Looking to buy a TT, feeling a bit overwhelmed...

Im ready for my family of 5 to buy our first camper. The lawn mower is now paid off, so I have available funds for a nice little bumper pulled trailer. Ive been looking at them all morning and im quickly realizing that there are literally hundreds of different manufacturers, models, floorplans and configurations. I have no idea what brand or model to even look at. The very first company I started looking at, Forrest River, has 16 different models that fit my criteria. AND THATS ONLY THE FIRST COMPANY!

Im feeling a bit overwhelmed and this only the first day ive even started looking.

I guess im here to ask a bit of advice.

Heres the truck:

2017 Ram 1500
3.21 gears
8 speed trans
4wd Crew Cab

It has 'some' of the towing package. I have built in trailer brakes, trans & oil cooler, and tow mirrors. It does not have anti-spin diff or the lower gear set... Seems strange to me.

Anyway, What would you guys recommend to tow behind this truck? I know I should be looking at 30ft and under, and also around 7,000gvwr or under... Is this correct?

Any help and advice is very much appreciated!

Yes, there are many floor plans to choose from. You might be surprised to learn that several manufacturers are actually owned by one company. As far as your truck, a 7600lb GVW, 30 ft trailer is what I would recommend and no larger. The truck can handle a bigger trailer but you will run out of payload and also your trailer becomes a big sail. I had a 30 ft 7600 lb GVW Apex trailer and there were a few times when a strong wind came I could feel it. Buy a good weight distribution hitch and make sure it is adjusted correctly(not hard to do) and enjoy yourself!

muzupan said:

Yes, there are many floor plans to choose from. You might be surprised to learn that several manufacturers are actually owned by one company. As far as your truck, a 7600lb GVW, 30 ft trailer is what I would recommend and no larger. The truck can handle a bigger trailer but you will run out of payload and also your trailer becomes a big sail. I had a 30 ft 7600 lb GVW Apex trailer and there were a few times when a strong wind came I could feel it. Buy a good weight distribution hitch and make sure it is adjusted correctly(not hard to do) and enjoy yourself!

Click to expand...

Thats the biggest reason I want a smaller TT. We're on a beer budget with champagne tastes, and the last thing I want is to buy something large and then get 6mpg when towing. There are some really nice 24 ft trailers with a slide that makes it feel more open. It will be several months before I commit to anything. Ill look into the right hitch also. Thanks for the feedback!

Weight not length is the issue. There are some great small trailer floor plans with big slides that are under 4500# and remember you will be adding 1000 to 1500 with water and gear. Look at new ones on the lots and then shop for a used one 1 to 2 years old and in mint condition this will save you $10k or as much as half the price. New trailers almost always have issues that need to be addressed and are usually fixed by the original owners as well as upgrades they have done. WDH is many times thrown in also saving you more. There are some brands that are built better so do your homework online. Winnebago has some great small trailers and have a good reputation but there are others. A used one might also have a large solar panel already on it and I think its almost a necessary option with the high watt draw the new trailers have.

Marine Les said:

Weight not length is the issue. There are some great small trailer floor plans with big slides that are under 4500# and remember you will be adding 1000 to 1500 with water and gear. Look at new ones on the lots and then shop for a used one 1 to 2 years old and in mint condition this will save you $10k or as much as half the price. New trailers almost always have issues that need to be addressed and are usually fixed by the original owners as well as upgrades they have done. WDH is many times thrown in also saving you more. There are some brands that are built better so do your homework online. Winnebago has some great small trailers and have a good reputation but there are others. A used one might also have a large solar panel already on it and I think its almost a necessary option with the high watt draw the new trailers have.

Click to expand...

The Winnebago Micro Minnie 2100BH actually is at the top of my list right now... And im figuring 2000lbs for added gear when researching trailer weight, just for extra measure. A used trailer is definitely what ill be buying as well. No way will I pay $15k+ for something that gets used maybe 6 times a year. Im more in the $8-10k range.

Well, just from these two posts it looks like im on the right path. Next step would be to actually step foot inside some of them and go from there. Thanks for the feedback.

Your asking the right questions in the wrong place, if you really want answers go to the IRV2 website and check out their forums. The people on there are super knowledgeable but beware, they can be kinda cranky at times lol. So you want used with an 8-10K range, I can tell you now you won't get a quality unit unless it's pretty old or well used. Sure you can get a Forrest River brand, but they ain't quality. They look good but the QC sucks big time, lots of corners cut under all that pretty stuff. Personally I would stay away from anything under the Forrest River banner. 15K for a quality used trailer is not too much, even if you only use it twice a year.

I've been RV'ing for a long time and know many that do, seen just how bad some are built. My daughters new 42' Palomino (Forrest River it turns out) has been a nightmare. My wife works for a distributor of well known trailers and campers that has a rep of being quality made, turns out not so much. The RV industry as a whole has always had QC issues.

We went to the local RV show here which is pretty big, while there we checked out the new Airstream stuff and let me say i was very disappointed in what i saw for over $100K, nowhere near worth what they ask for them IMO. Check out that forum, they have specific sections for various types of RV's and you'll see what i mean.

With your truck id suggest you shoot for the 25 foot range, ball to bumper and trailer 7k gvwr max and under. You have a big family and the cargo, trailer tongue and passenger weight will quickly run you out of payload.

Hey i get it....we use ours 6-7 times per year max and that's why I'm still using my 1989 Layton.

Lots of options. I like Jayco trailers personally but quality is a crap shoot.
Whatever you get make sure you look it over real good before you buy. Lots of opinions on slides....i dont like or want one...lots of reasons why.

Good luck

Marine Les said:

New trailers almost always have issues that need to be addressed and are usually fixed by the original owners.

Click to expand...

I don't agree with this. Sure, many RVs have issues but "almost always" is a bit of a stretch. And, to think you avoid them by buying used is quite a leap. One could also argue that you are more likely to get issues with used since the original owner becomes frustrated and trades in their lemon (RV message boards are full of people talking about this).

As for cost, the people complaining about the massive depreciation overpaid when buying new. An average quality unit/manufacturer is usually worth ballpark 50% of the MSRP at the 3-4 year mark. A good buyer should pay around around 65-70% of MSRP so 3-4 year's use for 15-20% of MSRP is really not bad. The problem comes in when a person pays 85% of MSRP, thinking they got a smoking deal, and then can't understand why they lost 35% in 3 years.

I've been through 5 RVs over the last 20 years and helped out many friends. The key is buying right. I'm not totally saying not to go used.... just explaining that new isn't always a bad thing. You just have to do your research and negotiate properly.

You're going to get a lot of opinions, so take the good out of it. I wanted to get a new truck for a long time, and when I did, the boss lady said lets get a camper. Did some research and looked around and bought a used 2015 Keystone Hideout 260LHS. (Saved a good chunk of change there) GVWR is 7600lbs. Dry weight is 5182lbs. When I was loaded, I was a little over 5500lbs. Family of five with 2 teens and a pre-teen & two dogs in the truck. Didn't run with any water in the tanks. First time towing a camper and didn't want to run the risk of a stupid mistake. I upgraded my tires to XL's with a higher load rating than the OEMs. Added Timber Grove ASAM's. Curt Trutrack WDH with anti-sway.

Personally I wouldn't go too long, (28ft camper body) and a max of 7-8k GVWR. Worst feeling is not having the control you think you should have when towing.

I really like the Keystone Bullet Premiers. The 24ft and the 26ft floor plans that they offer are really well laid out and are within spec for our trucks from what I see. If I saw those before buying the Hideout we would probably have one of those.

https://www.keystonerv.com/travel-trailers/premier/floorplans/

Even the two 29ft Premier floor plans are within weight range. Just depends on your budget.

$0.02 cents. Happy shopping.

The Mini Winnie doesn't have a blank tank flush (or didn't went I looked last year at them). This is a big NO for me. I need to flush the black tank (toilet water) clean. Search the web for "black tank flush" and you'll understand why you want one.

The real problem you'll face is that a family of 5 requires a fairly large trailer which will be too heavy for your 1500. A 1500 does a great job with a smaller trailer (couples, couples with young children). But a trailer that comfortably sleeps five (two adults, thee high school to middle school sized kids) is larger and will very often exceed the comfortable (easy, safe, non-white-knuckle) towing limits of a 1500. So you see a lot of 2500s for medium to medium-larger trailers. Just walk a campground, and you'll see what I mean.

BTW I took 20 years to buy a trailer. I'd started looking in the late 90s, on and off for years and years. Finally, last year, after all our kids were adults, my wife said "yes" to a travel trailer. LOL.

heefageLA said:

Im ready for my family of 5 to buy our first camper. The lawn mower is now paid off, so I have available funds for a nice little bumper pulled trailer. Ive been looking at them all morning and im quickly realizing that there are literally hundreds of different manufacturers, models, floorplans and configurations.

Click to expand...

Don't forget the RV dealers, they aren't known for customer care.

Wife and I were in your shoes a few years ago, completely overwhelmed. What we did is visited campgrounds and talked with campers. That was an education that I am glad we took the time to invest in. Also, campers, we found, are friendly and more than willing to share their experiences, and will tell you who not to do business with.

Good luck.

We started by finding a floorplan that worked for us which is also a family of 5 then went from there as far as size, weight and price. We found a bunk house with outdoor kitchen made by Puma which is more entry level but the price was right.

Comes in at 30ft and 7400lbs dry and it pulled okay with the Silverado 1500 we had but definitely better with the 2500. Now that's for sale because we're going bigger since we have the truck to do it. Guess my point is check Puma out if you have a local dealer because good price and it's been great for the last 4 years.

You can look at the coachman apex, 30 foot. They have 2 slide outs a bunk house in the back and a short queen up front. Mine was very nice GVW 7600lbs, it will be right on the edge of your 1500 depending how you load it. There are several others that have a similar floor plan. We lived in ours for 6 months in between homes.

BossHogg said:

Don't forget the RV dealers, they aren't known for customer care.

Click to expand...

Some of that probably depends on how much money you spend with them. Some friends have had really service from General RV out of Birch Run, MI. Granted they have quite the $$$ fiver but the dealer fixed a few issues and persisted to make things right with the trailer along with some of them being out of warranty.
RV dealers are probably similar to car dealers as there are both good and bad ones. It also helps if how you present the problem and how you go about wanting to get it fixed helps in determining if the dealer is going to be a**hole.

crash68 said:

Some of that probably depends on how much money you spend with them. Some friends have had really service from General RV out of Birch Run, MI. Granted they have quite the $$$ fiver but the dealer fixed a few issues and persisted to make things right with the trailer along with some of them being out of warranty.
RV dealers are probably similar to car dealers as there are both good and bad ones. It also helps if how you present the problem and how you go about wanting to get it fixed helps in determining if the dealer is going to be a**hole.

Click to expand...

Your probably right. I live about 10 minutes from them and here they're great or the worst dealer ever.

mtofell said:

I don't agree with this. Sure, many RVs have issues but "almost always" is a bit of a stretch. And, to think you avoid them by buying used is quite a leap. One could also argue that you are more likely to get issues with used since the original owner becomes frustrated and trades in their lemon (RV message boards are full of people talking about this).

As for cost, the people complaining about the massive depreciation overpaid when buying new. An average quality unit/manufacturer is usually worth ballpark 50% of the MSRP at the 3-4 year mark. A good buyer should pay around around 65-70% of MSRP so 3-4 year's use for 15-20% of MSRP is really not bad. The problem comes in when a person pays 85% of MSRP, thinking they got a smoking deal, and then can't understand why they lost 35% in 3 years.

I've been through 5 RVs over the last 20 years and helped out many friends. The key is buying right. I'm not totally saying not to go used.... just explaining that new isn't always a bad thing. You just have to do your research and negotiate properly.

Click to expand...

In the last 13 years I have bought 4 RVs and the new ones (3) all had small electric and plumbing issues I fixed myself and the 2 year old one was and is trouble free.
As for price the mark up on new is about 50% of MSRP so yes it is to make a buyer feel good about getting 20% off. But the guy that buys one at 40% off will resale for less than the guy who paid full boat and if you are patient a great buy can be had on a late model. Buying used requires some knowledge and careful inspection and testing of all systems in the RV that most likely does not have any warranty. New isn't bad but I will buy used whenever possible.

Awesome responses guys! This gives me alot to think about and check out.

Thanks alot for all the feedback.

There is some great advice in this thread. We just bought our third trailer a few months ago. It is a new 2018 Aspen Trail 2880RKS. It was a left over so we got it below the NADA low retail for that trailer. Left overs are always good deals. I've towed it once so far but later today will be our maiden voyage. Truck towed it ok. It's 6600 dry and 33' long. At most we might have 500lbs of stuff in it. But the others are right. Usually you'll run out of payload before your past your tow limit. As far as a hitch goes I use the Equalizer 4 point sway control and weight distribution hitch . I've used them with all my trailers and they are nice. Some don't like the noise because the sway control is friction but I don't mind it. The Reese dual cam is a good one to. Also budget about $1500 to get all the supplies you'll need to start. That includes the cost of the hitch which will be around $800 new. Stuff adds up fast. Sewer hoses, wheel chocks, brake controller, dishes, small appliences, surge protector and the list goes on. There are a ton of good YouTube videos on camping. What works, what doesn't, what you need, what you don't need. Do your research and happy camping.

crash68 said:

Some friends have had really service from General RV out of Birch Run, MI.

Click to expand...

Looks like a word is missing from your statement.

I bought our Montana 3790RD from General RV in Birch Run in June of 2015. I can't say my service experience was good, not after returning three times for the same two issues. It could be the quality of the service people they had at the time, I don't know what their reason for failed service was but I'll never do business with them again.

Just a ****** side note. Don't buy RV specific TP. Use the regular stuff that says it is safe for septic systems. A lot cheaper.