Buying a camper?

[ctpooh]

Funny....that is the exact one I have been eyeing!!!! It's not very expensive too

We checked it out at a RV show and fell in love with it. The van tows it nicely and it was a great upgrade from the pop up we had.

 

[Disney Bunny]

lukenick1......Here is a link I found about towing problems with a 2004 Toyota Sienna. Not sure if these issues would apply to your tow vehicle......

http://www.carcomplaints.com/Toyota/Sienna/2004/accessories-exterior/trailer_hitches.shtml

 

[ctpooh]

Just an FYI, I know you have a 2004 and we have a 2007 Sienna but we had Uhaul but in our class 3 hitch and have not had a problem with it, if anything every did come up with it we would just bring it back to them. And, it does not void the warranty on the car.

 

[Disney Bunny]

Let me break it down this way not knowing exactly which 2004 Sienna you have and how it is exactly equipped.

GCWR is the maximum weight of a tow vehicle with occupants and cargo plus rv with cargo.....in other words the maximum weight that the entire rig can weigh. For your vehicle, that number is 7,920 pounds.

Curb weight: Weight of your tow vehicle plus all fluids in vehicle. For your Sienna, that number is 4,120 pounds

7,920 minus 4, 120 leaves 3,800 pounds. Subtract from that the weight of all passengers in vehicle. For 2 adults and 4 kids I am going with 500 pounds. That now leaves 3,300 pounds left to work with. Remember I posted earlier that Toyota says that your vehicle can tow 3500 pounds with only one passenger weighing 150 pounds......

So you guys will obviously have some items in the van for the trip. Let's just say that all you put in the van itself is 50 pounds.....that's less than 10 pounds per person so not a bad number to work with. Now you have 3,250 pounds left for rv and cargo. The general rule of thumb is that you should leave 20% of that capacity unused, but for the sake of argument let's just use 10%....That leaves you 2,925 pounds for camper and cargo weight. With 6 people, you will need a minimum of 600 pounds for cargo. You may think that sounds like a lot, but it really isn't. It starts to add up quickly. So with all these numbers in mind, the most any camper you purchase can weigh is 2,325 pounds and that is with everything already on the camper....a/c, awning, and full propane tanks at a minimum.

Now you are going to get people that think Bama Ed and I are crazy for being this conservative and you will have people telling you that they do such and such and they have no problems. Well, we towed a travel trailer for 2 years with no problem and then we had a problem. All it takes is once and you are carrying precious cargo....your children.

 

[lukenick1]

Hi everyone....

Wow lots of info to absorb and yet so confusing at the same time. Let me just clarify a few things. We are a family of 4. I mentioned 6 total because I may allow the boys to take a friend some time. As far as space in the camper, compared to a tent its much more space and comfort and my sneaky plan is to have the kids tent outside the camper The total weight of my family of 4 is 405# plus the 9# dog. I will mostly likely use disposable plates, silverware, napkins, cups. My only gripe about camping is having to use the public bathroom. I really want my own toilet and shower. So at this point, is my only option a pop-up with my Sienna?
BTW....we do NOT have a hitch yet, was planning on going to uhaul for one.

 

[Disney Bunny]

Hi everyone....

Wow lots of info to absorb and yet so confusing at the same time. Let me just clarify a few things. We are a family of 4. I mentioned 6 total because I may allow the boys to take a friend some time. As far as space in the camper, compared to a tent its much more space and comfort and my sneaky plan is to have the kids tent outside the camper The total weight of my family of 4 is 405# plus the 9# dog. I will mostly likely use disposable plates, silverware, napkins, cups. My only gripe about camping is having to use the public bathroom. I really want my own toilet and shower. So at this point, is my only option a pop-up with my Sienna?
BTW....we do NOT have a hitch yet, was planning on going to uhaul for one.

Ah.....that puts a little more clarity on the situation and muddies it at the same time. Allowing for the fact that there are only 4 versus 6 takes away from the weight of all passengers BUT now you have to add in weight for tent and sleeping bags and such. Plus not knowing how old your kids are, that weight will increase as they get older but maybe you would have a different tow vehicle later on. And after looking at some of the pop ups out there yesterday, even some of those are quite on the heavy side.....in excess of 3000 pounds. Even taking into consideration using paper products vice regular dishes/glasses doesn't eliminate a lot of the weight. Part of the issue with the weight IS going to be with having your own bathroom. And you are seriously NOT going to be able to get anything with any kind of slide out as those can add a substantial amount of weight to a unit.

I know you aren't crazy about a pop up, but take a look at this one. Hopefully Bama Ed will see this and weigh in on it. I think weight wise this might be a good choice for you as long as you are careful not to overload it or your tow vehicle with unnecessary camping items.

http://www.coachmenrv.com/products/viking.aspx?page=floorplandetailstent&floorplanid=241

 

[WDWCP96]

Hi everyone....

Wow lots of info to absorb and yet so confusing at the same time. Let me just clarify a few things. We are a family of 4. I mentioned 6 total because I may allow the boys to take a friend some time. As far as space in the camper, compared to a tent its much more space and comfort and my sneaky plan is to have the kids tent outside the camper The total weight of my family of 4 is 405# plus the 9# dog. I will mostly likely use disposable plates, silverware, napkins, cups. My only gripe about camping is having to use the public bathroom. I really want my own toilet and shower. So at this point, is my only option a pop-up with my Sienna?
BTW....we do NOT have a hitch yet, was planning on going to uhaul for one.

I know you are against pop-ups but we had a Rockwood Highwall that had a toilet and shower. I don't know the weights of them but here is the website: http://www.forestriverinc.com/PopUpCampers/RockwoodTent/default.aspx?page=specifications

 

[Disney Bunny]

I know you are against pop-ups but we had a Rockwood Highwall that had a toilet and shower. I don't know the weights of them but here is the website: http://www.forestriverinc.com/PopUpCampers/RockwoodTent/default.aspx?page=specifications

The highwalls exceed lukenick1's towing capacity.......

 

[bama_ed]

The highwalls exceed lukenick1's towing capacity.......

Sorry Disney Bunny, I've been out-of-pocket for a few days getting DS18 through his college freshman orientation.

I think lukenick has plenty of tools, direction, and resources to make an informed decision. She requested input and we gave it. Personally I'm concerned that factors such as "paper plates" are being used to rationalize the plan/decision making.

Unlike you I never had an accident while towing. But my popup has a slideout (and built inside shower-toilet) and it's on the heavy side - I had numerous unscheduled repair jobs that had to be done, though, on the minivan during period of time we towed with it. (this was another indicator I was not properly set up).

Some folks say their similar setup is fine and that they've had no problem. But the rest of the phrase that goes unspoken is... (YET). The odds change significantly depending on the choices made. Some combinations (trailer/tv) make the risk of a problem pretty small. Other combinations will be risky enough to fill the rear-view mirror.

Lukenick, any luck on determining the towing specs on the Explorer as a tow vehicle?

Bama Ed

 

[manning]

My Mom has a Ford Explorer that we may be able to use to tow it. Does anyone know the tow capacity of those? I believe its the Eddie Bauer edition.

v6 or V8 ?

 

[FortForever]

I didn't like pop-ups either, until I had one. Turned out, it was my favorite camper ever.

We sold it a couple of years ago when we gave our tow vehicle to our son and got a mini van. It also has a tow rating of 3500, but to be honest, I wouldn't feel comfortable towing anything with it.

If we ever get another tow vehicle (5000 or over and factory tow package for my personal comfort zone) then I will likely look for another pop-up. I really loved camping it.

If you have never done so, try checking out some pop-ups. You may be pleasantly surprised.

 

[PixieCamper]

How about either one of these??? Can I safely tow??

http://www.kz-rv.com/sportsmen-classic/16RBT.html

http://www.kz-rv.com/sportsmen-classic/16BHT.html

We have a KZ Rockclimber Hybrid and although we love it, it is not well made, we've had numerous problems including replacing the entire floor last year even though it is only 4 years old. KZ is notorious for poor customer service (too bad I didn't know that before)

....So at this point, is my only option a pop-up with my Sienna?
...

No, there are other lightweight options that are not popups

....

Trail manor is a bit pricey but are nice
http://www.trailmanor.com/WebDocs/folding-line/2417.html

Same concept was used by Hi-Lo campers and are cheaper but not made anymore, you would have to search for used ones on line.

Here are some fiberglass "egg" types:

Scamp http://www.scamptrailers.com/Showroom/16Trailers/16FloorPlans.aspx

Casita http://www.casitatraveltrailers.com/showroom.html

Out of business but you can find used ones online

Burro

https://www.google.com/search?q=bur...oCw&biw=1366&bih=601&sei=qdmiUfA8iJz1BLnrgIAB

Trillium
Can find old ones online but it looks like they are coming back anyway
http://trilliumrv.wordpress.com/floor-plans/

Old uhaul ones can also be found on line

Good luck on your search

 

[steeleshark2]

I had a popup and really enjoyed it. Although recently upgraded to a full size travel trailer, I had some really good times in the hard side popup.