Trailer suggestions or experiences - Page 2

Mcnet22 · 08-13-2017, 07:40 AM

Whatever you buy, I would suggest going over it with a fine tooth comb before buying it. We found many issues with our 5th wheel after purchase.
With travel trailers, if you can, have a tow vehicle with a long wheel base so it doesn't feel like you are going off the road every time you drive it. Happy Camping.

sinjin79 · 08-13-2017, 08:22 AM

I agree with Rhino that it sounds like a good used motor home would best fit your needs as described. But it's ultimately your decision. I would definitely recommend finding a current owner of the type RV you decide on to take with you. They will have the experience to know what to look for.

Gumpster808 · 08-13-2017, 09:22 AM

We spent two years researching, shopping, etc before we pulled the trigger. Found good deal on 3 year old 3051s with 20k miles. Taken care of and didn't have to buy a truck to tow since we didn't have one already.

Spent 4 hours on the PDI to make sure all was good.

If you don't have a TV already the cost comes out to pretty much the same between the motor home and trailer / tow option - we looked.

As has been said, take your time, read as much as you can about different options and think about how you will use it. We will probably up size before we actually retire since we are looking to full time at that point. Our current would be good for the two of us and the dog for couple months at a time.

Enjoy the search - lots of info out there and, as stated, need to keep the emotion out of the equation as much as possible.

Bamalamb · 08-13-2017, 09:53 AM

Really appreciate all suggestions
A lot of things I haven't considered especially gray tank size along with other things like maybe looking to small
I have a new f250 gasser so I'll probably start with tt
Again thanks so much for suggestions
I see a lot of similarity in post that tell me a lot about what direction to go

mgarland48 · 08-13-2017, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bamalamb

Looked at a mini lite 2109s any thoughts on those for a long trip

This is exactly what we got! For 2 ppl, it is ideal. The walk around queen bed and sofa were perfect. She can lay in bed at night and read or play on her Ipad, I can watch tv (long wired earphones are ideal so she can go to bed early), the small slide gives us LOTS of room. I added a 2nd battery and two 100 watt solar panels that keep my batterie 100% when dry camping. I carry extra water in the back of the truck so as not to over fill the camper.

I did a walk through on the interior of our 2109S on my Youtube channel. Just go to Youtube and search for Garland Style 2109S ... you'll find it. Research everything though. We bought small so we can get in almost anywhere!

CaptnJohn · 08-13-2017, 12:55 PM

We sold the Class A at 39' and went with a 28' TT. Better than the class A as the cockpit space is mostly a waste except for driving. 28' was OK for a week or 10 days. Went to a 35' 5er and that was the best move ever, especially for stays of a month or more. Now we travel even more and spend 2 months or more in FL so bought a 43' 5er! Now ~~ that is comfy!!!

crockjd1 · 08-13-2017, 01:18 PM

We had a pulled behind but up graded to 5th wheel. Like it a lot better. We have a Sandpiper 37RKOK. Really like the kitchen in the rear. She can do the kitchen stuff without being in the middle of every thing. What I would change is have a icebox with a compressor. The straight kind have a lot longer start cooling/recover time. I would also get automatic leveling.

Solo with dog · 08-13-2017, 01:26 PM

I have a 21 ft and it is the perfect size for me and my small dog. I wouldn't want to have 2 people full timing in it. I would get one w/separate bedroom so one of you can have a place to retreat to if you need alone time.

Redrider · 08-13-2017, 01:50 PM

We had a 25' micro lite with a slide, there were 3 of plus a dog. Great at first but the we found out that anything over a 4 day trip tested our nerves just a little. We now have a 38' 5er and love it. That's just us, everyone is different. I wouldn't worry about heated tanks unless the underbelly is not enclosed. That being said they are not that expensive but a repair of a busted tank and piping can be. We have learned a lot about maintenance of an RV... They all need TLC wether new or used.
Just my two cents...

Have fun with it ! It's the best thing that we did!

Red

oldsmasma · 08-13-2017, 02:27 PM

Think about what happens when you pull in for lunch, a quick bathroom break or overnight stay where you can't put the slide/slides out. Be sure the layout works for you.

asquared · 08-13-2017, 03:20 PM

Additionally, look at the areas you are camping and what size tt can fit. I remember reading many national park CG out west have length restrictions (not sure what it is).

As someone mentioned, see what you can access with slides in. For us accessing the bathroom and fridge with slides in are a must. If you think you will just run it out to get something and run it back in then check to make sure the slides operate independently and not in a specific order.

JohnNJean · 08-13-2017, 03:29 PM

Lots of good advice here.

Our experience has been that there is a heck of a learning curve. We have come to realize that there are many things that are important to us that we earlier never would have guessed mattered.

We started small - a 16' TT on the theory that we'd use it more if it was easy to pull. Wrong. It was way to small for 2 people and a dog. It wasn't that much fun to pull, either, even after we got the WDH set up properly. (CAT scales are your friend.) Our 30' fiver is much more pleasant to pull. Don't be intimidated by the size.

As for a TV, the general advice around here is always buy the TV you'll need for your next RV. Our F250 was overkill for the TT, but I wish we'd bought a F350, now.

Ronjon50 · 08-13-2017, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bamalamb

Looked at a mini lite 2109s any thoughts on those for a long trip

Nama, we own a 2015 mini lite model 2109s. We love the layout, and it's perfect for just 2 people, and maybe a small pet. What we like about size is that it's easy to tow with 1/2 ton pickup with all our gear in bed of pickup, and not exceeding any weight limits. We mostly camp for up to 2 weeks at a time, so really can't address full time . Being honest, although this model is great for our needs, I would want something just a lil bit bigger for full timing

Bamalamb · 08-13-2017, 03:45 PM

Thanks very good info Really not planning on full timing but if we travel for 3 or 4 months I guess it would seem like it
not planning on staying any one place for long so lots of traveling

ben31 · 08-13-2017, 05:42 PM

Every RV is a trade-off. Like others have said, look at A LOT of TTs. Make a list of what you MUST have, what you WANT, what you DON'T LIKE, and what you ABSOLUTELY HATE about floor plans. This list will change as you look at more TTs. Start keeping track of the models that meet most of your needs and then go from there.

Start now. It took us over a year to find our first one.

russhd1997 · 08-13-2017, 05:43 PM

Whatever you get be sure that it has a comfortable bed in it. My daughter and son in law bought a 24' TT with a Murphy bed in it. The mattress is so uncomfortable that my son in law can't sleep in it because it hurts his back. My 27' V Cross has a queen size bed with a real mattress that is as comfortable as the bed in my house.

cuselman · 08-13-2017, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bamalamb

Looked at a mini lite 2109s any thoughts on those for a long trip

Thumbs up on the Rockwood MiniLite 2109s! My husband and I just spent 16 days in ours. We towed it from North Carolina and back and camped 10 days in Minnesota. Perfect for us! Pulled like a dream! Easy set up and take down. All the comforts of home and all systems worked as expected! Definitely put this model on your short list.

Bamalamb · 08-13-2017, 07:42 PM

Really good to hear wife and I sit in one for about an hour at dealer really liked the layout do you think storage tanks are large enough for 3 or 4 days dry camping for 2 people

CaptnJohn · 08-13-2017, 07:52 PM

Tanks -- at least 50 gallon fw, 60, gray, and 50 black. I now have much bigger and rarely boondock but those are minimum for comfort. My 2 cents.

Jmkjr72 · 08-13-2017, 08:50 PM

Ok we have had vintage pop ups for years and decided to upgrade ro a travel trailer because we work too much and setting up a pop up Friday after working a 60 hour week was getting to be too much.

We had planed on something smaller but we wanted a fridge that would hold more then a six pack and a bed we didn't have to crawl over each other

At the rv show we saw a 25bh that was nice but we didn't need a bunk house it was actually a lot larger then what we had thought about
We didn't care for the sales reps from the dealership at the rv show. We wanted to look againg on sunday but didn't want to fo back to the show. The wife found a dealership about 2 hours away that was open and had the 25rb in Stock as well as the bh so we could look at both. We did decide on the rb but found one that was 5 years old on the lot traded in the fall for a new one and was able to get it for less then half of the brand new one.

Set up I d9nt think is very long at all. Pull in look at the levels put the anderson levelers on the low side pull forward till level zip the jacks down and hook up water and ele when not dry camping

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