Think we did the wrong thing - any advice?

[LyndaB]

We bought a 2010 Forest River T25KS. It's fabulous, everything we ever wished for - comfort, space, layout etc etc - however, I can't see us using it as much as we had planned and as there are only 2 of us (we thought parents would join us, but they don't) the extra space and luxury is overkill.

We don't want to make another mistake, but are thinking we should have bought something much smaller. We have an F150 (2010, so it pulls plenty) but we can't have anything heavy on the truckbed, so it would be a very small truckbed camper - are these too much of a compromise? Would we be better off looking at something like an rPod?

Any advice would be most welcome. Are there any particular 'compact campers' which should be avoided? What are the pitfalls of truck bed campers - and what is a must-have that all you seasoned campers advise that we should have?

We have quite a big boat, so the option of towing plus truckbed camper will never happen - and it isn't something we are bothered about doing, as we can boat camp if we want to use the boat.

Literally we want something less bulky which we can use for weekends and the occasional longer trip, but we don't need anything as big and luxurious as what we bought!!

[caper]

I would not get a truck bed camper. Had one PITA to put on and take off. We had a 8 foot that the roof pop up. Also had a full height had a lot of sway because it was top heavy. If you only want a TT for weekends and the occasional trip I would look at a 23 or 24 ft TT. If you do get you do get a smaller trailer get one with two axles because it will tow better.

[LyndaB]

Originally Posted by caper

I would not get a truck bed camper. Had one PITA to put on and take off. We had a 8 foot that the roof pop up. Also had a full height had a lot of sway because it was top heavy. If you only want a TT for weekends and the occasional trip I would look at a 23 or 24 ft TT. If you do get you do get a smaller trailer get one with two axles because it will tow better.

Thanks Caper - we thought that those Truck Bed campers looked a little top heavy - certainly the narrower ones which fit on the smaller F150s.

I am a total newbie with camping - by TT do you mean a travel trailer? The Forest River we have is a 25ft (I think) and it's way too big for 2 of us. Are the rPods any good? Or is there something better which is smaller and similar to an rPod?

We seem to spend most of our time sat outside around the fire pit - don't need the sofas and space of the camper we have now - plus the fact I would never tow something that big! Hubby has to tow it, but I'd tow something smaller.

[MtnGuy]

My 2006 F150 stated that slide in truck campers should not be used. There is just not enough GVWR for that kinda weight.

[LyndaB]

Originally Posted by mtnguy

My 2006 F150 stated that slide in truck campers should not be used. There is just not enough GVWR for that kinda weight.

Our 2010 F150 is capable of towing 11000 lbs.

We don't have an issue there, the truck is excellent towing the T25KS - I just think we bought a camper way bigger than we needed (thanks parents!...) and would be better to downsize, as it's just 2 of us. Or did you mean the weight which the truck bed can hold? (excuse my ignorance, we only started camping this year )

We just don't want to get it wrong and buy something which we will regret - hence the questions.

Does anybody have any comments about the rPod's (or similar?) They are made by Forest River, so assume they are fairly well buit?

[lbrjet]

Your tow rating is meaningless for a slide in truck camper. It's the payload that's important and they are not recommended for a half ton pickup.

A 25ft trailer is not that large. Especially when it's raining and you are inside for a couple days.

Take your time with this decision. You already have the truck and trailer so what's the rush?

On edit - I looked up your trailer and it appears you have a 29 ft trailer, not 25ft.

[LyndaB]

Originally Posted by lbrjet

Your tow rating is meaningless for a slide in truck camper. It's the payload that's important and they are not recommended for a half ton pickup.

A 25ft trailer is not that large. Especially when it's raining and you are inside for a couple days.

Take your time with this decision. You already have the truck and trailer so what's the rush?

On edit - I looked up your trailer and it appears you have a 29 ft trailer, not 25ft.

And I was thinking it's just because I'm English the trailer seems huge, (even an rPod would seem big in England!!) I feel slightly redeemed in knowing it's bigger than I said - although there's no excuse for not actually knowing!

We live in BC - and our camping trips consist of weekends at the Shuswap or Wells Grey. When we bought the camper, we thought we would do longer trips with parents, but that's not going to happen.

Anyway with that in mind, we have got something way too big for what we use it for. I'm in no rush to sell, but do want to get it right this time.

[House97]

My wife and I spent a long time shopping for our first camper, and we were frozen with indecision. What ultimately worked for us was creating a list of every feature we could think of, and then rank them from gotta have to couldn't care less. We tried to imagine not just how we thought we would use the camper (like saying we don't need a couch because we spend all our time outside) but also how we might end up actually using the camper (couches are nice when the unexpected monsoon hits). We actually wound up with a larger camper than I thought we would, but it's the one that hit all the must haves and most of the like to haves while being within our price range.
You already have a camper; I'd suggest using it as much as you can, hang out with folks at the campsites you visit, and start thinking about what you like and don't like. You may find, like me, that a great bathroom is worth having a larger trailer. You mayeven, like my wife, think about sharing the driving some day...

[papap]

We had a 19 foot tt before we got our 25 motorhome. We love it. You could sleep 4 people in tt with not problem. My wife would pull it by herself. We are like you we hardly ever sit or cook in camper.

[caper]

If you do decide to get a smaller trailer. When at the dealer ask the salesperson if you and your better half could have an 1/2 or so alone in the trailer. Just sit in the trailer and talk to each other. You will get a feeling what it would be like if you had to be in the trailer because of bad weather.

[LyndaB]

Originally Posted by House97

My wife and I spent a long time shopping for our first camper, and we were frozen with indecision. What ultimately worked for us was creating a list of every feature we could think of, and then rank them from gotta have to couldn't care less. We tried to imagine not just how we thought we would use the camper (like saying we don't need a couch because we spend all our time outside) but also how we might end up actually using the camper (couches are nice when the unexpected monsoon hits). We actually wound up with a larger camper than I thought we would, but it's the one that hit all the must haves and most of the like to haves while being within our price range.
You already have a camper; I'd suggest using it as much as you can, hang out with folks at the campsites you visit, and start thinking about what you like and don't like. You may find, like me, that a great bathroom is worth having a larger trailer. You mayeven, like my wife, think about sharing the driving some day...

We did try to be very careful in what we chose, in the sense we looked at what we thought we needed (DEFINITELY a nice bathroom!) however, we had discussed with my mum about doing journeys with us and travelling/exploring Canada when she visited us from England, which is why we felt the space and layout of this camper would be perfect. Sadly this was not to be, because when mum arrived this year, she had an adverse reaction to mosquito bites and ended up in hospital, which completely put her off any travelling/camping ideas

Thanks for the advice. You are quite right - we will continue to do our weekend trips, but I do feel the T25KS is overkill - and your wife is definitely braver than me

[rawlus]

Manylike the r-pod, to me it is modeled after the T@b modern teardrop style trailer. T@b was discontinued a yearor two ago. You might be interested in looking at the Rockwood Hardside series A128, a124. For two people they have a lot to offer and are very comfortable without feeling like you've brught the whole house along with you.

[bikendan]

first, Forest River is the parent company. i think, the brand you have, is a Wildwood 25KS, which is the only 25KS i could find.

and yes, that's a big trailer at 29' long and a GVWR of nearly 11,000lbs.

i suggest getting inside a R-pod and some other smaller TTs to see what fits you.
go to some RV dealers and look at different sizes. find what you feel fits you better.
an R-pod is going to be way more cramped than what you have. it's way more cramped than my 23' HTT, which is for just the two of us also.
living in BC, you'll have to deal with a lot of rainy days and i wouldn't want to be cooped up in a R-pod.
i would suggest looking at the Rockwood Mini-Lite series. they have some 21' and 23' trailers with a fold-down Murphy bed and is a very popular model.
Flagstaff makes a twin sister line also.

[LyndaB]

Originally Posted by bikendan

first, Forest River is the parent company. i think, the brand you have, is a Wildwood 25KS, which is the only 25KS i could find.

and yes, that's a big trailer at 29' long and a GVWR of nearly 11,000lbs.

i suggest getting inside a R-pod and some other smaller TTs to see what fits you.
go to some RV dealers and look at different sizes. find what you feel fits you better.
an R-pod is going to be way more cramped than what you have. it's way more cramped than my 23' HTT, which is for just the two of us also.
living in BC, you'll have to deal with a lot of rainy days and i wouldn't want to be cooped up in a R-pod.
i would suggest looking at the Rockwood Mini-Lite series. they have some 21' and 23' trailers with a fold-down Murphy bed and is a very popular model.
Flagstaff makes a twin sister line also.

Useful information thank you. We live in BC - but not on the wet coast - we live in Kamloops which is semi desert, so we see very little rain indeed - so thankfully that is not really a problem.

I will look up those models, and see what they are like. Has anybody ever come across these: CampLite All Aluminum Travel Trailer Overview by LivinLite

They make trailers and truck campers (especially for the F150s....) and are supposedly very light and compact - I wonder how that affects build quality etc?

[Elmer Swan]

We had a 25 ft & after 2 days in it we decided it was too small as we were triping over each other. when we decided to trade it in after 11 months it had droped 50% in valure so check that as well

[dezolen]

Keep it and enjoy. Never too much room. We love our oversized 33' 5th wheel and look forward to a larger one someday. Started with a 23' and found it way tooo small to be comfortable in especially when the weather turns nasty.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by dezolen

Keep it and enjoy. Never too much room.

I was just coming back to this thread to ask you what specifically makes you say it is too big? Is it hard to park, hard to store, hard to find campgrounds big enough?

We have a Wolf Pup which is a pretty small trailer, but would love to be able to have something bigger. For us the smaller trailer works because of the size of our tow vehicle, and that we can store it beside the garage.

Looking at your specs, you essentially have a trailer that sleeps 2-3 people. Yes, the dinette can become another bed; but my experience has beed that counting on the dinette for sleeping space is a pain. So really no trailer smaller than what you have will be on that sleeps fewer people. And I would love to have the extra space available that you have.

[Terier]

Sounds like the trailer they selected was based upon expected usage which is no longer a part of the picture. What I'm reading is that they might not have the right trailer for them.

Hopefully they will check out smaller trailers in detail by spending a good lenght of time inside before committing especially with the smallest trailers. With that said I have come across some happy campers in a R-Pod or TAB trailers, both were couples. The main difference is how they use outside space to make up for less space inside.

In the beginning I felt disconnected to my trailer. I was second guessing my choice. I got a slow start out the gate but once I started getting out and feeling more comfortable handling everything it suddenly clicked - I had the right trailer for me.

Good luck and take care,
Terier

[LyndaB]

Originally Posted by dezolen

Keep it and enjoy. Never too much room. We love our oversized 33' 5th wheel and look forward to a larger one someday. Started with a 23' and found it way tooo small to be comfortable in especially when the weather turns nasty.

Too funny... and 33ft ?!

We only go camping over weekends, so we just won't camp if it doesn't look sunny - 'fairweather campers' I think we're called?

Originally Posted by Terier

Sounds like the trailer they selected was based upon expected usage which is no longer a part of the picture. What I'm reading is that they might not have the right trailer for them.

Terier

That is absolutely right Terier. It's totally what has happened.

[LyndaB]

In a nutshell (if I'm honest) our research and the salesman at Forest River said our truck would easily tow the Wildwood, but I still worry about the weight/fuel consumption/wear and tear on the truck. The idea of towing for longer holidays and distances still doesn't sit well with me - I dunno, maybe if I knew for definite the set up was fine I would worry less, but that wouldn't change the fact the consumption zooms up to 27 when towing this beast, and whilst it seemed worthwhile previously, it doesn't any more now there will be only 2 of us.

Perhaps I should just buy an F350!.......... Which would then be overkill for the odd weekend we go camping, and normally just do light work with in between.