Grey wolf 18mt black label

[Azlee]

Hey all. I'm new to this forum and new to camping, travel trailers, and all that goes with it.

With that said, I have a few obligatory newbie questions (sorry!). My family consists of a 15 yr old, 4 yr old, my husband and me. My husband has always wanted a little trailer he could pull behind his half ton Chevy Silverado 4wd with tow package (he says all that is important). We've looked at a lot of different ones and both have fallen in love with the Cherokees.

I like the bunk styles because of the 2 kids. They can keep their stuff on their bunks and not spread it all over the camper (wishful thinking I know). Plus if one of them wanted to bring a friend there would be extra space with the convertible dinette. There were a couple of the wolf pumps that had bunks but even with the slide they seemed a bit claustrophobic. This didn't bother me so much because I figured we wouldn't be in the camper all that much except for sleeping or bad weather. And heck the kids would end up on their bunks with their phone, tablet, toys, book whatever anyway.

My husband likes the grey wolf 18mt because it has no slide, seems roomier, and has a nice outside kitchen (not that he would use it except for the fridge, cooking is my job). He also likes that it has a Murphy bed and couch. If he's in the camper he doesn't want to sit at the dinette or on the bed, he wants a couch. He also isn't fond of the bunks, says they are wasted space that would only be used for sleeping.

I pointed out that the 18mt only sleeps 3, not 4. He said the kids could squish together on the dinette or he'd build a bunk over it. I'd rather not have to convert the dinette every night and then back every morning. Plus, camping means outside a lot, right?

For those of you that do this with kids, what do you think is better? Is it feasible to modify the 18mt to add a removable bunk over the dinette? What size bed is the dinette anyway? What size are the single bunks? Do you have the outdoor kitchen (fridge, stove, ice maker) or just the fridge or nothing? Would you want or use the outdoor kitchen? Are bunks just a waste of space? Any other ideas I didn't think of?

Thank you so much for your help. My husband is ready to call the dealership right now and I'm not. I need more info and my concerns addressed and he just pushes them to the side because, lol, couch.

[Cost4133]

couple things to consider, plus an opinion as someone who has no kids, but was one once. (I do have 2 shepherds though)

1. Will the 15 year old want to still be camping with you guys in the near future. I know at that age I wasn't really into it anymore, unless I could have a friend with me.

2. Do the kids get along REALLY well, because they will want their own space I assume. Especially as a 15 year old most likely keeps a different schedule than a 4 year old.

As an opinion, If the 15 year old is going to be camping, id look to go with bunks (maybe the 22mkse - no slides but has bunks) As the 4 year old gets older he will also want some more space. The 18mt is good for a couple.

We have a 24JS (bigger version of 18mt) and on a rainy day it gets quite confined with 2 adults and 2 dogs.

[Azlee]

Thank you for your reply! Answers:
1. Yes she will, she's a homebody and loves spending time with us. She's weird (lol) and likes to fish, shoot (but not hunt, bambi is safe), explorer the outdoors (but not hike, eww exercise), etc.
2. The 2 girls get along great. The 15 yr old has spent this entire covid time sleeping either on the 4 yr olds bedroom floor or in the twin bed with her. But, yes, sometimes they do need some separation (but hey, so do I, lol). As for schedule, they're pretty close to the same. Honestly the 4 yr old is a super crappy sleeper so together or in a separate bed the slightest noise would wake her.

I like the 22mkse except you can't get it in the black label and my husband is dead set on the black label. Plus I think he said it maxed his tow capacity or hitch weight or something and he didnt want to do that.

[Chris Pastuzyn]

Welcome from New Jersey, There are many models with many different options, Try not to fixate on one brand, Shop around get what you really need the 1st camper,I'm on my 2nd in 3yrs, we went with the price on the 1st one , Then traded up .

[Reverse_snowbird]

Black label.... and I thought it was women who were hung up on colors.

That dinette isn't going to fit 2 kids and you're not going to like having to convert it every night to a bed. Some people put inflatable beds on the floor for the kids, but that's going to make it hard to get to the bathroom.

Personally, we pick out a floor plan, search online and then go looking for a rig. We see lots of people with kids and bunk house plans. Some even insist on a separate bunk house room for privacy for both kids and parents. People use the ends to store kids clothes, etc.

You both need to find out how much trailer your truck can tow. If he starts building bunk beds, that's going to add to the weight and handling of the trailer. That might affect how much camping gear you can carry too.

Unless you're going camping immediately, take your time and look at different trailers. The manufacturers have spent some time closed under 'stay at home' orders, so the stock may be low at the moment. Whether you're going weekend camping close to home or making long trips should also affect your decision.

[Tundra 2014]

I would suggest looking at something a couple of feet longer. It gets very tight w/ 4 in an 18' trailer w/ wet weather. We had a 14 year old girl and 8 year old boy. We did it for 3 years. We found the "Good" quality blow-up bed was more comfortable and gave us more space during the day. The dinette was too small for any teen or adult to be comfortable on. It also allowed us to let both our kids bring someone. We were much happier w/ a 22' trailer, pulling w/ Tundra.
The 1 st consideration is to look at the weight rating sticker on the drivers door of the pick-up. Especially Cargo Capacity, that will determine what you can pull, it is the 1 st spec. most people exceed. The dry trailer weight is fictional and it excludes propane, batteries and WDH. All these add to the stated tongue weight. You are wise checking the weight limits 1st. Many learned the hard way, notice how many people have older trailers and newer trucks due to having to upgrade.

[Azlee]

Thanks to everyone that replied. We finally managed to compromise, I got the bunks, he lost the sofa. In the end we've ordered a geo pro 20bhs. We really liked the Cherokee line but in the end the geo pro won us over. Now I anxiously wait for the beginning of August when it is supposed to be delivered to the dealership and begin the task of coming up with the shopping list of what we need vs what we already have.