Thanks to some very helpful people on this forum, we are now convinced that our car is not up to towing a travel trailer. We are going looking at trailer tents this weekend. We are complete novices. Any advice as to what to look for / what floorplans work best etc. Any recommendations as to good makes of trailer tent?
Our max tow capacity on our car (Mitsubishi Endeavour) is 3500lbs. What max dry weight do you think we could go up to? Maybe 2000lbs?
You will need to do the math:
-AC
Propane tank(s)
Water (best to wait until campground)
Basic essentials (cooking/eating/sleeping gear)
Cooler/ice/contents
Canned goods
Each passengers weight
Dog(s)
Suitcases and misc. gear
All this needs to be factored into your weight.
You will need to look at units with approximately what you've cited. Does your tow vehicle have a heavy duty tow package (tranny cooler/hitch/7-pin hookup?)?
You made no mention of how many in your family, pets, and/or your camping style. Once you've found units that are within your towing range, then check out the floor plans to see what works for you. Lay on the bunks, sit on the potty/pretend a shower, pretend to prepare a meal and serve it...you will need the space for everyone to be comfortable if stuck inside for hours during inclement weather.
Check out some of the manufacturers web-sites for floor plans and specs and have fun checking out the models at the dealership!
Don't go by dry weight. You should be able to find out the camper's GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating). If the dealer won't/can't tell you, that figure will probably be in a brochure, or will be on a sticker inside or a plaque outside the trailer (the latter usually on the trailer frame - I'd look first at the driver's side front corner.)
You'll probably be attracted to the bigger campers with all the bells & whistles (showers, etc.) However, we enjoyed 16 seasons camping in a pretty basic smaller popup (the usual term for "tent trailers"), which had beds (including dinette that made into a bed for smaller kids), stove & sink. We used a portable electric "cube" heater, a portapotti, and a cooler, and they all worked out well; we never missed the furnace, toilet and fridge. (In a popup, to access the fridge, you'll have to set up the camper or crawl inside - that would be a pain when loading & unloading!)
Anyway, popups make great campers, even the basic ones. Unless you have a very large family, or several very large dogs that go camping with you, a small popup should work out great!
The Fleetwood Westlake model,although in the lower Destiny series, is a 12 footer and has a shower/potty and 3000 max. loaded wt. I tow with a Ford Escape with the same 3500 lbs tow limit.
* This post was
edited 01/17/08 11:06am by bud121156 *
Donnie and Cheryl
Shelby, North Carolina
Fleetwood Westlake
vcorkett wrote: Any advice as to what to look for / what floorplans work best etc. Any recommendations as to good makes of trailer tent?
Google search under tent campers and see what's available. There are many true tent campers on the market. By "true" I mean large tents that unfold from a small trailer. Some are quite extensive (and expensive), but are meant to be commodious and light weight at the same time.
Wright and Penny
Tundra 4X4
Starcraft 2107
"Remember to keep it simple. You can't get away from it all if you take it all with you."
Nights camped in '07 = 48
Nights camped in '08 = 43 http://www.webshots.com/user/awellis3
Pattie has some really good questions and examples for you to consider. try to consider these things before you buy. We pull our pup which when fully loaded is around 2900lbs and our van is full of stuff too but you need to be careful on your weights. Some vehicles your weight limits are with just the driver and no other "stuff" others, like our van takes into account all 6 passengers and stuff too. Never use the dry weight on a pup for anything. The dry weight is good for nothing. Always use the gross weight. It will be much closer to what you are really pulling along behind you.
MattC from MO
2003 Grand Caravan
2008 Palomino Yearling 4102
Wife and 4 kids
I've been towing a popup with a 12 foot box, a dry weight of 2,000# and a loaded weight of 2,700# for three seasons now with a Honda minivan with a similar tow rating and similar power levels. It's almost perfect. Just the right rig to BARELY be able to hold overdrive on the freeway (with a careful foot) and a transmission and torque converter than lock in D3 for mountain runs. We've been a family of four all that time (though the kids are little, they make up for it in absurd "stuff" requirements!).
We love our Fleetwood Sun Valley for several reasons:
1. Standard electric brakes and a frame that can handle wdh. You'll NEED both of these with your vehicle too.
2. dual king beds means plenty of room to sleep kids longwise on the bunk indefinately (kids grow!)
3. Lots of top-down accessible floor space for cooler, dry food and duffels means no need to popup at home before or after a trip (assuming pop-down dry).
4. Couch makes third bed fast and is awfully nice to have some non-dinette seating area.
5. Fridge can be accessed with top down for preloading and emptying without popping up.
6. Portipotti storage cabinet eliminates midnight runs to bathroom, but isn't so convenient for adult use and has limited capacity. Consider Fleetwood Westlake model if you never want to use a CG bathroom.
7. Tip-out galley gets some space benefit of slide-out without the prohibitive weight of a slide-out (for us 3,500# limited folks anyways).
Everybody has different preferences, but if you have 1-3 kids the Sun Valley layout can't be beat for yout tow vehicle weight class. Jayco 1207 has similar layout, but king/queen bed instead of dual king.
vcorkett wrote: Thanks to some very helpful people on this forum, we are now convinced that our car is not up to towing a travel trailer. We are going looking at trailer tents this weekend. We are complete novices. Any advice as to what to look for / what floorplans work best etc. Any recommendations as to good makes of trailer tent?
Our max tow capacity on our car (Mitsubishi Endeavour) is 3500lbs. What max dry weight do you think we could go up to? Maybe 2000lbs?
More importantly, what is your max weight bearing hitch rating, your max weight distributing hitch rating, and your Endeavour's GVWR & loaded weight? The GVWR minus the actual loaded weight, will give your useable payload for people and trailer tongue weight. Also, how many people plan to go and their combined weight (to subtract from your payload).
You really have to watch these crossovers as they're low on their payloads and have weak suspensions that won't handle heavy hitch weights.
The tow rating is really the most irrelevant rating. Your PUP GVWR is what you should go by, not the dry weight. The reason is that these PUPs have little cargo carrying capability (payload) and you'll quickly get to the GVWR of the trailer without problem.
I don't agree that trailer GVWR is the best planning guideline. For example, a Fleetwood Utah and my Sun Valley have the same GVWR. The Utah is a 12 foot box with a front trunk and a slide-out. The Sun Valley is a 12 foot box without the trunk or slide. The Utah dry weight is almost 300# more, but the GVWR is the same. 300# is a lot when you are working with a light duty tow vehicle. Don't cheat yourself. Dry weights aren't often realistic, but they aren't irrelevant either.
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