We are/were seriously looking at a 2004 Fleetwood Redwood high wall pop up. 2 kings on each end. Very nice sized pop up. We are also in a situation where we are in need of a new vehicle. My husband and I go back and forth, thinking that if we need a larger vehicle anyways, do we just skip the pop up and go right to a travel trailer? We have 3 children, ages 8, 5 and 1, plus a Golden Retriever. With a larger family, we loved the size of the Fleetwood Redwood pop up. They are asking $6,000 for it. It's very clean, been stored inside, etc. Maybe we could get them to go down $500-1000, who knows. As we research the travel trailers, they are obviously more money, but some are fairly reasonable! Does anyone recommend any brands/years/makes that would be a good fit for us. Something in the 29-31 foot range and with bunks? Thanks so much in advance.
And on a similar note, we are also looking for an 08-09 Tahoe Hybrid. We desperately need a vehicle and my husband is very conservative when it comes to fuel mileage. No Suburbans for us! Unfortunately, these are really hard to come by. Thoughts on the Hybrid?
Ahh, didn't even think of that. Figured it would pull one. Shoot. Would a Dodge Durango be a better fit? I don't think I see a truck of any kind in our future with 3 young kids :/ Maybe a 30ft. TT is out of the question
The problem with half ton SUVs and large families is payload. You have a range of about 1200-1600 pounds for them. I believe the Expedition EL has the most when compared with similar equipment. 30' overall and 5000 pounds dry is as low as you will commonly find for one that will comfortably sleep 5. Than means 800-1000 pounds of weight for the hitch and not much payload left for the family inside with only 1200 pounds.
How many miles non towing will do use this for? Any high walled TT should budget for 8mpg. Some do a little better, 9-10mpg on the open road, but better to budget @8. Maybe Ford will put their Ecoboost into the Expy soon. Otherwise, my 3/4 ton Suburban does well. For a 30' TT, you want the longer wheelbase Suburban/ Yukon XL/Expy EL.
A & A parents of DD 2005, DS1 2007, DS2 2009 2011 Suburban 2500 6.0L 3.73 pulling 2011 Heartland North Trail 28BRS 2012 VW Passat TDI
Since fuel mileage is a big concern, you're on the right track with the popups, whose lower profiles produce MUCH less wind drag, a main factor affecting mpg.
The model (like this one?) you're looking at gives you 19' of floor space PLUS the additional four(?) foot width added at each end when the kings are open. That's almost as much room as you'll get in a 28 foot standy-uppy trailer, and best of all it's towable by the size/type of vehicle you're thinking of getting for a daily driver.
I think it's wise to match the trailer with the daily driver instead of the other way around, especially for folks that use a vehicle far more for running around town than for towing....who needs a 3/4 ton crew cab to take the kids to school, right?
Good luck shopping!
Afterthought edit:
One more thing to like about popups: you can carry the family's bikes on the roof, where they're easy to get down. Bike rack for Popups
Of course, you have to take them off before raising the roof, as the arms probably won't lift the weight of the bikes.
* This post was
edited 04/30/12 02:14pm by Francesca Knowles *
" Not every mind that wanders is lost. " With apologies toJ.R.R. Tolkien
As has been stated to tow a 30' TT you need a gas thirsty V8, or the new Ford with the eco-boost. But when you are towing just ignore your MPG's and fill it up when you have a 1/4 tank. You are going to get 8-10mpg no way around it. Even with most of the pop-ups a larger motor would be nice, I towed a pop-up with a V6 SUV, it managed but wasnt the most fun.
2012 Jayco Jay Flight Swift 264BH
2005 Ford F-250 6.0l diesel
My advice is to buy the unit that will serve your needs *now*, not what you project for the next 4 years. Buy the one that will suit 80% of your needs. Starting small is a good thing, IMO.
Our last pop-up was a Fleetwood Niagara, about 27-ft when fully popped out. We loved that thing. It was huge inside--we could easily sleep 7-8. And it had more counter space than I had in my home kitchen! We stored it at home, rather than have to pay storage feed, and we could easily pull it with our Ford Expedition. We got about 14mpg towing the PUP.
Well, the kids grew up so we sold the PUP in January. Due to our ages and physical limitations *now* we went with a 25ft TT this time. Upgraded our TV to a Ford f250(3/4 ton). We dont' have near as much space as the PUP--the TT is truly a 2 person unit. But it suits our needs *now*.
Looking forward to hearing about the one you decide on!
"Those who dwell...among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life."--Rachel Carson, environmentalist, 1956
2009 Ford F250 XL
2006 Dutchmen 25F
Me & DH in non-parenting mode!
There's an Expedition and the Nissan Armada that will tow a travel trailer well. That's about it as far as SUV tow vehicles are concerned. Even then, 30 feet is kind of ambitious. We tow our Salem 26 TBUD with an Armada (and sometimes a 12 passenger E350 van).
BTW, we love that trailer. We're expecting number 5 soon, and it fits our family very well. It will be a squeeze eventually as the older ones get older, but then the oldest ones will just stay in a tent. All 5 are boys, so I'm sure they'll like it.
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2 Boys UW & Bellevue College
Otherwise, my 3/4 ton Suburban does well. For a 30' TT, you want the longer wheelbase Suburban/ Yukon XL/Expy EL.
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