School me on buying a Travel Trailer

[Tbuddyandroby]

As others have said, that is a lot of trailer. Especially for a 1/2 ton. We are on our third one. First was a 30 ft.fifth wheel, second a 36 ft bumper pull toy hauler, and the current one is a 21 ft Rpod. My advise would be smaller is better. we spend very little time inside ours. Its basically a place to sleep and ****. The one we have now only weighs 2600 lbs dry and has a tongue weight of 330lbs. I can hook it up and be gone in 5 minutes. Its also really easy to find a spot to park it. It much easier to maneuver as well I do feel a little undersized when I park it next to a 40 foot toyhauler sometimes.

If you decide to go that large, make sure it has 2 AC units. One will not cool that large of a space in Texas. I'm sure others disagree with this, but you asked for opinions. Good luck in your search.

What would be a good gross/tongue weight for my 5.7 V8 Tundra? I see your point about buying one that's easier to pull, maneuver, and park.

[S-3 Ranch]

IMO 600-700 lbs or 10% of 6000-7000 lbs or about a 24 or so footer
And a good properly setup weight disruption hitch

http://www.trailerlife.com/rv-gear/rvs/half-ton-towables/

A quote from the article I find very true
“Interesting the list of trailers that the author came up with. Every one of the examples push or exceed the upper levels of towing capabilities for a half-ton pickup. There are much better choices that are in the 3,500- to 5,000-pound UVW range available on the market that tow more easily and are still a reasonable size for couples or small families.”

[Smokeater]

What would be a good gross/tongue weight for my 5.7 V8 Tundra? I see your point about buying one that's easier to pull, maneuver, and park.

That highland ridge is among the pricier trailers. I've got a 32' coachmen that is about the same floorplan minus the second bath. I pull it with a 5.7 tundra and it does fine. No set up is fun bucking a head wind or in the hills but otherwise it does great. Dry weight on it is around 7500 I think. TWO A/C's are a MUST! I just put a second one on. There's a newer version of ours nearby that's for sale. Be glad to get you some info but I'm a long way from ya. Ours is a '15 model and ended up just short of 30K for it.

[Grant2]

I'm going to school you don't buy one just rent cabins,houses or hotel save yourself all the problems of owning one.

[Dejashoot]

If you haven’t pulled a camper with your truck, I’d sure go rent something similar in size to what you are looking at. Towing that much of a camper with a half ton isn’t going to be fun going very far. I spoke with a guy next to our campsite pulling a 26’ with a f150. He said it was terrible. He was towing from Texas City to Edna.

I wouldn’t drop that much change and find out a month later that it was a waste.

[Drop Tine]

I'm going to school you don't buy one just rent cabins,houses or hotel save yourself all the problems of owning one.

My wife sure likes our fifth wheel, but I’m with this guy. There’s a VRBO available EVERYWHERE, and you can just enjoy your destination.

[Grant2]

I have never seen anyone get their money worth buying a new one. You only use them maybe 2 times a month then they just sit in storage or your backyard and suck up a monthly note. The most I have seen them used is at a deer lease, but I would never buy a new one for the lease.

[coach2]

My dad has sold rv's his entire life. He is the sales manager at Lloyds rv in Orange tx. His name is Dennis Baggett. Give him a call 409 745 2904 and he will gladly answer any questions you have. I know for a fact he has sold an rv to at least 4 tbhers.

[doublearrow]

My wife sure likes our fifth wheel, but I’m with this guy. There’s a VRBO available EVERYWHERE, and you can just enjoy your destination.

Thats like saying you can buy deer meat at the store lol. Deer leases cost a fortune, with no monetary return. And there is no VRBO where we camp.

[brokeno]

Money pit like a boat. Depreciation will kill you. You will never get your money back for the few times you will use it.

[NaClH2O_therapy]

RV

As stated above they are expensive, high maintenance, they depreciate in value.
Towing a big one can be difficult.
But.... all that being said the memories made with family in an RV are priceless in my opinion. The conveniences of home towed behind you are awesome.
We have always camped in tents, but bought a new Travel trailer last summer. We have taken 5 trips in it so far, and used it all hunting season at the deer lease.
I wanted a specific floor plan with the bunkhouse for my teenage boys. It has been nice for them to have their own space and bring friends along. My floor plan is very similar to the first link you posted.

My 2011 Ford F-150 3.5l v-6 ecoboost pulls our
36' 7300# forest river vibe 308BHS. The weight distribution hitch keeps the truck level.
I have pulled it through the country between Junction and Sonora.
Windy days are a little rough on it, and gas mileage drops to about 8 mpg when I normally average
16-19 mpg.
I paid right at $30,000 for it, including all taxes fees weight distribution hitch and a few items I picked up in the accessory section of the store.

I am still considering adding helper springs or air bags to the truck for additional support and sway control.

I store mine under a cover at home. It stays at the deer lease Oct - Jan, home Feb-Mar,
Lease Apr.-Jun, Home Jun-Sept. Then back to the lease for deer season. Sometimes I wish I had 2 rv's like one of the guys I hunt with. He leaves one at the lease, and has one just for camping trips.

It came with a 1 year factory warranty which I have already used go fix an issue with one of the slides. That warranty expires in July, and I have already purchased an extended warranty plan through good sam, that includes roadside assistance. The policy covers most everything on the rv. My plan costs me $30/month with a $150 deductible, and that rate is locked for 6 years.

Link to my floor plan.

https://www.funtownrv.com/product/new-2018-forest-river-rv-vibe-308bhs-709941-29

Hope this info helps. Good luck and happy camping.

[100%TtId]

How much % off sticker can you get a new one for these days?

[Black Ice]

I'm going to school you don't buy one just rent cabins,houses or hotel save yourself all the problems of owning one.

I just can’t see myself owning an RV ever.


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[rvd]

I agree with all that stated that campers are poorly built rapidly depreciating assets and basically a horrible investment... That being said, we are recently camper less but we have had a camper from pop ups to a couple 40+ft 5th wheelers for the last 20 years. All 3 of our kids are "adults" now but I would not trade anything for the memories we made with them camping. The same could be said of all the boats we've owned as well. Buy what you can afford and use it.

[bullhead44]

What would be a good gross/tongue weight for my 5.7 V8 Tundra? I see your point about buying one that's easier to pull, maneuver, and park.

I really have no idea on the Tundra. As someone else suggested above, it might be a good idea to rent one of the same weight to see how it pulls.