Camping Trailer Advice Needed

[emtee]

Hey All,

The wife and I are looking at the possibility of investing in a ~20' camp trailer to take the girls camping, but I've got very little experience with these things. Just talking with my neighbors about it, I'm looking for AC, electric jacks, slider (if the budget allows), etc.

Anybody have any suggestions/recommendations/warnings about any particular makes/models? Stuff we've seen around here on the RV lots include Skyline, Malibu, Aloha, Nomad, etc. (I may be mixing my makes and models there).

Any help appreciated, thanks!

 

[sirenmoses]

Ask the dealers about renting: great way to see what works & doesn't before dropping some cash...

Some manufacturers build 'brand name' for various dealers: see if you can get a visit at the factory to see how they are made.

If ya got the bucks go Airstream: super great resale...

Let us know what you're leaning towards so we can pro & con you to death

 

[emtee]

sirenmoses,

Thanks for the info; we'll probably brave the lots this weekend to get a feel for things; will ask about rentals and factory locales...

I've always thought those Airstreams were cool; that would be the ticket if the cash flow permitted.

 

[jimr]

Depends on what you wont to spend.
bedroom
bathroom
weight of vehicle what are you pulling it with, check tow capacity,
electric lift in front
stableizer jacks
frig/frizer or ice box
the list is endless go to an rv website there is a lot of info .

 

[emtee]

OK,

We haven't had a chance to go prowling through the lots yet, but here are some pointers I've gotten from asking around:

• AC is a must
• "Northwest Package" (extra insulation) is a good idea
• Electric leveling jacks are helpful
• Sliders are nice, but some tend to have leak issues
• Dark fabric hides trail dust a little better
• You can't have too many storage compartments

On makes/models:

• Jayco is good
• Nash is good
• Airstream is da bomb
• Skyline is pretty good
• Comfort is pretty good
• Lumalite is good/pretty good?
• Prowler is good/pretty good

Any comments/rebuttals/additional points?

Jimr,

My wife's been doing a lot of the research at home; do you have some RV sites that you'd recommend?

Thanks for the input!

 

[Lars]

Out of your list, my order of selection would be:

1. Any Nash Product (Arctic Fox)
2. Komfort
3. Jayco
4. Airstream (like them but dont fit my needs for dry camping trailer)
5 Skyline (dont know much about them)

rv.net is going to be your best place to research all things rv related. Also, Komfort and Nash owners have their own forums on the web. Just google em. Typically, those two brands are considered the best travel trailers in their price range.

Electric leveling jacks.... never heard of anyone using them and would consider it a waste of money and weight to have them. What you want is an electric tongue jack along with stabilizer jacks.


Your tow vehicle will dictate what you can and cant have. Weight adds up fast.

 

[emtee]

Well, we went snooping around one of the big RV centers in the state over the weekend, and came to the conclusion that we're going to need a new tow vehicle before we do anything else. Our poor 1/2 ton manual just isn't going to do the trick.

We saw some nice trailers; Jayco, Skyline Malibu and a Komfort Limited that was real spacious but alas, nothing that would play nice with a Mopar 318.

I'll check out rv.net; we've gotten a lot of good info from both Jayco and Komfort.

Thanks again for the info!

 

[Lars]

A few more things... if buying new, around 25% off MSRP is generally considered the price you should try to get the trailer for.

The Equal-i-zer sway control hitch is a great value and works very well compared to higher end hitches. Dont let the dealer sell you a lesser hitch. Do it right the first time. www.rvsupplywarehouse.com has good prices on the equal-i-zer.

 

[emtee]

25%; I'll keep that number in mind. I heard the name Equal-i-zer a couple of times last weekend; any brand names to steer away from in the hitch department?

 

[Lars]

Equal-i-zer and the Reese dual cam are two common, affordable anti-sway hitches. You are looking at about $300-$500 depending on your trailer size. Other than that, you have the Hensley Arrow which is many thousands of dollars.

Those three hitches provide weight distribution and anti-sway. Lesser hitches only provide weight distribution.

Another thing, brake controllers... if you dont have one yet, the Tekonsha Prodigy brake controller is very nice for the money($90ish) and is easily the most popular (for good reason).

 

[rusty_tlc]

General comments:
Arctic Fox is the most bang for the buck IMHO. We loved ours and it actually held up to FS roads.

Unless you plan on spending a lot of time in KOA type campgrounds or budget some extra bucks for a big generator AC and Microwaves are worthless.

If I were on a budget I'd look at hybrid units, the ones that have tent pop-outs. Much less costly than typical slide out units. There are also a few you should be able to tow with a 1/2 ton truck.

Have you considered tent trailers? They are a great alternative to a hard sided trailer for summer camping. Also light enough to tow with a 1/2 ton truck.

If you have to buy a tow rig plus a trailer you may want to look at a smaller motor home, something like a Mini Winnie.

X2 on renting a few styles of units before you buy. You can rent trailers, tent trailers or motor homes and find out which style of camping suits your family best.

 

[GXO]

Check out the fun finder X series. They have several I have been looking at that I can tow with my 80 series. I would think the X160 or even X189 would work for you with a 1/2 ton.

 

[emtee]

Thanks for all the info, guys. We did some shopping around and came to the painful conclusion that our 1/2 ton isn't going to do the trick if we want to get a trailer that'll house two wild girls and their parents on a rainy day at the coast.

We checked out several makes and liked the Jaycos and Arctic Foxes the best, I think.

So now we've switched gears and are looking for a tow rig that doesn't need spark plugs to get going... Once we get squared away in this department, we'll revisit the trailers. We don't want to get the cart in front of the horse (pretty much literally... )

 

[Lars]

So now we've switched gears and are looking for a tow rig that doesn't need spark plugs to get going... Once we get squared away in this department, we'll revisit the trailers. We don't want to get the cart in front of the horse (pretty much literally... )

Wise move! Go diesel and never look back.

 

[Corbet]

came to the conclusion that we're going to need a new tow vehicle before we do anything else. Our poor 1/2 ton manual just isn't going to do the trick.

Yes, 20' hard side camper = Diesel 3/4 ton in my book. 1/2 ton might work if you live in the flat lands at sea level, but not here. If you don't need that big of a camper look at the different pop ups. Cheaper, much if you don't have to buy a new truck. Aliner is a pop up hard side that can be very light depending on model.

www.aliner.com

 

[Augie]

Trail manor is pretty nice and very light. They are expensive but if you find it used that about 10 years old are pretty affordable.