Hybrid trailers

[mgsmom]

Does anyone have a hybrid travel trailer?

They look quite clever - how do they actually work out?

 

[ftwildernessguy]

We had a Jayco Kiwi 21c for about 8 years and really liked it. We had minimal problems with it until the end, when a couple of leaking storage doors caused some floor rot in a storage compartment. This is a problem that could occur with any TT, however. Overall, it was very comfortable, just a bit labor intensive to set up which is becoming more of a factor as I age.

 

[3gr8kids]

mgsmom ~ My family has a hybrid and we love it. Starting off as tent campers, we weren't ready to lose that "camping~sleeping outside" feel when we purchased our TT. Kind of like the best of both worlds for us. It is a little more work than just pulling in and hooking up, but it's A LOT less work than setting up tents, AND there's the added benefit of not sleeping on the ground, lol.

Also, I agree with Jim. I'm sure the older I/we get, the more I'll/we'll want the luxury of just pulling in, pressing some buttons, and hooking up some hoses. Then we'll have more time for cocktails!

We haven't turtled in it (yet), and with the size hybrid we have, it will be close quarters, but for us, for now, our hybrid works out awesome.

 

[BradyBz12]

We've had a 21' Kodiak for the past 4-1/2 year. Love it! It's made (4) 2-3 week trips to FW and a ton of weekend trips up here in New England as well. 2 humans and 3 border collies fit - just. We've got all the comforts of home. My biggest complaint is probably the teeny bathroom, but it works.

Not a ton of storage for the big stuff, and we usually end up packing some stuff in the truck for longer trips. Setup with 2 of us takes about 30 mins - DH on the outside, me on the inside. Beds are pretty easy to setup, although we found it's much easier to stand the mattresses up inside the TT when packing up, rather than keeping them in the ends and fighting to close them up easily.

We haven't had any problems with the camper at all. There's a decent amount of space for storage - it's a bit tricky to pack enough stuff for 3 weeks at WDW in it, but we managed very comfortably.

One thing we've found (and maybe it's because we camp where it can be chilly at night) we sometimes get condensation on the bed platform which makes the bottom of the mattress damp. If we're camping more than a few days we just prop up the mattress during the day and run the little clip fan under there to dry things out. Otherwise storing them standing up in the camper helps ensure they dry out.

 

[CarolinaBlue]

We have a hybrid and we love it! We started with a pop-up, then moved to a Class C, now the hybrid. I actually think the hybrid beds are more comfortable than our bed at home. We have lots of storage in ours, but the bathroom is a little small. I'm sure that a few years down the road (as we age) DH will probably want something a little more simpler to set-up. As for now, he's happy with this one.

 

[mgsmom]

They sound great! The small bathroom wouldn't be a problem - we would try to be close to comfort stations to most showering and such there. I would definitely pay attention to the storage.
We are going to an RV show in a couple of weeks - so I'm hoping they have some there.

Can you tow them with a mid-size SUV (Acadia, Explorer) or would you need a big one (Tahoe)? We would probably start with one maybe 20 feet long.

 

[AuburnJen92]

I would find the hybrid you want, then look at the towing weight and add weight for all the stuff you are going to put in it. We had a Kiwi just like FWGuy and used a Tundra to tow it. We had a Navigator, but it just wouldn't tow correctly. We traded ours in on a class a. I personally wouldn't tow anything that is related to an RV with an Explorer, but that is my opinion.

 

[BradyBz12]

We tow our 21' Kodiak with a V-8 Explorer with an extra transmission cooler. Not sure if it also has any special "towing package" on it (car stuff is DH's dept). We do what we can to keep the weight to a minimum and it tows very easily.

 

[mgsmom]

I was looking at the towing capacities of some of the SUVs and did notice that the V8 Explorer was much higher than the other Explorers.
I also saw that the GMC Acadia has one of the higher towing capacities as well for that size vehicle. Other than that, it looks like a Tahoe would be a better idea.

So, if I get a vehicle that says it can tow, say 5000 pounds GVWR, I should really only get a trailer that is like 4000 pounds? Is that the deal?

I really don't want to ask these things to either the car salesman or the RV salesman - they will definitely have reasons to give me sketchy towing information.

The good thing is, when we get ready to buy, my car will be paid off so we'll be buying a new vehicle at the same time we buy a trailer.

 

[stacktester]

I was at Camping World this morning and was looking at the new Coleman travel trailers made by Thor Dutchman. They have a model that is a hybrid and it looks really nice.

I noticed someone posted on the Kodiak. They had one there for around 20k and one thing that caught my attn. was that the Kodiak is aluminum framed which IMO is better than wood obviously and it's lighter so it gives up some room for extra cargo. Definately look at Kodiaks.

 

[MandMLUVMMandDVC]

We are thinking of getting a hybrid, but the drawback I see is that the beds are always double-size. We are used to a king-size at home & surprisingly our pup has king-size beds. But as soon as we find a reasonably priced, aluminum frame hybrid with bigger beds, I'll be writing the check.

 

[AuburnJen92]

I was at Camping World this morning and was looking at the new Coleman travel trailers made by Thor Dutchman. They have a model that is a hybrid and it looks really nice.

I noticed someone posted on the Kodiak. They had one there for around 20k and one thing that caught my attn. was that the Kodiak is aluminum framed which IMO is better than wood obviously and it's lighter so it gives up some room for extra cargo. Definately look at Kodiaks.

Just say no Donnie.....

 

[mgsmom]

I noticed someone posted on the Kodiak. They had one there for around 20k and one thing that caught my attn. was that the Kodiak is aluminum framed which IMO is better than wood obviously and it's lighter so it gives up some room for extra cargo. Definately look at Kodiaks.

So, look for aluminum frame? I didn't think they would make it with a wood frame - for some reason that sounds weird to me. But, I'm still really "green" so a lot of stuff is foreign!
I will look for the Kodiak at the RV show. I have also seen a JayFeather online by Jayco. The floor plans look interesting -

MandMLUVMMandDVC:
The Jayco floor plans showed some Queen beds - and they have one that has a King slideout in the rear - so it's not really a hybrid - but the whole bed slides in for towing.

 

[MandMLUVMMandDVC]

The Jayco floor plans showed some Queen beds - and they have one that has a King slideout in the rear - so it's not really a hybrid - but the whole bed slides in for towing.

oooohh thanks!!

 

[BradyBz12]

We are thinking of getting a hybrid, but the drawback I see is that the beds are always double-size.

Our Kodiak has queen beds on both ends.

We were looking at campers this weekend (looking to move up to a bit more space) and we saw a really nice Travel Star hybrid with a slideout that felt HUGE inside. Really nice layout.

 

[stacktester]

Just an FYI, Jayco really seems to make a quality product.

 

[mgsmom]

A teacher I used to work with pulls a Jayco Feather (?) with her Trailblazer - and she loves it.
I'm so excited to see all the cool stuff at the RV show next weekend.

I sooooo want to be in the camping crowd with all the cool people

 

[clkelley]

I was looking at the towing capacities of some of the SUVs and did notice that the V8 Explorer was much higher than the other Explorers.
I also saw that the GMC Acadia has one of the higher towing capacities as well for that size vehicle. Other than that, it looks like a Tahoe would be a better idea.

So, if I get a vehicle that says it can tow, say 5000 pounds GVWR, I should really only get a trailer that is like 4000 pounds? Is that the deal?

I really don't want to ask these things to either the car salesman or the RV salesman - they will definitely have reasons to give me sketchy towing information.

The good thing is, when we get ready to buy, my car will be paid off so we'll be buying a new vehicle at the same time we buy a trailer.

My 4.6 V8 Explorer Sport Trac can tow 7500 lbs and I think the GCWR is like 12K.

There are several numbers you need to look at:

Tow limit - That is max your trailer can weigh fully loaded.
Tounge weight - That is the max weight that can be placed on the hitch.
GVWR - That is the total weight of the vehicle and the stuff, gas, and people you put in it
GCWR - That is the total weight of what can what you can tow and what can be in the vehicle all combined including the weight of the vehicle itself.
Dry Weight - That is the weight of your trailer without any stuff in it.
Gross Trailer Weight - That is the maximum that your trailer axle can support while on the road - the weight of the trailer plus water, plus propane, plus stuff, and plus your battery.

Keep under every one of those numbers and you'll be fine.

 

[3gr8kids]

In addition to what Carol posted, I think you also have to be aware of the length of your TV's wheelbase in comparison to the length of the TT?

 

[mgsmom]

Holy cow - do I have a lot to learn!
I'll have to start looking at all those numbers on the TT's I look at.
I'm a little confused though - the GVWR is the total weight of the TT, TV, gear, water, etc? Or just the TT?

Also, I notice that even though a vehicle will say it has a towing capacity of 5000 lbs "properly equipped" - that their horsepower and torque is quite different.
I would assume I would try to get the most horsepower?

Geez, I hope you are all like "oh, isn't she cute, trying to learn about TTs" and not "what an idiot..."