Suggestions for TV and Camper

[KMP44]

That will be the trip of a lifetime for your kids. We did this when I was growing up - 7 weeks - NY to CA and back. If you are totally new to the rv world, I would really recommend finding an rv show or a large dealer lot and spending a good amount of time looking at all the options. Once you figure that out, you can find an appropriate tow vehicle.


But, after reading this, my suggestion would be to look at a class C motorhome as well. Maybe a gently used one. No SUV can compare to the comfort & convenience of a MH when traveling with kids. Plus, for the type of trip you are planning, you will be moving a lot. The setup and pack up of the MH is easier, and that leaves more time for sight seeing.


If you keep the length reasonable, you don't need to mess with a toad (towing a car). All the big sightseeing attractions have RV parking. And in reality, we have found with trips like this, you end up stopping along the route sometimes, so we frequently end up parking the truck and trailer at places we stop and its no big deal usually. If you hit a major city or something, you can always rent a car for a day.


Anyhow, planning the trip should a lot of fun. Check out a lot of options before you buy, and consider a class C. That solves the truck issue as well. You could even stick with a minivan then if you wanted to.

[Bluepill]

You may not be aware, but many RV parks (KOA in particular) rent cabins for not much more than the cost of a full hook-up site. It might make more sense in your situation. You could use a 3 row SUV just to transport people and some gear without the hassle and expense of towing a trailer.

Without committing to a new vehicle and camper, you can try a few days in a nearby cabin and see how the family likes it.


Another possibility is a small pop up that is easy to tow, and have an conventional tent to set up for the girls. Gives more privacy for everyone. My hardside A-Frame is well equipped, and at under 2500 lbs. is easy to tow with my Acura MDX.

[urocav2001]

I've seen SUVs tow 24 foot trailers before but not a roo, due to the fact they are extremely heavy in the front the nice soft suspensions can't handle all that weight, I have seen a older style Dodge Durango pull a 30 ft trailer but then again they have leaf spring suspensions, not sure if the newer ones do or not,


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[Kenny kustom]

Get off your wallet.
Infiniti QX80 has 9500lb towing.
Seats seven, right around 100k.


2008 F350 CCSB V10
2016 Sabre 36QBOK

[SpringerPop]

I believe the ultimate would be:

If you're not opposed to "pre-owned", look for a cream-puff 2003 Ford Excursion with the 7.3-liter diesel. 4WD need only optional, as the 2WD units are a first-class "family" tow vehicle. Add an additional transmission cooler, and you're set for almost anything in the future.

Avoid the 2004s and '05s, as they have a far-less-reliable diesel engine.

Tows anything but a fifth-wheel.

There's safety in size, too.

Pop

[SuicideSaints]

Originally Posted by SpringerPop

I believe the ultimate would be:

If you're not opposed to "pre-owned", look for a cream-puff 2003 Ford Excursion with the 7.3-liter diesel. 4WD need only optional, as the 2WD units are a first-class "family" tow vehicle. Add an additional transmission cooler, and you're set for almost anything in the future.

Avoid the 2004s and '05s, as they have a far-less-reliable diesel engine.

Tows anything but a fifth-wheel.

There's safety in size, too.

Pop

This was my first thought too!

[elundquist]

Here is an example with my proposed setup:

2012 Tundra Crewmax 4x4 w/ Tow & 2016 Roo 23IKSS

Tundra GCWR: 16,000
Tundra GVWR: 7,200
Tundra Cargo: 1,575
Tundra GTWR: 9,000
Tundra Tongue: 1,010

Est. 23IKSS GVWR (5,311 UVW + 1,309 CWR): 6,620

Total Combo Tow Check
GCWR-GVWR: 8,800 > 6,630 (23IKSS GVWR)

Total Towing Check
23IKSS GVWR @ 6,620 < 9,000 (Tundra Gross Trailer Weight Rating)

Tongue Check
6,629 (23IKSS GVWR) * 15%= 993 < 1,010 (Tundra Tongue Max)

Tundra GVWR Check
1,575 (Tundra Cargo) - 993 (15% @ Roo GVWR) = 582 (Tundra Max Cargo)

From the above you can quickly see the Cargo Weights of the Tundra & Roo are the major factors as the Crewmax GVWR (7,200) is the limiting factor for my setup.

NOTE: Toyota Recommend a Tonge Weight between 9 to 11% of GVW of the trailer.



Erik Lundquist
iPhone 6S using Tapatalk

[Cathcartww]

If you are a little nervous about towing, and you are headed out west, you need to have plenty of tow vehicle. You also have the concern of lots of people and cargo carrying capacity. I think the best vehicle for what you are planning is a one ton van. A new Chevy/GMC G3500 with the 6.0 L V-8 has a tow capacity of 10,000 with lots of people room. You may even find a leftover with the Duramax diesel which is even better. Used you have the Chevy/GMC as well as the Ford E350 with the gas V-10, or even the Powerstroke diesel. The long wheel base, frame construction, truck tires and suspension, and sheer weight make the big vans great tow vehicles. In addition to the regular passenger vans, there are the conversion vans that have all the comforts.

With a substantial tow vehicle to carry the harem, you can go for a roomier trailer with a separate bedroom for the adults and a bunkroom for the kids.

[bikendan]

The biggest issue is the Sequoia's payload capacity and its soft suspension.
v-8 SUVs have good towing capacities but lower payload capacities, compared to comparable trucks.
With a family of 5 and the amount of cargo they'll take in the car, plus the 100lbs of the WDH, will eat up that 1250lbs of the Sequoia's payload real fast.

[jking46]

Don't compromise on the safety of your family ( not suggesting you would). I would suggest you search for a smaller camper like a roo 183. Still has 3 queen beds so sleeping won't be a problem. Not as much space inside due to shorter length and no slide. But if you are like most campers, majority of time you'll be outside anyway. Then you can get your 3 row suv for more comfort during the driving portion of your vacation. Check out a Tahoe or a Durango. Properly equipped, they will be suitable for the smaller roo. Good luck

[Kenny kustom]

Meh. Just get a MH. Toss everyone in the back and giver


2008 F350 CCSB V10
2016 Sabre 36QBOK

[cincia]

Have you looked into full size vans? We needed a tv but didn't want to get a truck since we go to dog shows and needed the dogs to ride in the tv with us. We tow a SolAire 251rbss and its like its not even back there. We have plenty of room in the van for us and the dogs and a nice sized trailer for camping. cincia

[elundquist]

Here is your example with a 2016 Sequoia & Roo 233s:

NOTE: weights below are for 4x2/ 4x4.

Sequoia GCWR: 13,600/ 13,500

Sequoia GVWR: 7,100/ 7,300

Sequoia Cargo: 1,350/ 1,250

Sequoia GTWR: 7,400/ 7,300

Sequoia Tongue: 1,000/ 960

Est. 233s GVWR (4,748 UVW + 1,474 CWR): 6222


Total Combo Tow Check

GCWR-GVWR: 6,500/6,200. The 4x2 @ 6,500 > 6,222 Roo GVWR. The 4x4 would be close is you didn't max the Roo or the Sequoia

Total Towing Check

233s GVWR @ 6,222 < 7,400/ 7,100 Sequoia GTWR

Tongue Check

6,222 (233s GVWR) * 11% = 684.42 < 1.000/ 960 (Sequoia Tongue Max). You would be safe at 15% as well for both drive trains.

Sequoia GVWR Check

1,350/ 1,200 (Sequoia Cargo) - 684.4 (11% @ Roo 233s GVWR) = 665.6/ 564.6 (Sequoia Max Cargo)

Given the TV only caries the tongue weight and that's between 9 to 15% its better to carry your cargo in the camper. But people can't travel in the camper, so you need to limit the Roo Cargo for people in the Sequoia.

If you load the 233s to the max the Sequoia Cargo Limit drops, so your not likely to max the Sequoia's GCWR of 13,600/ 13,500.

Is it impossible or unsafe to tow the 233s with a Sequoia? I don't think so, but I would personally go with the 4X2 in this setup.

You will need to be very careful in loading both vehicles. Your Sequoia 4x2 Cargo Max will be 665.6 to 690 lbs (233s max GVWR @ 11% tongue weight to UVW tongue weight @ 660lbs).




Erik Lundquist
iPhone 6S using Tapatalk

[elundquist]

Note: The Max Sequoia's Cargo Weight (> 690lbs) with the 233s would be with a cargo load in the back of 233s to lighten the UVW tongue weight from 14% to 11%.


Erik Lundquist
iPhone 6S using Tapatalk

[elchilero53]

We tow our SolAire 20RBS with our 2014 Tahoe Z71, which has the beefed up suspension, and a heavy tow package. The SolAire is somewhat heavier that the Roo, but we have no issues. It is rated to 8200 tow capacity. If you go that route, you get the third row (we pulled ours since we don't have kids, just 2 cats), so we get an extra 130 lbs of capacity. Our base weight is about 5000 lbs with water, battery, propane, dinnerware, cooking utensils. Add food and clothing with a small ice chest, shoes, boots, some domino games and we're up to 5300 lbs real quick. That said there are ways to,lighten the load: light-weight cookware (aluminum), Lexan utensils (from Coleman), and other things can cut the overall load down a bit. One weight-saving tip: leave the daughter's friends at home. They'll get over it and have lots of stories to share.

[MCTroy]

You got a lot of opinions here. We bought our first little camper and didn't even have a tow vehicle. We used my old Trans Am to tow a small boat but not a camper! The we upgraded and have towed 30 foot trailers with a 3/4 ton van and a suburban. Both worked well for towing, kids and dogs. Suburban definitely did better. But I finally got my husband to test drive a real truck and now he loves our Ram. The caddy sits all weekend and we take the truck everywhere. Take an afternoon and test drive a variety. Have fun!

[The_Rhino]

Our original plan was to trade-in my wife's Odyssey for a full-size SUV & use it to tow a Hybrid. However, after going to a RV show we realized that Hybrids provide no more privacy than a tent/popup, the mattresses were horrible, and they were nearly as expensive & tongue-heavy as some hard-sided TTs... Also, even used SUVs were very pricey & our choices were limited to those with hefty tow packages like the Suburban or Nissan Armada...

With 3 kids we really liked the 2-slide bunkhouses because they gave the kids plenty of room to hang-out, change clothes, and store all of their stuff. I also loved the idea of having an outdoor kitchen - especially handy to make that 1st meal when we arrive at the CG tired & hungry... However, the lightest 2-slide bunkhouses were 6,500 empty & up... Although some folks will tow our TT with a 1/2 ton SUV or truck, once loaded it's 8,250 w/tongue weight of 1300 which places it in 3/4 territory...

So rather than trade-in the Odyssey, we traded-in my Accord & I got a 2 year-old Ram 2500 CC ST (stock) w/5.7 Hemi for $14K. The CC is very roomy & seats 6. We found a mildly used lightweight 2-slide bunkhouse for around $20K, so $35K for both... Combined that's less than a 2 year-old full-size SUV...

I found a like-new fiberglass cap on CL for $500 so now it has a SUV-like look. Now that I've had it for a couple years I love having the PU bed & cap to haul stuff vs. folding down seats in the van or a suv... We are so much more active now that we have a truck. We go biking, fishing, hiking, etc. & just throw our dirty gear in the back. My DW drives the 2500 occasionally & it still fits beside her Odyssey in our garage.

[numbersman]

One other thing to consider if you are going to Yellowstone and plan to camp in the park is that they do not allow tents or soft sided trailers in the parks because of the bears. We used a 2500 Chevy Duramax with Allison transmission to pull a 30 foot Keystone Montana. Our truck was a crew cab and we had a 14, 8 and 5 years old kids, a Cocker spaniel and two adults. Kids had a wonderful time! Yellowstone and Glacier were "must sèe" parks. Had the 2500 HD Duramax for the Montanna, then an Everest 5er for 11 years. Glad I bought this truck as it accommodated as we progressed from TT to 5er. Got good gas mileage and would tow effortlessly until we got our 2014 Forest River Cedar Creek which weighs in at almost 17K pounds.
Bill and Michelle Brickey
2014 CC 38FL 40 days in 2015
Ford F-450 CC Super Duty Diesel8

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by numbersman

One other thing to consider if you are going to Yellowstone and plan to camp in the park is that they do not allow tents or soft sided trailers in the parks because of the bears.

Another example of BAD and UNTRUE info.

Only ONE campground at YNP, has a permanent ban on soft sided RVs.
That's Fishing Bridge CG.
All the others, in the Park, allow soft sided RVs.
That includes Madison, Canyon, Bridge Bay, Mammoth and Grant.

Because Fishing Bridge CG does, many assume that means the whole Park, without checking the facts.

[Mr Havercamp]

Originally Posted by bikendan

Another example of BAD and UNTRUE info.

Only ONE campground at YNP, has a permanent ban on soft sided RVs.
That's Fishing Bridge CG.
All the others, in the Park, allow soft sided RVs.
That includes Madison, Canyon, Bridge Bay, Mammoth and Grant.

Because Fishing Bridge CG does, many assume that means the whole Park, without checking the facts.

And despite the management contractors, Xanterras, claims that Fishing Bridge is off limits to soft sided campers due to bears, I call BS on that. I believe its more about not cluttering up the only campground with hookups with lowly tents and popups. Hence the name.....Fishing Bridge "RV" Park. Bridge Bay Campground is less than 5 miles away and no bear issues there. The bears must know not to go there? 5 miles is nothing for a bear.