Tell me about Travel Trailers. (bed, towing, vehicle, Dodge)

[CMPX2]

I just bought a 00 Excursion and hope to get a 28'-31' Travel Trailer this Winter when people are unloading them. A good griend says to get at least a 31'...I'm new at this but want to take my young kids camping next year.

What are the good brands?
What are the must-have options?
Where's the best place to find a great deal?

Any other tips are appreciated.

[Roaddog]

Originally Posted by CMPX2

I just bought a 00 Excursion and hope to get a 28'-31' Travel Trailer this Winter when people are unloading them. A good griend says to get at least a 31'...I'm new at this but want to take my young kids camping next year.

What are the good brands?
What are the must-have options?
Where's the best place to find a great deal?

Any other tips are appreciated.

I too am looking for a travel trailer, I'll suggest this, think about where you will go camping, what kind of camp are you wanting to try, will the road be steep or tightly curved? do you want all the comforts of home? hook ups?
Just some things to think about
I go so very primitive places, my friends have been telling me to get a big trailer, but no one know but you what your wants and needs are, I need a very small trailer, there will be no hook ups, no tv or any such thing to take away from the experiance of camping, just a good place to sleep and get out of the weather if needed.
I'll suggest for you to visit a few camping areas that you plan to go, think real hard about what you want from a trailer, easy to tow, will you spend much time in it? I don't, i already have a tent trailer and all I do is sleep in it.
These are just things to think about because once you buy a trailer your stuck with it, get what suits your needs, all the brands are pretty good, options are up to what you want or need, best deals are found in used units because people hurry and get one without thinking first then don't use them because it wasn't the right one in the first place.
Hope this helps and have a lot of fun because thats what it's all about

[rtandc]

Originally Posted by CMPX2

I just bought a 00 Excursion and hope to get a 28'-31' Travel Trailer this Winter when people are unloading them. A good griend says to get at least a 31'...I'm new at this but want to take my young kids camping next year.

What are the good brands?
What are the must-have options?
Where's the best place to find a great deal?

Any other tips are appreciated.

First thing I would say is don’t listen to your friend. What you have to understand is you will be limited to trailers that your vehicle can safely tow, that can be anywhere from 6K to 10K depending on the model Excursion you have….remember that number is the total weight of the trailer with everything in it, so don’t think a certain trailer may be fine by just looking at the empty or dry weight which many trailers are advertised at. I would advise you to look at light weight trailers with having an SUV. Once you have the proper tow weight then you can look at different floor plans to see which one suits your needs. Many people with kids like the bunk house floor plans, most offer double slides and it gives the kids a room of their own.....

It is all up to you what kind of options you want on a trailer based on what type of camping you want to do....

[malamute]

Originally Posted by rtandc

First thing I would say is don’t listen to your friend. What you have to understand is you will be limited to trailers that your vehicle can safely tow, that can be anywhere from 6K to 10K depending on the model Excursion you have….remember that number is the total weight of the trailer with everything in it, so don’t think a certain trailer may be fine by just looking at the empty or dry weight which many trailers are advertised at. I would advise you to look at light weight trailers with having an SUV. Once you have the proper tow weight then you can look at different floor plans to see which one suits your needs. Many people with kids like the bunk house floor plans, most offer double slides and it gives the kids a room of their own.....

It is all up to you what kind of options you want on a trailer based on what type of camping you want to do....

I second that.

It all depends on how much room you need, where you plan to store it, if you require empty space.

Floorplans can make a huge difference - if you are happy in a full sized bed, you can go with a smaller unit, but if you want a queen bed and a few bunk beds, you need to go with a longer unit.

It's amazing how efficient some of the floor plans are - you can get every possible convenience you could want while "camping" in a 20'x8' area, but if you're going to live in it for 2 or 3 months and will be staying inside much of the time, then you might need a longer trailer.

I considered getting one of the hybrids because the extra beds could be nice sometimes and not needed other times.

[Camper1]

I'm on trailer #5 and still don't have what I want yet. We went from 33ft to 25 and it was the worst mistake we could have made. Take your time .

[froggin4colorado]

We own a Keystone Cougar 304BHS and pull her with a Dodge 3500. We tried pulling her with a Dodge 2500 originally but it was a joke. We looked at an Excursion and Suburban and boy are we glad we didn't go that route due to the camper's weight. You don't want to blow your tranny just because you don't listen to tow loads.
We really really like our layout in our camper and would highly suggest it for families. If I had to take on another right now, there is a fifth wheel that Keystone Cougar makes now that has the kids' bedroom above the hitch with L shaped bunks and the master bedroom with a slideout on the end.
We rent ours out if you ever want to try her!?! Planning a trip to Williamsburg VA anytime soon?

[CSD610]

Don't live in a 21 foot travel trailer during the worst winter in Iowa in 120 years.

[ReturningWest]

When picking out a trailer, you need to consider WHERE you will be going, some camp grounds have a 30 foot limit, also WHAT you will be towing with. As other posters have stated you need to know your tow limits and again where you will be going, if you are going up into the mountains on a regular basis then you need to adjust that tow rate big time.

You also need to consider are you going to be an occasional weekender or extended stay person?

I'd recommend renting different ones and trying them out to see what works for you.

For me I'm single and want something relatively small and light weight, but I'd still get at least an F150 no matter what the sales people tell you. I've had experience pulling horse trailers of all sizes and sailboats down the road and your towing vehicle could be the difference of getting there safely or not at all.

There are a ton of web sites and forums to read about different trailers that would meet your needs.

[Camper1]

Originally Posted by CSD610

Don't live in a 21 foot travel trailer during the worst winter in Iowa in 120 years.

Sounds like a plan to me...

[PNW-type-gal]

Just bought a 17' Forest River Wolf Pup trailer - towing with a Jeep Grand Cherokee with a HO 4.7L V8. Dry weight on the trailer is 2850 lbs, and that was what I was shooting for. The Jeep is rated for 6,500 pounds, but our experiences towing various trailers have been that anything above 5,000 pounds is too much.


Would have liked a 21-25' but I didn't want to have to buy a new tow vehicle when the Jeep is perfectly fine for all our other uses.