kknowlton said: "Just be aware that "dry" weight is often fictional. ..... "
I discoverd this too when looking for a half ton towable TT for me and the Mrs. Our needs are different - one good queen bed will do us, but I agree with the need for some counter space (some ofter a counter extender which may work).
But what gets me are these so called " manditory options " Whats up with that (imagine my best Jerry S. voice). Either it is optional or it is not an option you can't have it both ways. But I guess these RV manufacturers do want their cake and not have to weigh it too.
We met a manufacturer rep on a recent shopping stop at an RV Dealer. He was representing Komfort (a division of Thor). It was nice as he had no interest in making the sale, he was just there pointing out the virtues of his firms trailers. My dear wife told him that if they want to call it a Komfort TT then the sofa should at least be comfortable (she thought it was awful).
ANYway to get to the point,... I asked this factory rep about these so called manditory options, or sometimes even called forced options. He said they are there for two reasons. A) They are able to quote a lower MSRP (even though there is never a trailer built at that price), and B) they are able to quote a lower dry weight as the trailer is supposedly weighed before these so called manditory options.
So take care to look at what is on that list. If it includes things like the oven, awning, A/C and the list is long it can add hundreds of pounds. One I saw had the stabalier jacks and the steps as "manditory options" What next the kitchen sink??
I'm just waiting for some litigious sort to sue a manufacturer for false advertising. Saying a the base price is $XXX,xxx. when they can never sell one for that amounts to false advertising. Or sue them because you bought a trailer your vehicle cannot legally tow based on the so called "dry weight". But I think they have that covered by saying it is your responsiblity to read the actual weight as printed in the unit. (Some help that is if you special order one - I'd be sure to specify the max weight I'd buy in my offer to purchase if I ordered one).
Here endeth todays RANT.
* This post was
edited 07/22/08 11:17pm by Fortkentdad *
Fort Kent Dad aka FKD
Fort Kent, Alberta Canada
09 Rockwell 8319SS
08 Dodge Laramie 1500 QC 4x4, 3.92 gears with the Hemi.
We've been very pleased with our Forest River Surveyor 235RS. There's also a 255RS. Or whatever the newer model numbers are. Both have the rear queen hard slide. Our 235 has two double bunks which are great for the kids as they get thier own beds.
IF you want to be able to stop at a rest stop and be able to get to the bathroom, or make lunch in the kitchen make sure you can access those areas with the slide in. For example, the Jayco is great in that regard, BUT you can't get to the table to sit down to eat your lunch after you've prepared it.
Pamvanw brings up a good point. As we've shopped (and continue to shop for the next big thing) we keep slides in mind. We do stop at rest areas and need access to the bathroom, fridge, etc. Some units we've seen the slide blocks the door to the bathroom. Yikes.
With the rear queen slide we lose the dinette and the sofa in thier normal setup. But the one dinette seat is usable and about 1/3rd of the sofa. The kids climb up into the slide and eat thier lunch using my guitar case as the table. DW and I sit in the two open spots. It all works out OK. We've easily done overnights in the setup as well. Kids in thier bunks and we're up in the slid-in-slide. No problems.
We have been really really happy and pleased with our Jayco 27BH (I think this year, it's called the G2 line). Unloaded, it's right at 4800, I think. We first towed it with our 1/2 ton van. Granted, when the van had almost 90,000 miles, we took a cross-country trip and ended up leaving our radiator in Billings, MT, even after an after-market tranny cooler was installed.
Now, I tow with the Ford, and it's not a problem. I do have dual sway controls though.
We have three teenagers. It's getting a little cramped now, because my littlest son sleeps on the J-Steel sofa because he's the littlest.
But soon, our daughter will be leaving for college and that will leave the couch open again. The bottom double bunk is great for having a friend camp with us - if they will sleep in the same bunk. Some people are funny about that, but my boys - they don't care where they lay their heads.
For years, we camped in our pop-up taking our three smaller kids camping all across the US - breaking down the dinette every night, pulling out the canvas every time we stopped.
When we went to Florida and had to set up the canvas in the rain and mosquitoes in the dark one night, we finally had enough, and I won't do canvas anymore unless we're camping with Scouts.
My hubby is a big guy, too, and he's been pleased with the head room and the quality of construction. His feet do tend to hang off the short queen, but that's ok - I move over sometimes to let him sleep diagonally.
We've also enjoyed stopping on our drives, making lunch, and resting in our TT. We couldn't do this in our pop-up because the canvas was always in the way.
My hubby is pretty cautious about the towing range, but if we worried about weight to the extreme, we probably wouldn't have bought anything.
Just my $.02.
~Jill~
'06 Jayco 27BH
'08 Ford Expy EL (replaced the '01 GMC Savanna - may she rest in peace)
Middle School Teacher & 1 Hubby, 1 Teen Daughter, 1 Teen Son, and 1 Pre-Teen Son who drive us crazy
1 Sheltie Lots of energy and not a whole lot of time!
I think that you would do yourself a disservice if you don't look at the Crossroads line of trailer. We looked and looked ,and bought the Crossroads Sunset Trail. Just a wonderfully made trailer,and a great warranty---1Longbow
Animal Planet wrote: Thanks to you folks (and the "RV Towing Tips" Website), I've begun to understand the virtues of reasonable GVWRs, Hitch Weights, WDHs, lengths, etc.
I also had the eye-opening experience of getting my fully loaded vehicle (both front and rear axles) weighed this morning at a weigh station.
To that end, I believe we may be (rather significantly) scaling back our grand visions of a travel trailer.
Before I get scolded for putting too much emphasis on Dry Weight, I'm asking about the Best TT with a Dry Weight Under 4800 Pounds because I have already determined our personal "extra stuff" weight as well as propane, batteries, etc. (which looks to be less in many cases than many TTs GVWR). In other words, I'd rather seek dry weight and add our "stuff" weight to it to get an accurate measure of actual trailer weight, than a GVWR which may end up being more than I want to tow... Hopefully I made that somewhat clear... If not, my original request stands - Which is... What is the best TT with a Dry Weight under 4800 Pounds?
We are a family of 4. I'm the tallest at 6'4. We travel with a dog (yes, he's included in my GVW). Ideally, the kids would prefer to sleep in different beds (as opposed to a hide-a-bed). My wife intends to cook and do food prep when we camp and would like a kitchen with real counter space (as opposed to a removable cover over half the sink) - picky, picky, picky!
I'd really like to sleep on a real queen or larger bed (as opposed to one that kind of folds up into a pseudo couch).
Slide out couches and kitchens would be terrific to provide some space for moving around in the camper.
We've really taken an interest in the Passport 280 BH which SAFELY falls within our measures and weights - but may be a tad long. We also like the Rockwood 2501SS - But it breaks the rule of a pseudo bed (as the queen folds up).
We're not seeking travel trailer perfection, just want to get some really good options from you folks who are the real users!
Thanks in advance!
Darren
By the way, while it was not fun to see just how gutless my tow-vehicle is, the power of the knowing safe and reasonable limits of my TV vehicle allowed for a re-setting of expectations - and in that, there is satisfaction. Simply put, if I want more TT, I'm certainly not going to pull it with this TV. The stories and experiences you all shared have shaped my current perspective - thanks to you who've contributed to my future travel trailer!
Maybe I missed it but what do you have for a tow vehicle?
'03 Silverado 1500, Ext.Cab, Z71 Off Road, 4X4, 5.3L, 3.73 rear, AutoMeter Trans Temp Gauge, Putnam Class IV
'08 Jayco JayFlight G2 23FB, Reese WD Hitch, HP Dual Cam Sway, 800# Trunnion Bars, Barker 3000# Power Tongue Jack
GVW of 6550#s.
Tongue Weight Capacity of around 650#s
Towing capacity of 7100 #s.
Realistic Loaded Trailer Towing Capacity (given tongue weight allowance) of about 5800 pounds loaded.
And according to almost every single sales person I speak with, it can tow a strip mall safely down the street!
I had a guy tonight tell me that the only thing that really mattered was the vehicles rated towing capacity. I asked him if he was familiar with the term GAWR. He looked at me like he had just swallowed something that didn't agree with him...
Bigfoot 2500 series has 17 to 25 foot models that are under 4800 dry weight. Bigfoot uses exceptional construction methods, molded shell rather than assembling a box from slabs.
You can also reach that goal in Airstream's Sport line, and the smaller models in the Flying Cloud (sort of used to be Safari) line. I'm not convinced that the Airstream that much better than a Bigfoot, or a high quality custom like New Horizons (which don't come in small sizes), but the number of 40-50 year old Airstreams still in use speaks for their basic quality in their classic era.
But considering what you have been looking at, I don't think you really want best. What you've been shopping is more like cheapest.
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