Travel Trailer people

[Ruffdaddy]

Where do you rent, and whats the avg rate that you pay? Ballpark.

Depends where you go. When I rented for COTA I picked the trailer up in Austin instead of driving it all the way from Dallas. It was like 150 a night for a 28'.

[Trip McNeely]

Where do you rent, and whats the avg rate that you pay? Ballpark.

[SS Junk]

also, you need to know these things are junk.

Pretty much this. The craftsmanship is really bad. Mine is 3 years old and I had to do some restructuring of a few things. The other constant maintenance item is the roof. It must be checked regularly for leaks. The sealant on the seams dries out and chips away and once it starts leaking will cause water damage on the inside. I have mine looked at every other year. Probably should do it every year. Wheel bearings, too. They are very easy to do, but need to be checked regularly. Had a friend with his brand new trailer destroy an axle, called for a roadside repair and a ~$100 job cost him $1200 since it was an emergency service in bumfuck nowhere.

[Trip McNeely]

Do they still sell the pop-up campers? lol You know the ones where you ratchet them open and they fold out and expand? I remember as a kid a neighbor had one. Those were POS, I still have no idea how they origami themselves inside.

[dblack1]

They are built cheaper than a 80's model manufactured single wide. I don't care what you spend. You can get nice RV, but not campers

I had a 32' living quarters car trailer up until two years ago. That thing sucked and took a dually to be really comfortable towing.

[Ruffdaddy]

Wow, lots of good info. Thanks everyone!
I would consider renting one, but I feel that most of them aren't that expensive. The problem that I have with owning one is I have no room so I would have to store it somewhere. I was looking at a place that sells them, stores them, and maintains them. I talked to someone earlier that told me that they do break down frequently, smoke alarms, generators, etc. I'm wondering if that's a cheap model issue, or just the lack of use causes this.

Just rent one dude. Between storage fees, payments and insurance ... itll be cheaper to rent. You seriously won't use it that much.

I talked to someone earlier that told me that they do break down frequently, smoke alarms, generators, etc. I'm wondering if that's a cheap model issue, or just the lack of use causes this.

My parents lived in theirs full time, but after the first couple of years hardly did any actual traveling in it. I think they put 50-60k on it and within five years it was toast. Definitely not a cheap model on either one.

[Trip McNeely]

My anecdotal opinion agrees with this. I would rent one when you want to use it instead of strapping yourself into a huge white elephant that will bleed you dry one month at a time. My parents bought a brand new 40 ft RV when they retired and spent north of 250k on it in year 2000 dollars. Within five years the entire underside was riddled with heavy cancer to the point the engine cradle was about to fail when they were able to find someone to take it off their hands. For 25k. They were spending thousands a month in maintaining it and everything broke, and rebroke, and then broke a few more times. I lost track of how many AC units and fridges they went through. They changed brands and got another 40 footer. Within a couple of years of the same shit they bought a house and rid themselves of it.

The ones I'm looking at are like 35-45k TOPS. I would never spend anywhere near that for one.

https://rv.campingworld.com/rvdetails/new-fifth-wheel-rvs/2020-keystone-montana-high-country-305rl-rear-living-40k-APA1641245

[Trip McNeely]

Wow, lots of good info. Thanks everyone!
I would consider renting one, but I feel that most of them aren't that expensive. The problem that I have with owning one is I have no room so I would have to store it somewhere. I was looking at a place that sells them, stores them, and maintains them. I talked to someone earlier that told me that they do break down frequently, smoke alarms, generators, etc. I'm wondering if that's a cheap model issue, or just the lack of use causes this.

[dcs13]

If you're serious on a 5th wheel, I MAY have one for sale. Its less than 2 years old and been used a hand full of times.. Details and pics if interested. I think its a 36 foot with 3 slides. I think its a Forest River brand..
Wife bought it when I retired, just haven't used it like we thought. We've been talking about selling it

[lowthreeohz]

we've been going back and forth about getting a class c vs a bumper pull toy hauler (under 30') and just can't decide. I have a truck rated for 12k but would never consider towing that much. a fifth wheel would be nice but doesn't make sense for our situation

also, you need to know these things are junk. i do not care how much you paid or how nice you think it is, it is trash on wheels. make sure you have a good generator and keep it serviced. beside plumbing and your fridge not working, the generator can make or break an entire trip.

i despise traveler trailers so much i would buy a used funmover if my wife and kids ever show real interest in riding. and those are built like shit too, just shit on top of a moving van chassis.

My anecdotal opinion agrees with this. I would rent one when you want to use it instead of strapping yourself into a huge white elephant that will bleed you dry one month at a time. My parents bought a brand new 40 ft RV when they retired and spent north of 250k on it in year 2000 dollars. Within five years the entire underside was riddled with heavy cancer to the point the engine cradle was about to fail when they were able to find someone to take it off their hands. For 25k. They were spending thousands a month in maintaining it and everything broke, and rebroke, and then broke a few more times. I lost track of how many AC units and fridges they went through. They changed brands and got another 40 footer. Within a couple of years of the same shit they bought a house and rid themselves of it.

[line-em-up]

I'm surprised that SOAP hasn't chimed in.

[Ruffdaddy]

I'll agree to bumper pull being a bitch if you want anything over maybe 24 feet. I pulled a 6000LB 28' with my 2018 S-CREW rated to something like 7,700 lbs and it was a nightmare just going to COTA. Anything over 60mph was pretty rough and the highway out there is 85mph so I was well hated.

Wind area makes a huge difference so its not just a weight thing. I also had a weight distribution hitch.

I would imagine a 2500 will be better...but never as nice as a 5th wheel.

Just rent one and try it out. Thats a big ass purchase to not at least test. If you don't have a place to store it just rent the 2-3 times a year you'll actually use it. People never use them as much as they plan unless they are retired.

[JC316]

Thanks for the info. It sounds like the consensus is that the 5th wheel is easier, roomier and the better choice.

It really is. They're usually a little cheaper than the bumper pull too, because people don't have the truck to pull them.

Weight distribution or anti-sway? There’s a huge difference. If you had one that does not have a solid connection to the trailer a-frame then it will not control sway. I use an Equal-i-zer on mine and it’s rock solid even at 80mph with a crosswind.

Weight distribution. Didn't think I would need one since the Expedition goes up to 8Klbs with nothing but 3.73 gears and I had pulled 6K worth of car with that same truck. Short wheelbase + light truck + big trailer = 200 miles worth of butthole pucker.