Nice revive. I'm more interested in pop-up trailers rather than travel trailers, but still, I guess the title applies.
My BIL has a 23' Micro-Lite trailer with a similar layout (although different). No slide. His priority was weight, as he's towing it with a V6 4-Runner, and he's approaching the limit of his tow vehicle. http://www.forestriverinc.com/product-details.aspx?LineID=203&Image=5387&ModelID=897#Main
My wife has seen travel trailers with the outdoor kitchen like the Jayco you posted, and thinks it is a great idea. We never do any of our cooking inside our trailer, preferring to cook everything outside under the awning.
We're going to the Manitoba RV show this weekend (as indicated in a previous thread), so we'll have a look at some of the trailers that are in our price and tow range (mostly pop-ups), as well as some of the bigger, more flashy trailers that are just fun to look at.
My wife prefer's pop ups as well. Pros and Cons of each trailer type. I am a light sleeper, so ambient noise bothers me more in a pop up. On long trips, if we want to rest for a few hours, depending on the layout, you can do that in travel trailer. Also sometimes I may want to leave the trailer at a site for a few weeks, and I may be away for few days in between. Don't want to have to pop up the trailer every time. We camp an average of 18 days a year. So a travel trailer wouldn't be wasted.
Weight was more of a concern before, but since I will get a truck for work down the road, it is less of an issue now. But I still would like to stay under 25'
See, I am quite the opposite with the sleeping situation. Ambient noise doesn't bother me. One of my favorite things to do on a hot summer night when camping is to leave the end flap fully open, so that it is like I am sleeping in the open air. I can see the stars from my bed, and hear the insects and the pitter-patter of the rain if it drizzles a little. I love it.
During the day, we open all the flaps of the camper, so that there is nothing but screen between the inside of the trailer and the outdoors. It really promotes a nice, open air feel, and gets that cool breeze flowing through, which is glorious on a hot day. Nothing like laying down for an afternoon nap and feeling a nice breeze on your face.
Also, my BIL in law will be towing his trailer to Banff with us this summer. My gas bill will easily be half of what his is, possibly less than half.
Sure I leave the flaps open during the day as well. But can't stand the birds at 5am. Or pouring rain on the flaps. The maintenance of the canvas is a pain too. The fuel consumption is more for sure. But like I said pros and cons. He has a lot more features. Using the washroom at 3am inside the trailer is a nice perk.
There are definitely some nice perks to having a travel trailer. Comfort is indeed higher. BIL can carry more stuff, and has more storage. The bathroom is a nice touch. Setup and Breakdown is definitely easier with a travel trailer, especially in the rain. And when you're stuck indoors during a rainy day, he's got just that little bit extra room than we do.
That being said, at this point in my life, I like the feeling of 'camping', which is something you get more of with a pop-up than with a travel trailer. The setup/teardown doesn't bother me at this point, because I'm still young enough to be able to do it easily. The next trailer we look for will definitely be a pop-up, but I will likely look for a newer 12' box with a dining slide and an optional cassette toilet. It will approach the upper limit of what my van can tow, but will still be within the limits (about 3000lbs with passengers and cargo inside the van). Something similar to this:
http://www.forestriverinc.com/product-details.aspx?LineID=155&Image=5056&ModelID=935#MainLater in life, once the kids have left, I may decide that I don't want to deal with the hassle of the setup and teardown, and opt for a small travel trailer, or even a A-liner that would be good for just the wife and I.
