Topic: Travel Trailers

[blotter]

a lot of great tips here guys.  thanks!
I'm book marking some of the companies recommended.
We're also planning to hit up the Hamilton and Buffalo RV shows this winter.

Agreed. Best thing to do is buy used and rehab the unit and run in until you sell it after figuring out that its a waste of space after only using it twice a year   I had a few and now just rent when I get the urge. Unless it is real wilderness camping...I have no interest in trailer park mayhem.

I really believe we've be using this thing a heck of a lot.  I don't mind the tent gig, but my wife is getting a little tired of it.  Being that she gets summers off, we do lots of camping and almost all National and Provincial Parks.   While the tent is no big deal on the weekend trips, it's the long trips that get a bit much.
We did the East Coast in 17 days, all tent.  We got about 10 days of rain.  We never got wet but 17 nights in about 8 different places, it gets to be a pain taking down and setting up all the time.   
The other issue is Acadia National Park in Maine had no showers, there was a pay place nearby which was absolutely nasty.   We also did a trip out West in 27 days.  That time we mixed hotels, cabins, lodges and camping.   My wife would rather tent instead of a hotel.  Having a trailer would save money on hotel costs.    I think buying one would make sense.   I also think we'll camp even more once we have it because I'll just be able to hitch and go. 

[Northernridge]

If you have a trailer that weighs x pounds, what kind of margin above that would you consider to safe when driving?  What I mean is, I will be buying another minivan sometime in the next couple of years and they all have a tow rating of 3500lb or so. Most of the smaller trailer seem to weigh in just below that.  Is that buffer of a few hundred pounds enough of a safety margin or should I really just pitch a tent?

You'll need a margin of way more than a few hundred pounds.

The quoted empty weight of the trailer is usually the absolute bare minimum and doesn't include any "options" like propane tanks, air conditioning, microwave, awning, bbq, etc. The real empty weight of the trailer could easily be a few hundred pounds more than what the brochure says.

And then you have to add the weight of all your stuff - dishes, cutlery, pots, pans, groceries, coolers, camping chairs, clothes, etc. It can add up to way more than you'd expect.

And don't forget that your minivan's 3500 lb towing capacity is a best-case scenario, and can usually only be achieved with no other passengers in the van except the driver. Any passengers and cargo you add will reduce the available payload, which means you will have to reduce the trailer tongue weight, which means you will have to reduce the trailer weight. Once your family and gear is in the minivan, I wouldn't be surprised if the actual trailer weight limit isn't closer to 1,500 lbs. And if you load enough gear into the van, your trailer limit could easily be zero! You'll need to get the payload and towing specs for your minivan and do some math to figure it out.

And wind resistance is a big issue, too. I'd be looking at only tent trailers or the narrower and more aerodynamic models like rrocket has shown. Even if it's light enough, the wind resistance of a traditional 8' wide by 10' high trailer is going to work a minivan really hard.

This is good advice.

You'll also have pay attention to gross vehicle weight, gross rear axle weight and gross combined ratings for the tow vehicle. In my experience you'll also have to watch the trailer tongue weight and therefore the rear tire load rating too. Sounds like a lot but all of this is quantifiable and removes the guessing.

One thing you can do to help is plan to always tow with the water/holding tanks empty and fill up/dump at your destination.

[HeliDriver]

The water issue is a good one. When we bought our first trailer, I figured it would be silly to drive around with a full tank of water, so I never bothered to add the extra 3-400 lbs into my calculations. Like NorthernR said, you can just fill up when you get there.

Problem is, sometimes we found ourselves going places where there was no water at the destination. So now we had no choice but to drive 20, 50 or more kms with the tanks full.

And then there's the convenience factor. I won't do this, but I know that if my wife is taking the trailer for the weekend with her girlfriends, she'll just fill the tank at home before she goes. Saves an extra step and maybe waiting around for the hose once you get there.

It's nice to have a big enough margin in your weights to accommodate the unexpected.

[phazotron]

You guys brought up many good points. Some of them I had heard about before but not many others.  Since a buddy of mine camps with a travel trailer, he raves about it, it planted that seed and I now find myself wanting one.  I really think if I do get one, I'll just get a truck for it.  I've seen to many cars & vans overloaded with the headlight pointing to the sky and that is one situation I do not want.

[rrocket]

You guys brought up many good points. Some of them I had heard about before but not many others.  Since a buddy of mine camps with a travel trailer, he raves about it, it planted that seed and I now find myself wanting one.  I really think if I do get one, I'll just get a truck for it.  I've seen to many cars & vans overloaded with the headlight pointing to the sky and that is one situation I do not want.

You just have to be realistic with your trailer size vs your vehicle.  It's doable.

[phazotron]

You guys brought up many good points. Some of them I had heard about before but not many others.  Since a buddy of mine camps with a travel trailer, he raves about it, it planted that seed and I now find myself wanting one.  I really think if I do get one, I'll just get a truck for it.  I've seen to many cars & vans overloaded with the headlight pointing to the sky and that is one situation I do not want.

You just have to be realistic with your trailer size vs your vehicle.  It's doable.

I agree it's doable, I like the idea of a travel trailer but not a popup trailer.  It's just that I know that the next vehicle I buy (bang for the buck) is going to be a minivan, which for almost all my family driving is good enough. So a travel trailer is likely not going to work in that scenario though I didn't know about those super light weight ones. When I get to that point, I'll research it more fully and see.

[ArticSteve]

Where are you planning to park a trailer when not in use?  Technically, I don't think there is a municipality in the country that allows a RV trailer to be parked ahead of the front wall of a house.  It's done all the time, but if you have a troublesome neighbour on the street they could sick the by-law police on you.

You also need a fairly large vehicle.  Rav4s et al need not apply. 

[PJ]

Where are you planning to park a trailer when not in use?  Technically, I don't think there is a municipality in the country that allows a RV trailer to be parked ahead of the front wall of a house.  It's done all the time, but if you have a troublesome neighbour on the street they could sick the by-law police on you.

You also need a fairly large vehicle.  Rav4s et al need not apply. 

Lots do but it is a good idea to check.  In White Rock you can park a trailer up to 25.6 ft in your driveway.

I towed my Sprite with a 95 Grand Cherokee 4.0 and while it technically could tow my 4400lb Jayco I upgraded to a 03 Expedition.

If you want something that can be towed by a minivan I've heard good things about this company.

  http://escapetrailer.com/

[ArticSteve]

Don't buy new!  Ton of used product out there.

Take a look at a HI-LO.

http://ontario.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-RVs-campers-trailers-travel-trailers-campers-Hi-Lo-2307-classsic-W0QQAdIdZ505030886

[Snowman]

Oh just buy a pickup...no need to worry (so much) about a little 4-5 or 6000 lb trailer.

I always fill our water tanks before we leave.  I know the water is good (would hate to put well water in the thing) and I know it doesn't taste like crap.  If the water at the campground is good, and we need it, at least I have the option to fill it, but ya never know 'til you get there.  It gets emptied before or as we go home if there's anything left.  Rarely have had to fill it up at a campground other than those BC or Black Hills trips...if it's only 300 or so extra lbs, BFD...it's like me and another kid...only a bit sloshier     

Where are you planning to park a trailer when not in use?  Technically, I don't think there is a municipality in the country that allows a RV trailer to be parked ahead of the front wall of a house. 

Glad I don't live in one of those places!     Mine sits here all year, other than when we're camping of course.  Man that makes my camper look small...

You park on the lawn?    Moisture will kill the underside of the trailer. Make a gravel bed to park on.

[blotter]

Where are you planning to park a trailer when not in use?  Technically, I don't think there is a municipality in the country that allows a RV trailer to be parked ahead of the front wall of a house.  It's done all the time, but if you have a troublesome neighbour on the street they could sick the by-law police on you.

my parents have a 36ft motorhome.   they've received 1 ticket for being on the road.
They usually only have it at the house pre and post trip (to load and unload)
That was a time it sat for a week because it was unloaded and my dad wash the thing, so it took time.

There's never an issue having something in the driveway.   Our place has plenty of space.


my friend found this site yesterday:
http://www.crickettrailer.com

like all the other trailers made of mostly of aluminum, they seem overpriced.

[Thinking Out Loud]

We'd looked at getting one of those pop-up tent trailers for the Mazda MPV, due to weight considerations. 

The 2006 GT we have came with the trailering package including an transmission oil cooler from the factory with a max trailering capacity of 3,000 lbs.

Our friends had a pop-up tent trailer, and the amount of time they said they spent setting the thing up /taking it down two seasons in a row had them sell it for a small travel trailer.

We have one of those 'instant up' tents now that go up in 2 minutes and it weighs substantially less than a trailer.   

This one caught my eye and would leave me 1,500lbs of people and gear weight:

http://www.roulottesprolite.com/english/profil14.htm

[blotter]

^^^

we have a friend who just purchased a used pop up and they love it (so far)
however, my biggest issue with the pop up is if you pack it back down in the rain, it's just like a tent.  You'll have to pop it out when you get home so it dries up.  Things can't be packed up wet.   To me that's a PITA and why we want to go with a regular trailer.

Another friend who does have a pop up gave me this advice:
If you're going to have one, you almost need to store it in the garage. 
He said moisture seems to somehow always get inside when it's sitting in the driveway. 
Because of that, it requires them to pop it out, air it out and clean it out BEFORE they even go anywhere.

no thanks!

Those Prolite trailers are really nice, that's at to top of our list as well.

[Rupert]

Depends on the GCWR of the MPV I think. Perhaps the GCWR is pretty much the limiting rating regardless of what the tow rating is set at. We tow a T@B which is only suitable for two...all we need...with a GC 3.8/tow package and it has been fine for about 35000km of towing. Trailer windage will not allow towing in top gear and so 5th is used. I suspect that the MPV will be the same in this respect with proposed trailer.
We only use camp sites with facilities and don't carry water other than 5 gal...used for drinking only. We wash dishes with site water and drink site water also on long trips. Never had a problem with site water so far. We carry a portapottie for emergencies but it has never had to be used so far...site faciilities have always been satisfactory. Long trips up to 3 months have been made this way and the little trailer is a gem for these. Overnighting is a breaze...no raising and lowering in the rain. If the stay is longer we put up the large tarp awning and use the outside kitchen on the T@B. We only use electrical sites and with a small microwave and coffee perc and toaster...and modified shelfing...breakfast can be had totally inside except for getting milk from the refridgerator. A small low cost microwave is a good thing to have.
You see big rigs and park next to them on sites and they use the site showers and facilities...so it is not neccessary to tow these around and they are the main reason for trailer weight climb. If roughing it, the battery will give a couple of days lighting and fridge operation with propane for cooking and a naptha stove for occasional use. This with charcoal and a hibachi covers pretty much everything. Don't diss an electric frying pan...we use it a lot. In fact some trailers are all electric and we could get by with this arrangement...just stored the same propane that we have had since 2008. I suppose that the old Coleman naptha stove still works.
This is about all that you can do with a properly equiped van and feel comfortable driving the same. If kids are along then a tent trailer will have to be resorted to and we used this mode for years. Beyond this a truck is the best bet IMO.

[HeliDriver]

my friend found this site yesterday:
http://www.crickettrailer.com

like all the other trailers made of mostly of aluminum, they seem overpriced.

Those Crickets are neat. I read about them a while ago in Outside Magazine, I think, and believe they were designed by an aerospace engineer (NASA?) in his spare time. They remind me a bit of the Airstream Basecamp.

And the way I see it, they are certainly expensive, but probably not overpriced. It's more that most everything else is too cheap (cheap materials and cheaply constructed). I'd rather pay a fair (albeit higher) price for a quality product.

[rrocket]

We'd looked at getting one of those pop-up tent trailers for the Mazda MPV, due to weight considerations. 

The 2006 GT we have came with the trailering package including an transmission oil cooler from the factory with a max trailering capacity of 3,000 lbs.

Our friends had a pop-up tent trailer, and the amount of time they said they spent setting the thing up /taking it down two seasons in a row had them sell it for a small travel trailer.

We have one of those 'instant up' tents now that go up in 2 minutes and it weighs substantially less than a trailer.   

This one caught my eye and would leave me 1,500lbs of people and gear weight:

http://www.roulottesprolite.com/english/profil14.htm

This is the reason I like the A-liner.  Up and down in 2 minutes and with the security of hard sides.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNiq_SNF8gY

[blotter]

This is the reason I like the A-liner.  Up and down in 2 minutes and with the security of hard sides.

I definately like the hard sides.  The prices seems reasonable too.

Do you know if a roof rack can go on top?  (cross bars)

[blur911]

Where are you planning to park a trailer when not in use?  Technically, I don't think there is a municipality in the country that allows a RV trailer to be parked ahead of the front wall of a house.  It's done all the time, but if you have a troublesome neighbour on the street they could sick the by-law police on you.

my parents have a 36ft motorhome.   they've received 1 ticket for being on the road.
They usually only have it at the house pre and post trip (to load and unload)
That was a time it sat for a week because it was unloaded and my dad wash the thing, so it took time.

There's never an issue having something in the driveway.   Our place has plenty of space.

A friend had a mid-sized motorhome, he couldn't park it in his driveway as a neighbour around the corner would soon call and the bylaw officer would show up.
He had to park it at a friend's place that had backyard access.

[Fobroader]

They are all basically junk, IMO.

The Airstreams I've looked at seem a little better, but they are big $$$.

^^ This, outside of an Airstream all the trailers Ive seen arent built to pre 1990's Mercedes standards. Dont think about it, find a floorplan, weight and budget that suits your needs and go from there.

[blotter]

A friend had a mid-sized motorhome, he couldn't park it in his driveway as a neighbour around the corner would soon call and the bylaw officer would show up.
He had to park it at a friend's place that had backyard access.

the bylaw here allows it in the driveway, as long as it doesn't block the sidewalk.

there's no bylaw for people complaining they just don't like something in their neighbour's yard.
It never stays though, when it's actually parked - they need to bring it to a friend's house in the country.