Travel Trailer Advice

[Chuck Saunders]

I moved from a 27ft 5th wheel to a 19ft trailer once the kids were too embarrassed to be seen with their parents. The big difference is that now the small trailers have slide outs and it makes a world of difference in a small trailer. Probably the biggest perk of RVing versus moteling is that you stay unpacked, you know where your stuff is and what accommodations you will have at the end of the day. I think that is probably the biggest perk.
Chuck

[Matt Meiser]

We had a tiny popup we bought new in 2002 which we used a decent amount but not a ton. Most of the issue with using it more was about the time to set it up to pack it, set it up when we got to where we were going, and set it up when we got home to unpack. In 2008 we sold the popup for $1200 less than we had in it and I had 15 calls within 2 hours of listing it on Craigslist. We replaced it with a new 2007 model year expandable. We had an awesome family vacation to Maine the first full summer we owned it and spent fall weekends for a few years at a place about 2 hours away were we could leave it set up the whole time on one site and only pay weekends. Then our daughter got involved in sports making it tough to use late summer and fall. My wife is an accountant for an organization who's fiscal year starts July 1 so July and early August are out for travel so it was getting tough to use it.

More importantly, the 2007 was JUNK. Within a year I had to replace most of the plastic do-dads on the outside including an expensive skylight. Our dealer went out of business and when I'd call the manufacturer would say that a part wasn't covered under warranty for one reason or another. Sometimes they'd say I needed to contact the part manufacturer for warranty half of whom were impossible to contact (probably out of business.) Then the fiberglass skin started delaminating from the underlayment (which it turns out is basically worse than the junk underlayment the BORG sells.) Warranty denied because that can supposedly only happens due to improper maintenance. Trim parts were so poorly made and/or attached inside several were damaged by normal wear and tear. Tires--off brand junk, replaced within 2 years and we used covers. We had a wire burn up at the attachment to an outlet we never even used. Even the decals were starting to peel. One of my daughter's friend's family had a similar experience with a lot more expensive unit too. We've looked at displays and I see all the same poor design, materials, and workmanship in many different brands. We got out from under it while it was still salable and will never buy another.

The unit we bought was advertised for a great price and I negotiated that down a little plus that they'd include outfitting the truck I had at the time with everything I needed to tow it home including a brake controller and the weight distribution hitch. For a unit of that size you NEED a full size truck, SUV, or van to tow it no matter what the manual of your midsize truck, van, or SUV says about towing capacity. If nothing else you need a vehicle big enough that it doesn't appear you are towing a giant sail when viewed from the front.

[Art Mann]

You can buy fairly good quality travel trailers but you have to be willing to do a lot of research and inspection because the manufacturers don't tell you which ones are cheaply made. You also have to be willing to pay for quality - maybe 40% or 50% more than the least expensive ones. There is always a compromise between quality and price.

[Rick Potter]

Rich,

Over a 45 year period, I have owned various trailers and campers, and currently own a 29' 5th wheel. We liked to travel, and never really just went somewhere and parked. We have stayed overnight in dozens of freeway rest stops, wall mart parking lots, etc. We also belonged to Thousand Trails campgrounds for staying a few days at a time while we visited historical sites and such.

We moved up in size on campers, and later trailers, and I have to say that the size is nice when you get there, but the trailers we miss most are the little ones we had. Simple to hook up and go at a moments notice, we kept a couple changes of clothes in them. When traveling through National parks, they were easy to maneuver and park, especially in Federal campgrounds which are often very difficult to find a large spot in. 5th wheel trailers are great, but the hitch must be installed each time if you want to use the truck as a truck, and even without the hitch, the rails are in the way (mine are specially mounted from underneath to leave a clean bed).

Our favorite 5th wheel was a 22', which we took off road a couple times, pulling a dune buggy behind (trailer was raised several inches to fit the truck). Our favorite pull trailer was a 17', single axle, which we took across the country several times (with three kids).

For what you describe as your needs, I would recommend a pull trailer in the 18-20 foot range. The floor plan is everything, make sure you get one that meets your needs. Two people and dogs should be just fine in it, and it will be so simple to hook and go, that you will probably use it more often than if you go for one with all the bells and whistles. It will also be easy on your truck.

My two cents,
Rick

[Matt Meiser]

You can buy fairly good quality travel trailers but you have to be willing to do a lot of research and inspection because the manufacturers don't tell you which ones are cheaply made. You also have to be willing to pay for quality - maybe 40% or 50% more than the least expensive ones. There is always a compromise between quality and price.

But long term reviews aren't all that useful either, or at least weren't in 2008. Early-2000's models of the unit we bought were much better built than they were by 2007. Kind of like buying Craftsman tools based on 10 year old reviews.

[Rich Riddle]

I see from all the words of wisdom this will be an exercise of caution and forethought.

[Art Mann]

The kind of research I did was to inspect the construction methods, the materials, the quality of assembly, components used and other stuff like that for myself. The really low quality ones are easy to spot. The really high end ones are also easy to identify. It is the modestly priced ones that you really have to look hard to see whether they are well made or not. Manufacturers are experts at veneering over cheap construction with nice looking decor.

You are absolutely right that written reviews are not a very reliable source of information.

[Matt Meiser]

I wouldn't trust reviews either. What I was looking at archives and asking what people thought of them on various RV forums. Other than colors and minor details 2002-ish to 2007-ish didn't look to have significant changes but 2 years later the differences were obvious. For example that skylight I mentioned. Seems they switched from polycarbonate to acrylic which is much less UV-stable. Then they couldn't supply the non-standard part at all and I ended up buying a custom polycarbonate one for $200-something plus some expensive installation materials. Acrylic ones that were close were in the $50 range IIRC. Part of the problem too is the effort to make them lighter and lighter in an attempt to make them towable by smaller and smaller vehicles. That means thinner, weaker, more moisture damage susceptible materials (or very expensive high tech materials) and still even if the vehicle says it can tow 3000lb, a 2000lb box twice the height of the tow vehicle is going to be a big issue. I hope the industry realized this is not in their long term best interest and has reversed the trend. If not, the long-term result is going to make the mid-2000's look like a walk in the park for them.

You don't say where you are headed but many campgrounds, even state parks, are offering rental cabins ranging from a glorified shed to a nice vacation home as fewer and fewer people own campers. You can spend a lot of nights in a cabin or hotel room for what buying, outfitting, and maintaining an camper and tow vehicle will cost. That's not reason alone for not buying one as camping is a great way to spend a weekend but something to consider depending on your reasons for wanting a camper. If its just to make getaways cheaper, its probably false economy.

[Brian Elfert]

One of the reasons RVs in general went downhill around 2007/2008 is the recession. A lot of RV companies simply went under while the remaining ones retreated a lot. Material costs for making RVs have gone up a lot over the past dozen years. I bought a 2002 travel trailer in August 2002. The 2003 models were coming out and the MSRP for the same exact model went up by $5000. I ended up traveling 750 miles to buy a 2002 model to save a lot of money.

For a lot of people they can't mentally handle paying $200 a night to rent a cabin, but they have no problem paying $35 a night for a campground to camp in an RV that they pay $300 a month on. The $300 a month is already worked into their finances while the $200 a night may not be. Even if one paid cash for a $20,000 RV a lot of folks never think about they could save that money and pay for 100 nights in that $200 a night cabin. If almost never makes financial sense to replace hotels with an RV, but a hotel isn't the same for a lot of people as spending time in a campground. Most camping cabins at state parks are reserved for the entire season as soon as the reservation system opens while RV spots are often not as hard to get.

[Peter Kelly]

Teardrop trailer? Seems like a great choice for two-person weekend use. I'd imagine the investment is fairly minimal as these things go.

http://www.golittleguy.com

[Rich Riddle]

It's all about the dogs as well. Many places forbid even our little ones.

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

It's all about the dogs as well. Many places forbid even our little ones.

That's part of the reason we have ours. (The horse, goats & other farm critters stay at home but the dog comes with us.)

We recently sold a little Class C motorhome for a friend of ours that is an older, single woman. I posted the ad on Craigslist along with photos, details and a fair asking price as well as the notice it would not be sold until a new generator part had arrived. There were about 2 dozen legit responses all within 3 days time. All but 1 of the people asking about it said they were looking for their first RV because they wanted to travel with their dogs.

[Mike Henderson]

Teardrop trailer? Seems like a great choice for two-person weekend use. I'd imagine the investment is fairly minimal as these things go.

http://www.golittleguy.com

I looked at a teardrop trailer a while back. You can build them yourself on a trailer bed. To me, the problem is that you really live outside with that trailer. The cooking space is at the back of the trailer and you have to be outside to use it.

While this might be great in good weather, in rain, cold, or bugs it can be pretty miserable. The only interior space is to sleep in. If I were confined to the inside by bad weather, (or by lots of biting insects) I'd find it pretty miserable. Better than being outside, I suppose, but not nearly as nice as a bigger trailer or motor home that you could sit in and cook in - maybe even have an indoor toilet.

A teardrop is just one step up from tent camping.

Mike

[One other comment: A friend of mine wants a motor home. He commented that there are lots of low mileage used motor homes on the market for very reasonable prices. I told him, "There's a message there."]

[Caspar Hauser]

Or one could just take the house,

http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/

something like that might be a giggle.

Caspar

(no connection)

[kevin nee]

I am on my second Casita both 16 feet. 1991 and now a 2007 with AC. There were some nice
improvements from 1991 to 2007 and I am sure the 2015 models are fabulous. Camping for us
is a fire and a six pack. The Casita is all fiberglass with low maitanance and is light weight. It tows
like it is not there. Good luck on your decision.