Travel trailers for the hybrid

[Nw_adventure]

Have had a full size Class B Motor home, smaller camper (if you can not stand up, take a pass), do you have to have a bathroom, so much easier to camp at a campground with showers and bathrooms. Currently owned ALine is such a great compromise, folded down you erase the wind resistance and have rear visibility, set up time is less than a tent...and you can stand up, and weight is easily handled by a Maverick Hybrid....and look for a camper that has no seams that could potentially leak....leaks at seams are the greatest nuisance to any trailer/RV... Have had 3 RV's/Trailers and the A-Line is such slick idea...and greatly simplifies camping.

They say Aliners leak like a bitch though ?

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[coolhip33]

 

[Edge Haley]

They say Aliners leak like a bitch though ?

Had one for 4 years (the A shaped model), has never leaked a drop but you have to keep an eye on seams. I recaulk any suspicious seams every year and keep a tarp over the ALiner when not in use, but probably would never have any camper without a garage to store it in off-seasons. Every trailer/RV has to be recaulked after 3 or 4 years. Pulled the Aliner with a Honda ELement....but the Maverick Hybrid 20 extra horsepower will pull Aliner easier....braking is just as critical a factor as horsepower, if not more.

Our Winnebago 36' Class B leaked like a waterfall...especially roof seams....and that was the main reason for selling it. The TRLV above is the design that I'd wager will leak like a waterfall if not maintained with regular caulking. Flexing of any RV fiberglass siding will always waken the material joints.

 

[koolkats3]

We just ordered Maverick hybrid on Friday after much debate since August. It will replace a VW Passat 5 speed with great mpg. Plan on towing fiberglass 13' Scamp. No bathroom, no heater or a/c keeps Laverne's weight down Approx. 1250 #. My husband drives the speed limit or under. We avoid highways to take the scenic route. Planning on two bikes in trunkbed occasionally. I think we'll be fine.

 

[ddhill]

I did some serious research on camper trailers. Started with the 2k towing because I wanted the hybrid. But planning on retiring soon so will likely be on the road for longer (at least a month at a time). So bumped up to the 4k and ecoboost.

But... the camper I ordered will not be delivered until March of 2024 (thanks covid and all the early retirees).

Thing I found - while there are options in the 2k limit - there are certainly trade offs. Great if you want a teardrop "bed in a box" but we wanted a bit more than that. So ... we bumped up to 4k - and again, there are limits there too.

You want to start with the "dry weight" but also keep an eye on the gross vehicle weight. Picking a trailer with a dry weight that is under your limit, and then adding in the water, propane and gear and being over is not going to make you happy. And I have been told repeatedly - leave headroom. So I am going with a trailer that has a GVW of 3600 in a truck with 4000 towing. (and electric brakes, sway control, load distribution).



My camper on order... Safari Condo F2114

Here is what I said in another thread:

There are a lot of smaller camper trailers out there that fit in the 2k towing limit, though more are the "teardrop" (ie bed in a box) design. I know, I researched a load of them. I even looked hard at the Safari Condo Alto R17xx shown above (it is a beautiful camper with an aprox 2 year build wait - and we thought the maverick wait was bad).

Many of the tear drops are often less than 1k and can be moved at the campsite by hand. All of them can be towed by almost any car. But most are a bed in a box many with a galley kitchen on the back. A no go with my wife for extended outings.

There are a number of nice trailers with a dinette/bed/kitchen. A few with a toilet. These are >1k and some are <2k.

Some examples I liked are

Scamp Travel Trailer $10k-$22k (~1200 lb dry - dry means no gear/water...)

Aliner Ranger Classic 12 $20-30 k ? (1750 dry - getting close....)

Roulotte ProLite Plus S $20K (1400 dry)

Aliner Ascape

The Meerkat (900lb dry !!!)

But after haggling with the other half over expectations and mutual requirements).... I switched to the 4k towing so we could spend more money (and a 2 year wait) on a 21 ft version of the Safari Condo Alto which has a 2400 lb dry weight. The idea is that after adding water and gear we should be below 3k (the trailer max is 3.6k)

There are a load of other travel trailers out there few under 2k, more under 4k but most are > 4k.

 

[ezekielnam]

You'd do what now? That trailer's dry weight is over 3x the max tow rating of the hybrid and even well beyond the 2.0EB with 4K package limitations.

Really! I don't know it's that heavy. I always think hybrid should be able to tow it. Thanks for this!

 

[ezekielnam]

He must have been joking.... Or he works for them and wanted us to go look!

Not what you think actually. I don't know the trailer is that heavy

 

[ezekielnam]

Yeah, the tongue weight of the H21 is 1000 lbs. It is a beauty inside and out and expensive($100,000). Mostly built in China.

SO.. you gonna put a $100,000 trailer in back of a $25,000 truck that is 1/2 the weight of the trailer or are you going to opt out and get the smallest one?

Thanks for this! I think I'm going to opt for smaller one

 

[vap0rtranz]

They say Aliners leak like a bitch though ?

I had an Aliner LXE for 5 years and it NEVER leaked, so this is FUD.

Agree with @Edge Haley : any RV with holes / seams will need recaulking.

Also, prices are high so shop around. We bought our Aliner in 2017 for $18k. It lists for $25k now and is hard to find, so there's no reason for a dealer to negotiate if he's the only guy in 500miles that's got the camper that you want.

 

[Nw_adventure]

I had an Aliner LXE for 5 years and it NEVER leaked, so this is FUD.

Agree with @Edge Haley : any RV with holes / seams will need recaulking.

Also, prices are high so shop around. We bought our Aliner in 2017 for $18k. It lists for $25k now and is hard to find, so there's no reason for a dealer to negotiate if he's the only guy in 500miles that's got the camper that you want.

Thanks for the feedback- Lots of negative reviews out there for many of these cheaper travel trailers- Looks like you got one of the better built units, I hear builders now are having quality problems due to cheap labor not showing up or just not knowing what the F they are doing.

 

[Wire4money]

Thanks for this! I think I'm going to opt for smaller one

Remember, the hybrid has a 20 sq ft frontal load limit on it which pretty much rules out anything but a pop up.

 

[ImGoose]

Rather than start a new thread, I'll just ask here:

I have an Ecoboost Maverick. Soon, I will be getting a small teardrop style camper. I am looking for the proper hitch and rise combination.

Measured the distance from ground to top of interior hitch receiver: 18.75"

I'm told by the manufacturer that I want to have the top of the ball at 22" to have a level trailer.

I'm looking at this:
That would get the top of the receiver to 20.75", then the ball would add ~2" = 22.75"

I'd always have additional weight in the truck bed when towing this camper, so that would bring the total height down a bit.

Does that seem like the right combination? My towing knowledge is super limited.

 

[jima7777]

I plan on pulling a Bass Tracker 175 TXW (1,750 lbs). Although "loaded up" it will come in just short of 2,000 lbs, it has little DRAG behind the Maverick. I live in the "Plaines" so no mountains to contend with. Since this is less than 5% of my use, I wanted the efficiency of the hybrid.

 

[Decayed]

I'd like to get a camper trailer of some sort. The more I think about it, the more it seems like what I want is just a rolling bathroom with a private shower and potty. I have no problem sleeping in a tent and cooking outdoors except having air conditioning would be really nice in the summer . Some of the little ones, even the pop ups have a potty/shower arrangement and a/c.

 

[coolhip33]

Not what you think actually. I don't know the trailer is that heavy

Hi Ezekiel -

The very first thing you should look at is the GVWR. If it is over what the car manufacturer states it can tow and you are in an accident, your insurance company will DECLINE your claim.

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