What travel trailer should I buy?

[PNW_Ranger87]

Probably not the type of thing you're looking for, based on your line of questioning, but figured I'd throw it out there anyways since everyone else was sharing pictures. haha Ours is more made for overlanding and rustic/primitive places, which is what we love to do. 1200lbs dry. Got it up around 1800lbs on our week long trip pictured here.

That's about the size I'm considering. Same idea with the overland ability. I have been looking at the No Boundaries. What brand is yours? Probably doesn't even notice it back there, eh?

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[Deleted member 1634]

That's about the size in considering. Same idea with the overland ability. I have been looking at the No Boundaries. What brand is yours? Probably doesn't even notice it back there, eh?

The No Boundaries one was also one we were considering in our shopping/research. We liked this brand because you can customize it completely. Color (188+ colors to choose from), tires, wheels, add-ons (solar panel, heater, AC unit, roof rack, awning, plug-ins, front toolbox, lift kit, additional lights, etc.), size (4 different sizes, this is the biggest one), spare tire location, electric brakes with built in brake controller, etc. Pretty much anything you can think, and some things I didn't even consider, they were happy to do for us. They even added some extra things at no cost (ground power plug-in, 12V outlet in the galley for an electric cooler), just solely based on our casual conversation of the type of camping we like to do. They've made a few thousand by now and I'm not sure any 2 are exactly the same.

https://www.tcteardrops.com/

There are a handful of other similar companies like this one out there. We chose this one in particular because it was close to home so we could go and pick it up ourselves, they're relatively light weight, and are super customization like I said so we made it exactly the way we wanted it to be. The No Boundaries ones are nice, but they're cookie cutter ones and all look the same essentially.

 

[CaptainAmericaRob]

This is the trailer i want to get. Dutchmen Aerolite 2423BH
has a dry weight of about 5,700 lbs. 28 ft overall length.
i'm a bit concerned about towing it with my Ranger Lariat FX4 crew.

 

[THLONE]

Did you read and comprehend the last two pages of posts? Valuable experience is offered, but you probably know better cause you worked for Ford sweeping metal chips.

 

[Floyd]

This is the trailer i want to get. Dutchmen Aerolite 2423BH
has a dry weight of about 5,700 lbs. 28 ft overall length.
i'm a bit concerned about towing it with my Ranger Lariat FX4 crew.

Nice choice, especially on paper.
We've all heard of the world's three biggest lies...
Well the 4th biggest lie is called "Dry Weight".

If you are going to tow only on short trips your choice could be tolerated.
If you intend to travel with your travel trailer, you will be disappointed with this choice.
While the Ranger will tow this trailer, this trailer is large enough to use a disappointing amount of fuel, be difficult to get in and out of stops and campsites etc.
As a weekender or a destination trailer it may work well for you, but if you plan on touring I think you would be a LOT happier with something smaller.

Since you are considering a stick built trailer, you can buy late model used for a small fraction of retail new.
This will give you the abillity to sell the first trailer or two without a great loss.
That way you can gain the experience to see the wisdom of towing the "right sized" trailer for your needs and your lifestyle.
After that, you will know what to buy new.

The biggest mistake most TT buyers make is buying too large.
I have owned around 30 travel trailers as well as utility, car trailers and car dollies.
After several trailers bought used and reconditioned, I decided on my Scamp. We have kept it for 16 years with great satisfaction.
Your final choice may not be the same as mine, but a couple of trial balloons could save you a lot of grief and cash.

 

[Fawnbuster]

Greetings from Indiana. I read every post on this thread, great info! Thanks for the spreadsheet!! All of the campers mentioned seemed to link to single axle trailers, does anyone have any info as to what is the shortest or smallest travel trailer that has 2 axles? Having the extra axle in trailers and campers i have towed over the years has made them feel and tow with more stability. I don't need a monster 8 person camper, most of the time it will be the wife and I and 2 dogs, but room would be nice and if we take another couple along then that extra bed will be handy, so a 4-6 person camper when the time comes will do us well.

 

[Ed Venture]

Greetings from Indiana. I read every post on this thread, great info! Thanks for the spreadsheet!! All of the campers mentioned seemed to link to single axle trailers, does anyone have any info as to what is the shortest or smallest travel trailer that has 2 axles? Having the extra axle in trailers and campers i have towed over the years has made them feel and tow with more stability. I don't need a monster 8 person camper, most of the time it will be the wife and I and 2 dogs, but room would be nice and if we take another couple along then that extra bed will be handy, so a 4-6 person camper when the time comes will do us well.

I totally agree with you on the double axle setup - even on a short trailer. We had a 2008 Cruiser RV Fun Finder 189FBS. With a single slide it was spacious for such an 18 foot trailer and it was extremely light - just over 3400 lbs. dry. Technically you could sleep 4 in it with a fold out bunk above the queen bed and a sofa that folds out to a bed. I wouldn't recommend it for 4 adults, but 2 adults and 2 kids, it was just fine.

Unfortunately, Cruiser RV has got away from this model and the smallest they have now seems to be 20 foot and trailers with dry weights that start around the 4200 lb. mark. The good news is that others have picked up on this plan. Specifically the Winnebago Micro Mini 1808FBS which is a dual axle weighing in at 3560 lbs. The floor plan is practically identical my old Fun Finder.

Full disclosure - I have not set foot in the Micro Mini, but it is on my short list for a new trailer sometime next year. I am also looking very closely at Airstream trailers, although the fact the fact that the lighter models all have a single axle is holding me back a bit. I am also considering Escape Trailer 19 foot fiberglass, which has dual axle but no slides.

The good news is I have some time to weigh the pros and cons of each - but each weighs in under 3600 lbs and is less than 21 feet which is pretty much my personal sweet spot for comfortable travels.

Best,

Ed

 

[Rone28]

Here is a picture of my micro minnie. It is a 2108ds. It is 3900 lbs. Dry weight.

I like that it is 7 ft wide and that it is less than 22 ft. They have a number of configurations. It has served me well.

I had a trailer that was 27 ft before this one. I could tow it but it is just too darn long. For that you want a wider and bigger truck.

Just because you can does not mean you will enjoy the experience.

 

[Fawnbuster]

I totally agree with you on the double axle setup - even on a short trailer. We had a 2008 Cruiser RV Fun Finder 189FBS. With a single slide it was spacious for such an 18 foot trailer and it was extremely light - just over 3400 lbs. dry. Technically you could sleep 4 in it with a fold out bunk above the queen bed and a sofa that folds out to a bed. I wouldn't recommend it for 4 adults, but 2 adults and 2 kids, it was just fine.

Unfortunately, Cruiser RV has got away from this model and the smallest they have now seems to be 20 foot and trailers with dry weights that start around the 4200 lb. mark. The good news is that others have picked up on this plan. Specifically the Winnebago Micro Mini 1808FBS which is a dual axle weighing in at 3560 lbs. The floor plan is practically identical my old Fun Finder.

Full disclosure - I have not set foot in the Micro Mini, but it is on my short list for a new trailer sometime next year. I am also looking very closely at Airstream trailers, although the fact the fact that the lighter models all have a single axle is holding me back a bit. I am also considering Escape Trailer 19 foot fiberglass, which has dual axle but no slides.

The good news is I have some time to weigh the pros and cons of each - but each weighs in under 3600 lbs and is less than 21 feet which is pretty much my personal sweet spot for comfortable travels.

Best,

Ed

Thanks for your input Ed! Towing a with a short wheelbase vehicle is bad enough on windy areas but a single axle just makes them sway alot more and if i expect my wife to become comfortable towing while i rest shes gotta feel safe or else we end up on our side in a ditch lol.

 

[JonB]

We went to the Chicago RV and Camping show yesterday. Fell in love with a Lance but couldn't afford it. Looking at these two affordable alternatives: Keystone Passport 197RB or a Coachman Freedom Express 19FBS. Both are "ultra-lights" around 5000 GVWR. Any comments, suggestions, alternatives welcome. We definitely want to stay around 5000 GVWR.

 

[J Haggerty (RADAR1)]

Greetings from Indiana. I read every post on this thread, great info! Thanks for the spreadsheet!! All of the campers mentioned seemed to link to single axle trailers, does anyone have any info as to what is the shortest or smallest travel trailer that has 2 axles? Having the extra axle in trailers and campers i have towed over the years has made them feel and tow with more stability. I don't need a monster 8 person camper, most of the time it will be the wife and I and 2 dogs, but room would be nice and if we take another couple along then that extra bed will be handy, so a 4-6 person camper when the time comes will do us well.

We've been thinking of the Escape travel trailers, made in Chilliwack, BC, Canada. Right now the exchange rate is pretty beneficial if your'e in the USA and paying Canadian dollars. The smallest currently made is the 17' single axle (2540 lbs dry), but they have double axles in the 19' (3150 lbs) and 21' (3365 lbs) versions, and also a tandem 5th wheel (3810 lbs dry).
Either of those should be a good match with the Ranger, although the 5th wheel might need the longer bed of the Supercab.
EDIT: 7/20/2020 We are ordering the 19' model today.

 

[ElSolo]

We are "life time" towers of Travel Trailers, and are, in fact, along the gulf coast being a snow bird until it's safer to go back north. Even a 7' wide model is still wider than your truck mirrors and that's an issue. I'd also strongly suggest that towing above 4000lb dry weight of any TT is all you want. They tow like a para-sail when there's a puff of wind or 18 wheelers are around you. No fun, no fun at all. 7500 tow rating means nothing much when it comes to T.T. towing. A flat bed trailer hauling that weight is one thing, a TT is a different creature all together. Lots of nice models in your specified length well under 4000 lbs. The list is long and you probably already know most of them. We've had most of them. The Rockwood GeoPro/E-Pro is quite nice, but way over board on techie stuff that has proven somewhat a nuisance to most of their owners. We love ours.

Nice trailer! Wife and I are thinking of buying our first trailer to tow our new Ranger (XLT, Supercrew, FX2 package). The Geopro 16BH is on our shortlist of TT's that we're interested in. We're trying to keep the gross weight of the trailer under 5,000lbs. How does the Ranger do towing your GeoPro? How does the rig behave in the wind, going up grades, etc? Appreciate the info!

 

[ElSolo]

Probably not the type of thing you're looking for, based on your line of questioning, but figured I'd throw it out there anyways since everyone else was sharing pictures. haha Ours is more made for overlanding and rustic/primitive places, which is what we love to do. 1200lbs dry. Got it up around 1800lbs on our week long trip pictured here.

Very nice! I just got my truck and am in the market for a tonneau cover. So, naturally, my eyes went straight to your cover. What brand/model is it? How do you like it?

 

[BeachRanger19]

We purchased the 2020 Springdale 1750RD Winterized version for a few reasons.
Its just my wife and I so the queen upfront, full stand up bathroom, small propane/electric fridge, two burner stovetop and entire rear being a dinette with huge picture windows is a perfect size for us with incredible views.
3400lb dry around 4000lb loaded our Ranger doesn't even break a sweat towing it & even in the mountains we avg. about 16mpg.
Single axle is not a drawback and is very stable behind us even when getting our doors blown off by a semi passing at 80+mph its really not a big deal. (I never tow above 65mph)
Last and very important was the price, sticker $21,995 paid $15,300 leaving us with money to travel ?
So far we have de-badged all the Springdale/Keystone decals off the sides and front and some accent striping that looked like Stevie Wonder installed it.
We are also adding some faux tile on the backsplash in the "bar" area to give it a touch of class and a brushed stainless panel behind the stovetop for some industrial kitchen look. We did install an electric jack with light from etrailer.com that makes much easier to hook/unhook.
All in all we are really happy with the trailer and the fact we didn't overspend ?

 

[PAUL J CAIN]

I want to be able to take my motorcycle with me so I will be starting a cargo to camper trailer conversion soon.

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