Tire size and towing (1 Viewer)

[rav8]

Everytime I see it my inner monologue reads “one shower s***ter combination” in Slim Pickens voice like when he reads out the list of emergency rations in Dr. Strangelove.

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This. Also, the 5 minute setup time is a lie. By the time you properly dock, stabilize and disconnect (~20 min)...there will be 'stability' and 'are you sure we are level' questions. I picked up a camper which I could stop, change a diaper while the bigger girls visited the toilet, wash up and prepare a snack for all without unhitching or performing any other setup during stops.
I like the Casitas, but the better half vetoed a wet bath, such as these offer. If you've used one, you'll know why. Seperate shower/tub from toilet/sink is always a plus.
Last, though I love mine...campers are garbage. Better said, campers are accomodations that for a short time perform as advertised. No trailer-bound abode/lavatory will survive moderate to severe travel without appliances/fixtures coming loose over rough miles. You will find loose screws after every trip. Blind rivets are handy. You'll invest much more time in it than your GX without noticing.
I would consider buying a modest 17-20' travel trailer and picking up a small airplane or second GX with the difference in cost.

 

[Rednexus]

Agreed. It will take 5 min to back any trailer in and cross-axle level it. Then unhook from the rig, set stabilizer jacks, open the camper, unload it etc. 30 minutes is a better number for any camper. We have never used our interior shower or toilet for more than a #1 either.

Our TrailManor (Hutterite colony made) has been good quality with just a few issues. But; they are not perfect either. I did the ROI math and found our TrailManor had a 7 year payback period at 17 nights per year relative to just staying in Airbnbs (edit: that included the resale value at Year 7, which is much higher for a TrailManor than most Indiana-built mass-produced campers). If I had to get a bigger tow rig, or a camper with lower resale value, it would be 20+ years and it's hard to justify a camper as an "investment" at all. But, the bonus is we camp and travel a ton more than we otherwise would, often on short notice, and don't have to worry about finding an Airbnb.

 

[r2m]

Agreed. It will take 5 min to back any trailer in and cross-axle level it. Then unhook from the rig, set stabilizer jacks, open the camper, unload it etc. 30 minutes is a better number for any camper. We have never used our interior shower or toilet for more than a #1 either.

Our TrailManor (Hutterite colony made) has been good quality with just a few issues. But; they are not perfect either. I did the ROI math and found our TrailManor had a 7 year payback period at 17 nights per year relative to just staying in Airbnbs (edit: that included the resale value at Year 7, which is much higher for a TrailManor than most Indiana-built mass-produced campers). If I had to get a bigger tow rig, or a camper with lower resale value, it would be 20+ years and it's hard to justify a camper as an "investment" at all. But, the bonus is we camp and travel a ton more than we otherwise would, often on short notice, and don't have to worry about finding an Airbnb.

We just camped with some friends a few weeks ago who have a camper that opens like the TrailManor (don't know the brand, could have been a TrailManor) and yes it was a lot of work to get that thing opened and operational AND that was pulling into a perfectly flat campsite on Mission Bay, San Diego. Taking it down, was even longer. I wanted to help, but they just got this and my buddy wanted his wife to learn what and how it all folds up as they worked together closing it. Their learning curve may be part of it taking so long to open and close.
I was very impressed with how everything was hung inside, folded, collapsed, when "folding" it back up for the road. Very clever, but too much work. We had our iKamper RTT setup and 1.5 minutes (timed) and when we left, take down was 3 minutes, that most of that was tucking in the sides when closing the clam shell.

 

[Rednexus]

We just camped with some friends a few weeks ago who have a camper that opens like the TrailManor (don't know the brand, could have been a TrailManor) and yes it was a lot of work to get that thing opened and operational AND that was pulling into a perfectly flat campsite on Mission Bay, San Diego. Taking it down, was even longer. I wanted to help, but they just got this and my buddy wanted his wife to learn what and how it all folds up as they worked together closing it. Their learning curve may be part of it taking so long to open and close.
I was very impressed with how everything was hung inside, folded, collapsed, when "folding" it back up for the road. Very clever, but too much work. We had our iKamper RTT setup and 1.5 minutes (timed) and when we left, take down was 3 minutes, that most of that was tucking in the sides when closing the clam shell.

It's significantly quicker and easier than messing with a tent . Once we are leveled and detached, it's 5 minutes to actually open the camper and have it set up, then about 5 more to have it unloaded. 30 minutes from start-to-finish for setup/tear down is about what it takes us total, which is about the same time or less it takes for me to tear down my camp and load my backpack while camping on foot in the woods.

BUT, to your point, never camp less than 2 nights somewhere with a camper. It's just too much effort to set up and load/unload. For non-local camping, we like to stay places for 3-5 days minimum. For 1-night trips, an RV might be better. For solo 1-night trips, I just sleep in my rig.

 

[r2m]

It's significantly quicker and easier than messing with a tent . Once we are leveled and detached, it's 5 minutes to actually open the camper and have it set up, then about 5 more to have it unloaded. 30 minutes from start-to-finish for setup/tear down is about what it takes us total, which is about the same time or less it takes for me to tear down my camp and load my backpack while camping on foot in the woods.

BUT, to your point, never camp less than 2 nights somewhere with a camper. It's just too much effort to set up and load/unload. For non-local camping, we like to stay places for 3-5 days minimum. For 1-night trips, an RV might be better. For solo 1-night trips, I just sleep in my rig.

For an Army AT (annual training) exercise, I had to spend a couple nights in the back of my GX. At 6'-0", I had to have the passenger seat moved forward and build up a bunch of "stuff" to level it out. For me at least, not the most comfortable, but after a couple days of running around playing soldier, I was beat and slept hard.

 

[WTITW]

We picked up the trailer we were looking at last month and it's been great so far. Haven't had a chance to take it off road yet but I can say that y'all were right. It's more like 20 minutes from backed in, to beer open. Still pretty good. I think it's still easier than dragging a tent off the roof, setting it, blowing air mattress, etc. and awhole lot more swanky. Having a heater is going to extend our season to year round. Feeling lucky to be in AZ, where there's always somewhere warm enough or cool enough to camp.

Tows pretty well too. We took it to southern AZ last weekend and got 12.5mpg It's half the size of the Minnie Winnie we rented a couple of years ago but weighs the same due to all metal (completely welded aluminum box and oversized everything steel chassis). So far so good. Thanks for all the advice.

 

[r2m]

We picked up the trailer we were looking at last month and it's been great so far. Haven't had a chance to take it off road yet but I can say that y'all were right. It's more like 20 minutes from backed in, to beer open. Still pretty good. I think it's still easier than dragging a tent off the roof, setting it, blowing air mattress, etc. and awhole lot more swanky. Having a heater is going to extend our season to year round. Feeling lucky to be in AZ, where there's always somewhere warm enough or cool enough to camp.

Tows pretty well too. We took it to southern AZ last weekend and got 12.5mpg It's half the size of the Minnie Winnie we rented a couple of years ago but weighs the same due to all metal (completely welded aluminum box and oversized everything steel chassis). So far so good. Thanks for all the advice.

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Wheels/tires/lug pattern the same as the GX for spare tire redundancy?
Also, are you still planning on wanting to join our club for Death Valley, March 28 for about 2.5 days?
I believe it's easy enough to bring your trailer.
PM/email me and I can give you more info.

 

[WTITW]

Wheels/tires/lug pattern the same as the GX for spare tire redundancy?
Also, are you still planning on wanting to join our club for Death Valley, March 28 for about 2.5 days?
I believe it's easy enough to bring your trailer.
PM/email me and I can give you more info.

Yeah, same pattern, but wheels are 16's and I found out that they are special wheels made to support the weight of the van. They're rated for 3500lbs each so I can't get Method wheels to match my GX as they're not rated high enough (trailer GVW is 6200lbs on two wheels = 3100lbs/wheel minimum rating).

Would love to do the death valley run, but not sure if we'll have kid commitments. I'll drop it on the calendar and ping you in Feb to see if there are still spots. Thx for the reminder. I think the page said members only. Can we get around that?

 

[r2m]

Yeah, same pattern, but wheels are 16's and I found out that they are special wheels made to support the weight of the van. They're rated for 3500lbs each so I can't get Method wheels to match my GX as they're not rated high enough (trailer GVW is 6200lbs on two wheels = 3100lbs/wheel minimum rating).

Would love to do the death valley run, but not sure if we'll have kid commitments. I'll drop it on the calendar and ping you in Feb to see if there are still spots. Thx for the reminder. I think the page said members only. Can we get around that?

There's a "posted" limit of 10 vehicles, but often that's soft, and we usually can have guests come along, so long as their vehicles are capable. For that wouldn't be an issue, and Death Valley is more a graded trail and not really anything rocky, hilly or rig-wrecking.
The limits are usually for popular narrow trails where there's no way for other vehicles to pass, or the camp site is cramped. It's just not fun being on narrow trail in the mountains and get stuck behind a 20 or 30 rig club with some of the rigs not capable at all, getting stuck or broke.
Death Valley is wide open so group size is not that big of an issue.
When getting close to the date and you can make it, shoot me a message and I'll be sure it's okay.

 

[ZIOI]

Just a comment back on tires specifically--

Ideal for towing is a tall, narrow, and hard (higher weight rating) tire. Think D or E rated. On 17s, you'd want a 235/80r17 E rated. Good towing tires and good off-road are basically mutually exclusive if that offroading involves anything needing sidewall flex. Best yiou can hope for in terms of compromise is a hard-riding high-weight tire with AT or MT tread.

You can tow with almost anything, but you will have best stability and control with a harder thinner tire with less squirm. The OEM GX 18s are a good size.
If you go taller, don't go much (if any) wider.