Camper Suggestions.

[cg21]

So I am new to campers we have a small pop up right now. Minus a few things it serves / fits us well. Some of the things it is lacking I can change others I cannot.

So my wish list for a new camper isn’t terribly long but I am having problems finding a solution hoping there is a camper expert amongst us.

I would like to have off grid capabilities. And yes I can / will modify when necessary.
Because I doubt I will find something that has everything I want. New or used doesn’t really matter at this point in the search. Obviously budget is a big issue but will address that after I narrow down the search.

Prefer UNDER 4000# so I can continue to pull with my minivan in luxury but if that doesn’t work I can go up to 7000# with my “truck”.

Sleeps 4 adults comfortably
On board bathroom / shower
Water storage
Solar
Roof storage
Ac (yea i know ac and off grid don’t go together but if there is power why not take advantage lol)
Heat
Power awning
Hard bodied (I’m afraid of bears lol and I don’t want to work so hard once I get to the camp site like I do with the pop up and every time we pull in it is like my family forgets what they are doing)
Weight is more of a concern than length but right now we fit pretty comfortably in this 12’ pop up and with a good solid awning we would spend 99% of the time outside with the pop up the awning is a bit flimsy so any weather we have to put it down.
I want something easy to pull this will be a TRAVEL trailer it won’t be towed and parked at a camp ground.


Thanks to anyone who made it to the end of this morning ramble and an extra thanks to anyone with advice!

 

[dnurk]

Take a look at Trailmanor campers. We had a 2619 which means 19 ft long when closed up and 26 feet long when opened. Basically it is a clam shell hard sided pop up. They are know for being light and easy to two. Total setup takes about 4 min. Has everything on your list except roof top storage. We had a portable solar panel and could use it off grid for a week at a time no problem. Can run heat, fridge water heater on propane.

 

[PGRChaplain]

All the Major Manufacturers have Light/Ultra light Models. Look at your Van Capacities, Towing and Hitch Weight. All the Specs for the Campers are online. Just remember, listed Weights are no Battery, Propane and all the Tanks are Dry. Look for pre 2020 Models as the Covid-Campers have numerous Problems. NADA RV will give you a current selling price, don't add any options. Good Luck on your Search!

 

[Super Bee]

I have owned a Forest River dealership the last 15 years. Most people have moved from pop up campers into the smaller, single axle units. Many 16 to 20 ft. campers can be found in the 2900 lb. range. You can find them with queen beds and no bunks to queens bed with bunks and pretty everything you listed on your want list. With a mini van, you will need a weight distribution hitch and a brake control.

Some of the X-Lite style campers have the foam floors to save weight. Stay far, far away from these types of units. You want something with a 5/8" treated plywood floor and a walk on roof. If buying used, look for water damage. New flooring, added carpet are pretty good give aways something has been covered up. Climb on the roof of any used camper to look for water damage/soft spots in the roof.

Prices are beginning to fall, RV plants in Elkhart are closing left and right. Like cars, there are brands to avoid, so watch for those. If you have any questions feel free to send me a PM.

 

[manifest destiny]

All the Major Manufacturers have Light/Ultra light Models. Look at your Van Capacities, Towing and Hitch Weight. All the Specs for the Campers are online. Just remember, listed Weights are no Battery, Propane and all the Tanks are Dry. Look for pre 2020 Models as the Covid-Campers have numerous Problems. NADA RV will give you a current selling price, don't add any options. Good Luck on your Search!

Don't overlook the portion in red. I think rooftop storage is unlikely from the factory. It's easy enough to add toys to the rear of the camper but that adds weight. If a 12ft popup fits your families style when camping, you won't need a big rig so I'd advise buying what you said you can't change and then add the changes you can make, ie solar. Most modern rigs will come with plug/play solar. You just add the solar cell and cable. This will allow you to size and spec it per your needs when camping. Every rig is able to off grid it just comes down to capacities- water, waste and energy source. Calculate what you need and judge the tanks provided by the manufacturer. As to budget, if you're financing, buying new will allow extended terms but even a rig two to five years old would likely qualify for 8-10yr terms. My experience with awnings, especially automatic ones, has been a pain in my ass; it could be user error... Most/all rigs come with an awning though. If you're rocking a 12ft popup comfortably, even a modest upgrade in size to a single axle travel trailer with a single slide-out would feel huge. And with a few diy adds you could totally rock boondocking for darn near as long as you'd like. Others that travel with their rigs can probably offer some nuggets of wisdom, as I don't actually travel with my rig.

 

[cg21]

Thanks guys in the beginning stages right now first thing I will need to do is sell the pop up. Otherwise I won’t have cash when a deal pops up. (Dad jokes)

 

[Butch627]

Towing a pop up is not very different than a flatbed or open trailer. Towing a box trailer is a very different matter. I have towed open and pop up trailers 10's of thousands of miles with compact cars. I have towed open and box trailers 10's of thousands of miles with 3/4 ton trucks. The wind resistance and stress from a box trailer behind a 3/4 ton truck geared to tow is much greater than a flatbed. I would highly recommend you rent a Uhaul of similar size to the trailer you are considering and load some weight in it and drive some miles before buying a trailer to tow with a minivan or smaller suv.

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

PGR chaplain and Superbee have it right.

 

[BigRed]

Horse and bed roll.

 

[indyblue]

Iron Horse and bed roll.

Fixed.

Has more range.

 

[cg21]

Fixed.

Has more range.

Trying to keep my family outside not make them hate it lol

Towing a pop up is not very different than a flatbed or open trailer. Towing a box trailer is a very different matter. I have towed open and pop up trailers 10's of thousands of miles with compact cars. I have towed open and box trailers 10's of thousands of miles with 3/4 ton trucks. The wind resistance and stress from a box trailer behind a 3/4 ton truck geared to tow is much greater than a flatbed. I would highly recommend you rent a Uhaul of similar size to the trailer you are considering and load some weight in it and drive some miles before buying a trailer to tow with a minivan or smaller suv.

I have NEVER pulled anything with a box (have driven a box truck if that counts) so that is something I am aware of I was hoping an anti sway hitch would assist me. I can pull with my Colorado just nice to have options and the van is loaded for comfort

 

[Tactically Fat]

All the Major Manufacturers have Light/Ultra light Models. Look at your Van Capacities, Towing and Hitch Weight. All the Specs for the Campers are online. Just remember, listed Weights are no Battery, Propane and all the Tanks are Dry.

"Dry" trailer indeed. Also must figure in how much your luggage and passengers weigh, too. This is especially important if towing with a unibody / car-based vehicle. And EXTREMELY important should that vehicle have a CVT - like basically any Subaru or even any of the new hybrid Toyota Sienna minivans (e-CVT - essentially giant Priuses)

My wife would LOVE to have a small camper. But I will NOT tow anything with our damned expensive Sienna.

 

[dekeshooter]

Sportsmen® Classic 160QB Travel Trailer | KZ RV

View the Sportsmen Classic 160QB ultra lightweight travel trailer floorplan, specifications, videos, 360 virtual tour and photos.

www.kz-rv.com

I’ve had one of these since 2016. It’s been perfect for me and my wife. We’ve hauled it all around Indiana as well as to NY, OH, PA, TN, AL, MI and IL. It has been remarkably trouble free and we average 20-30 nights a year in it.

 

[Ingomike]

Great info here. Look at the layout vs. the axle position. I bought a very nice trailer with a perfect interior layout for us, only after having it a while did I realize the engineers made a huge mistake, they put the axles too far forward and put most of the storage behind them.

Trailer towed perfect near empty, but loaded for family camping the back end was like the fat kid on the teeter-totter, tongue weight was all screwed up, way too light at the hitch when loaded, swayed all over the road. Actually would borrow tractor weights to put in the front for longer trips and had to upsize the tow capacity of the truck a lot to handle it.

 

[laf]

I towed a 1700# pop up behind a 2011 ford escape 3.0L awd. I didn't know it was there except i couldn't see over the a/c unit. We then got a 3100# trailer with weight distribution hitch. It was terrible. The big difference was the frontal square foot wind load. I went from 0 extra sqft to maybe 100% more. My 'car' was capable on paper of towing it but it was a terrible experience. The Escape didn't know what gear to chose, it was always 600 rpm or more over what I would have been in, my tires would get hot from the extra load. Once I really dug into it, my car was rated for 18sqft frontal wind load which is basically just the car itself.

We ended up buying a twin turbo truck and I'm back to not knowing it's there. I'd never pull a full size trailer behind anything but a truck no matter what the trailer manufacturer tries to tell you it's capable of.

My good friend towed a 4500# trailer behind his 2018 Colorado and he said it was fine. Went from Chi to the Gulf Shores twice. But once he went into his full size 1500 turbo diesel he saw what he was missing. The extra wheelbase and width are very nice at adding confidence while towing. It's no longer the tail wagging the dog. He still uses the weight distribution hitch and it does make it a more pleasant experience for him as well.

Profile doesn't say where you're from but you're welcome to pull my camper behind whatever has a 2" receiver and see how you like it. We have the 2016 X17Z Jayco. My truck has electronic anti-sway and my hitch is weight distribution. I won't use it for anything under 50 miles. But over that it does make it a more pleasant experience. I did get weighed at a CAT scale and truck and trailer i'm 10,100

 

[cg21]

This is giving me a lot to consider……. So my towing capacity on my Colorado is 7k so even though it “can” pull that it is looking like to tow comfortably I want to be well below that and reduce drag / headwind resistance…. I am really liking that hard sided pop up the trailmanor just not liking the price

 

[snapping turtle]

Maybe a cargo trailer conversion?
They are built better for the wet weather the aluminum versions in small sizes tow well with just about any small truck SUV. They keep out rodents better and can serve multi purpose better than a true camper.

Now you probably have 6 months of making it into a camper and the cost of whatever you do inside. I have seen a few nicely done builds.

Most camper/RV setups are just to much money for the quality of hat you end up with. Park it in the fall and the mice will have a heyday until spring. First spring rains and you might well find where those builders missed a seam seal and you have a soggy floor spot and rain penetration

 

[cg21]

Maybe a cargo trailer conversion?
They are built better for the wet weather the aluminum versions in small sizes tow well with just about any small truck SUV. They keep out rodents better and can serve multi purpose better than a true camper.

Now you probably have 6 months of making it into a camper and the cost of whatever you do inside. I have seen a few nicely done builds.

Most camper/RV setups are just to much money for the quality of hat you end up with. Park it in the fall and the mice will have a heyday until spring. First spring rains and you might well find where those builders missed a seam seal and you have a soggy floor spot and rain penetration

I have considered this BUT towability is still an issue with the wind

 

[Ingomike]

First spring rains and you might well find where those builders missed a seam seal and you have a soggy floor spot and rain penetration

Cheaper units are all seams. My 30 footer had well over 100 feet of seams covered in lap flowable caulk.

 

[snapping turtle]

I have considered this BUT towability is still an issue with the wind

I was looking for something "overlandish" and have not pulled any triggers as of yet. The wife wants a home on wheels and I don't mind a nice tent so since I own a tent a tent is currently is.
I looked at several of the square and tear drop styles and the amount they ask for good ones was shocking.
Obsurdly shocking.

I will measure out the Toyota FJ for width and height and since it is about as aerodynamic as Oprah I think the trailer fitting in these sizes can be done. Wind drag minimal over the pull vehicle and I do not want to pull anything wider that the tow either. Maybe I have to just get an older trailer off the military or a farmer and create something that looks like the older safari style that the FJ looks like.

What that does is reduce the overall size to a bed on wheels with storage areas.

I am in no hurry for anything. I do know that without keeping out mice and water those dollars you spend sure disappear fast.