Newb from Iowa City looking for a solid, used bunkhouse travel trailer

[johnnyyac]

Greetings!

First, let me say how nice it is to come to this forum, which uses the same software as a forum I moderate for the band My Morning Jacket (http://mymorningjacket.net/), the best band in the world...

Anyway, my name is John. I currently hail from Iowa City, IA. My wife and I have three girls (9, 13, and 15). We are looking at entering the RV world by way of a light travel trailer. Our current primary vehicle, a 2015 Subaru Forester, can only tow 1500 lbs., so we're considering a trade in for a late model used Toyota Highlander, with a towing capacity of 5000 lbs.

For a starter trailer, we've narrowed it down to a used bunk-house style that sleeps 5+, has a GVW under 5000, and a length under 24 feet. We also need to keep the price between $3000 and $9000, depending on financing options.

Being new to RVs and this forum, I suppose we'd appreciate any feedback from folks here on good models that would meet our needs. If threads on this topic already exist, I may find them as I continue to explore this forum. However, we'd appreciate any links that you can share.

 

[geodrake]

Welcome to THE RV FORUM.


You will find a lot of reference material in our library and our members are always willing to share their knowledge and offer advice.  However you will get better responses in our "General Discussions" area.


Welcome aboard!

 

[SeilerBird]

You are not going to be to tow a family of five and a trailer with an SUV. You will need at least a 3/4 ton truck and a 35 foot trailer.

 

[Lou Schneider]

Hi John, welcome to The RV Forum!

I agree, you're cutting it too close hoping to find a "solid" bunkhouse trailer that can be towed by a Highlander.  Solid and lightweight are mutually exclusive terms, you have to compromise in one area to meet the other.

Another factor is tow ratings assume a tow vehicle that is empty except for the driver.  Anything else subtracts a like amount from the weight you can tow.  Add 3 more people, their gear, the weight of a trailer hitch and you've reduced the towing weight by 500 lbs or more.  The ratings are also based on towing a horse or utility trailer with limited frontal area, an RV trailer is taller and wider so it needs more horsepower to cut through the air.

All of these are why experienced RVers like to stay under 80% of the published tow ratings.

Loading a vehicle up to or beyond it's maximum ratings makes the drive a slog when it should be fun.  Instead of a Highlander, you would be much better off looking for an extended cab pickup or something like a Ford Expedition that's based on a full sized pickup chassis.

Since you're looking at the used market with a restricted budget, your selections will be more limited than if you were buying new.  Find your trailer first, then look for a tow vehicle that can comfortably handle it,

 

[scottydl]

Agreed that your tow vehicle (abbreviated TV around here) is the most critical factor here... it opens up a whole lot more options in terms of trailer choice.  For girls that age/size (just in terms of height and "stuff") a trailer as small as you're talking is going to be a pretty cramped experience.  And you are smart to be looking at the GVWR for any trailers you consider, but as mentioned your TV pulling power also has to include the bodies and cargo in the SUV.

We have the same size family as you do (except 3 boys instead of 3 girls! ;D) and almost the same ages as well.  Our 32' bunkhouse (2008 model year) is just about perfect.  The bedrooms on each end have actual doors that close, so parents and kids really have their own spaces when needed.  Decent sized living/kitchen area in the middle.  (I attached a floorplan diagram of my model below).  My trailer's GVWR is 11k# but fully loaded for our weekend/vacation purposes it comes in around 9200#.  My 20+ year old 3/4-ton Suburban does a great job towing it. 

I bought everything used but did a ton of research/shopping in advance, which is required if you want to find a good deal.  I'd recommend starting your research on your local Craigslist and other nearby cities, and being willing to travel a bit for the right rig (or tow vehicle).  Save up cash while shopping, and heck you might be able to buy outright by the time you find what you want (that's what I did).  Keep reading here and asking questions as they come up, which they will! 

 

[johnnyyac]

Thanks for the welcoming feedback!

I understand bigger is better, but we're starting out and money is tight. I see used 20-22 ft. bunkhouse trailers with bare essentials that sleep 5 for under $7,000. GVW is under 3000 lbs. for something like a 2012 Jay Flight Swift SLX 184BH; 4300 lbs. GVW for a 2011 Cherokee Grey Wolf 17BH.

I continue to research and will more fully explore this forum as part of the process. Many thanks!

 

[UTTransplant]

Go Hawks! Both DH and myself got our MS degrees at U of IA. My oldest son and my twin granddaughters were both at the U of IA hospital. Lots of Hawks in our family. I know you are interested in a hard sided trailer, but have you looked at some of the pop ups or even hybrids with bed pull outs? We had four kids, and pop ups were our preference for ease of towing, big interior room, and low weight. Even a big pop up with a toilet/wet bath would probably be under the capacity of a Highlander. Remember most people on this site are older and use fully livable RVs. Heck, that's what we want these days too! But I still remember the days of taking the kids camping on two week trips through the Rockies or week long trips to northern WI or MN or just weekend trips to Coralville Lake or Strawberry Point. The thing to watch for in pop ups is any possible mildew smell. If the canvas is good, there's not a lot else that can go wrong.