Trading Pop-up for Hybrid (maybe)

[gardendame]

We are going to look at a hybrid travel trailer today - the Surveyor 192T. Is anyone here familiar with that model?
Hybrid owners - any regrets?
We are wanting to take longer trips, possibly go cross country, before the kids all start leaving the nest (oldest is in high school already ). While we absolutely love our popup, the thought of setup and take down for long distance traveling has kept us from going too far away from home. We had thought of upgrading to a traditional travel trailer, but then the price of gas skyrocketed!
So, hybrid owners - speak up! Give me the pros and cons!
Oh, one more thing - Will the hybrid allow interior access while on the road (for example: pulling into a rest area for lunch, etc.).
Thanks fellow Dis'ers!

 

[nanadean]

I'm not sure about the layout of that particular hybrid, we have a 2006 Rockwood Roo 233, it has 3 queen beds that open up. We do have access to everything in the camper except for the beds when traveling. We love our hybrid except for opening the beds, we are getting older, 60 and 65 and it is a little harder to make up the beds but is doable. The main reasons we went with this model was that our dd, 2 grandsons, sometimes dsil and my parents go with us and there is plenty of room for everyone to sleep
We upgraded from a popup and have never looked back, we would now like to find a 5th wheel that will meet our needs without breaking the bank as we have upgraded our truck.
We have never had leaking issues with our hybrid.
Good luck with your new camper.
Dean and Darrell

 

[Dale-Not-Chip]

You really threw me with the hybrid name. Back when they first came out they were just called ultra light.

They are very nice in that a smaller vehicle can pull them although if you are using a smaller vehicle that is just able to pull I don't know how much gas it would save you. If you have a powerful vehicle I don't think your gas savings would be significant. The Wind resistance would be the same traveling and most of the gas used is in the start/stop. On the big road they would cost you about the same.

Hybrids work just fine. no leaks and such. (anything can leak however if you tend to have bad luck)

Pros
Lighter - you might not need to upgrade your truck
Convenience and savings of a "full size" fridge that can be loaded before travel and access during travel.
More storage
easier set up than pop up.
Same size camper would get you more living space because beds hang out.

Cons -
Set up more that reg. camper. (Still have to pull down beds and then make them.
Leveling is harder than a pop-up
Storage when not in use.
Takes larger vehicle than a pop up and you will consume more gas.



With a growing family, and wanting to take longer trips you will definitely want a bigger camper. I think you will enjoy one of these type of campers.

Plus your only two more trade ins away from a class C


Remember that if your going to budget the vacation anyway. Paying more in gas is still cheaper than no camper at all and staying at hotels.

 

[cyberdeb]

Well there are good things and bad things about them. We have a 2002 R-Vision Bantam 22S. I really love the trailer but my husband has been hoping to get rid of it for a few years now. It does still take some time to set up and make up the beds. He really hates that! If you get rain, you still have the dampness that you get in a pop up and a tent because of the canvas. The good things with our trailer is that with the expandable beds, you have much more living space. Our trailer has a lot of storage. On thing that we really looked for when we bought ours was ease of use while traveling. We have a slide out and it is certainly tighter when it is closed while on the road, but there is enough room so that when you are at a rest stop, you can use the bathroom and access the fridge and table to eat a quick sandwich. We have seen some trailers that have the beds that actually slide out and have hard sides, but that makes most of the trailer unusable while traveling. I wouldnt necessarily rule out a hard sided trailer as there are many that are just as light as our hybrid. I guess you will just have to take a look at the towing capacity of your vehicle and the trailers. We use my husbands full size work cargo van to pull ours.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

We have owned a hybrid since 2001 and have really enjoyed it. Ours sleeps 8 opened (very cozy, however) and 4 closed. All facilities in ours are fully accessible enroute with the exception of the end bunks, and we "turtle it" on the way down and back. Set up is easier than a pop up, and only slightly more time consuming than a non-hybrid hard side. We had one issue with slight rain leakage in the front bunk when closed which was remedied by the dealer with a new gasket. Otherwise, they are no more prone to leakage than any other hard side, and require basically the same maintenance to prevent leaks and interior damage - I go up on the roof every spring, recaulk, clean the rubber roof and inspect for any damage. Open, my hybrid has the living space of a 30 foot TT, but closed I am only towing a 21 footer. Just read the manual thoroughly and practice opening and closing it a couple of times. Since you are familiar with a pop up, the transition should be easy and you will probably enjoy camping more, as we did when we upgraded to our hybrid. I would like to add that you should get sway control and a weight distribution hitch. Many dealers will tell you that you don't need it with a smaller hybrid, but I would not tow without these additions.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

If you get rain, you still have the dampness that you get in a pop up and a tent because of the canvas.

Actually, any trailer is subject to dampness due to design. Even without rain, if there are human beings inside breathing, there will be an accumulation of water vapor inside which will condense on the ceilings and walls. You may notice it more in the tent ends of a hybrid and popup due to the thin ceilings and walls here with the canvas and the cooler outside air temperature relative to the interior. Opening a roof vent will cure this and should actually be done routinely anyway for proper ventilation in any TT.

 

[Thumper_ehhhhh]

I agree with ftwildernessguy. Same amount of yearly work as a TT. A bit more set up time than a TT. But you have the same usable floor space of a much larger TT. Our closed is 23 ft open 27, but because the bed is on the outside it has the same floor space as a 30ft TT. Alot less weight to tow. Ours only has 1 wing over the tounge and 4 bunks in the back. Sleeps 10 open and 8 turtled. If you have found a floor plan you like I say go for it. There all about the same quiality. Keep in mind gas milage drops mainly because of wind drag.

 

[ntsammy5]

Jim,

I always wondered about the Kiwi. You really like it don't you? Can you pull it with the scooter?

You must use it other places beside FW. Do you often actually sleep 8 in it?

 

[ftwildernessguy]

Jim,

I always wondered about the Kiwi. You really like it don't you? Can you pull it with the scooter?

You must use it other places beside FW. Do you often actually sleep 8 in it?

Al

No, I don't sleep eight, it just has that capability. My son did stay out in the driveway in it with 5 of his friends from college once. It was tight. And the smell - well, we won't go into that.

I can't find a class 3 hitch to fit the scooter, so I don't know if it will pull it.

We do go other places in the summer, but this year our regular local campground got shut down by the DEP, so they have to make sewer upgrades and won't be open til next season. I think we will be going to a place called Otter Lake for a week or so this summer. It's just northeast of where I live.

 

[dtum]

We had looked at a Jayco hybrid and were within inches of buying it, but the thought of doing the beds all the time and the lack of a slide out room seemed to be pulling us away. We had a pup and then TT, so it was a step backwards for us and there were a lot of little things that we didn't like (that seemed to be inherent in all hybrids). Finally ended up with what we really wanted -- our 5r. I think you have to consider how long you plan on having it, if your kids don't go is it something you and DH would still want to use as you get older? Climbing in and out of the bed didn't appeal to us any more. We have friends who bought the same model Jayco that we looked at a year ago and are now trading in on 5r because they wanted a bigger kitchen and no hassle setting things up. I'd go to an RV show and really look around at things (of course towing vehicle plays a big part when you go heavier, but we are much happier going the route we did)

 

[brenalexacamp]

we have a starcraft 21 ft sso

love it- light to tow- love full fridge and freezer-shower and toilet but............ condensation in the tent ends a lot of nights, breaking down beds and setting up gets old never mind if it's raining

this will be our 5th summer with it-2nd one with a seasonal site-dh still wants to close it up when we ar not there- I see his point

one bunk end does leak when it rains-like the scotchguard stuff came off

easy fix- just havent done yet- we looked at fully enclosed last winter- now with gas--just too much
we still have kids in middle school and high school so our money gets sucked out of us as fast as we bring it home
if we were retired it would be ok

 

[AuburnJen92]

We had a Kiwi exactly like FWGuy and loved it through and through. We had to get rid of it because we didn't do our hw and found out the hard way it had water damage. If we didn't have to get rid of it, we would still have it and not have mh pymts. In all honesty though, we got a deal we couldn't refuse on our mh, so that made the parting much easier.

There were many times we would stop at the rest stops and get in the Kiwi to change DS's diaper...feed him, let him play, whatever. We even would eat lunch sometimes. It was a great model.

 

[Disney Peach]

Hybridexplorer.com is a site that can give you a lot of information on hybrids.

 

[NMMickeymom]

We Love our hybrid. We have hauled cross country a number of times and love the access to our kitchen, fridge, and potty. It's easy to tow and roomy when you get there. We don't find the set up too bad. I can do it by myself in about 20 minutes as long as the kids don't "help" me .

One issue some hybrids have is leaking in the bunk ends when the unit is "closed". Make sure whatever model you are considering has good gutters and seals on the bunk ends. Our '99 cub has been great and whenever we think about upgrading we just can't part with it. Trailerlife.com also has a great forum specifically for hybrid trailers. (yes, I do actually check with other experts on occasion )

Happy Shopping!!!

 

[durango kid]

I Loved our Rockwood hybrid, the only problem I ever had was our location. We lived in the Colordado mtns, and even in the summer the night time temps can drop into the 30's. so, even with the heater blasting in could get very cold sleeping in that pop out section.