Best 17' Ultralight for a Family (3-4 people)?

[ams115]

We're looking for a reliable, easy to tow ultralight that will fit our family. Our wish list:

- good for weekend trips, 2-3 nights; chance we might go longer but less likely
- need bunk beds for 2 kids (maybe 3 if bring a friend or we really get busy)
- prefer a separate shower; don't mind using the kitchen sink vs. bathroom sink
- don't mind buying used; in fact, would prefer it
- like everyone, want something reliable (e.g., don't want to buy it and have it fall apart 5 years later)
- our current cars are 2005 Honda Odyssey and 1999 Nissan Pathfinder. Would prefer to use the Odyssey but it seems like the Pathfinder will give us more options and larger size
- looking at 17' since it seems like we'd get a decent amount of space but not be too hard to tow
- need something that drives well; my partner is very nervous, plus with kids in the car safety first
- we live in NC and will use it in the mountains, although no off-roading or anything like that

I think that covers it. Anything I'm missing?

Cikira, Casita, Jayco and Hi Lo are names I've come across. Also K-Z, Forest River and Keystone. Is there a website that rates individual RVs? It's hard to really gauge how reliable and well-built various options are. There doesn't seem to be a Consumer Reports for RVs except maybe this site:
http://www.jrconsumer.com/?Click=10156&gclid=CO74npGGnZwCFQJ-xgod81wb7w. Are these guides worthwhile to buy?

TIA!

 

[ihealthi]

Hi Tia,

Our previous TT was a 17' Casita Spirit Standard (bunks) so I might be able to provide some input.  We pulled it with our Honda Odyssey minivan which could tow 3500lbs (once we added the tow package that included the transmissin cooler etc.).  Our Casita weighed in about 2800lbs loaded. It did pretty good towing except for steep grades where we slowed to about 40-45mph.  We got from 14-16mpg overall.

If you plan to use your Odyssey, a pretty good rule of thumb is that you won't be able to tow anything with two+ axles.  If you consider the Casita, know that the top bunk of the unit only allows up to 80lbs weight and that top bunk is not very wide.  Fine for a small child.    The Casita's are all sold directly from the factory with special orders and it's pretty hard to find a used TT with the bunks as most people prefer to have the toilet/shower.  There is not a lot of room in the Casita for four people but we did it with our granddaughters on weekend trips and still liked each other at the end of the trip      Back in the day when our kids were teens, we traveled with a tent trailer (we had a minivan back then also) and I can say that for a family of four with kids, we had far more room in the tent trailer. 

If you still are considering a lighter 17' fiberglass trailer, there is an extremely loyal following of egg owners at http://casitaforum.com/    Join the forums and ask questions there to get a better idea if the fiberglass tt might be an viable option for you. 

 

[kotasnana]

check out the r-pods, just got a 175 and love it, lots of room for small tt

 

[ams115]

Thanks for the suggestions. We just went to a local RV place and did the tour. There are so few 17' TT on the lots - only 21'+, which seem awfully big for us to start with.

I'll check into the two mentioned; hopefully they both have toilets and showers. We don't mind being head to toe as long as there's a bathroom .

 

[RoyM]

We have a 17' with a toilet and shower. I can't bend over to pull my pants up without hitting my head on the wall.   A 17' will be pretty small for four or five especially if the weather is bad.
Your vehicle will struggle in the mountains even if the trailer is within it's stated towing capacity. Our tow vehicle is a 4.0L Ranger and it is o.k. on the level but really inadequate once we head to the interior. We strongly suggest you rent to get a feel for it before laying down hard earned cash. Going too small can lead to serious headaches.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Are these guides worthwhile to buy?

They have some value as a source of comparative information on various brands, but as ratings they are not worth much. Very subjective and based on visual and paper analysis rather than any actual testing. This is not "Consumer Reports".

our current cars are 2005 Honda Odyssey and 1999 Nissan Pathfinder. Would prefer to use the Odyssey but it seems like the Pathfinder will give us more options and larger size
- looking at 17' since it seems like we'd get a decent amount of space but not be too hard to tow

Neither of these is a strong tow vehicle but the Pathfinder is better. The Odyssey is limited to a max trailer weight of 3500 lbs and that's without any passengers in it. With your family onboard, it would be reduced to no more than 3000 lbs and performance would be mediocre at even that amount. I think the Pathfinder is rated for 5000 lbs, but again that has to be decreased to allow for the extra weight of passengers  and gear carried in the car.

For these tow vehicles, your best bet is something like a Trail Manor, which folds down to easy towing yet still provides a roomy trailer when you arrive at your destination. Not a pop-up canvas trailer -it has  solid walls and roof. The 19 footer weighs about 2000 lbs and expands to 26 feet when opened up.See http://www.trailmanor.com/index.htm

 

[CF]

My wife and I had the same trouble you're having. We don't have kids, don't need much space, don't have a big tow vehicle, and we wanted something we can keep in the garage. We found very few choices. I suppose this is not a very popular size for a travel trailer.

We ended up buying a Sierra Campfire 16XL (1 foot shorter than what you're looking for). Supposedly this was a new model for '10, and I can't find anything online about it. This is the link to their site, but you can only see the 16XL's shorter predecessors:

http://www.campfirecamper.com/

Ours has a similar layout to the Serro Scotty Hilander:

http://www.scottytrailers.com/hilander.php

The Scotty is built by the same company, the interior layout is exactly the same except ours has a bunk in the front as well as the rear. The styling and colors are what you see in the Campfire site - not quite as overtly retro as the Scotty.

We've only had our camper since Nov, and we've only spent 4 nights (2 weekend trips) in it. That being said, we're very happy with it. It has enough room for us and our Doberman, but I expect 2 kids take up more room than 1 Doberman. I would think the bed layout would be pretty good (1 roomy dinette bed in the back, 1 smaller one up front, and an overhead bunk bed at each end).

The bathroom is a shower/toilet combo just like in the Scotty. It's pretty cramped.

The trailer weighs about 2500 lbs. I pull it with my 2005 Nissan Frontier, which pulls just fine, but you definitely know it's there.

The recommendations towards a HiLo or Trail Manor sound pretty sensible, expecially because they should offer less wind resistance. I expected to get a HiLo, but they are scarce in my area (mid-TN), and the one I saw looked very drafty. The trail Manor looked much the same - gaps between those big moving body parts that I did not like. I think pulling one of those would be better than pulling my camper, but I'm very happy we chose the interior coziness and airtightness we got with our traditional camper.

Best of luck!

 

[roadmaven]

Hey CF...hopefully you're still around to read this! Glad to see you've got a Sierra-built trailer. I've got a 2010 HiLander. We've got a Yahoo Group for those of us with Sierra-built trailers. Feel free to join us...you could be the first Campfire 16 owner to join! http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Bak-Pak_Campfire_SerroScottyWorldwide/

My wife and I had the same trouble you're having. We don't have kids, don't need much space, don't have a big tow vehicle, and we wanted something we can keep in the garage. We found very few choices. I suppose this is not a very popular size for a travel trailer.

We ended up buying a Sierra Campfire 16XL (1 foot shorter than what you're looking for). Supposedly this was a new model for '10, and I can't find anything online about it. This is the link to their site, but you can only see the 16XL's shorter predecessors:

http://www.campfirecamper.com/

Ours has a similar layout to the Serro Scotty Hilander:

http://www.scottytrailers.com/hilander.php

The Scotty is built by the same company, the interior layout is exactly the same except ours has a bunk in the front as well as the rear. The styling and colors are what you see in the Campfire site - not quite as overtly retro as the Scotty.

We've only had our camper since Nov, and we've only spent 4 nights (2 weekend trips) in it. That being said, we're very happy with it. It has enough room for us and our Doberman, but I expect 2 kids take up more room than 1 Doberman. I would think the bed layout would be pretty good (1 roomy dinette bed in the back, 1 smaller one up front, and an overhead bunk bed at each end).

The bathroom is a shower/toilet combo just like in the Scotty. It's pretty cramped.

The trailer weighs about 2500 lbs. I pull it with my 2005 Nissan Frontier, which pulls just fine, but you definitely know it's there.

The recommendations towards a HiLo or Trail Manor sound pretty sensible, expecially because they should offer less wind resistance. I expected to get a HiLo, but they are scarce in my area (mid-TN), and the one I saw looked very drafty. The trail Manor looked much the same - gaps between those big moving body parts that I did not like. I think pulling one of those would be better than pulling my camper, but I'm very happy we chose the interior coziness and airtightness we got with our traditional camper.

Best of luck!

 

[vermilye]

I have links to information on small fiberglass trailers at JV'd Fiberglass Trailer Links.  As others have stated, 5 in a 17' is going to be tight!  If you have a truck a couple of the manufactures make ultralight 5th wheels...

 

[crazyv]

What about a Scamp?  A friend of mine just had one made with a dinette/bed in the rear and a couch/bunk system in the front.  Even had a toilet, small fridge and kitchen area.  Small and tiny yes...but had evrything they wanted and it's SUPER light!