To buy a camping trailer, or not (conversion, older, shower)

[AlaskaErik]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

Vehicle options to consider:
(friends have each and love them)
30+ mpg and good for several hundred k miles
x5 diesel BMW
Colorado cummins diesel

Turbo Diesels are SO much better for towing, especially at high altitude. (engine efficiency)

I kinda get spoiled with my 52 mpg Evil Passats, that go 1200+ miles / fill (good for Canada and AK)

BTW: in over 3 million miles of driving beater eco diesels, I have NEVER been towed home / broken down on a trip (yet). I haul my neighbors to the dealer LOTS of time to get their new cars and SUV's fixed. I run <$0.05/mile including cost of vehicle. (only cuz I chose to retire pre age 50, and had already gifted my wealth, so I choose to live cheap, to give to others)

Enjoy a trip to visit your DW during Oktoberfest and Christmas Markets! Mine does the same frequently (We lived in Switzerland and our now neighbor is from Austria, so the gals have a blast at the Christmas Markets! (That is where the proceeds from my estate auction will be spent.)

The Colorado has a Duramax diesel, not Cummins. The smaller diesels are not necessarily the ones with the highest tow rating. The Ram 1500 EcoDiesel has a lower tow rating than the gas-powered 5.7 Hemi. Although the Colorado does have its highest tow rating when diesel equipped. But get a Chevy Equinox CUV and the diesel version can only tow 1500 lbs, compared to 3500 lbs with the turbo four gas engine. One has to be really careful when buying a tow vehicle. Besides gas vs diesel, you have to look at axle ratio. Does it have a seven pin connector. Does it have an integrated brake controller. If not, is an aftermarket controller difficult to install or is it plug and play. The idea is to match the tow vehicle with what you plan on pulling. Too small a vehicle and you'll have problems towing. Too much tow vehicle and it's an extra expense. But I'd much rather have too much tow vehicle than not enough.

[Tominftl]

Some of the B class RVs do have twin beds that can be expanded to a King. Look at The Winnebago Travato K. Open plan and fairly large bath in the rear. You could park this in most communities without fear of having to move it to an RV parking lot.(associations) some travel all over the US and Canada. I could never Tent camp. Bears are a big factor. My sisters neighbor had her house almost destroyed when a bear got in through a window.

[Retired in Illinois]

Originally Posted by kavm

Sorry for the slow response! Saturday mornings in the Summer are a killer. My wife and I do a 5 hour bike ride with a lot of elevation change (3500 ft!). After that, we are as good as dead for the next several hours!

Thank you all for so many helpful suggestions.

- WyoNewk - Will definitely drive F-150 alongside the Ranger. I too had heard that the mid-size trucks don’t offer much advantage, and F150 will give us more options. Also, thanks for the helpful hints about checking out the RVs at the dealers. We can definitely use the practical advice. On the aging bodies - we are already quite clear

- StealthRabbit - Am on board with Diesel, for towing, mileage and not struggling with the hills due to the torque. PS: My wife is German. I am not but have worked there twice as ex-pat, once in Munich and another time in Essen. I first visited Munich during Oktoberfest, though for a client meet/greet/interview. My wife will indeed be in Munich in September, but my own plans are less clear. [Impressive record with bio-diesels.]

- Retired in Illinois - Will check out the teardrop trailers. As far as building our own, that’s not going to happen in this lifetime. Our engineering skills are challenged in changing the light bulb

- HomelessInSeattle - What a tag. We really like Seattle. I keep thinking of that as a retirement place but not sure how we’d take to the rain. But, that’s a different thread. In the meantime, I will check out the runaway campers!

Not to worry. There are many commercial builders of the "Tear Drop" trailer. just cruse the 'net till you find what you like.

Good luck.........

[engineman]

My formula for a tow vehicle: Rear wheel drive, rated to tow 5000#, good ground clearance that will handle 2 rut dirt tracks. I never got into deep woods and have not driven in snow for 46 years, so 4x4 is superfluous. Since we only ran one car, an SUV gave us 4/5 seats and still could haul some cargo. I prefer hitches made by Reese. I added a transmission cooler, brake control, a transmission temperature gauge plus the hitch, brake control and wiring.

Casita can put you in contact with an owner in your area who will let you inspect one of their trailers. There is info on their web site. I believe Escape does the same. We visited the Casita factory, south of Dallas while on a trip from AZ to FL. They have a showroom and will take you on a tour of the factory. We bought ours used in AZ. If you buy a new one, you can pick it up at the factory or they will ship it to you. They have sent some to Japan.

There are two online forums for Casita which are quite informative.

[AlaskaErik]

OP has already indicated he plans on getting a 4WD. Since he lives in SLC and goes as far north as Alaska, I would certainly recommend he does get a 4WD, or at the very least, an AWD.

[RMD3819]

2019 Florida RV SuperShow - Florida RV Trade AssociationFlorida RV Trade Association

If you can swing it go to the Tampa RV show. I cannot emphasize this enough. It is the Disney of RV shows. Cannot see it all in one day. There are hotels across the street. They have everything from bare bones trailers to the $1M and everything in between. Vendors for every imaginable gadget, RV insurance, parts, furniture, etc. When we lived in Florida we would go every year.

This forum has a wealth of information: iRV2 Forums

Couple of points I would emphasize even though other posters have mentioned:
-Do not by an undersized tow vehicle."I wish I had less towing capacity" said no one, ever.
-Diesel will be far superior in the mountains.
-Stick with a used trailer since you are new at this. You will learn as you go along.
-I don't recommend a Class B in your situation.
-The more you research the more options there are. You have to filter what is right for you. It is not one size fits all.

We started in a pop up, then two travel trailers, then a used Class A gas, then our current coach that we live full time in.

[kavm]

Thank you all! My apologies to not look at the thread recently. I was traveling for business from Sunday till yesterday - and did not have any time to browse all but the critical matters.

AlaskaErik: Thank you so much for the advice on the tow vehicle. I did know that Colorado wasn’t a sufficient tow vehicle (had looked its max tow numbers). But, I did not know about the axle ratio and 7-pin connector, etc. Those are new items in my dictionary. Will try to educate myself on what they are. Our thought was a diesel version of the coming Ford Ranger (if there is one), but after advice here - we will look at new F150 (likely the diesel). Whatever we consider, it will be on the smallish side, so that should be OK. But, the pick ups will be new additions to our lifestyle (she is more a good German car person and thinks even the SUVs are too much), so it does depend on my wife not vetoing it.

Tominftl: Thank you. Will look at the Winnebago Travato. However, we lean more towards a trailer because we want to be able to go to trails, etc. that, sometimes, require 4WD vehicle to just get to them.

engineman: That’s very helpful. The 4WD is a definite need in Utah. Our 2WD car has difficulty getting to our condo if there is snow and the plow hasn’t come around. Also, there are trails in Southern Utah (that we are very keen to go) that require high-clearance and 4wd. [There is even a fantastic district in Canyonlands - the maze district - where even the ordinary 4WD might have some difficulty.

But, I’d never have thought of Casita putting in touch with owner that might let us inspect their trailer. That seems like a very good idea.

RMD3819: Will look at the website you provided. I do visit Florida often for client visits to Fort Myers. Depending on the dates, I might be able to go there but not sure.

In addition, thank you so much for distilling a lot of the advice on this thread and your advice on how to go about it and what to avoid. Really appreciate it.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by AlaskaErik

The Colorado has a Duramax diesel, not Cummins. ...Although the Colorado does have its highest tow rating when diesel equipped. But get a Chevy Equinox CUV and the diesel version can only tow 1500 lbs, compared to 3500 lbs with the turbo four gas engine. One has to be really careful when buying a tow vehicle. ...The idea is to match the tow vehicle with what you plan on pulling. Too small a vehicle and you'll have problems towing. Too much tow vehicle and it's an extra expense. But I'd much rather have too much tow vehicle than not enough.

Thx, yes, Colorado Diesel is a Duramax (Izuzu) so sorry, I mentally slipped up (I'm at that age...)

I did mention the Colorado Duramax as I have a friend towing a pretty large TT very happily with one. And this 4cyl inline TD should be a very strong / long service / economical engine. (And very HAPPY in CO, WY, UT, MT!!!, it LOVES mtns!). This friend is NOT a diesel / motorhead (Accounting professor) so a great measure of a highly discerning and demanding buyer who found a good fit. (was also new to TT towing, and does PNW and mtn states and BC and AK (also some backcountry towed camping (great fishing spots in ID, WA, MT, BC!!))

Yes, as a 40+ yr CDL driver... MATCH the tow unit to the most frequent trailer / cargo!!! I have seen hundreds of unnecessary accidents caused by NOT matching and especially by under specing tow unit (most often underweight and under braked), Brakes, sway bars, cooling capacity and power (and tranny!! if automatic...get an AUX cooler (with fan and additional sump / heat dissipation)) are all critical to success and safety. Long WB helps most beginners (great for towing, tough for tight qtr backing)

Yes... overkill for a tow vehicle is definitely preferred to 'too-small'. No one wants an accident / break-down.

for OP...
I would definitely look into the Colorado diesel (3500# towing should be adequate) and new Ford diesel offerings (F-150).
For the German leaning wife... get her a 325d or 328d Euro delivery for her next trip! You will enjoy it too!

Having had pickups all my life, and appreciating them (at times). I much prefer daily travel / errands in a car. Truck tires / brakes / repairs / mileage depreciation / hassle factor (big to park / maneuver / fuel) will easily cover the cost of a spare car that gets 50 mpg.

For the other thousands of readers who are towing... each will vary in desires and needs.

For my bulletproof, economical, long service, and capable towing, I prefer a <$5k used price, 12v Cummins 4x4 pickups (mine are all 4x4 dually flatbeds with winches). (8800# EW, 18-22mpg+ empty 12mpg+ loaded HEAVY (I often tow 30,000# in mtns). 3000# - 5000# is of 'no-sweat' for these light trucks. 1m+ mile capable service life, anyone can work on them (if ever needed), parts are abundant (if ever needed). Ride is rough on the 1st Gen, but tolerable in 2nd Gen (which comes with expensive suspension and steering repairs @ 300k, but a 1-2 time $1000 expense to get you to 1m mile service life ) BRAKES need attention!!! We usually upgrade to a Chevy version or preferably to a later model rear disc brake (and Dana 80 rear end.)

[AlaskaErik]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

for OP...
I would definitely look into the Colorado diesel (3500# towing should be adequate) and new Ford diesel offerings (F-150).

The Colorado max tow capacity for a 4x4 is 7600 lbs. But you also have to factor in GCWR, which is 12,700 lbs, so the actual amount you can tow will almost definitely be less than 7600 lbs. The newer "mid-sized" trucks are actually 7/8 sized. I would skip buying one as the purchase price is the same or more than a half ton, once you factor in discounts. My 2016 Silverado LTZ stickered for $52,430. I paid $36,622 for it. That's brand new, 12 miles on the odo and no trade in. A Colorado would have cost me more and would have had fewer amenities, because they are not discounted anywhere near as much as the half ton is.

Unless you plan on doing a lot of towing, I would stick with a gas engine. Chevrolet and Ram are both coming out with a totally redesigned half ton for 2019. Based on what I have seen so far, I would definitely look at the 2019 Ram half ton with the 5.7 Hemi. I'm really impressed with it. I especially like the 12" touch screen. But the whole truck is just really impressive. Check out some YouTube videos. I've been a Chevy/GMC guy most of my life, but I can see myself getting a Ram the next time.

[kavm]

Thank you both. We will look at all the options in the tow vehicle. I must admit that I am a bit skeptical of Chrysler/Fiat, but one needs to look at the whole marketplace particularly given AlaskaErik’s recommendation. Ford F150-Diesel is perhaps my top choice right now (I know we will never make sufficient use of it to justify the price premium, but that goes for a lot of things we buy). Do lean towards Diesel for the reasons StealthRabbit outlined. We have steep grade and the gas vehicles do suffer a bit.

The local driving vehicle is still open. We are definitely thinking electric. 100% of our trips outside of a 75 miles radius in the last 6 years are to outdoor places - where we’d take whatever tow vehicle we get (and often tow the trailer, if we have one). So, the local driving is mostly within 100 miles per day - and that’s a stretch. My wife’s commute is 10 miles per day (and I only commute by airplane). So, the local car range doesn’t need to be a lot - and an electric might fit the bill. Who knows what happens to the gas/diesel prices - so, that hedges our bets better as well long term, even though we can afford it either way.

That’s what I am thinking.