Do your storage options change based on the size of the vehicle? Maybe free at home for shorter trailer?
If you're the type who constantly swaps out vehicles I would go with the shorter one as you'll probably swap it out for a larger one down the line.
If you hold on to your vehicles until they are literally worn out, then get the larger one because as the kids grow they might want more room or maybe want to bring a friend.
Sit in the bathroom and close the door and pretend to wipe. Is there enough room? I'm serious on this one, it will matter down the road after the newness wears off.
2001 Suburban 4x4. 6.0L, 4.10 3/4 ton
2005 Jayco Jay Flight 27BH
1986 Coleman Columbia Popup.
DW might be giving good advice.
A shorter TT will be easier to find sites to fit into as well as refueling. It will be easier on the truck too.
What changed our mind was The amount of outside storage on the 4 bunk one, and having a door for the bunk room. When I started packing the trailer in my head, and thinking where to load chairs, grill, stove etc, we felt the 2 bunk one didn't have enough outside storage. We were upgrading from a popup, and we did not want to have to load outdoor items inside the camper.
We are really happy with the choice.
2022 Ford F-350 7.3l
2002 Chevy Silverado 1500HD 6.0l 268k miles (retired)
2016 Heritage Glen 29BH
2003 Flagstaff 228D Pop Up
#6000 DRY trailer can be speculative as to what that all includes in that weight, but assume it means that probably not how much it really weighs when you buy it and add a few items to it..
What's the GVWR of that trailer? If it's much over #8000, then you might not like that F150's towing performance, but that's pretty speculative too..
Not saying you can't tow it... Just saying that it'll be a pretty much maxed out load..
When I was a kid, Mom, Dad, me and my little sister camped in a little 14' 1963 Shasta trailer...
![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/smile.gif "smile")
That was a step up from the Army Surplus tent we used before that! Or the little 8' cabover camper we had.. (this was back in the early 70's)We did move up to a 26' "bunk house" 1977 Taurus travel trailer and that was "Glamping" for sure! ha, ha!
Anyway, enough of my memories... Today is today and you gotta do what you gotta do.. I'd go for something in the GVWR of no more than #7000 on the TT. But, that's just me..
Good luck!
Mitch
2013 F150 XLT 4x4 SuperCab Max Tow Egoboost 3.73 gears #7700 GVWR #1920 payload. 2019 Rockwood Mini Lite 2511S.
Look at the max cargo weight on the door jamb sticker. My 5000 lb dry weight h has a loaded tongue weight of 750 lbs. That is about half of the cargo capacity of my F-150.
Add in adults, kids, toys etc and carrying capacity goes rather quickly.
Twenty six foot 2010 Dutchmen Lite pulled with a 2011 EcoBoost F-150 4x4.
Just right for Grandpa, Grandma and the dog.
2009 Ford Expedition EB, 3.73, Equal-i-zer
2015 KZ Sportsman Showstopper 301BH
TampaAppFan wrote:
I need to take a good look at the trucks towing capacity. We have the RV show in Florida in January and I think I will be looking at double bunks. That will make my wife happy.
I need to take a good look at the trucks towing capacity. We have the RV show in Florida in January and I think I will be looking at double bunks. That will make my wife happy.
You'll run out of payload capacity long before you get anywhere near that so-called 8000 lb tow rating. Fortunately there are plenty of shorter, lighter bunk bed models suitable for a family of four, the KZ Connect C231BH which features exceptionally wide bunk beds being an example. With a GVWR of 6000 lbs, easily towable with your F150.
![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/biggrin.gif "biggrin")
![[image]](http://i.imgur.com/ARoXqrvl.jpg)
You need to look at the "payload" rating for your truck, it is on the yellow sticker on the door. It will say something like "Gross weight of occupants and cargo should not exceed __________ lbs." That is the number you need to start with to determine how big a TT you can tow. Once you have that number, you calculate all other loads in the truck like how much you the wife and kids weigh, how much you may be carrying in the truck bed (toolbox, firewood, etc.), plus the loaded tongue weight of the trailer and you get your answer.
See "this" for more info.
IMHO, the Jayco 17XFD hybrid would be perfect. A bit tight on storage, but overall a nice package.
The Jayco 25BH should work with a properly equipped F150 with a gross weight of 6750#.
I would strongly consider a bunk room model, simply for the air conditioning. If I remember correctly, it can get warm in Tampa in the summer. Typical bunks do not have air conditioning blowing directly upon them. If you close the curtains to keep it darker, it can get uncomfortably warm in there. Also, they tend to feel like a coffin.
A bunk room will usually have open bunks and heat and AC registers inside the room, allowing your kids to sleep comfortably. They will usually have a single door or curtain blocking off the room from the rest of the camper, allowing you to keep the room dark for them, but still allowing ventilation.
We looked at the Jayco 28BHBE and really liked it... except no AC vents to the bunks. We ended up going a little bigger and getting the 29QBS and are much happier with the result. We originally did the math and thought we could stay within our ratings on our Tundra... turns out we couldn't and had to upgrade to a heavier truck.
Be very careful with your weights, don't trust a salesman to have your best interest in mind, make sensible decisions and enjoy camping!
2015 Ram CTD
2015 Jayco 29QBS
nickthehunter wrote:
You need to look at the "payload" rating for your truck, it is on the yellow sticker on the door. It will say something like "Gross weight of occupants and cargo should not exceed __________ lbs." That is the number you need to start with to determine how big a TT you can tow.
You need to look at the "payload" rating for your truck, it is on the yellow sticker on the door. It will say something like "Gross weight of occupants and cargo should not exceed __________ lbs." That is the number you need to start with to determine how big a TT you can tow.
Disagree ... that sticker number will only give you a rough idea as to what you're dealing with. The key here is to know what your particular truck's real world payload capacity is as it sits there with a full tank of gas ready to be hitched to a trailer. The only way you're going to know that for sure is to go weigh the truck with a full tank and all hitch equipment mounted ... if you don't yet have the weight distribution / sway control equipment allow 100 lbs as an estimate. Go weigh your truck, if you're in it at the time subtract your weight from the scale reading - the result will be your particular truck's actual curb weight, with no one and no cargo in it. Subtract that number from it's GVWR and you'll then have it's actual real world payload capacity. That's the number you're going to use to account for the weight of everyone in the truck, all cargo added to it, PLUS and any trailer tongue weight transferred to the truck once hitched up. Keeping in mind that gross tongue weight should ideally be somewhere in the range of 13% - 14% of the trailer's gross weight as it sits there loaded and ready to camp you may well be shocked at how such little payload capacity will restrict what you can actually safely tow with your truck.
2012 Silverado 1500 Crew Cab
2014 Coachmen Freedom Express 192RBS
2003 Fleetwood Yuma * 2008 K-Z Spree 240BH-LX
2007 TrailCruiser C21RBH * 2000 Fleetwood Santa Fe
1998 Jayco 10UD * 1969 Coleman CT380
With an F150 your options will be more limited. My sister has a lightweight TT with a rear queen slide and a quad bunk room in the front - you might look into that sort of setup. Truthfully there aren't going to be many trailers with a separate bunk room that you can pull comfortably with a half ton.
2015 Cummins Ram 4wd CC/SB
If you're going to stay with the current truck then you may be able to find a bunkhouse that will foot the bill. Bunkhouses tend to be on the heavier side. The bunkhouses with slides add even more weight. You may have to stick with the lightweight models. The weight savings normally come at the cost of some quality though. If you're interested in upgrading the truck, you'll have a lot more options.
You'd be fine with a regular bunk model though. Plenty of people are out there using them everyday. On the last trip we saw a family of 5 making very good use of a 18 foot R-Pod so you can make just about anything work.
Rick
2016 F-150 XLT 4x4 3.5 EB
2017 Jay Feather X213
Just something to consider
The pop ups and smaller travel trailer were all roughly the same when opened up around 22.5' - 24'. I could camp in pretty much any spot that allowed the trailer height, and towing was a breeze.
The larger 29' trailer can't fit into most spots due to it's size which is a real pain. I've been VERY lucky to find open spots that would fit it after finding several times the spots that were suppose to fit, could NOT and the campground was booked up. Luckily cancellations allowed me to get spots that fit.
Towing in wind or storms can push the rig around, not sway, but as one single rig from the wind sail sides on a larger travel trailer. Stiffer side wall LT tires, heavier truck, and stiffer anti sway hitch system all help. My new truck is lighter and it only has P series tires so it's not to bad but not great. Blue Ox Anti sway hitch helps pretty good when enough tension is put on the bars.
BUT with 40 - 45 mph side winds, it still can get dicey. In that case just slow down even if it's slowing down to only 50 mph as the rig should handle better.
I wouldn't fret over only a couple of feet in length, but 5' or 6' in length could make a difference in towing ease and fitting into a nicer, shorter camp site.
That said, I prefer bunks when the kids will be using it a lot.
2019 Ford F150 XLT Sport, CC, 4WD, 145" WB, 3.5L Ecoboost, 10 speed, 3.55 9.75" Locking Axle, Max Tow, 1831# Payload, 10700# Tow Rating, pulling a 2020 Rockwood Premier 2716g, with a 14' box. Previous 2012 Jayco Jay Flight 26BH.
With a rollover sofa that converts to a full size bed, and 2 bunks, I've put up a family of 4 back there for a long weekend to Mammoth Caves NP. My niece and her 2 kids have joined us twice on month long cross county trips to the Pacific Northwest and South West. It also provides the perfect bunk house on our dirtbiking weekends with a friend and his sons.
With all that said, if all I was using it for was camping with just 2 kids, a shorter rig(26' or less) to get into smaller sites would be more convenient as I prefer rustic campgrounds. But, I always manage to find a site to fit my 33' into. Whatever you decide, getting out there is the most important thing.
As a side note; If you're planning any long distance trips, I see a F250 in your future.
![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/wink.gif "wink")
* This post was edited 12/18/16 05:21am by krobbe *
Me'62, DW'67, DS'04, DD'07
'03 Chevy Suburban 2500LT 4WD Vortec8.1L 4L85-E 3.73 CurtClassV
'09 BulletPremier295BHS 33'4" 7200#Loaded 1100#Tongue Equal-i-zerHitch Tires:Kumho857
Pics
2009 Grand Junction 335TRL--2011 F350 Lariat 4X4 Dually Crew Cab, 6.7 Diesel, 6 Speed Auto, 3:73 Gears--One Great Towing Machine.---------
2016 Forest River Salem T21RBS
ford-willy wrote:
Your post sounds like you may not have had any type RV previously. Aside from the size/weight issue here is some thoughts. My neighbor just retired and bought his first RV. A large TT bunk house model. He did not know enough about RV's to make a wise purchase. There are so may issues to understand. One thing he did regret is that he did not get a combo propane/electric water heater. Just propane. The water heater is located next to the master bed. When he is in a full service campsite with all his grand kids the propane only water heater goes on and off all night waking him up. He has to turn it off all night to get his sleep. There are many options issues to understand, so do your homework first.
Your post sounds like you may not have had any type RV previously. Aside from the size/weight issue here is some thoughts. My neighbor just retired and bought his first RV. A large TT bunk house model. He did not know enough about RV's to make a wise purchase. There are so may issues to understand. One thing he did regret is that he did not get a combo propane/electric water heater. Just propane. The water heater is located next to the master bed. When he is in a full service campsite with all his grand kids the propane only water heater goes on and off all night waking him up. He has to turn it off all night to get his sleep. There are many options issues to understand, so do your homework first.
To be fair, those who are experienced probably would have made the same decision the trailer. All too often people walk into a trailer, fall in love with the colors and floorplan, and never question what's behind the walls, over their heads, or under the floor.
2010 Eagle Super Lite 315RLDS
2018 GMC Sierra 3500HD 6.6L Duramax
2010 Nights 45
2011 Nights 70
2012 Nights 144
2013 Nights 46
2014 Nights 49
2015 Nights 57
2016 Nights 73
2017 Nights 40
2018 Nights 56
2019 Nights 76
2020 Nights 68
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ford-willy wrote:
Your post sounds like you may not have had any type RV previously. Aside from the size/weight issue here is some thoughts. My neighbor just retired and bought his first RV. A large TT bunk house model. He did not know enough about RV's to make a wise purchase. There are so may issues to understand. One thing he did regret is that he did not get a combo propane/electric water heater. Just propane. The water heater is located next to the master bed. When he is in a full service campsite with all his grand kids the propane only water heater goes on and off all night waking him up. He has to turn it off all night to get his sleep. There are many options issues to understand, so do your homework first.
Your post sounds like you may not have had any type RV previously. Aside from the size/weight issue here is some thoughts. My neighbor just retired and bought his first RV. A large TT bunk house model. He did not know enough about RV's to make a wise purchase. There are so may issues to understand. One thing he did regret is that he did not get a combo propane/electric water heater. Just propane. The water heater is located next to the master bed. When he is in a full service campsite with all his grand kids the propane only water heater goes on and off all night waking him up. He has to turn it off all night to get his sleep. There are many options issues to understand, so do your homework first.
To be honest, this doesn't bother me anyway. I don't leave the water heater on most of the time anyway to conserve gas. I get an entire summer's worth of camping on less than 2 tanks. I also never run out of water in my 42 gallon tank, nor do I have issues with the waste tank capacity on a 3-5 night outing.
I started trailer camping 50 years ago with my parents with no electricity at all, gas was only for light and cooking (no heater except the gas light), manual pump for water, and an ice box instead of a refrigerator.
By comparison my Jayco is the height of luxury, but I'm conditioned to the old habits of extreme conservation. I have to use solar or a generator to keep the battery topped up, even with very frugal use. I haven't invested in any modifications to that yet, but I may just buy a second battery and swap them out as needed. Then I'll take a couple of hours to charge the depleted one with the generator (2000w Powerhorse inverter) and 110 volt charger during the time of day when it is least likely to bother other campers.
Since we are rarely parked where there are any services, we have to be pretty self sufficient, and electric hot water wouldn't be an option even if I had it.
The bunkhouse is worth it's weight in gold.
Your youngest can be napping or sleeping for the night and you still have full complete use of your travel trailer. You can cook, use the bathroom, play a board game with friends while it's raining outside; and the littlest one is deep in slumber.
Our first camper had separate bunks but they were not in a separate bunkroom, the bunks were part of the main camper area with just a curtain closing for privacy. If someone was napping, you couldn't go into the camper period without that person waking.
Now that my kids are older and not napping during the day, it's wonderful that they can shut their bunkroom door and still get away from the adults. My youngest is only 8 and goes to sleep earlier than anyone else. I can't tell you how many nights she has slept in that bunkhouse at 10pm and her parents and brothers are up til midnight watching a movie and eating popcorn while it's raining....and we're not disturbing her sleep so she wakes up happy and rested the next morning. Nothing worse than trying to go for a hike with a kid that had her sleep disturbed all night long the previous evening.
2017 Coachmen Catalina 323 BHDSCK
2018 Ford F150 FX4
3 growing kids and 1 big dog
2018.gif)
allen8106 wrote:
If you tow it very far you will be unhappy. I had a Dodge 1500 pulling a 32' TT and it was terrible.
If you tow it very far you will be unhappy. I had a Dodge 1500 pulling a 32' TT and it was terrible.
Maybe it was just the setup. I tow a 35' with a 08 Dodge 1500 that's almost or at max most times and love it. A more capable truck would handle it even better, but I have no problems with how the current one handles. We tow thousands of miles a year with a few being cross country trips.