Newbie in Michigan

jecguila · 02-14-2013, 09:32 AM

Hello all,

We are first time trailer owner-wannabe's. So far our camping has been done in a tent. We have been thinking that getting a trailer would make us feel more secure. At least anything would make more noise getting into a hard-sided trailer than into a tent...

We haven't bought our trailer but have been looking and believe that we have settled on Forest River as a brand. We have been to a couple of trailer shows and have been able to compare Forest River trailers to others at the shows and they seem to be very well built in comparison.

So far we have been really impressed by the RPod and by the Cruise Lite line. We really liked the floorplan for the Cruise Lite 195BH, but I have spent some time Lurking on this and a couple other trailer forums and I think that it would be very easy to over think any trailer decision. There seems to be a lot of math involved (and I have never been great at math) with towing capacity.

We have a 2010 XTerra Offroad edition as a TV. We are trying to figure out what we can safely pull with this car (getting a larger one is not an option, as my husband is VERY attached to this car!!). Also, it's just the two of us, I don't believe that we actually carry much in the way of supplies, in the past we have always been limited by the amount of stuff we could cram into the back of the XTerra. It could be that when you get a trailer, it's like moving from an apartment into a house. There seems to be a vacuum and all that empty space will get filled up.

I am hoping that we can get some good advice from others on this forum.

TURBS · 02-14-2013, 09:39 AM

First of all hello and welcome to the forum!
it's great that you want to upgrade from a tent to a camper kudos to you.
Also it's great that you're trying to find out the capacity of your tv before you buy a trailer which is a common mistake made by a lot of people.
Someone will be around very soon and give you the specs on your xterra and available towing capacity.

Good luck and have fun.

Turbs

AVid · 02-14-2013, 10:21 AM

Welcome! Glad you're here.

According to the Trailer Life towing guide for 2010, the Xterra with the 4.0L V6 is rated for 5000 lbs.

John

jevanb · 02-14-2013, 10:25 AM

Welcome, we went tent camping with the boy scouts and I will never do that again, RV camping is so much better.. what part of mi you from?

**bikendan** · 02-14-2013, 11:10 AM

i think you'll need to look at the R-Pod.
the Salem has a fictional "dry" tongue weight of 403lbs.
loaded for camping, it'll exceed the X-terra's max tongue capacity.

second, why do you want a bunkhouse model when there's only two of you?
the bunks take up space that could be used for more room or more floorspace.

i understand your husband's love of the X-terra. i really wanted one when we were shopping for a tow vehicle. but it's high center of gravity and low tow capacity for the trailer we wanted, eliminated it from the list.
still wish i had one though.

jecguila · 02-14-2013, 01:55 PM

We are from the SW portion of Michigan near Kalamazoo. We generally camp in the UP at some of the forest campgrounds.

As to why the bunkhouse. Truthfully, my first impression on seeing that was Wow, that would be a convenient place to set a duffel bag full of clothes. It would be convenient, but still out of the way. That's really the only reason.

My concern with the R-Pod is very little storage and most of the models have slide-outs. We don't generally camp where there is an electric hookup, so my main concern would be moving the slide in and out. Also some of the sites may not be large enough for the slideout? My other concern is with the maintenance involved with the slide out. The size of the camping spots would also probably rule out any trailer larger than the RPod before hauling the thing came into any sort of consideration.

Our main lists of wants for a trailer are 1. Bed (two person bed - doesn't have to be a queen) that is always a bed and never a table 2. A table or dinette.

Are there any other good options for a small hard sided trailer that is sturdily built?

Wiscampsin · 02-14-2013, 03:06 PM

Welcome to the forum!!

BillyBass · 02-14-2013, 03:52 PM

Welcome to the forum Jecquila.Trailers is a lot less work once you get it set up the way you want it. No more sleeping on the ground I bought a 21'Micro Lite made by Fr and we like it.It GVW is 4750 .Its just me and my wife that goes.I pull it with a Ford Explorer and it was a 6 cyc. I believe the battery will take care of your slide out .My trailer has a lot of storage,cabinet and counter space that is why we bought it. If that is what you are looking for .I have picture of it if you want to look at it on the site

Crusader · 02-14-2013, 04:20 PM

[QUOTE=jecguila;307078]We are from the SW portion of Michigan near Kalamazoo. We generally camp in the UP at some of the forest campgrounds.

Were on the east side of the state......Love Grand Haven State Park !!! Camp there every year for five days ( Coast Guard Festival )..............

kc8lvy · 02-14-2013, 06:46 PM

Hello Neighbor,
We are just south of Battle Creek,Mi

Welcome to the Forum.
Their is a big selection of campers so look for whats suits you best.
Good Luck

jecguila · 02-15-2013, 07:55 AM

Thank you all for all your kind words and welcome! I look forward to learning more about trailers from all of you

libslowmo1 · 02-15-2013, 07:41 PM

My wife Cindy initially liked the 195BH but we ended up purchasing the 185RB. Have you thought about or seen this model. It has a queen bed that allows a person to get in and out of it without having to crawl over the other plus it is a fulltime bed, has a nice size dinette, a dry bath, and some adequate storage. The advertised ship weight is 2881 and hitch weight is 328.

jecguila · 02-16-2013, 07:25 AM

Thanks for the suggestion and no we haven't yet seen that floor plan. We are going today to check out the other models of cruise lite, although I am a little worried from what I have read on here that most of them will be too long for our tow vehicle.

libslowmo1 · 02-16-2013, 09:31 AM

Since our Jeep Grand Cherokee owners manual identified 20ft length, we were also limited. That was an additional reason for our 185RB purchase, it came in at 19'10". I know it is not much and I pressed the upper limit but it seemed to do fine so far. But, so far has not been any real mileage or tow time to speak of. Cindy and I felt comfortable pulling it though.

**bikendan** · 02-16-2013, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jecguila

although I am a little worried from what I have read on here that most of them will be too long for our tow vehicle.

the biggest problem with tow vehicles that have a 5000lbs. tow capacity, is actual tongue weight of the trailer.
second, especially for a short wheelbase/high center of gravity vehicle, like the X-terra, is trailer length.

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