Camper questions.. (1 Viewer)

[RiverRatMatt]

We went to a couple camper places today thinking we were just going to look at some to get an idea of what was out there. I was wanting something that was about as short as possible (14 foot) to basically be a dispersed camping+ setup - a bed and shower and toilet, with a small kitchen. I would have been okay with a roof top tent or similar setup but we have two big dogs that couldn't get up into it and we want a hard side to be able to camp in places that don't allow soft sides. My wife also wanted something a little more future proof, specifically with a second bed for kids and for friends camping with us. That immediately puts us into the 17 foot category.

We ended up putting a deposit down on a 17 foot Keystone Passport 171EXP. We love that it has optional popouts for more sleepers, and the floorplan is excellent.

My concern is that I might be limiting our options too much with the tandem axle setup and with the length and width of the rig (20x8'). What are your thoughts on this? Realistically I don't think it is a huge issue, and apparently I can have the axles turned to make it over sprung and add about 2 inches of clearance. We went with two deep cycle 6 volt batteries, and will have 160-320 watts of solar installed in short order.

Thoughts? We have a week before we are actually buying it, and can back out any time. Seems perfect for us but I know there's a lot we haven't thought of.

 

[coleAK]

Not sure what you would b limited by. I pull a Black Rock 22BHS with my ‘13 LX570. It’s tandem axel, almost 26’ long, 700 lb TW, and just under 7000 lbs loaded.

 

[RiverRatMatt]

Not sure what you would b limited by. I pull a Black Rock 22BHS with my ‘13 LX570. It’s tandem axel, almost 26’ long, 700 lb TW, and just under 7000 lbs loaded.

I mean as far as rough roads/trails. Are tandem axles any worse than single for 'off road'? Also worried about size when thinking about trees and such.

 

[coleAK]

I take my trailer on some rough roads in rural Alaska, it’s very slow going 10-20 mph max. The thing that limits most TTs is the suspension is fairly poor at best. For size It’s really personal preference and where/how you use it. In AK we get a wide variety of weather and being a family of 4 we what enough space to get warm/dry or away from the moosequitos. The nice thing about a TT is you can drop it and go where ever with the cruser then back to the trailer for basecamp. Another thing to consider with more than one kid bunks are good to have.

 

[ExpoMax]

I mean as far as rough roads/trails. Are tandem axles any worse than single for 'off road'? Also worried about size when thinking about trees and such.

When I was deciding on a trailer I personally didn’t want anything wider than the truck so I’d be easier to get into places. Also can save on gas etc.

But I think it really just depends on your intended use.

 

[RiverRatMatt]

Another question, does anyone have experience with Keystone campers? I've been seeing some bad reviews about their quality, though the same reviews touted Jayco, which felt cheaper to me and had a lot more apparent flaws (screws put in sideways, bad door fitment, etc

 

[coleAK]

They are a high volume manufacturer But I have a bunch of friends with keystones as we have a huge dealer near by. From what they say and from what I have seen: floorplans are good, QC is hit or miss for fit and finish. Our dealer up here has great customer service and the people I know that had to use the warranty said no issues (I’m camping with 2 families with keystones right now) they tend to be less expensive and weigh less than some others. I would put them in the same category as Jayco. We looked at a few Keystones when we bought our most recient TT.

 

[coleAK]

I also agree when I have looked at jayco and keystone side by side the keystones seem better built to me as well. Honistly I think the dealer and their customer service would matter more in case you do have any issues.

 

[Crab Sack]

I take my trailer on some rough roads in rural Alaska, it’s very slow going 10-20 mph max. The thing that limits most TTs is the suspension is fairly poor at best. For size It’s really personal preference and where/how you use it. In AK we get a wide variety of weather and being a family of 4 we what enough space to get warm/dry or away from the moosequitos. The nice thing about a TT is you can drop it and go where ever with the cruser then back to the trailer for basecamp. Another thing to consider with more than one kid bunks are good to have.

Cole,
I have the same ORV 22BHS trailer as well and upgraded the suspension this year with the Morryde CRE 3000 shackle system. It lifted the trailer by about an inch which allowed me to install a slightly larger tire (Goodyear Endurance). This improved my towing experience along with getting rid of my Andersen sway hitch and going with the Equalizer hitch.
FYI I have been more than impressed with the build quality of the ORV TT.
I have not towed it with my 200 since I have the Tundra but have always been curious how the 200 series does towing.

 

[coleAK]

Thank you, I’ll be due tires next summer for the camper and look at doing a similar set up.

My LX does great with the camper. I use a husky round bar WD hitch with no sway bars.

So I actually think my LX towes better than a Tundra. I have a buddy that used my camper a few summers ago to see if he wanted to buy a TT with an ‘11 tundra. They didn’t go far just outside of anchorage and I drove it each way since he had never towed a TT. Without AHC we couldn’t get it level. Also I thing having AWD on the 200 makes the tow vehicle way more stable. And lastly the turn radius is shorter so going both forward and backwards in campgrounds is easier. It could have been that I’m just more used to my LX but from my experience in no way was the Tundr superior to my LX when towing our TT.