Camping Trailer purchasing tips

[Fisherdan]

Hi, just looking for peoples opinions, observations on trailer quality, value, etc.

We had a ‘96 Coleman Sante Fe tent trailer that we sold last year. In the nine years that we had it it worked well. Nothing fancy, quality was OK at best... It did the job. Last year we purchased 2007 Jayco tent trailer. Was bigger, had the pull out dinette, extra storage compartment in the front, more bells and whistles. Long story short, after a year of camping with it we are disappointed with the quality. Every trip something breaks. Sometimes multiple things break! I feel like the frame of the trailer is good. But the canvas, interior and all the fittings are third rate at best and designed to fail.

So I think we will get something newer. Not sure what yet. Probably a solid body trailer. So I’m just looking for general opinions on brands, quality, things to look for, things to avoid, and peoples general observations on trailer value and quality.

[Moosetalker]

I am sure others will chime in.
Sorry in advance for wall of text.

https://gotraveltrailers.com/best-tr...railer-brands/

Our family we started with Tent trailers Myself an old 16 foot Funseeker bent the Tongue dragging it down miles of rough gravel overloaded body even started parting company with frame.

Jayco #9 of 10 bought out Open Range RV in 2014

My brother Purchased a 2019/20 26.5 Ultra light Open Range bumper pull {5,500 lbs Dry} He tows it with his F150 no problem towing.

When he picked it up he had a quickie non detailed walk through.

I told him fill his water tank and run pump, water heater, sinks, toilets etc when he got it home when he went to drain the clean water he'd put in his Grey and Black tanks he found waste gates were seized shut. Had to take it back.
He has a single slide and noticed it was scuffing the vinyl floor maybe another future issue.

The rest has all been good for him in the 2 months he's owned it.

Myself I have a Jayco Octane 27 foot Toy hauler.
Bought new in 2011 anniversary model 6 in 2 outside speaker interior sub-woofer 200 Amp stereo system,roof AC, 4.5 KW generator power bed lift and Awning TV 25 gal US Fuel station. sleeps 6 adults + 2 kids
Loaded fully its now scaling at 11,000 lbs. Badge rated at 12,000 lbs GVWR {Lies LT22575R15 load range E Tires x 4 added up to only 11,320 lbs Which is the # Highway patrol in BC specifically go by}


Cummins diesel 1 ton to tow. Fuel is 16.5-17 L/100 with 35" tires

Issues from new vinyl floor split 15" from edge of fuel station bucket.
Recall for Power control Module.

Changes made to base PKG since new.
Axles flip upgrade to 2 x 8000 lbs rated + more ground clearance
ST23580R16 E X4 = 14,080 lbs to replace 15" stock tires.
Swapped out stock Kenmore Stereo for a JVC DVD player with big generator running could not hear TV, as sound came through it. Now it plays theater quality through whole system. Just need to figure out how to fit a bigger screen TV than the one it came with without loosing cabinet space

Heating duct is all reflector-i zed plastic Mice can chew thru in seconds {Replaced with aluminum dryer vent wrapped with heat reflector wrap and re insulated}
Forgot to open Grey water waste gate last year residual water after draining vaporized from heat during summer kitchen sink trap was filled with antifreeze and no roof vent just a one way vac release cheater valve water vapor penetrated foam core black pipe on sink stack pipes causing them to go brittle and shatter.
2 12 volt group 24 deep cycles could not keep up to late season usage overnight at - 20c changed over to 2 6volt in series battery's as per recommendations of fellow AO dry campers.

[AndrewM]

Everything is made to be bigger. Problem is trucks can’t pull much more so everything is made lighter. Lighter and low quality seem to go hand in hand.

[6.5 shooter]

buy the trailer then the truck to pull it...a HALF ton is NOT a tow vehicle...even though many will tell you so.

[270person]

No comparing a travel trailer to a tent trailer. Tent trailers are what you start off with then slap yourself 6 months later for not spending more and getting a real trailer. Worked that way for me anyways.

Got pretty tired of having to "set up" a damn trailer and then there's the whole weather thing. You'll love a pull behind if you go that route. So much easier.

At the prices I see on tent trailers these days I can't believe ppl buy them to be honest. Other than the ease of pulling there are no advantages.

Just my opinion tho.

[Commander B]

Look at a Winnebago or a Lance and then compare to others.


B.

[fordtruckin]

Originally Posted by 6.5 shooter

buy the trailer then the truck to pull it...a HALF ton is NOT a tow vehicle...even though many will tell you so.

Tell my truck and camper that...

[tallieho]

I don't like the word light/lite.Had a Northern lite camper.That brought my GVW,up so high that.I ended up exceeding p/load frequently.Lite haha Oak cabinets just screams BS partical brd. Trailers again Go for steel frame,fair hieght of road clearance,from trailer to the ground.The longer they are,the higher they get.I guess so the trailer ass ,doesn't rip off .Entering approachs.Wireing bottom of trailer,protect them wires from road gravel,same with water & gas lines.

[jstubbs]

As someone in the RV Industry, here are my thoughts:

-Don’t confuse luxury with quality. Some of the most problematic units are the most expensive “higher end” ones, as they’re more often complex with more to go wrong. Especially for electrical problems or new proprietary tech not working properly. Meanwhile, this year our cheapest line of travel trailers have given the least problems. Most just need a quick PDI for some touch ups and were good after, because they were simple. I personally think this is a factor of the hand built mfg process, where the simpler it is to put together, the less the chance for something to be done wrong.

-That said, how those cheap trailers will hold up over the longterm is where they will have issues, and the more luxury unit will (likely) hold up better as the kinks get worked out of them

-Hard to say which brands are “good” or built better IMO. Grand Design was a step above in quality when they first arrived but in the last 2-3 years have really fallen off. Some folks will say Nash is a damn good builder but I have heard my share of horror stories with them as well. At the end of the day, all of these things are hand built in factories where the no 1 priority is SPEED over quality control

-Thus at the end of the day it is pretty much just luck of the draw. Coworker has a big 36’ bumper pull, given him almost no issues. Been a great trailer. A customer has the same trailer that is only a few serial #s off and their’s has been issue after issue. Two people with WILDLY varying opinions on the same brand/model of trailer and the truth on em is somewhere in the middle. I mean I will meet a couple who had a few Forest River products and swear they would NEVER own another and then next I’ll meet folks who only want another Forest River after their last units treated them so well.

-I actually have to give RVs props. Every time these damn things go down our bumpy, moonnsurface roads it’s like putting a normal house through one helluva crazy earthquake. It’s incredible sometimes they stand up as well as they do and expecting them to never give

-Buying an extended warranty on an RV is honestly not a bad idea, especially if you buy a few years used unit with no mfg warranty remaining. Some of those warranties they refund you half the cost if you never make a claim by the end of the warranty term too, which is nice. Some save themselves thousands in repair claims though from it.

There are a couple things I would look for if I were buying one personally, here is what I’d look for
-Hardwall trailer with Azdel exterior, fibreglass wrap around front cap
-Outdoor kitchen (I don’t care for them personally but they are huge for resale)
-Non power stabilizers (but power tongue jack)—easier and more reliable to use an impact with socket
-Ensure awning is long as possible
-Wardrobe slide in bedroom
-Full queen, not an RV queen
-TONS of kitchen area storage
-Black tank flush
-8 cu dual gas elec fridge, NOT residential 12v
-Barreled (or any of the industry terms) roof
-Floor ducted heat (not side ducted vents, what a stupid idea that is)
-Single grey & black tanks with valve being in same place (dumping dual grey tanks with one at front and one in back is a giant PITA)

But that said if I had to buy one today I’d just go buy a simple one and enjoy it. At the end of the day you buy em to sleep in, **** in, keep warm in, sometimes cook in and then store stuff in. How complex does it need to be??

[AndrewM]

Plan to change out the tires if they are not newer. They always look good but are heavily sun damaged. The amount of trailers on the side of the road with blown tires in insane. Can also cause a pile of damage when a tire blows. Cheaper to swap them out every now and again rather than wait for one to blow.

[bat119]

If buying a used trailer get up on top check for soft spots.
My buddy bought a 6 year old trailer with no sign of water damage on the inside, while recaulking the roof this weekend we found a 3x3' section of soft roof behind the air conditioner.
Does anybody know somewhere that fixes RV roof's?

[JB_AOL]

My only comment, is if your don't have to fix something on your RV regularly, you're in for a big Surprise. Think about it, a fiberglass/wood box that gets shaken to ****, and then left for 6-8 months in between.

[Moosetalker]

LOL jstubbs You da man. good info.

Moving parts on rough gravel roads not good

Yup the electric tongue jack That's my next upgrade. 1010 lbs hitch weight is a beast to crank up.

Get yourself a cordless impact for the screw jacks and spray them down with a good sticky oil like chain lube try not use grease unless you only plan on summer use A good impact can be a lifesaver on tire changes as well.
My Ridgid 18 volt can do a full 8 bolt 4 tire truck tire change over on 1/4 battery charge.

[6.5 shooter]

Originally Posted by fordtruckin

Tell my truck and camper that...

Tell it what??... that if your hitch weight is over 5000 Lbs without anything in it...then your under trucked.

[crazyperch]

Originally Posted by 6.5 shooter

Tell it what??... that if your hitch weight is over 5000 Lbs without anything in it...then your under trucked.

5000lbs hitch weight? yeah that would be crazy heavy for any truck considering hitch weight is 10-12% of the total weight of the trailer.

the 5000lbs must be typo

[6.5 shooter]

Originally Posted by crazyperch

5000lbs hitch weight? yeah that would be crazy heavy for any truck considering hitch weight is 10-12% of the total weight of the trailer.

the 5000lbs must be typo

You would be absolutely correct IF we were talking about tongue weight, hitch weight is the weight of the trailer...empty, no water, batteries, propane..etc.

Also your truck (haul weight ) is rated with ONE, 150# driver, no passengers, dogs, cats, bikes, or a full tank of fuel etc.

eg: My trailers hitch weight is ~ 6500#
My tongue weight is ~650#

What the salesperson tells you to make a sale and the truth, are two vastly different things.

[wildwoods]

"Light" is just another work for "poor quality". But most people are hamstrung by using half tons and have to settle for less quality. Not knocking it, but if you have a heavier truck, best to avoid a light trailer.
Mine is about 10,000#. solid wood cabinets, full insulated, solidly built (in Canada). Built to last. I gladly take the weight penalty.

[Lefty-Canuck]

I have an older Travelaire, no slide nothing fancy. 24.5’, everything works in it and I picked it up for $4500. Only thing I had to do after owning it 6-7 years was repair the trailer brakes and new rubber (repack bearings) which cost me $1400 all in. Also purchased a new set of batteries. So far so good!

LC

[JB_AOL]

Originally Posted by 6.5 shooter

You would be absolutely correct IF we were talking about tongue weight, hitch weight is the weight of the trailer...empty, no water, batteries, propane..etc.

Also your truck (haul weight ) is rated with ONE, 150# driver, no passengers, dogs, cats, bikes, or a full tank of fuel etc.

eg: My trailers hitch weight is ~ 6500#
My tongue weight is ~650#

What the salesperson tells you to make a sale and the truth, are two vastly different things.

Your terminology is confusing although basis is correct. Your "hitch" weight is how much your hitch (that thing that slides into your hitch receiver) is rated for. "Dry" weight (yellow sticker on door/inside cabinet door) is what the trailer was supposed to weigh when it came off the factory floor (before any options/propane tanks/AC/etc). Your actual weight is unknown unless you've driven onto a scale and unhooked your trailer to weight it (this obviously includes everything on/in the trailer at the time. The terminology is very confusing and RV dealerships/sales guys don't help.

But your numbers are correct, tongue weight should be 10-13% of the trailer weight for bumper pull TT's.

[JB_AOL]

Originally Posted by wildwoods

"Light" is just another work for "poor quality". But most people are hamstrung by using half tons and have to settle for less quality. Not knocking it, but if you have a heavier truck, best to avoid a light trailer.
Mine is about 10,000#. solid wood cabinets, full insulated, solidly built (in Canada). Built to last. I gladly take the weight penalty.

Sort of, "light" and "half-time pullable" are sales terms ("click bait" if u will) that every RV manufacturer uses, but it really in general has nothing to do with the quality of the trailer.

My personal advice after camping for 30+ years.. buy the smallest trailer that has everything you are looking for. All of the good campsites are designed for smaller units.

[pikergolf]

Originally Posted by 6.5 shooter

buy the trailer then the truck to pull it...a HALF ton is NOT a tow vehicle...even though many will tell you so.

Depends on what you are towing.

[gulfman]

Originally Posted by 6.5 shooter

buy the trailer then the truck to pull it...a HALF ton is NOT a tow vehicle...even though many will tell you so.

Try and tell my F150 that, pulls 7000lbs with ease.

[Fisherdan]

Thanks for all the responses. Jstubbs — appreciate the insight. Lots to think about going forward. Definitely keeping it simple will be key.

[Buckhead]

Originally Posted by gulfman

Try and tell my F150 that, pulls 7000lbs with ease.

An F150 can be spec'd out with up to 2850 lbs payload and a 17100 GCWR.
That will pull a 10,000 trailer with no issues.

[Stinky Buffalo]

Originally Posted by JB_AOL

My personal advice after camping for 30+ years.. buy the smallest trailer that has everything you are looking for. All of the good campsites are designed for smaller units.

This, all day long. Most trailers have a bathroom, stove, sink(s), heater and refrigerator. The modular parts are the dining and sleeping areas, and that's where the layout is critical.

Some people need more interior room because they like to spend more time inside the trailer. For some, changing the dinette into a bed every night is not something they want to do. I get that. The extra length and weight gets you a couch, maybe a more comfortable master bed, and sometimes another bunk.

We have been camping in an 18.5' (interior) trailer for many years, and it still feels big to me sometimes. We never (I should day, rarely) set up the dinette because we spend as much time as possible outside when camping. At this point, we have a proper mattress on the dinette.

I do have to admit, though, now that the kids are all teenagers, there can be more conflict over sleeping areas. I just haven't found a trailer that will accomodate that and still fit on the driveway, so, I just tell them to "suck it up, we're camping!"

[CptnBlues63]

Originally Posted by 6.5 shooter

buy the trailer then the truck to pull it...a HALF ton is NOT a tow vehicle...even though many will tell you so.

I would have to disagree with you on this statement.

I have a 2013 F150 and it's pulled my 24' for around 20,000 km's.

I've pulled it from northern AB through the rockies to Washington/Idaho numerous times. Haven't had a single problem with the truck.

Originally Posted by Buckhead

An F150 can be spec'd out with up to 2850 lbs payload and a 17100 GCWR.
That will pull a 10,000 trailer with no issues.

^^^ This

It's worth noting that before I purchased a trailer I made sure I knew the capacity of my truck. I was nicely surprised when the salesman asked me to get the numbers off the driver door of my truck and checked with Ford BEFORE selling me a trailer. That's actually the biggest reason we purchased from him.

My Jayco trailer is 9,000 empty.

The only issues I've had to date are as follows:
- First winter the flooring cracked - replaced under warranty.
- Second summer we owned it, coming back from trip south were on #16 west of Edmonton heading east, hit a big pothole which caused two of the fully loaded shelves in the pantry to collapse. They fixed it for free
- Third, coming back from camping this summer popped into trailer to get somerthing for the wife out of bathroom. Slide wouldn't move. Noticed the light on the fridge was off and verified 12v system not working properly. Got home about 2 hours later and plugged it in and everything worked fine. Went out and was going to check battery connections when I noticed the fuse on the positive cable (hidden inside battery box until I took lid off). Yup, bad fuse. Replaced it and trailer's 12v system was working perfectly again.

We bought the trailer new in 2008 and aside from the above, I replaced the tires in 2018 and had the axles aligned at the same time.

Personally, I like my Jayco trailer and have had a great experience with it.

jstubbs has a lot of good points and advice.

My biggest advice is to be sure you know the capacity of your truck BEFORE you buy and base your purchase on that. Keep in mind you'll be putting gear, clothes and food into the trailer so allow 1000 to 2000 lb's (preferably more) between trailer tare weight and truck capacity.

[EZM]

I have to say, for those of us who have 1/2 tons, we need to realistic and honest with ourselves.

It's all great to say the truck will "pull" anything with ease but it's another to have a heavy load in control when stopping, passing on a hill, or in a side wind.

The truck might be "strong and tough enough" but that's hardly the point.

I tow about 5000 lbs - a fully loaded boat, trailer, motors, fuel and gear and that's about perfect. It's safe and my truck can still pull the bigger hills going through BC without too much engine abuse.

At 8,000-10,000lbs is far beyond the time where you need to be using a 3/4 ton or 1 ton.

Not because your truck won't pull it with ease - but because you may need to stop, or you may need to have enough tow vehicle weight to control a wind/fish tail swerve. You don't know what idiot is going to cut you off and put you and your 1/2 ton in a bad place.

[CptnBlues63]

Originally Posted by EZM

I have to say, for those of us who have 1/2 tons, we need to realistic and honest with ourselves.

It's all great to say the truck will "pull" anything with ease but it's another to have a heavy load in control when stopping, passing on a hill, or in a side wind.

The truck might be "strong and tough enough" but that's hardly the point.

I tow about 5000 lbs - a fully loaded boat, trailer, motors, fuel and gear and that's about perfect. It's safe and my truck can still pull the bigger hills going through BC without too much engine abuse.

At 8,000-10,000lbs is far beyond the time where you need to be using a 3/4 ton or 1 ton.

Not because your truck won't pull it with ease - but because you may need to stop, or you may need to have enough tow vehicle weight to control a wind/fish tail swerve. You don't know what idiot is going to cut you off and put you and your 1/2 ton in a bad place.

I'm going to have to disagree with you too. On every count.

I've done all the things you've mentioned without ever having a single problem. The worst problem I had was in a nice open stretch of freeway in the US doing 100 kmh when we had a big side wind with gusts up to probably 70+ kmh. My trailer started to sway. I felt it immediately and slowed down until it stopped swaying and continued at that (safe) speed to my desintation. Problem solved.

I've passed vehicles going up steep mountain roads. My worst experience, an idiot driving a semi who was texting while driving started drifting into the passing lane. I beeped my horn, he pulled back into his lane. Problem solved. I was covering the brake and fully prepared to slow down had he not moved back into his lane.

I know how much distance I need to stop my truck/trailer at whatever speed I'm going so I always leave enough room between myself and the vehicle(s) in front of me.

Knowing your vehicles capabilities is first and foremost. Understanding how speed and weight affect stopping distance is extremely importance. Properly maintaining your vehicle is also terribly important.

In my mind, the vehicle isn't the issue. The operator is. From what you wrote above you're obviously comfortable pulling your boat but not something bigger. Knowing your own limitations, you don't pull a bigger trailer with your half ton. That, in my estimation, that makes you a whole lot smarter than the people who figure they can pull a big trailer with absolutely no experience.

I drove professionally in the 80's. Because I had all that experience pulling trailers, pulling a 24' was not a problem. But there are a lot of people out there who've never pulled a trailer buying RV's and hitting the road without any training whatsoever. That's where the real problems arise.

I think it would be a good idea if there were a basic one day training course for anybody wishing to buy/pull a travel trailer. Something that can give you a basic understanding of how changes in weight/speed affect stopping distance (which in turn tells you your safe following distance). How to back properly. How to recover from sway etc. But sadly no such thing is required or as far as I know, even avaiable as an option.

[gulfman]

Originally Posted by CptnBlues63

I'm going to have to disagree with you too. On every count.

I've done all the things you've mentioned without ever having a single problem. The worst problem I had was in a nice open stretch of freeway in the US doing 100 kmh when we had a big side wind with gusts up to probably 70+ kmh. My trailer started to sway. I felt it immediately and slowed down until it stopped swaying and continued at that (safe) speed to my desintation. Problem solved.

I've passed vehicles going up steep mountain roads. My worst experience, an idiot driving a semi who was texting while driving started drifting into the passing lane. I beeped my horn, he pulled back into his lane. Problem solved. I was covering the brake and fully prepared to slow down had he not moved back into his lane.

I know how much distance I need to stop my truck/trailer at whatever speed I'm going so I always leave enough room between myself and the vehicle(s) in front of me.

Knowing your vehicles capabilities is first and foremost. Understanding how speed and weight affect stopping distance is extremely importance. Properly maintaining your vehicle is also terribly important.

In my mind, the vehicle isn't the issue. The operator is. From what you wrote above you're obviously comfortable pulling your boat but not something bigger. Knowing your own limitations, you don't pull a bigger trailer with your half ton. That, in my estimation, that makes you a whole lot smarter than the people who figure they can pull a big trailer with absolutely no experience.

I drove professionally in the 80's. Because I had all that experience pulling trailers, pulling a 24' was not a problem. But there are a lot of people out there who've never pulled a trailer buying RV's and hitting the road without any training whatsoever. That's where the real problems arise.

I think it would be a good idea if there were a basic one day training course for anybody wishing to buy/pull a travel trailer. Something that can give you a basic understanding of how changes in weight/speed affect stopping distance (which in turn tells you your safe following distance). How to back properly. How to recover from sway etc. But sadly no such thing is required or as far as I know, even avaiable as an option.

^^^^^^^ well said

[6.5 shooter]

Ok another way to look at it....

My rifle barrels are proofed to 100,000 psi BUT are rated for 60- 70 thousand PSI. Wonder why that is?

JUST because the salesman tells me the breaking strength of my pickup's axle is 11,000 Lbs. doesn't mean I should load my truck up to the max load weight and cruise down the highway "cause my truck will pull it with ease".

There is a reason barrels are tested to there burst strength then loads are reduced 40% or so...trucks axles are no different.

There is also a reason most 1/2 ton trucks don't have extendable mirrors on them...So you can't see the tail of the dog, wagging your truck. Or looking like you just came back from "broke back mountain" with your rear bumper scrapping the pavement.

But you do as you like...