200 series camper suggestions?

[619TOY]

Slugs are not that same as buckshot, which is what most people have when carrying a Shotgun. The problem with a typical shotgun is people can’t fire and reload them fast enough, while I’ve drawn my .40 and unloaded 15rounds while you’re still trying to reload. Also, I can almost guarantee the majority of people can’t aim worth a damn under stress. Having a clip allows for a couple misses and many hits. If the Bear grounds you, your long barrel is useless while my handgun allows me to still fire it while I piss my pants. . Also, my Glock allows me to hold with my firing hand and the bear spray in the other to use first while aiming down on it.

Switch to a glock 20 and you might stand a chance

 

[1world1love]

Ok, back to campers. For me a hardshell is preferable for family camping as we can carry a ton of fresh water,food, etc as a base camp while we explore our environment on foot and at least lock it up.

Yep

 

[1world1love]

Sorry, couldn’t resist

 

[slipkid13]

Slugs are not that same as buckshot, which is what most people have when carrying a Shotgun. The problem with a typical shotgun is people can’t fire and reload them fast enough, while I’ve drawn my .40 and unloaded 15rounds while you’re still trying to reload. Also, I can almost guarantee the majority of people can’t aim worth a damn under stress. Having a clip allows for a couple misses and many hits. If the Bear grounds you, your long barrel is useless while my handgun allows me to still fire it while I piss my pants. . Also, my Glock allows me to hold with my firing hand and the bear spray in the other to use first while aiming down on it.

" Having a clip magazine allows for a couple misses and many hits. " Fixed it for you..........

 

[RyanR]

The stoutness of this camper is to delay any possible intrusion while my .762 Sig and my wife’s Glock .40 are on the ready. Bear attacks are extremely rare unless you are stupid enough to leave food around for the bear to smell from a mile away.


This lady of mine is highly trained in combat. That’s all I’m going to say about that. Not many people can hit center mass at 100yards. I’m not real concerned, we travel everywhere armed and the camper will be a very dangerous place for anything trying to get into
View attachment 2201727

I've had bears wander through my camp many times over the years, couple times in a tent, a couple times no tent laying out under the stars. Never in anything as stout as a camper. No matter how many times it happens to you it doesn't ever start to feel anything less than terrifying but I've never left food in camp always in canisters and away from my where I am sleeping. The only time I have had a bear act directly aggressive, (backed into a tiny pine tree and s*** all over it then started huffing at me) a single warning shot sent him running. Every other time I was just in the bears path of travel and they stopped to scope out my camp before continuing on. My encounters with Mountain Lions have probably presented a greater threat though they don't spike my pulse quite like a bear. House cats are evil little bastards that like to **** with you, mountain lions are just evil big bastards that like to **** with you. Definitely sketchy animals, especially if they are looking a little skinny and in need of a meal.

Back to campers. Just watched an hour long walk through of the Black Series HQ17. Definitely saw a few things I would want to change/upgrade/reinforce but overall seems like a great layout and well thought out setup for a family of 4. The Opus OP15 is extremely interesting as well, essentially the same Main Bed + 2 Bunks arrangement but you delete the redundant inside kitchen/fridge and have the pop top setup vs fixed roof. Going to start looking for them on the RV rental sites and see if I can find one of each to spend some time in, both look like great family setups.

 

[Angelo1]

Switch to a glock 20 and you might stand a chance

That’s what a .40cal Glock is Great setup you have by the way.

 

[Angelo1]

" Having a clip magazine allows for a couple misses and many hits. " Fixed it for you..........

Cheers, it’s been a long day in the soaking wet rain digging drainage for a rental home of mine to prevent flooding. 4” of rain today

 

[linuxgod]

Rabbit hole... we love our Lance 1985! Great quality and about the perfect size for two adults and two Dobermans.

Agreed. Our 2185 is ideal for 3 kids and an 80# sheepdog. Lance did a great job maximizing interior space utilization and layout in a 25’ total package - far better than anything else we look at which had triple bunks (admittedly there are only about a dozen floor plans/options made over the last decade that are <30’).

 

[Dayhiker]

Agreed. Our 2185 is ideal for 3 kids and an 80# sheepdog. Lance did a great job maximizing interior space utilization and layout in a 25’ total package - far better than anything else we look at which had triple bunks (admittedly there are only about a dozen floor plans/options made over the last decade that are <30’).

This is great to hear. I've been obsessing over travel trailers for probably 2 years now and learning all I can on towing setups that work with the 200 series. I'm pretty set on a used 2185 next year at this point. Like you, I've got 3 kids and the dogs. Seems like there's some gamble with any brand, but Lance seems to be towards the better end. I've looked at a lot of the Forest River brands and not been impressed. A good friend of mine is a welder/fabricator and has earned a lot of business fixing brand new travel trailers that come out of there. Trying to stay on budget and still get something quality and I keep coming back to the 2185 as the layout looks like it will work well for us.

 

[Tanglefoot]

Hmm.... I have a Nash 23D that I really like. Pull it with my pickup. Great for a couple of guys or couple.

But, I have this notion that I will spend a couple of months in Alaska this summer. May go solo on the trip. The 23D is pretty big for one guy so I bought a used Flagstaff T12rbsse. Plan to pull it with the 2017 Land cruiser. Plenty big for one guy and easy to handle. Getting it fixed up now and will do a shakedown trip to go fishing in Wyoming. Easy to get it into those back roads up and down the Platte River. Well, when the weather gets better..... April.

Will let you all know how it works out.

 

[linuxgod]

This is great to hear. I've been obsessing over travel trailers for probably 2 years now and learning all I can on towing setups that work with the 200 series. I'm pretty set on a used 2185 next year at this point. Like you, I've got 3 kids and the dogs. Seems like there's some gamble with any brand, but Lance seems to be towards the better end. I've looked at a lot of the Forest River brands and not been impressed. A good friend of mine is a welder/fabricator and has earned a lot of business fixing brand new travel trailers that come out of there. Trying to stay on budget and still get something quality and I keep coming back to the 2185 as the layout looks like it will work well for us.

We had a 2005 Forest River Surveyor 235RS previously. Reasons I bought the Lance:

• Triple 30" bunks vs double 48". So the boys don't share one and fight now
• Dinette slide makes a HUGE difference in floor space. Also the U-shape seats 5 (vs the 4 in most campers including the Surveyor)
• 4 season insulated (though we don't normally camp in the winter, we've had ~25F mornings in the spring/fall or even in the rockies in the summer)
• Only 1' longer than our Surveyor (25'6" vs 24'6") and with the same wheelbase. We park in a lot in the alley in the city and have to make some tight turns so length/wheelbase are a big deal.
• Still has the access door to store some bikes (though the Surveyor door was a bit wider and the 48" bunks made it easier to fit all our bikes)
• Walk around bed (we got the sofa conversion option, which is an OK compromise for us, but the Surveyor had a queen bed slide out in the rear which was sideways so my wife always had to climb over)
• Larger tanks (45gal vs 30 gal)
• Reasonable weight (6000# when we're fully loaded traveling vs 5200# on the Surveyor) for the LC

Down side is Lance is definitely more $ vs other manufacturers and the TW on the 2015 and earlier is a lot heavier than they state (by like 50%).

FWIW we've done a few upgrades to our Lance I'd highly recommend, including:

• custom memory foam bed ($500)
• solar panels on the roof
• converted the magazine rack to a (liquor) cabinet
• we ditched the TV and bought doors to turn the area into a pantry

BTW I went back and forth but I'm really glad I bought the 2015 model instead of the newer 2016+. They don't have the rounded front and frameless glass, but I've heard of the frameless glass shattering and the 2015 and prior have some extra cabinet space above the master bed which is great.

 

[tincan45]

We had a 2005 Forest River Surveyor 235RS previously. Reasons I bought the Lance:

• Triple 30" bunks vs double 48". So the boys don't share one and fight now
• Dinette slide makes a HUGE difference in floor space. Also the U-shape seats 5 (vs the 4 in most campers including the Surveyor)
• 4 season insulated (though we don't normally camp in the winter, we've had ~25F mornings in the spring/fall or even in the rockies in the summer)
• Only 1' longer than our Surveyor (25'6" vs 24'6") and with the same wheelbase. We park in a lot in the alley in the city and have to make some tight turns so length/wheelbase are a big deal.
• Still has the access door to store some bikes (though the Surveyor door was a bit wider and the 48" bunks made it easier to fit all our bikes)
• Walk around bed (we got the sofa conversion option, which is an OK compromise for us, but the Surveyor had a queen bed slide out in the rear which was sideways so my wife always had to climb over)
• Larger tanks (45gal vs 30 gal)
• Reasonable weight (6000# when we're fully loaded traveling vs 5200# on the Surveyor) for the LC

Down side is Lance is definitely more $ vs other manufacturers and the TW on the 2015 and earlier is a lot heavier than they state (by like 50%).

FWIW we've done a few upgrades to our Lance I'd highly recommend, including:

• custom memory foam bed ($500)
• solar panels on the roof
• converted the magazine rack to a (liquor) cabinet
• we ditched the TV and bought doors to turn the area into a pantry

BTW I went back and forth but I'm really glad I bought the 2015 model instead of the newer 2016+. They don't have the rounded front and frameless glass, but I've heard of the frameless glass shattering and the 2015 and prior have some extra cabinet space above the master bed which is great.

Great info. Lance is #2 on my list. Still hoping to afford Oliver at some point next year, but major home remodel may delay any other major purchases. Btw, just clicked on your bio link, lots of great posts, thanks!.

 

[linuxgod]

Great info. Lance is #2 on my list. Still hoping to afford Oliver at some point next year, but major home remodel may delay any other major purchases. Btw, just clicked on your bio link, lots of great posts, thanks!.

let me know if you want to know anything specific about them. I'm like radio shack - if you've got questions, I've got long winded and pointless answers.

I will say the lifetime Lance Owners of America membership is well worth it

 

[tincan45]

let me know if you want to know anything specific about them. I'm like radio shack - if you've got questions, I've got long winded and pointless answers.

I will say the lifetime Lance Owners of America membership is well worth it

I'm guessing you averaged around 8-9 MPG pulling the Lance?

 

[619TOY]

I will say the lifetime Lance Owners of America membership is well worth it

X2

 

[FrazzledHunter]

This thread is very interesting for us as we're looking at travel trailer options. I came across the Outdoors RV brand where even the smallest of their "Backcountry Class" line of trailers, the "20BD", is awfully heavy and perhaps too heavy. According to their brochure it's 6155 # dry and 9995 # GVWR. If you take a closer look it advertises a 100 gal fresh water tank and twin 40# propane tanks. Those are the biggest I've ever seen. Their "Trail Series" is even heavier!!!

Any thoughts of the weight of this trailer and towing with a 200 series?
Anyone own one or know about this vendor in terms of quality & reputation?

REF:
ORV | Back Country Class

 

[linuxgod]

This thread is very interesting for us as we're looking at travel trailer options. I came across the Outdoors RV brand where even the smallest of their "Backcountry Class" line of trailers, the "20BD", is awfully heavy and perhaps too heavy. According to their brochure it's 6155 # dry and 9995 # GVWR. If you take a closer look it advertises a 100 gal fresh water tank and twin 40# propane tanks. Those are the biggest I've ever seen. Their "Trail Series" is even heavier!!!

Any thoughts of the weight of this trailer and towing with a 200 series?
Anyone own one or know about this vendor in terms of quality & reputation?

Too heavy. I’ve never seen a camper where the dry weight was anywhere near what was stated, as dry weight usually excludes things like batteries, propane, A/C units, etc so likely loaded with your gear you’ll easily be over 7500# and maybe closer to 8000# before you add waste tanks. On top of that you want at least 10% of the trailer weight on the tongue, and I personally recommend closer to 15%, which puts the TW at 1200# or nearly 50% more than Toyota states. My TW is probably 800-850 # on a 6000# trailer.

 

[linuxgod]

I'm guessing you averaged around 8-9 MPG pulling the Lance?

It really depends on your speed. I comfortably cruiser at 72-75 when on the highway out west and get about 7-7.5 doing so. Slowing down helps and IIRC I find I get about 1mpg per 5-10 mph slower. On a short haul from Chicago to southern Wisconsin I might get 9mpg keeping my speed reasonable but when I’m on a 20-30 hour drive I’ve done the math and would rather fork over a few hundred bucks in fuel to get there a lot faster - even with extra fuel stops

 

[sdnative]

I'm thinking Marlin 1895 in 45-70 would be good for bears?

What's a good caliber for handgun while hiking? What about 45 FMJ?

EDIT: Sorry I didn't mean to derail the thread again.

 

[FrazzledHunter]

Too heavy. I’ve never seen a camper where the dry weight was anywhere near what was stated, as dry weight usually excludes things like batteries, propane, A/C units, etc so likely loaded with your gear you’ll easily be over 7500# and maybe closer to 8000# before you add waste tanks. On top of that you want at least 10% of the trailer weight on the tongue, and I personally recommend closer to 15%, which puts the TW at 1200# or nearly 50% more than Toyota states. My TW is probably 800-850 # on a 6000# trailer.

Too heavy is also what I was thinking. We've gone camping (or maybe I should say "glamping") with friends for many years in their trailers so we've become RV'ers by proxy, so to speak. One thing we learned is that you can't have enough fresh water and propane. When I saw the size of those water and propane tanks on a stock trailer I almost couldn't believe it. Those trailers would be better off with a 3/4 ton pickup.