Help/Suggestions on RV/TT

[stampin_fool]

Hi everyone,

My husband and I have been thinking about purchasing a rv/tt and was wondering if anyone with experience would be willing to offer suggestions on what they like about the rv/tt they own and what model it is. I have not camped/rv'd since I was a kid and really have no experience other than my fading memories (LOL). Do you think a tt is better than a rv, recommendations on what to look for, any features you like, etc. Any suggestions, tip or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your wisdom!!!

Ronda

 

[KristinU]

How many people (and pets) in your family/travel party? Do you already own a vehicle with tow capacity? If so, what is it rated to tow? How do you forsee using it? i.e. Camping-camping at state parks and more rustic campgrounds or more as a hotel on wheels to stay at RV parks? Week-long stays, weekend trips, months on the road at a time? Oh, and the biggie - what is your price range, roughly?

There are so many options out there - I'm sure folks will have some ideas for you. We're just moving up from tenting to a hard-side A-frame pop-up...so, I'm by no means a ton of help...but these are some of the questions we asked ourselves early on when we started thinking about a camper.

 

[disney4dan]

Other things to consider:
1. Will you be able to store it at home or will you have to pay to store it?
2. How many weekends/weeks will you plan on using it>?
3. Have you ever towed anything before?
4. Like the other poster said, do you own your own Tow Vehicle already? If so, what size (this is one case where size does make a difference!)
5. Do you have to go through mountains to get where you want to vacation most of the time?
6. How many people and what ages?

For some basic information (we went through the process of deciding back in 2006). Some used travel trailers are about the same cost as a well equipped pop-up. Pop-up trailers do not need as much of a tow vehicle and you can save some on gas. Hard sided trailers are "set-up" pretty much all the time. When you get to the campground on a rainy night, chances are pretty good you can leave the trailer connected to the truck and just climb into the trailer for the evening. Travel trailers and RVs can be kept fully stocked for the most part except the perishables. This was a huge plus for us, as we enjoy the option of just connecting to the trailer on a Friday night and heading out if we want. Our trailer does not have slide-outs, which means less living space when we are set up for a week, but also means that we can pick up and move quickly from one place to another for short stays. We can stop on route to somewhere and make lunch, use the facilities, or even take a nap if overtired.

Here's hoping you get to enjoy walking through several and dreaming about what you want before making the purchase. Might not be a bad idea to look at a quality used product before making the plunge. Or renting to make sure you get to try things out and decide which options are nice and which are critical to your lifestyle.

 

[stampin_fool]

four of us but our oldest probably won't go with us to often as he is in college and works full time. So for the majority of the time there will just be the three of us. As for what we want to use it for, we would like to visit FW more frequently rather than our once a year cabin rental visit, for NASCAR events and spontaneous long weekend trips. We have a cat but not sure we would be bringing him with us, not to sure how well he would do in the vehicle. We have a F-150 but I don't have any idea as to it's towing capacity. I am sure that my husband knows but he isn't home at the moment so....

Does this help at all???

Again, any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!

Ronda

 

[stampin_fool]

Other things to consider:
1. Will you be able to store it at home or will you have to pay to store it?
2. How many weekends/weeks will you plan on using it>?
3. Have you ever towed anything before?
4. Like the other poster said, do you own your own Tow Vehicle already? If so, what size (this is one case where size does make a difference!)
5. Do you have to go through mountains to get where you want to vacation most of the time?
6. How many people and what ages?

For some basic information (we went through the process of deciding back in 2006). Some used travel trailers are about the same cost as a well equipped pop-up. Pop-up trailers do not need as much of a tow vehicle and you can save some on gas. Hard sided trailers are "set-up" pretty much all the time. When you get to the campground on a rainy night, chances are pretty good you can leave the trailer connected to the truck and just climb into the trailer for the evening. Travel trailers and RVs can be kept fully stocked for the most part except the perishables. This was a huge plus for us, as we enjoy the option of just connecting to the trailer on a Friday night and heading out if we want. Our trailer does not have slide-outs, which means less living space when we are set up for a week, but also means that we can pick up and move quickly from one place to another for short stays. We can stop on route to somewhere and make lunch, use the facilities, or even take a nap if overtired.

Here's hoping you get to enjoy walking through several and dreaming about what you want before making the purchase. Might not be a bad idea to look at a quality used product before making the plunge. Or renting to make sure you get to try things out and decide which options are nice and which are critical to your lifestyle.

Thank you for your views. You brought up some things I hadn't really thought about. I think having something already stocked and ready to go is probably a good idea for us. So are the slide-outs that time consuming when setting up/packing up? I think that we have enough room and no covenants in our subdivision that we would be able to keep the tt/rv here (may have to add a concrete slab but otherwise we would be okay).

Thanks so much for your ideas/suggestions. Hearing ideas and suggestions from those of you who have gone this route is so much better than trying to get info from a sales person who only wants the commission. I appreciate your time!!!!

Ronda

 

[disney4dan]

The F-150 is a great tow vehicle, and the information on what it can tow is usually posted on a sticker in the drivers side door area (the one that indicates tire sizes and inflation pressures, etc.)

If the information on the tow capacity is not on the door area, you can usually call the manufacturer and provide them with the vehicle identification number. Then they can tell you things like it's ratings and what it came equipped with. For example, some come factory equipped with a transmission cooler and heavy duty alternator for towing.

We camp with three kids and found a deal on a Jayco 29 foot travel trailer that was not too heavy (4,900 pounds "dry" and up to 7,000 pounds fully loaded) and it had 3 bunks. The oldest who is 16 sleeps on the bottom bunk which is essentially the floor and is usually a storage compartment on trailers that only have two bunks. The two little ones sleep on the other bunks which are rated for up to 200 pounds max weight.

From what you plan on using this for, and because you have a tow vehicle already, then a trailer would be the most economical way to go. There are hybrids which can be lighter yet equipped with some very nice features, or even look at the TrailManor series. We considered a TrailManor in order to reduce weight and cost to tow, but they were a lot more money than the one we found. Our 29 foot TT was in very good shape, with absolutely no problems and we got that used for $8,000. We had been looking at used tent trailers in the $8,000 to $10,000 range when we found this one. Been happy with it ever since. Also - the used one did not have that new trailer smell. Not sure if that is formaldehyde or whatever, but it did not have the same effect as "new car smell".

As you can see, the price of an RV can quickly make the cost for cabin rental at the Fort seem pretty economical; we just enjoy the ability to camp many weekends out of the year for little to no additional cost. There are even some free places to stay on some government properties. Places like the US Army Corps of Engineers and National Forest areas can be cheap/free depending on the location.

 

[2goofycampers]

anything less than a 250 truck would be my recommendation to tow a pop-up or very small lite-weight TT. you can look at some and price them on this site http://www.jayco.com/

 

[AlyLynn]

Hi! We were pretty much in your situation last fall. I had camped in a tt as a kid, and DH has tent camped with the boys. Then out of the blue I decided I wanted a tt. We went to the RV show at Hershey, and we were sold. We bought a brand new 29' Jayco Jayflight that sleeps 9. We have 4 kids, and we all--even the teenager--love it! If you can get to an RV show, it would probably
be a great experience.

 

[auntie]

Hi everyone,

My husband and I have been thinking about purchasing a rv/tt and was wondering if anyone with experience would be willing to offer suggestions on what they like about the rv/tt they own and what model it is. I have not camped/rv'd since I was a kid and really have no experience other than my fading memories (LOL). Do you think a tt is better than a rv, recommendations on what to look for, any features you like, etc. Any suggestions, tip or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your wisdom!!!

Ronda

I would suggest that you consider renting a travel trailer .....many camping resorts have what they call "on site" units. This would give you an idea as to what you like in a camper. We did this before we purchased ours. We rented units with and without slideouts. It's a good way check out various types of RV's. This way you get to experience camping and learn about your options at the same time. Campers are a friendly bunch and enjoy sharing information about their RV's..be they travel trailers, 5th wheels, pop ups, or Motor homes.

 

[AuburnJen92]

We started out with a popup, then a TT and then a motorhome. I am with Auntie, rent one first and see what you like and dislike. Going to shows also helps, but until you are in one, you don't really know what you are going to love and not. Once you know what you want, you can then look at new or used, depending on your price range. We had a hybrid TT, which was great on weight. If you are going used, have someone check it for water leaks. It will save you headaches down the road.

 

[kc5grw]

You really need to get out and look at the different models yourself to even get close to an idea of what you might like. If there is an RV show coming to your area soon make sure and go to it. Otherwise start visiting the dealers in your area and start looking at all the different varieties that are out there. If you are considering a hybrid or pop-up have the dealer demonstrate setup and take down. That may or may not affect your decision. Make sure that you understand how much storage space you lose in a hybrid or pop-up. They can look roomy when setup, but pop-ups especially don't have a lot of storage space in travelling mode. Once you start looking you'll find that several manufacturers will have trailers that have very similar features. Once you find a few you like, come back to boards like this one, rv.org or irv2.com and begin asking for other folks comments on the brands/models that you have placed in the top 3 or 5.

 

[stampin_fool]

thanks to everyone for your suggestions. We plan to visit the rv show that is coming this weekend so we can get an idea of what we like/dislike.

For your first purchase did you go used or new. My husband was thinking of maybe used from cruise america because the prices seem to be okay. Have any of you purchased from them or know anyone who has? What was your experience?

Thanks again for all of your help.

Ronda

 

[2goofycampers]

thanks to everyone for your suggestions. We plan to visit the rv show that is coming this weekend so we can get an idea of what we like/dislike.

For your first purchase did you go used or new. My husband was thinking of maybe used from cruise america because the prices seem to be okay. Have any of you purchased from them or know anyone who has? What was your experience?

Thanks again for all of your help.

Ronda

we were just talking about this with a buddy RV dealer. they have to turn the rentals over quickly besause of the extreme wear and tare and the damage in and out because of people not completely knowing what they are doing.

 

[JCJRSmith]

This is our old rig:

The trailer was a Jayco Kiwi 23B (now called the Jay Feather 23B - see it HERE). The F150 Supercrew had the 5.4 Liter V8 and the factory towing package and towed this trailer VERY easily - it was always a comfortable ride, and we got between 10-12 MPG towing. Unfortunately, the day-to-day cost of operating the truck was killing me, so we traded it in on a Saturn Ion and got a small motorhome to camp in.

 

[AuburnJen92]

We had the exact same model. We loved it, but had to sell it because of the problems listed in the previous post.

 

[PanFanAL]

I have a F150 also, mine is the new 5.4 with 24 valves and 300 hp. We just went from a pop-up a small TT. My towing capacity is around 8500lbs. But I would never want to tow that much. We got an 18' Fleetwood Mallard. A lot of people would say you need a bigger trailer. But usually it is just 3 of us. And because of th floor plan on our trailer we can actually sleep 6-7 people. We just used it for the first time this weekend and loved it. It was obviously more to tow that the popup. But not bad with the F150. Fully loaded you are talking 5000 lbs. But the key is look around, find something you love. I had never thought I would buy a 2006 trailer I was looking at older campers. Nor did i think I wanted one this size, I was thinking 25'. But when we saw this one we fell in love with it. And the price was better than I thought $9100. You are talking $100 bucks a month. Our popup was needing a lot of work, now we have one that looks like new. Most people think it is new. So shop around, you never know!

 

[clkelley]

I went the totally opposite spectrum of most folks, I went TINY.

I have a 2007 T@B ClamShell. It sleeps 2, has a kitchen outside, and a portable toilet. Less than 2000 lbs fully loaded. They have 3 other floor plans with inside kitchens.

It is made by Dutchman. They also have a model called a T@DA which can sleep 3 and has a bathroom. They start at about 2200 lbs and go up to around 3000 lbs.

Check out www.tab-rv.com or www.tada-rv.com