Which trailers are easy to tow but still accommodates two people, and a shower?

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yhbae

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Aug 14, 2012
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After doing even more research, I realize that buying a travel trailer won't work. I'm not sure where to keep this when parked as our garage clearance isn't high enough. Didn't realize just how tall these trailers were! Plus, I'll have to buy a big truck. May be in 5 years if we like long distance travel, a lot. I currently own a crossover that can only tow 3500lb so I'm looking for something very easy to tow, try it out for a while and see if we like it, then plunge into something bigger, including swapping the TV. Changing our crossover to a F150 isn't practical (for now) until we are completely retired. But I'm open to the idea of changing our crossover to another one that can tow 5000lb.

I looked at various trailers and it appears that the only ones that would fit our current situation are some popups, or a TrailManor. Low-Hi could have been a solution too but they appear to be bankrupt.

So far, here's what I found:

Popup with built-in shower - these do seem to exist and they seem ok. Still have to put up with setup/bring down, but very easy to tow and easy on the gas. Two large beds are a total overkill but most models with built-in shower appear to be high-ends hence it comes with the size. So far, I haven't been able to find it, but does such a thing as a popup with 1 bed + built-in shower exist?

TrailManor - these guys are not cheap. But definitely towable on a 5000lb TV. I don't think I will try on my current vehicle though. Inside looks very nice though, close to our ideal setup.

Really small TTs (ALiner, Egg-something, etc) - most of them are still too tall externally. And those that are ok don't have an internal shower.

Did I miss any other options?
 
Tent trailers offer a lot of 1-1/2 season camping for very little money.  resale seems to be very good for them also.  One of the smaller ones could be towed by your current vehicle, but be VERY careful about that mystical 3500 towing capacity.  That is reduced a lot by adding passengers and cargo to the tow vehicle, long before you ever hitch a trailer to it.  Realistically that 3500 could be reduced to as little as 2500 pounds in the real world.  I would suggest you load the car up with everything necessary for a trip and go to the scales for an accurate weight.  Subtract that from your vehicles GCWR.  That is the MAXIMUM you will be able to tow.
 
donn said:
Tent trailers offer a lot of 1-1/2 season camping for very little money.  resale seems to be very good for them also.  One of the smaller ones could be towed by your current vehicle, but be VERY careful about that mystical 3500 towing capacity.  That is reduced a lot by adding passengers and cargo to the tow vehicle, long before you ever hitch a trailer to it.  Realistically that 3500 could be reduced to as little as 2500 pounds in the real world.  I would suggest you load the car up with everything necessary for a trip and go to the scales for an accurate weight.  Subtract that from your vehicles GCWR.  That is the MAXIMUM you will be able to tow.

Thanks for the warning. Yes, I spent lots and lots of threads reading about towing and that mythical actual towing capacity vs on paper. We will not have any additional passengers (around 250lb between two of us) , and the stuff we carry will be quite light (no longer need to carry stuff like tent, kitchen shelter, big batteries, etc). We are not big on carrying a lot of stuff to begin with so I doubt that will change. Also, I'm going to stick to the rule of staying within 80% of GVWR, meaning, will stay below 2800lb loaded.

Oh I do have one question - where do you weigh your car + trailer?
 
yhbae said:
...
I looked at various trailers and it appears that the only ones that would fit our current situation are some popups, or a TrailManor. Low-Hi could have been a solution too but they appear to be bankrupt.
...
TrailManor - these guys are not cheap. But definitely towable on a 5000lb TV. I don't think I will try on my current vehicle though. Inside looks very nice though, close to our ideal setup.
...

Trailmanors are pretty good, and the smaller models (2720, 2619) will fit in a typical garage, especially if you get the folding tongue. I had one for four years, and thought it was a nice unit. You might also check out the Trailmanor Owner's Forum -- it's every bit as good as this one for being helpful (lotsa knowledge there) and friendly. I originally towed with a Ford Explorer Sport Trac V6, and it did fine, even in the Rockies, though it sometimes was slower than I liked.
 
There are many places to weigh. Many truck stops, like some Flying J, have C.A.T. scales , local gravel pits etc are often open to the public for weighing. Many public C.A.T. scales are advertised with a BIG yellow sign out front.
 
Larry N. said:
Trailmanors are pretty good, and the smaller models (2720, 2619) will fit in a typical garage, especially if you get the folding tongue. I had one for four years, and thought it was a nice unit. You might also check out the Trailmanor Owner's Forum -- it's every bit as good as this one for being helpful (lotsa knowledge there) and friendly. I originally towed with a Ford Explorer Sport Trac V6, and it did fine, even in the Rockies, though it sometimes was slower than I liked.

Yes, I've been reading on that site too - quite interesting. :)

Basically, I have two scenarios - delay any major expenses by going with a used small popup (with a shower of course), and tow with the current vehicle for couple of years, OR buy something like a used TrailManor (around $14k), get a couple of years old Jeep Grand Cherokee with at least 6200lb towing capacity right away. Obviously my heart is on the latter but my brain says "slow down"... lol.
 
Alfa38User said:
There are many places to weigh. Many truck stops, like some Flying J, have C.A.T. scales , local gravel pits etc are often open to the public for weighing. Many public C.A.T. scales are advertised with a BIG yellow sign out front.

Oh yes, I've seen Flying Js around here. That should do it!  ;D
 
yhbae said:
Yes, I've been reading on that site too - quite interesting. :)

Basically, I have two scenarios - delay any major expenses by going with a used small popup (with a shower of course), and tow with the current vehicle for couple of years, OR buy something like a used TrailManor (around $14k), get a couple of years old Jeep Grand Cherokee with at least 6200lb towing capacity right away. Obviously my heart is on the latter but my brain says "slow down"... lol.

There is one more option you have not mentioned yet.  Get a class C motor home and setup your cross over for flat towing.
 
donn said:
There is one more option you have not mentioned yet.  Get a class C motor home and setup your cross over for flat towing.

Class C sounds expensive to own and maintain, no?
 
Decent used class C's can be had at some fairly attractive prices.  The biggest thing is shopping.  And don't be in a hurry.  The advantage of buying a used one is someone else took the depreciation hit, you get to learn about RV travel and there is no need to buy another vehicle or make do with something borderline until you feel it is a prudent time to upgrade.  Towing your existing car behind it allows you to park the Motor Home in one place and explore on the cheap.  Maintenance is like any large vehicle so that cost is not too big a deal.  house maintenance is going to be the same cost per year no matter how it gets down the road.  If cost is that big of a deal for you then a test is by far the cheapest form of camping.  But far from comfortable for us older folks.
 
donn said:
Decent used class C's can be had at some fairly attractive prices.  The biggest thing is shopping.  And don't be in a hurry.  The advantage of buying a used one is someone else took the depreciation hit, you get to learn about RV travel and there is no need to buy another vehicle or make do with something borderline until you feel it is a prudent time to upgrade.  Towing your existing car behind it allows you to park the Motor Home in one place and explore on the cheap.  Maintenance is like any large vehicle so that cost is not too big a deal.  house maintenance is going to be the same cost per year no matter how it gets down the road.  If cost is that big of a deal for you then a test is by far the cheapest form of camping.  But far from comfortable for us older folks.

If we go that route, perhaps it might make sense to change our car to something more economical. I don't have a good sense on what would be the overall cost going this path vs say, GGC + TrailManor, but might be interesting to look further into it.

Now the cost...  ;D Actually, I'm trying to experiment without spending a fortune. When we are ready to commit for the long term, I think we are going to be ok from the cost perspective, but I hate jumping into something without understanding the details of what is going to be spent on where. We do have a fully paid home, and part of that will go towards this for sure eventually, but I'm trying to experiment without touching our home yet.
 
I am quite impressed with the amount of research you're doing on this.  You stand a much better chance of getting a unit that fits your needs this way.  Too many folks just jump into it great guns and take a bath later when they have to unload an expensive RV they bought new a year later because it didn't fit their needs.

Good job!  Keep doing what you're doing, and the right combo will come along for you.
 
Frizlefrak said:
I am quite impressed with the amount of research you're doing on this.  You stand a much better chance of getting a unit that fits your needs this way.  Too many folks just jump into it great guns and take a bath later when they have to unload an expensive RV they bought new a year later because it didn't fit their needs.

Good job!  Keep doing what you're doing, and the right combo will come along for you.

Thanks.  ;D

Researching into all this is quite interesting. I am excited with the prospect of major changes in our living style in the near future. Both my wife & I have been on salary job all our lives. This is something we didn't even consider couple of years ago, but couple of years of camping trips (we've camped every single vacation days during the past 3 years now) have proven to us that indeed this might just work out very well for us. Even with 10+ camping trips per year have left us wanting for more.
 
I found another candidate:

Rockwood A124:

This one looks like an Aliner clone, but with a built-in shower/potty. Since it folds, it will fit in a typical garage and easy to tow. Kinda cheaper and smaller alternative to the TrailManor.

http://www.forestriverinc.com/nd/default22.asp?location=rv&unittype=&page=floorviewertc&model=A124&choice=rktc&nav=rec&name=158&series=HardSide

 
yhbae said:
I found another candidate:

Rockwood A124:

This one looks like an Aliner clone, but with a built-in shower/potty. Since it folds, it will fit in a typical garage and easy to tow. Kinda cheaper and smaller alternative to the TrailManor.

http://www.forestriverinc.com/nd/default22.asp?location=rv&unittype=&page=floorviewertc&model=A124&choice=rktc&nav=rec&name=158&series=HardSide

Nice looking setup for 2 folks.  Seems to fit your needs.
 
We had an older Coleman 12' with shower and a thetford porta-potty, furnace, fridge, everything but AC. it was 2500 pounds and 275 on the tongue. A real easy tow with our 3500 pound rated Honda Pilot.
I'd recommend one if you did not want to go winter camping.
 
skyking1 said:
We had an older Coleman 12' with shower and a thetford porta-potty, furnace, fridge, everything but AC. it was 2500 pounds and 275 on the tongue. A real easy tow with our 3500 pound rated Honda Pilot.
I'd recommend one if you did not want to go winter camping.

We are thinking about that option too. I can see two potential options with this option - setup/putdown time (especially on a rainy day) and ability to keep interior warm. We are not planning to camp at sub-zero nights much but we will probably come across a few (in fact we did hit into them before even when we did tent camping). Up here in Canada, day time high could be 20 degree but during the night, it could hit around zero or below in remote areas.

How are pop-up trailers with furnace when outside temperature hits zero? Would a propane tank last through the whole night?
 
If you have canvas sides,ends... Nope!! I don't think a single 20lb (BBQ size) will last very long under those conditions. Furnaces are hungry beasts....  Under cold conditions, think of your tent camping days, it won't be much different than that except you won't be directly on the ground. You will not be able to have running water, functioning tanks etc as they cannot be protected against freezing in these kinds of trailers.
 
Alfa38User said:
If you have canvas sides,ends... Nope!! I don't think a single 20lb (BBQ size) will last very long under those conditions. Furnaces are hungry beasts.... 

Would this still hold true if you set the temperture to somewhere like 10C (50F) and say the outside temp is around 0C (32F)?

We have another tent camping trip coming up in few weeks and I think we are going to be hit with more nights where the temperature will go below 5C (41F). For us, 10C (50F) nights are pretty comfortable with our sleeping pads/bags.

I live in Toronto, and we are going to Algonquin Park this time - you may know this park if you are from Montreal. :)
 
I would say expect your canvas side pop up to do about like a tent woud.  MAYBE just a little better.

It is amazing how little heat you need when you are out of the wind. 
 
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