are contemplating getting a travel trailer, and since I know there are some here who have one, I'd like opinions on features to look for......and all that stuff. No idea on a price point, but nothing too big. Able to sleep at least 4, and room for us and 2 labs. Probably one that has the side that extends out, and an awning. Ok, hit me (no, not literally).
Thanks Eric, he's one of those I thought of. This could be funner. We've been rolling around the idea of putting on an addition for family visits, but a TT would serve that use and allow us to travel as well. Winner, winner, chicken dinner.
You have to start with the vehicle you are going to use to tow the TT. Never bite off more than you can chew
The dealer will always tell you it's half ton towable. Don't listen to them. Our 28' Keystone Outback with a small slide weighs 5500 without anything in it. Add propane, food, water and campsite accutama and it's an easy 7k+. Ours is a three season and it does a pretty good job of holding in heat. We go to Knob Creek machine gun shoot every fall down in KY. It can get a bit chilly. Our furnace runs less than our house furnace (outside Woodstove with heat exchanger) does. Even if ours were completely empty, I would be hesitant with an Explorer as a tow vehicle. We tow with a 3/4 ton Duramax and it handles everything very well. We had a 20' TT before this and took it out to Denver and Colorado Springs with a 1/2 Silverado with a 4.8 and it struggled in the hills.
With 5K towing, it will limit your options. As Casper mentioned, add gear, propane, food and water and a couple can easily add a couple hundred pounds to the base weight of your TT. An ultralite with a queen bed and a convertible table or sofa for company in the 4K weight range is where I would start. My $0.02 Edit: consider a hybrid to expand space with minimal weight.
Hope I can help. Yes. These campers are heavy and it might be hard to find one light enough to tow with an Explorer.
We'll keep looking and doing research. Looks like a different tow vehicle is in the cards once this lease is up. More research, and
While we have a 30' TT up north, it's really just a semi permanent trailer for extra people housing. My aunt owns a campground in western Wisconsin, and has owned the campground for over 25 years. When we were looking for a travel trailer, she told us to steer clear of slide outs as much as possible. While they extra space is nice, there are usually issues with leaking . There's enough things to watch out for. While the explorer can't really tow the big trailers, you can either get a smaller trailer, or as mentioned previously, a hybrid trailer will give you more space with a lower weight.
All good info, so far. My wife liked the idea of the slide, and the extra room. This will sit outside, unless I build an enclosure for it (AKA, garage).
I have a 24' travel trailer. It is an older model, '99. Although simple, one of the options I really like is the "fantastic" fan. They really move the air around. If you ever cook inside, they get rid of smoke/odors quickly. The vents above the stove are ridiculous. I don't know why the bother installing them. I wish we had a slide out. The slide adds a lot of space when you set up camp. I think the concerns of leaking have been resolved in newer models. It was a big problem in older models. Many have mentioned the weight of the trailer. I think this is by far the most important consideration. I own both a 3/4 ton Dodge diesel and a 1/2 ton Toyota Tundra. I tow with both. Both are set up for towing, with brake controllers, etc. They are not even in the same league. The Toyota, with the big v8 has plenty of power... It is just too light. I am way more cautious when towing with it than the Dodge. I see plenty of 1/2 ton vehicles towing trailers that I wouldn't consider towing. Everything is great until you have a problem/emergency. Its all about the ability to stop it. Yeah, the trailer will likely have breaks. The first time you get pushed down the highway because your brake controller isn't adjusted properly or isn't working correctly you'll get it. Good luck in your search. We really enjoy ours.
One other thing I forgot to mention. Seal your rv, often. I bought a used rv years ago. Right after I bought it, it started leaking around a window. I brought into a local rv shop to get looked at. He took me to school on sealing rv's. He said 70% of his leak repairs were on "brand new" rv's. The ones on the dealers lots. It rains, a lot, here in Oregon.
You don't need to wait until your leese is done, There are options available but you may need to start a little smaller and the work up. This is also a great way to see if traveling and camping is for you without breaking the bank. We started with a used pop up tent trailer that our mid sized SUV could tow comfortably. I had to add an electric break controller but I was able to do that myself. After a couple of years we upgraded to a 1/2 ton and then a year later traded the tent trailer (got more than what we paid) in on a 26' travel trailer. Small trucks and SUV's is a large market and trailer manufacturers are aware of the need so there are trailers available. This is just one line of travel trailers perfect for couples or small families (some hybrids and some even have slide outs) that your current vehicle could easily tow any one of. Escape Ultra Lightweight Travel Trailer Floorplans & Photos | K-Z RV God luck and Go RVing
