Who knows about travel trailers?

[Guest scarylarry]

We usually do rent and will be doing so again in October. The problem with renting is no one will rent with pets.

 

The used one I am looking at has the hitch and sway bars with it. My Tahoe is already set up for towing with a factory electric brake controller.

 

Denis

 

Then you are not limited to your travels then...

 

They are 2 super nice campgrounds around destin and navarre area of florida...

 

Might check them out one is top sail and is rated in the top 10 of the country..

[Midrsv]

Then you are not limited to your travels then...

 

They are 2 super nice campgrounds around destin and navarre area of florida...

 

Might check them out one is top sail and is rated in the top 10 of the country..

 

I would certainly consider the panhandle for an early fall or late spring trip. My wife is a beach person, I am not. We usually time our visits after it is too cool for the beaches in the northern part of the state. That's why we go to Ft. Myers Beach or Sanibel.

 

Our beach trips are my payback vacations because she tolerates our summer bike trips knowing she'll get to the beach in the fall.

[Brenda H]

Thanks to a house fire [and some weird Tx real estate laws], I ended up living in a 30ft TT, bunkhouse style with NO slides, for 3 YEARS. That is a mistake I won't make again, the no slides that is. And if you have pets, especially larger ones, don't make that mistake yourself. There was no floor space. The only way one of us [just the hubby and me] could get past the other was for one to sit down on the dinette or couch while the other got by. Cooking on the stove set off the smoke alarm. A tiny fridge which kept our coolers in use year round. What was really "fun" was that I spent the last 3+ months or so in the darn thing confined to bed with a busted ankle and had to use a camping port a pottie set at the foot of the bed because I couldn't get around on crutches inside the trailer. My wheelchair had to stay outside. OH FUN!

 

One thing you will have to watch out for is towing weight. I doubt your Tahoe can handle any more than our F150 that is also set up for towing, which is around 7k lbs. This is one reason why the next full sized truck in this household will be a Ford Superduty [we have the F150 and a Frontier]. I'll also be in the market for a RV due to the Mum talking about moving onto our place as her health concerns are reaching a point where living by herself will not be an option. She'll live in the RV and will stay in our house while we use it for trips.

 

Other things . . . .

Bathrooms that can make a sardine can look roomy. Try using a so called shower/tub combo with your leg in a cast! Mattresses are usually crappy and expensive to replace unless you find one that has an actual standard sized bed. I found one of the memory foam matress pads worked wonders. Closet space - what closet space?? or even a closet?? Room for a TV of any size over 20 inches?? If that big. . Some thermostats are set up with heat and a/c under separate controls. You can have one on or the other, not both. Keeping your waste tanks cleaned out and not smelly [uGH!]. Depending on how it's insulated [ours wasn't] you can have interesting electric bills or go thru a small fortune in propane or both. The electric bills for that 30 ft trailer were the same as the 80 ft singlewide mobile home we have now. OUCH! Park in the shade whenever possible .

 

As for finding one, hit every rv dealership you see. PPL here in Houston has a full set of pics as well as floor plans for any rv [all used] it sells on it's website. If you want to blow the salesman's mind, show up on the bike!!

[Midrsv]

One thing you will have to watch out for is towing weight. I doubt your Tahoe can handle any more than our F150 that is also set up for towing, which is around 7k lbs. This is one reason why the next full sized truck in this household will be a Ford Superdutyit for trips.

 

Other things . . . .

Bathrooms that can make a sardine can look roomy. Try using a so called shower/tub combo with your leg in a cast! Mattresses are usually crappy and expensive to replace unless you find one that has an actual standard sized bed. I found one of the memory foam matress pads worked wonders. Closet space - what closet space?? or even a closet?? Room for a TV of any size over 20 inches?? If that big. . Some thermostats are set up with heat and a/c under separate controls. You can have one on or the other, not both. Keeping your waste tanks cleaned out and not smelly [uGH!]. Depending on how it's insulated [ours wasn't] you can have interesting electric bills or go thru a small fortune in propane or both. The electric bills for that 30 ft trailer were the same as the 80 ft singlewide mobile home we have now. OUCH! Park in the shade whenever possible .

 

Thanks for the info Brenda. The trailer we are seriously considering has an empty weight of about 4300 lbs. My Tahoe has a tow rating of 8200 lbs so we should be OK.

 

I know what you mean by small bathrooms. When I was a teenager my parents had a 19ft trailer and you got in the shower, soaped the walls and spun around.

 

The unit we're looking at has roof mounted A/C with a forced air ducted furnace. I assume the controls are separate.

 

Dennis

[Guest tx2sturgis]

If you plan on using it at all during cooler weather, get one with enclosed holding tanks, double pane windows, higher R value if you can find it, and then add a catalytic propane heater.

 

The home style RV furnace that is installed by the factory is inherently very safe and easy to operate, but it is a HUGE propane waster. They can empty the propane tanks in a couple of cool weekends, and kill your coach battery in a week or less if you dont have shore power.

 

The catalytic heaters use ZERO electricity, and are about 99% efficient. They produce ZERO toxic emissions, other than water vapor, but you DO have to open a vent or window slightly to allow fresh oxygen in the camper.

 

Many RV furnaces fail after 5 or 10 years due to the logic board going bad, and new ones can be pricey or even impossible to get. That means a new furnace.

 

If you add a catalytic heater, such as the Olympian models, they will sip small spoonfuls of propane and last for at least a decade with almost no maintenance and still work even if your batteries have died. An RV furnace will NOT work at all if you have no AC or DC power.

 

My Olympian Wave 6 is twelve years old and still works fine. If nothing else, its a good backup heat source for the furnace when it eventually fails. They all do. Its only a matter of time. You wont get any advance warning when that RV furnace dies, but you will wake up at 3:00 AM when its 15 degrees outside and 40 degrees inside, and its a Sunday morning, the next day is a holiday Monday, and the nearest RV dealer is 150 miles away. Been there, done that.

 

I also added a 64 watt roof mounted solar panel that keeps the coach batteries topped up even if you lose shore power for an exended amount of time. Of course, if your RV is parked indoors (or under a cover or awning) then a roof panel wont keep the batteries charged, so either hook up to shore power, or remove the batteries and take them home with you and hook them up to a maintainer, or they will be dead in a few months.

 

There are many circuits in the typical RV that continue to draw small amounts of power even with everything shut off.

 

A friend once told me that an RV is wonderful at meeting your needs, but you have to meet its needs first.

Let us know what you end up with.

 

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/product/olympian-wave-catalytic-safety-heaters/1630

 

 

 

 

Edited August 27, 2012 by tx2sturgis

[Guest scarylarry]

If you plan on using it at all during cooler weather, get one with enclosed holding tanks, double pane windows, higher R value if you can find it, and then add a catalytic propane heater

 

They are called a 4 season camper...

[MidlifeVenture]

And just a note trailers have trailer tires that are only rated for 65 mph if you push them they will blow especially with the extreme heats this year. Found out first hand this year with my pop up

[Redneck]

If you plan on using it at all during cooler weather, get one with enclosed holding tanks, double pane windows, higher R value if you can find it, and then add a catalytic propane heater.

 

The home style RV furnace that is installed by the factory is inherently very safe and easy to operate, but it is a HUGE propane waster. They can empty the propane tanks in a couple of cool weekends, and kill your coach battery in a week or less if you dont have shore power.

 

The catalytic heaters use ZERO electricity, and are about 99% efficient. They produce ZERO toxic emissions, other than water vapor, but you DO have to open a vent or window slightly to allow fresh oxygen in the camper.

 

Many RV furnaces fail after 5 or 10 years due to the logic board going bad, and new ones can be pricey or even impossible to get. That means a new furnace.

 

If you add a catalytic heater, such as the Olympian models, they will sip small spoonfuls of propane and last for at least a decade with almost no maintenance and still work even if your batteries have died. An RV furnace will NOT work at all if you have no AC or DC power.

 

My Olympian Wave 6 is twelve years old and still works fine. If nothing else, its a good backup heat source for the furnace when it eventually fails. They all do. Its only a matter of time. You wont get any advance warning when that RV furnace dies, but you will wake up at 3:00 AM when its 15 degrees outside and 40 degrees inside, and its a Sunday morning, the next day is a holiday Monday, and the nearest RV dealer is 150 miles away. Been there, done that.

 

I also added a 64 watt roof mounted solar panel that keeps the coach batteries topped up even if you lose shore power for an exended amount of time. Of course, if your RV is parked indoors (or under a cover or awning) then a roof panel wont keep the batteries charged, so either hook up to shore power, or remove the batteries and take them home with you and hook them up to a maintainer, or they will be dead in a few months.

 

There are many circuits in the typical RV that continue to draw small amounts of power even with everything shut off.

 

A friend once told me that an RV is wonderful at meeting your needs, but you have to meet its needs first.

Let us know what you end up with.

 

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/product/olympian-wave-catalytic-safety-heaters/1630

 

 

 

 

The catalytic heater is a good backup but it does not heat the underbelly of the unit like the fan forced furnace. In below freezing weather you risk freezing you holding tanks and plumbing.

[Redneck]

My best suggestion for picking a tt is to spend some time in the one you think you want. Just sit in it for an hour or two and think about how you would fix meals. Is there enough counter space? Will the refrigerator hold what you want it to? Is the seating comfortable because you will need to sit on it all day some days. Does it have electrical outlets for added appliances, your computer ect? Stand in the shower and see if it is big enough for you. Can you and your wife move around without stepping on each other? Lay on the bed and see how it feels. Is there room for your clothes and your dirty clothes. Just sit for a while and think about what it will be like to live in it. You can look at pictures and spec sheets all you want but you wont know until you spend some time in it.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

The catalytic heater is a good backup but it does not heat the underbelly of the unit like the fan forced furnace. In below freezing weather you risk freezing you holding tanks and plumbing.

 

This is true, but since he mentioned he will primarily be using the trailer in the Ft Myers Florida area, I assumed that it will be coolish in the winter, but not sub-freezing for weeks on end.

 

Normally, in the lower lattitudes of the USA, enclosed holding tanks wont freeze within a 2-4 day cold snap, and you can of course install heat tape and insulation on the exposed and vulnerable fittings such as the waste gates. And if the holding tanks are emptied fully for storage, then the chance of freeze damage is practically nill. Another option is to provide venting, with or without a fan, to the holding tank area, so that some heated air is circulated into that area during really harsh weather. You could even run the RV furnace occasionally in fan mode or heat mode, to accomplish the same thing.

 

If the OP had mentioned that he would be 'boondocking' in Montana all winter, my advise would have been different.

 

Keep in mind that my suggestions were ways to save money on propane and battery replacement, but someone using an RV for full time winter use in the northern climates will need to do more than just hang a catalytic heater on the wall.

 

 

 

Edited August 27, 2012 by tx2sturgis

[Redneck]

 

This is true, but since he mentioned he will primarily be using the trailer in the Ft Myers Florida area, I assumed that it will be coolish in the winter, but not sub-freezing for weeks on end.

 

Normally, in the lower lattitudes of the USA, enclosed holding tanks wont freeze within a 2-4 day cold snap, and you can of course install heat tape and insulation on the exposed and vulnerable fittings such as the waste gates. And if the holding tanks are emptied fully for storage, then the chance of freeze damage is practically nill. Another option is to provide venting, with or without a fan, to the holding tank area, so that some heated air is circulated into that area during really harsh weather. You could even run the RV furnace occasionally in fan mode or heat mode, to accomplish the same thing.

 

If the OP had mentioned that he would be 'boondocking' in Montana all winter, my advise would have been different.

 

Keep in mind that my suggestions were ways to save money on propane and battery replacement, but someone using an RV for full time winter use in the northern climates will need to do more than just hang a catalytic heater on the wall.

 

 

 

Calm down there big boy. I was just pointing out a problem that could occur with aux heat in freezing weather. If the unit stays in FL it doesn't need a heater at all.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Calm down there big boy. I was just pointing out a problem that could occur with aux heat in freezing weather. If the unit stays in FL it doesn't need a heater at all.

 

 

Just responding to the opposing opinions...thats all. And occasionally the temps in that area drop to freezing, but more common winter temps are in the 50's., meaning a small electric space heater might be sufficient while on shore power.

 

 

 

Edited August 27, 2012 by tx2sturgis

[Pam]

we drag a 26 ft 5th wheel, and seldom use the propane heat. Mostly we use a small electric heater it works to take the chill off in the morning. Also will a 6.2 pull a trailer. I have heard they do not have a lot of power, or are we talking a 6.5 L turbo

[Yamamike]

We are beginning to think about a travel trailer. No I'm not giving up the bike and I don't plan to tow it around the country. We're thinking about buying one to keep in Florida near Ft. Myers. Basically I would store it somewhere cheap and then drive down and drag it into a park somewhere for 2 weeks to a couple of months at a time. We've thought about condos and and park model mobile homes but we really don't want the upkeep and responsibilities of owning something like that with fees.

 

So we're considering a trailer. Does anyone know about the R-Vision Trail Sport models? I've found a 27ft unit with 1 slideout that seems reasonable, less than $13k. Is this a decent brand and value. At that price I can try it out and if we don't like the trailer life I haven't lost a great deal.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks,

Dennis

 

Have you considered a trailer with a toy hauler bay. I've drooled over a few while camping. Some even have a full screen so you can leave the loading ramp down and turn the bay into a sitting room when the mosquitoes get bad.

Maybe when I retire...............

[Yamamike]

My best suggestion for picking a tt is to spend some time in the one you think you want. Just sit in it for an hour or two and think about how you would fix meals. Is there enough counter space? Will the refrigerator hold what you want it to? Is the seating comfortable because you will need to sit on it all day some days. Does it have electrical outlets for added appliances, your computer ect? Stand in the shower and see if it is big enough for you. Can you and your wife move around without stepping on each other? Lay on the bed and see how it feels. Is there room for your clothes and your dirty clothes. Just sit for a while and think about what it will be like to live in it. You can look at pictures and spec sheets all you want but you wont know until you spend some time in it.

 

Rent one for a week or even a weekend. Then you really know if it fits!

[Guest tx2sturgis]

. Also will a 6.2 pull a trailer. I have heard they do not have a lot of power, or are we talking a 6.5 L turbo

 

 

Engine size is only part of the equation. The suspension capacity, brakes, transmission, cooling capacity, tires, and gear ratios are also important.

 

If the vehicle is rated for towing, or was OEM equipped with a towing package, it will have a GVW rating, and probably a gross trailer weight rating also.

 

My little half-ton pickup has a 4.3 liter V6, and it will pull a small trailer, around 2000-3000 pounds, but I wouldnt want to try to pull a 10,000 pound trailer up a long mountain grade.

Edited August 27, 2012 by tx2sturgis

[REDRIDER52]

We had a 2008 super sport by R-vison hated it had problems with leak in skylight over tub and it was to small with wife and 1 germanshepard mine had 1 slide out too. The company that makes them went bankrupt in 2009-2010.(RUN DONT WALK FROM IT ) traded it in last year for a Jayco

33RDS 3 slides we love this one and plan on retiring in a few years to travel around.Has plenty of room with 2 germanshepards

[Midrsv]

If you plan on using it at all during cooler weather, get one with enclosed holding tanks, double pane windows, higher R value if you can find it, and then add a catalytic propane heater.

 

The home style RV furnace that is installed by the factory is inherently very safe and easy to operate, but it is a HUGE propane waster. They can empty the propane tanks in a couple of cool weekends, and kill your coach battery in a week or less if you dont have shore power.

 

The catalytic heaters use ZERO electricity, and are about 99% efficient. They produce ZERO toxic emissions, other than water vapor, but you DO have to open a vent or window slightly to allow fresh oxygen in the camper.

 

Many RV furnaces fail after 5 or 10 years due to the logic board going bad, and new ones can be pricey or even impossible to get. That means a new furnace.

 

If you add a catalytic heater, such as the Olympian models, they will sip small spoonfuls of propane and last for at least a decade with almost no maintenance and still work even if your batteries have died. An RV furnace will NOT work at all if you have no AC or DC power.

 

My Olympian Wave 6 is twelve years old and still works fine. If nothing else, its a good backup heat source for the furnace when it eventually fails. They all do. Its only a matter of time. You wont get any advance warning when that RV furnace dies, but you will wake up at 3:00 AM when its 15 degrees outside and 40 degrees inside, and its a Sunday morning, the next day is a holiday Monday, and the nearest RV dealer is 150 miles away. Been there, done that.

 

I also added a 64 watt roof mounted solar panel that keeps the coach batteries topped up even if you lose shore power for an exended amount of time. Of course, if your RV is parked indoors (or under a cover or awning) then a roof panel wont keep the batteries charged, so either hook up to shore power, or remove the batteries and take them home with you and hook them up to a maintainer, or they will be dead in a few months.

 

There are many circuits in the typical RV that continue to draw small amounts of power even with everything shut off.

 

A friend once told me that an RV is wonderful at meeting your needs, but you have to meet its needs first.

 

Let us know what you end up with.

 

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/product/olympian-wave-catalytic-safety-heaters/1630

 

 

 

 

 

Sounds like good advice there. Unfortunately, I missed out on the unit I was considering. It was sold on Saturday. Still looking.

 

Dennis

[Midrsv]

If you plan on using it at all during cooler weather, get one with enclosed holding tanks, double pane windows, higher R value if you can find it, and then add a catalytic propane heater

 

They are called a 4 season camper...

 

We won't be using the trailer in cold weather. Maybe a cool day or two in the 40's. Any colder than that and I'm going home.

[Midrsv]

My best suggestion for picking a tt is to spend some time in the one you think you want. Just sit in it for an hour or two and think about how you would fix meals. Is there enough counter space? Will the refrigerator hold what you want it to? Is the seating comfortable because you will need to sit on it all day some days. Does it have electrical outlets for added appliances, your computer ect? Stand in the shower and see if it is big enough for you. Can you and your wife move around without stepping on each other? Lay on the bed and see how it feels. Is there room for your clothes and your dirty clothes. Just sit for a while and think about what it will be like to live in it. You can look at pictures and spec sheets all you want but you wont know until you spend some time in it.

 

Sound advice. We'll probably visit a few dealers this coming weekend.

 

Dennis

[Midrsv]

Have you considered a trailer with a toy hauler bay. I've drooled over a few while camping. Some even have a full screen so you can leave the loading ramp down and turn the bay into a sitting room when the mosquitoes get bad.

Maybe when I retire...............

 

We briefly considered one but that's not our primary purpose and we didn't care for the way the toy bays are finished out.

 

Dennis

[Midrsv]

we drag a 26 ft 5th wheel, and seldom use the propane heat. Mostly we use a small electric heater it works to take the chill off in the morning. Also will a 6.2 pull a trailer. I have heard they do not have a lot of power, or are we talking a 6.5 L turbo

 

The 6.2L is gas engine with 400 hp I believe. That should handle a 6000 lb trailer OK. The tow rating on the Tahoe is 8200 lbs and the hitch with WD is 10,000 with a 1000 lb tounge weight. The truck is configured with the tow package and already has a factory supplied brake controller.

[Midrsv]

We had a 2008 super sport by R-vison hated it had problems with leak in skylight over tub and it was to small with wife and 1 germanshepard mine had 1 slide out too. The company that makes them went bankrupt in 2009-2010.(RUN DONT WALK FROM IT ) traded it in last year for a Jayco

33RDS 3 slides we love this one and plan on retiring in a few years to travel around.Has plenty of room with 2 germanshepards

 

Was the skylight problem your only problem area. From what I've read all brands seem to have problems from time to time. We liked the floor plan on the 2011 and 2012 units. I've been led to believe that the laminate wall system is preferred over the wood frame and siding. Prevent wood rot. Is that correct.

 

The Jayco sounds nice but that is bigger than we want.

 

Dennis