if so, are you willing to put up with the few negatives that come along with that?
most hybrid owners are former popup owners and LOVE sleeping under canvas. we are willing to deal with the occasional wet canvas or the occasional noisy neighbor, to continue sleeping on "a floating tent bed".
we owned two popups before buying our hybrid, in our 50's. we still love it and wished we'd bought a hybrid sooner.

since you bought an A-frame trailer, instead of a popup, i'm assuming you didn't want to deal with canvas cause a popup would've have given you way more room in the same length trailer. or you had other concerns that moved you to choose a trailer with more limitations than a popup would have.

second question: with only the two of you and a dog, why are you considering buying a Suburban. unless you plan on adding people to your camping trips, a Burb is overkill. you don't need that big of a vehicle, a Tahoe would be perfect.
it has a v-8 and will tow any current hybrid, properly equipped. it can get 21mpg on the highway and plenty room for the two of you and your dog.

it's much simpler to go out and look at all the trailers you can. sit in them, poke around in them, open every door and cabinet, even stand in the shower and sit on the toilet. get a feel for which brand has the best quality and fit/finish in YOUR opinion, not others.

get a feeling of what feels right for the two of you. once you find the right floorplan, get a tow vehicle that can easily tow it, so you don't have to count every ounce of weight.

i wonder if you did this before buying your A-frame. for us, we would have quickly decided that it wasn't enough room, but we had camped in popups for 17 years and knew the limitations of popup camping were.

[mhartzel]

Tossing my 2 cents in the ring.
Last year we bought a coachmen apex 151RBX hybrid. Gvwr is 3890.
A pulled it with a 1999 Chevy Blazer with our family of four and the dog.

We did just fine with it.

Unloaded, my wife gets 18 mpg on the highway.

We're considering selling it too, however I live in Michigan

[beyond-there]

Originally Posted by bikendan

here's what i learned when i was shopping:

Decide what type and model trailer you want, first. then buy the vehicle to tow the one you want.

asking about what tow vehicle you want, before you've even decided whether you want a hybrid TT or a regular TT not which floorplan you want, is kinda backwards.

my first question: do you want to sleep under canvas and if so, are you willing to put up with the few negatives that come along with that?
most hybrid owners are former popup owners and LOVE sleeping under canvas. we are willing to deal with the occasional wet canvas or the occasional noisy neighbor, to continue sleeping on "a floating tent bed".
we owned two popups before buying our hybrid, in our 50's. we still love it and wished we'd bought a hybrid sooner.

since you bought an A-frame trailer, instead of a popup, i'm assuming you didn't want to deal with canvas cause a popup would've have given you way more room in the same length trailer. or you had other concerns that moved you to choose a trailer with more limitations than a popup would have.

second question: with only the two of you and a dog, why are you considering buying a Suburban. unless you plan on adding people to your camping trips, a Burb is overkill. you don't need that big of a vehicle, a Tahoe would be perfect.
it has a v-8 and will tow any current hybrid, properly equipped. it can get 21mpg on the highway and plenty room for the two of you and your dog.

it's much simpler to go out and look at all the trailers you can. sit in them, poke around in them, open every door and cabinet, even stand in the shower and sit on the toilet. get a feel for which brand has the best quality and fit/finish in YOUR opinion, not others.

get a feeling of what feels right for the two of you. once you find the right floorplan, get a tow vehicle that can easily tow it, so you don't have to count every ounce of weight.

i wonder if you did this before buying your A-frame. for us, we would have quickly decided that it wasn't enough room, but we had camped in popups for 17 years and knew the limitations of popup camping were.

Thanks, I agree and the A-frame was our first tow camper and I learned the first time out that it was too small. I am just beginning to look into other trailer styles and features to replace my unit. I have learned as you said, it is better to choose the RV first before purchasing the tow vehicle

[KMP44]

Originally Posted by beyond-there

I bought a Flagstaff T12RB (hard-side popup) last September and I quickly learned on the one and only time we camped in it that it very very small even for two adults. So I am at the dealership in Bath NY looking at one of the Shamrock models, however my 2010 Subaru Forester only has a towing capacity of 2400 lbs. Needless to say I was disappointed to learn that my vehicle had such limitations and that I would not be able to purchase a larger unit.
Can anyone suggest a good towing vehicle that does not have to stop at ever fueling station? Thinking about a Chevy Suburban, but I haven't researched them yet, maybe a club cab? We are middle age couple that love our dog who comes along with us where ever we go. Something else worth mentioning is I am a full time student that commutes 80 miles to class and back so millage is a huge consideration.

Small world - we live in Cortland as well. With a 2,400lb tow rating, my first thought would be look into a pop-up. You may well find something with more space that you like and avoid having to trade up to a bigger tow vehicle. We had a pop-up for 13 years, before going to a the expandable this year. We loved the pup, but had our eye on something bigger for a while. But, we were limited by the old tow vehicle. I traded my 60 mile round trip commute for a 15 mile round trip, and that made it a little easier to justify a 1/2 ton pickup and the steep drop in mgp. A 1/2 ton pickup or large SUV like a Tahoe gives you a ton of options for TT's, but there is a big difference in mileage. The new Eco-boost from Ford looks really good, and GM has or will have a V8 with similar mileage, but with your long daily trip (12 months a year) even a small drop could be an expensive trade-off for the towing benefit you get in our far too short camping season.

I think the previous posts nailed it - find the camper, then match it to the right tow vehicle. Too late for the spring RV shows where you can see dozens of choices at once, but you could hit up the fall shows, or hit a few dealer lots. We bought ours from SevenO's and were very happy. I also really like the guys at Oliver's Campers in Norwich. They carry several ultra-lights, including the Shadow Cruisers which looked like a really nice unit.