New potential hybrid owners in Ohio with Q's

[Lauramasek]

Hello

We are looking into purchasing a hybrid camper and would love any feedback or helpful hints! We are interested in a Surveyor 191t but are unable to locate one to look at it. Also we like the Apex 151rbx. Our biggest issue is finding a unit with a dry weight around 3000 pounds so we can tow it with our current vehicle. This is a new endeavor for us and we are quite clueless right now. If anyone has any info we would love to hear it!
Thanks
Laura

[Triguy]

Hi Laura and

You posted correctly for a warm welcome but I'll move this to the hybrid area for more exposure to other hybrid owners.

My first thought for you is that the SP-191t has a dry weight of 3,000lbs but will actually weigh much more once you add a few factory or dealer options plus your cargo, batteries, propane, and a little water. I would guess that this trailer will weigh in a range of 4,000-4,500lbs ready to camp.

So, first question is are you taking this into account? I know you listed dry weight but its easy to be surprised by how much more the trailer will weigh once loaded.

What is your tow vehicle and can you provide the towing specs for it such as tow cap and payload?

[ResQMoore]

Hybrid Travel Trailers are a great camper. My reason for going with a hybrid is that no space is wasted. I felt like I would have had to go with a much longer/heavier trailer had I gone with a standard travel trailer, mostly because because of the bed, to get the same interior space in the kitchen and living quarters. With the beds on the outside, with very little setup, the whole interior is great for hanging out, cooking/eating, playing games, etc.

My biggest advice is the following:
-Tow Weight: Just because your vehicle says you can tow X amount of pounds doesn't mean you can. Once you factor in gear, people, pets, etc that lowers your actual tow capacity. Make sure you have a safety factor built into your figures. Remember, your vehicle has to work a lot harder to drag all that weight up hills and if you max out your vehicle you are going to wear things/break things faster. (speaking for experience- towing a coleman Taos popup with a Volvo 850 wagon when we started camping. Blew a rear-end, clutch, and overheated a couple of times. Then bought a 2002 silverado and have stayed with the silverados)

-Dealer: Make sure you go to a reputable dealer, local to you, that will service you in an expedient way. Make sure you get a thorough walk-through (at least 1.5-2.5 hours) and make sure you understand all the operations of the trailer and also the backup systems.

Good luck in your search- Hybrids are great!

[bikendan]

you're asking a lot to find a hybrid TT that is that light.

what tow vehicle are you using and remember, "dry" weight is a fictional number that no trailer weighs. if your tow vehicle has that kind of limit, it probably has a frontal area limit mentioned in the owner's manual. if it's a minivan, any full-height trailer will exceed that.

my hybrid weighed 400lbs. over the "dry" weight, when it arrived from the factory. that's because "dry" weights don't normally include the weight of so-called "options". such as: oven, a/c, spare tire, microwave, awning and so on.
and that's not counting the weights of water and battery and propane and cargo.

[kingranch]

3 k limit would be all the lines of a popup/tent camper. With your TV I would be conspired with a full sized camper due to the wind resistance they have. Will it tow it yes move it it would. But safely I do not think so

[mhartzel]

My Apex 151RBX has a Gvwr of 3890. While this is roughly 20% under my Blazer's 5000# tow rating, once you add my hitch, family of 4, dog and other supplies I'm pushing the limits of my tow vehicle.