Tell me about your travel trailer!

[CAFarmerGirl]

We have a 24 ft Funfinder with a bunk. We chose that size because some of the state parks in CA have a 24 foot limit. There are times when I wished we had bought 2 feet up so we could have a couch. But, the 24 foot is easy to drive, light weight (ours is about 5500 lbs) and fits in most RV spots. We use our grill outside and that is plenty. We have a portable table that we can also use to hold our skillet, if need be.

 

[clm10308]

We are going to get the truck first, DH is torn between gas and diesel. I think we went into this thinking bigger is better and more features are better etc, but I am discovering that some of those features take away space and storage.
Keep those suggestions coming! The search continues!

According to my DH, diesel motors have more power and they last much longer. I don't really know much about that, but we have a 250 diesel and are very happy with it. It is actually the second one we have owed. We bought one new, a 2003 I think, we put over 100,000 miles on it with no problem. When my dad decided to get rid of his 2002 which had much less miles we sold ours and bought my dads.

We have an Aruba 26something that we bought new in early 2003 after we got the truck.. I don't think Arubas are made any more, but it is made by Starcraft and we have been very happy. We were very specific with the floor plan that I wanted at that time. We had a baby and needed space for a pack and play.

The only problems we have ever had with it were self inflicted due to DH hitting things.

Ours does not have a bunk room and we didi not want one, but has two bunks at the back. The bucks are somewhat difficult for a full size person to get in and out of so my dd doesn't not like them, but it is doable. If I had to do it again, I would get the more open style bunks with a larger bed on bottom.

When we got it, it was perfect for what we wanted and the type of traveling we did. Now, my DHs job has changed and we do not have the samy opportunities for travel. We are looking to sell ours and possibly downsize to a popup for weekend camping versus long vacations

 

[kcp1377]

We went into the buying experience thinking we wanted a kitchen. But then we found out on most we'd have to give up a bunk and then got thinking about it and not once have we ever said "I wish we had an outdoor kitchen" while camping. We decided it was worth it to have the extra sleeping space and bring along a mini fridge for outside if we needed to. Our TT has a back bumper grill and that works just perfectly. We have a couple of coleman stoves that we cook with from our tenting days that we bring with us to cook outside. So for us it didn't make sense to have a kitchen outside too. That said, there are times it would be nice and once the kids are grown i'm sure our TT will include an outdoor kitchen. :lol:

 

[Disney Bunny]

We are going to get the truck first, DH is torn between gas and diesel. I think we went into this thinking bigger is better and more features are better etc, but I am discovering that some of those features take away space and storage.
Keep those suggestions coming! The search continues!

Just my 2 cents worth.....The diesel truck is going to cost you more to buy than the gas truck. The cost of diesel is higher than the cost of regular fuel. However, you are going to be able to tow a significant amount more weight with the diesel than you will the gas and if you are planning cross country trips thru mountains you are going to want the extra power/torque that the diesel gives you over the gas model. You are going to want/need an RV with slideouts. Slideouts add weight to an RV.....about 600-900 pounds on average per slideout depending on the size. The bunkroom is going to add weight to the camper also.

Additionally, those F250 diesel trucks really hold their value. We bought our first one in 2003 with a minimal down payment. When we traded it 3 years later for the F250 that we have now, we got enough trade in value to pay off the balance and still have close to 2K for a down payment on the new one we bought.

The diesel motors just hold up a lot better to the strains of towing than their gas counterparts do. I can tell you that we really love our F250 diesel with the integrated tow package. So easy for DH to hook up and go with the camper.

As to the outdoor kitchen, you can purchase a Coleman propane stove and a folding table to use and probably take up less space. We have a 5th wheel with lots of indoor and outdoor storage. With the exception of perishable food, we have all the basics stored in our camper to just pick up and go on a moment's notice.

 

[tiggerdad]

Question: Does anyone find the outside kitchen worthwhile? We will have a grill. I think I would be fine with one of those side grills.

We bought a Jayco 32BHDS, it had the options of bunkhouse, outdoor kitchen, and bathroom door leading outside. I use the outdoor kitchen a good bit. Have yet to cook inside. My camper does not smell like what I cooked the day before. Also, the frig is plenty big, and now I don't have to carry a cooler anymore. I opted out of the sidegrill because I have talked to some who say that cooking leads to buildup on the side of the camper and canopy over time. Not sure how true this is, perhaps someone else who uses one can give better information on this. Even the guy who did my final trailer inspection before I drove off with it suggested I avoid the outside gas grill. The bunk beds have one that is larger than the other. The one above the kitchen is at least a foot wider. The camper has two slides, so it gave more room for my girls to play. The lower bed is actually two futons, that can be folded out individually or together to give a very large sleeping area, or you can use them for a couch. When the girls need more room, we put the futons on the upper bunk and give them the floor space.
The door out of the bathroom to the outside keeps people from going all the way through the camper to go to the bathroom. Also, in the hot summer, the AC can keep up better when you use the bathroom door outside, since it does not dump as much cold air out when you open the door.
The Jayco came with a two year warranty, which is better than anybody else (Hope I never have to use it). The camper is about 8300# dry.
I pull it with a F250, 2 wheel drive, crew cab. I had absolutely no problem pulling it from Mississippi to Disney...none...zero. As far as braking, remember that the trailer has brakes, and if they are adjusted correctly, you can stop easier than you think. Would be more than happy to send you some pics or any other information that you might want. Just send me a private message and I can give you all I got.

 

[highwayg]

Bunk question..
What about the bunks do kids outgrow? Size or concept? They sleep in twin beds and always will (small bedrooms in house) I think if they didn't like it anymore they could move to couch....

 

[KristinU]

I'll weigh in on the bunk line of discussion...when we were shopping a little over a year ago we quickly realized that not all bunks are created equal...some are itty bitty and some are big with a full size bed on the bottom. We chose our camper (Gulf Stream Visa 23BHD) because of the bunk size. Not quite as big as the full bottom, twin top, but they are an inch shy of a standard twin sized mattress. We've had adult friends sleep in them with no complaints (and plans to do the same weekend again this year...so they must have been comfortable!) DS definitely has room to grow, and now that we have a puppy, his crate fits really nicely on the bottom bunk with room to spare for him to lay outside of his crate comfortably as well (black lab.)

I will say, though, that I fully expect DS to ditch us in favor of a tent as soon as I let him! He is 8 now, so it won't be too soon...but still, I think many do "outgrow" bunks in concept...but I'm guessing in a downpour they come knocking back at the door

If anyone is interested, we keep a blog of our campering travels: www.visaadventures.blogspot.com

 

[mkoerner]

We have a 34' Coachman with a large slide and 3 bunk beds. We bought it when our 3 sons were younger and camped with us. Now, only our 5 year old grandson uses the bunks, calling the bottom one his playroom I agree with the people who said diesel trucks are capable of pulling more weight easily, especially if you're taking long road trips. For a camper the size of ours a 2500 version or larger truck is required. Good luck!!

 

[njcamper95]

We have had our tt for awhile its a 05 keystone cougar it has never given us a problem til recently when our ac broke luckily it was fixed with just some electronics being replaced our set up is very similar to the way most 5th wheels are big windows in rear 2 chairs large slide out in kitchen /living room area then has a sliding wooden door to bathroom with a corner shower and toilet and sink then there is a sliding wooden door that goes into the bedroom the unit has 2 doors one at each end one leads into the bedroom the other into the kitchen/living room the couch in the living room has a pull out bed we havebeen very happy with this unit the best thing i can say is to look at every model you can just so you dont wish you did something different later sit on the toilet some are alot tighter fitting then others can you stand in shower some are narrow and short so unless you are short and skinny you will hit your head and soon as you move you will be sticking out of shower ?do you care if there is a shower and tub these usually are very small good for a toddler look at the little things when they run the wires and plumbing did they make neat holes and bundle wires neatly or as i have seen did they just smash a hole with a hammer and leave wires or plumbing sticking out the little things can mean they took the time to make a good product that should last verse a quickly made mass produced rv that may be problems later good luck and remember to allow for weight of a loaded rv plus the weight of the things you load in tow vechicle also

 

[highwayg]

So, in the never ending quest to find a camper....we have now thrown 5th wheels into the mix. Everything I read says that they are safer/easier to drive and seem to have more space. Ahhhhhhh! Now I'm even more confused!

 

[rock_doctor]

I sent you a PM with some links to the Ford Diesel truck forum that i belong too. They are a great bunch of guys and can answer any question that you may have. Good luck and have fun truck shopping.

 

[njcamper95]

safer and easier to drive .....maybe more space not sure you have to remember something you now have the trailer over the bed of your truck so you lose some bed space yeah you gain a large storage space in the front of a 5 th wheel but unless you get a toy hauler you cant bring your own golfcart and you have to have a pick up you cant use a van or large suv there is pro's and con's to everything you will also see the tow rating will be different for 5 th wheels vs tt due to hitch location you will see you can usually tow a bigger/heavier 5 th wheel due to weight displacement over the axle vs off the bumper

 

[amylevan]

In the diesel vs. gas discussion - the diesels definitely have more torque, something that definitely comes in handy if you'll be doing any uphill driving. Interestingly enough, my dad (who pulls a rather large 5th wheel) wants a new truck and is considering a gas one due to the additives or whatever that is required to be added to the new diesel trucks. The only thing holding him back is the worry that he's going to miss that extra torque.

In the 5th wheel vs. trailer discussion - we love our 5th wheel, and what makes it nice when compared to a tt is that for the same length trailer, a good portion of that is on your bed, making your overall driving length shorter. The friends we travel with pull a tt about the same length as our 5er with a full size van - and they are LONG.

 

[my3princes]

Question: Does anyone find the outside kitchen worthwhile? We will have a grill. I think I would be fine with one of those side grills.

We have a Totota Tundra that we tow our 33' Salem (by Forest River) with. DH is a Toyota master tech so he knew the towing capacity and stopping ability inside and out before we purchased the camper. We are very happy with the set up.

Our TT has an outside kitchen which we absolutely LOVE. We keep it stocked with drinks and it reduces the traffic inside the camper immensely. We always try to cook outside as someone else posted it keeps the food smells that linger away. We have a bunkhouse in the back with 3 bunks. Plenty of leg room for our boys 16, 14, and 9. They love their little "mancave". It is absolutely perfect for us and we've had several previous campers.