Travel Trailer Recommendations.

[5280tunage]

Hey Folks... Looking for some constructive input here, in a way that hopefully creates a thread folks way on down the road can use as well. I realize that many folks have personal attachments (almost said religious but didn't want to get in trouble these days, lol) to certain brands but I'm hoping to keep this more open, as I'm definitely open to ideas.

I'm not new to towing, and have done some pretty crazy tows in the past, but I've never owned a travel trailer. Growing up my family had (and still has) a 1987 coleman popup that still works to this day. yes, it's need a lot of love over the years and I've done most of the work to keep it alive, but I'm on to bigger things.

First and foremost, I will say I'm torn. I'm in CO, so with the right gear we're mostly a 2-3 season camping state. I don't have room to store a trailer, so unfortunately that means I'll be paying monthly storage fees years round and due to HOA's I'm not allowed to keep it in front of my home unless I'm prepping it. I'm torn as I'm just not sure if I'll use one enough to warrant the purchase. Mostly because I have two young kids who are starting out in sports, etc, and I'm just not sure that we'll be able to make it out more than a few times a year even though I'd love to do more than that.

This summer, we're considering a long trip to visit a bunch of national parks in the west/midwest, on to visit some family in MN. I'm excited to use my 2019 expy and I do have the HD Tow package.

For me personally, I would love love love to do the Airstream thing but I could buy 2-3 superlites for the price of a decent Airstream so that's kind of out. A few features I really want, are a slide out (to feel more spacious), a separate master bedroom (like the idea of a little privacy), all weather package, walkable roof, pre-wired for solar, decent sized electric/gas fridge, and bunks for the kids. No toy hauling, I wish. Looking for the 25-32' range.

Several that I've been looking at are:

Grand Design Imagine XLS 23BHE
Grand Design Imagine 2400BH
Keystone Passport SL 267BHWE or 268BH

But I'm not really familiar with any of these brands, so any advice/input is appreciated. Or is this like popups where basically due to acquisitions, all "brands" are made essentially in two factories anyway. Most of the above models are pretty close in price and weight, as well as size.

Interestingly, from what I'm seeing, none of these have certain towing features I would have expected to see, like electronic brakes or even hydraulic momentum brakes, etc. I've towed several boats that all weighed around this same amount, and they always have them.

Last but not least, we're considering just renting one for this first big trip, but that has concerns as well, like reliability (last thing I want is to start off on a great big family trip to have the trailer break down). I know you can also save a lot by buying used.

I am very DIY, so I have not problem taking care of these things, but I figured I'd ask the group for some thoughts. Thank you in advance.

 

[ynpmoose]

I have two friends that work in the service dept at a large RV dealer. They rate Grand Design as #1 in quality, Jayco #2, everything else a distant 3rd. In the end they all use a lot of the same 3rd-party appliances, etc., but Grand Design has more thorough production inspection processes. I personally own a Jayco that I'm happy with. I have 6 in my family, so I needed a larger model and the GD double-bunk models were too heavy for the Expy.

 

[Matthew Abrams]

Hey Folks... Looking for some constructive input here, in a way that hopefully creates a thread folks way on down the road can use as well. I realize that many folks have personal attachments (almost said religious but didn't want to get in trouble these days, lol) to certain brands but I'm hoping to keep this more open, as I'm definitely open to ideas.

I'm not new to towing, and have done some pretty crazy tows in the past, but I've never owned a travel trailer. Growing up my family had (and still has) a 1987 coleman popup that still works to this day. yes, it's need a lot of love over the years and I've done most of the work to keep it alive, but I'm on to bigger things.

First and foremost, I will say I'm torn. I'm in CO, so with the right gear we're mostly a 2-3 season camping state. I don't have room to store a trailer, so unfortunately that means I'll be paying monthly storage fees years round and due to HOA's I'm not allowed to keep it in front of my home unless I'm prepping it. I'm torn as I'm just not sure if I'll use one enough to warrant the purchase. Mostly because I have two young kids who are starting out in sports, etc, and I'm just not sure that we'll be able to make it out more than a few times a year even though I'd love to do more than that.

This summer, we're considering a long trip to visit a bunch of national parks in the west/midwest, on to visit some family in MN. I'm excited to use my 2019 expy and I do have the HD Tow package.

For me personally, I would love love love to do the Airstream thing but I could buy 2-3 superlites for the price of a decent Airstream so that's kind of out. A few features I really want, are a slide out (to feel more spacious), a separate master bedroom (like the idea of a little privacy), all weather package, walkable roof, pre-wired for solar, decent sized electric/gas fridge, and bunks for the kids. No toy hauling, I wish. Looking for the 25-32' range.

Several that I've been looking at are:

Grand Design Imagine XLS 23BHE
Grand Design Imagine 2400BH
Keystone Passport SL 267BHWE or 268BH

But I'm not really familiar with any of these brands, so any advice/input is appreciated. Or is this like popups where basically due to acquisitions, all "brands" are made essentially in two factories anyway. Most of the above models are pretty close in price and weight, as well as size.

Interestingly, from what I'm seeing, none of these have certain towing features I would have expected to see, like electronic brakes or even hydraulic momentum brakes, etc. I've towed several boats that all weighed around this same amount, and they always have them.

Last but not least, we're considering just renting one for this first big trip, but that has concerns as well, like reliability (last thing I want is to start off on a great big family trip to have the trailer break down). I know you can also save a lot by buying used.

I am very DIY, so I have not problem taking care of these things, but I figured I'd ask the group for some thoughts. Thank you in advance.

Well isn't this timely. I just ordered a GD 2800BH for our '20 MAX 4x4 HD tow. I haven't taken delivery yet (be here Feb 11) and am still not 100% confident in my dealer re: if this is too much trailer for our vehicle. there are a lot of opinions on how much weight you will actually have onboard the TT and the impacts to the Tongue weight. What are you hearing?

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

Well isn't this timely. I just ordered a GD 2800BH for our '20 MAX 4x4 HD tow. I haven't taken delivery yet (be here Feb 11) and am still not 100% confident in my dealer re: if this is too much trailer for our vehicle. there are a lot of opinions on how much weight you will actually have onboard the TT and the impacts to the Tongue weight. What are you hearing?

Beautiful trailer, but I would personally go with something lighter. You've got a 9,000-lb tow capacity with a GVWR of 7,995 lbs for the TT. That only leaves 1,000 lbs for cargo, vehicle occupants, etc if you're tanks are full, etc. For me, that would be no good and I would have to make sure my tanks were not full, etc. That said, it is doable. I would just rather some more wiggle room.

 

[5280tunage]

thanks for the great responses. I was trying to stay around the 7K lb mark expressly for your concerns, making sure I had enough weight available for the gear, liquids, etc. The Passport 268BH says it's around 5800lbs so that would leave a fair amount of headroom. The Grand Design XLS 23BHE is roughly 7K lbs, still with decent headroom but not quite as much.

@Matthew Abrams - when you ordered yours, did you have any options for electronic or hydraulic trailer brakes? I realize the 2800 is about 1K lbs more than the models I'm looking at, but that just really surprises me. So used to it on boats, etc that are roughly the same weight.

As anyone purchased a "Solar" ready model and finished the work? I.e. controllers, inverters, etc? Curious how that went and if there are some gotcha's to look out for?

What about extended warranties for these things. I've read on quite a few other forums of folks buying extended warranties as many travel trailers aren't known for longevity or reliability. Anyone shopped around for warranties? Curious on average pricing to expect.

Finally, did any of you do the rent before you buy thing? Ideas / experiences?

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

thanks for the great responses. I was trying to stay around the 7K lb mark expressly for your concerns, making sure I had enough weight available for the gear, liquids, etc. The Passport 268BH says it's around 5800lbs so that would leave a fair amount of headroom.

This is what I would be aiming for - the 5,500-5,800 range when empty.

Finally, did any of you do the rent before you buy thing? Ideas / experiences?

I did it with my truck and have paid my local firing range the $125 it costs to fire as many guns as you want in their collection for an hour. I think it's a great idea to rent before buying if you have that option before making any significant purchase.

 

[mwl001]

This is what I would be aiming for - the 5,500-5,800 range when empty.



I did it with my truck and have paid my local firing range the $125 it costs to fire as many guns as you want in their collection for an hour. I think it's a great idea to rent before buying if you have that option before making any significant purchase.

Especially if you're not committing long term with the kids and everything else... travel trailers are "expensive" right now due to supply constraints... so there's little downside to renting due to long-term expense, as well as getting to know what you really want. When we finally bought a trailer it was after we had virtually "purchased" two or three others in our minds. I'm sure that would have been fine but it saved us a lot of money to not have bought something smaller than we ended up with. Not to mention you could rent larger trailers until the kids are no longer interested in family vacations and end up with something smaller. I'm nobody but myself but we have a 24ft trailer that weighs under 6k when loaded and I'm really not interested in towing anything heavier or longer even with my HD tow equipped max.

 

[Matthew Abrams]

when you ordered yours, did you have any options for electronic or hydraulic trailer brakes? I realize the 2800 is about 1K lbs more than the models I'm looking at, but that just really surprises me. So used to it on boats, etc that are roughly the same weight.

The 2800BH comes with Electronic brakes.

 

[Rj Smith]

I can't add anything from experience, but I found this forum's Pictures of Your Expedition Towing very helpful. We have 3 kids and dog and are about to buy a gen 4 expy, hd tow and a trailer to make an epic summer journey to Florida from CO. We know nothing about trailers but I've been able to narrow our search based on this forum. Here's what we compiled based on layouts and seeing others here tow them:
Keystone Bullet Ultralight 287 QBS

2018 Forest River – Wildwood X-Lite: 282QBXL

Keystone – Outback: Floorplan: 293UBH

280QBS by Cruiser

2920bh

Heartland Sundance XLT 291QB

And a few here are towing 36' (just cause your friends jump off a bridge...)

Jay Flight 294QBSW

Key Stone Passport 3220BH

I hadn't thought about trailer brakes other than the electronic controller in the Expy... sort of assumed they were on these too.

 

[Lou Hamilton]

You could consider renting one. I have seen all brands out there, including Airstream, where people and companies rent them out.

You may want to consider that if you are unsure of the amount of use you will actually be able to commit to.

Depending on the amount of room you want, we preferred a smaller unit. Our current R-Pod is only 20 feet from ball to bumper. It has allowed us to sleep 4 people (two adults and two older teenagers) and two dogs.

Yes, it can be tight at times, but we don’t need a complete house when we go out traveling. We have a kitchen, bathroom, and two queen size beds (when the dinette is lowered to the bed mode).

We are considering upgrading to an Airstream, but after looking at models and realizing that it will soon just be me, my wife, and two dogs, we have decided to just get the Caravel 20FB model. It is still a couple years out, but that is where we are moving towards.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Matthew Abrams]

I can't add anything from experience, but I found this forum's Pictures of Your Expedition Towing very helpful. We have 3 kids and dog and are about to buy a gen 4 expy, hd tow and a trailer to make an epic summer journey to Florida from CO. We know nothing about trailers but I've been able to narrow our search based on this forum. Here's what we compiled based on layouts and seeing others here tow them:
Keystone Bullet Ultralight 287 QBS

2018 Forest River – Wildwood X-Lite: 282QBXL

Keystone – Outback: Floorplan: 293UBH

280QBS by Cruiser

2920bh

Heartland Sundance XLT 291QB

And a few here are towing 36' (just cause your friends jump off a bridge...)

Jay Flight 294QBSW

Key Stone Passport 3220BH

I hadn't thought about trailer brakes other than the electronic controller in the Expy... sort of assumed they were on these too.

This is a very familiar list

We have been through so many models, and each dealer seems to have a different set of standards/recommendations. At the end of the day, we are going to be living in ours for a few months while house shopping/renovations so we need a "house on wheels" with home schooling and work so it is complicated to achieve that balance of safety, comfort, and functionality. If we didn't need room for the occasional 5th and 6th passenger, I'd be trading in for a superduty.

 

[5280tunage]

The 2800BH comes with Electronic brakes.

Interesting, doesn't say anything about it in the Specs, I would have thought so in the safety etc. Thanks.

 

[Langer]

I used RVShare in the past. Pretty nice experience. I’m considering getting a TT as well, and may even rent it out in there to offset some costs when not in use. I would definitely give it a shot if you’re unsure of size/amenities you’re considering.

 

[Matthew Abrams]

Interesting, doesn't say anything about it in the Specs, I would have thought so in the safety etc. Thanks.

https://www.rvusa.com/rv-guide/2020-grand-design-imagine-travel-trailer-floorplan-2800bh-tr42905

 

[5280tunage]

https://www.rvusa.com/rv-guide/2020-grand-design-imagine-travel-trailer-floorplan-2800bh-tr42905

That's cool, thanks. Weird they don't say anything about that on their own page. That's what I was referring to.
Imagine Travel Trailer 2800BH | Grand Design RV

Unfortunately, as I plotted our 2400+ mile trip, I now have come to the realization that there are almost zero camp sites available at really any of the places I would want to stop. So then there that... May be a no go with that.

Had a sweet route put together, with all major stops around 8hrs apart (I think with the young kids, that's about as far as we can go in each leg).

 

[Lou Hamilton]

That's cool, thanks. Weird they don't say anything about that on their own page. That's what I was referring to.
Imagine Travel Trailer 2800BH | Grand Design RV

Unfortunately, as I plotted our 2400+ mile trip, I now have come to the realization that there are almost zero camp sites available at really any of the places I would want to stop. So then there that... May be a no go with that.

Had a sweet route put together, with all major stops around 8hrs apart (I think with the young kids, that's about as far as we can go in each leg).

Have you looked at RV Trip Wizard? for your trip routing and RV Park searching? We used it to route a trip along the East Coast (Maryland to Georgia and back), but COVID put that trip on hold for 2020.

 

[5280tunage]

No, I'll check that out and see if it has any better success. Thank you.

Edit: well darn - it's a subscription service, soon you'll need a subscription to breathe . I'll still look into it but maybe I'll have to wait a little longer. From what I'm seeing, the majority of all state/federal campgrounds for trailers/RV's are already booked up. Maybe I'll find some private ones.

 

[Matthew Marlowe]

With expedition, you can tow most entry to midrange gd bumper pull trailers under 35ft but what will kill you is sway from short expy wheelbase and long trailer air resistance/wind or trailers that are weighted more in the back.

You don't have much safety margin going 30+ft.

Expy tows 30ft imagine xls 24mpr fine, but struggled with same weight back loaded 33ft transcend 265bh.

Sent from my SM-N986U1 using Tapatalk

 

[Fasttimes]

I can't add anything from experience, but I found this forum's Pictures of Your Expedition Towing very helpful. We have 3 kids and dog and are about to buy a gen 4 expy, hd tow and a trailer to make an epic summer journey to Florida from CO. We know nothing about trailers but I've been able to narrow our search based on this forum. Here's what we compiled based on layouts and seeing others here tow them:
Keystone Bullet Ultralight 287 QBS

2018 Forest River – Wildwood X-Lite: 282QBXL

Keystone – Outback: Floorplan: 293UBH

280QBS by Cruiser

2920bh

Heartland Sundance XLT 291QB

And a few here are towing 36' (just cause your friends jump off a bridge...)

Jay Flight 294QBSW

Key Stone Passport 3220BH

I hadn't thought about trailer brakes other than the electronic controller in the Expy... sort of assumed they were on these too.

Going to want to pay good attention to whatever Expy you end up with payload capacity. When you say "we" I'm assuming you + 1 + 3 kids + dog. You're going to be over once you add in all the factors (tongue weight, cargo, persons) most likely unless they are very small kids. It's been tough having to limit nephews and nieces that can join my camping trips because of my Expy's limited payload after adding up the numbers.

 

[Rj Smith]

Going to want to pay good attention to whatever Expy you end up with payload capacity. When you say "we" I'm assuming you + 1 + 3 kids + dog. You're going to be over once you add in all the factors (tongue weight, cargo, persons) most likely unless they are very small kids. It's been tough having to limit nephews and nieces that can join my camping trips because of my Expy's limited payload after adding up the numbers.

Plus wife! We're all going on a diet...