Camper for towing

Hello everyone im looking to purchase a camper with in the next 6 months. I understand the payload limitations of the tundra. Im looking for real world sugestions on size / weight for a good combo thats not gonna kill the truck and tow decent. I will get a weight distribution hitch. Me and the wife where leaning torwards a 27 foot with one slide out maybe a little bigger. I have a 2021 double cab trd offroad with 5.7 and tow package

 

Sizes of desired trailer and whether you need a bunk model or not would help.

Grand Design Imagine 2800BH, full loaded with dialed-n WDH tows great with a limited CM, but fully loaded, puts trailer and a family of 4 at (or even slighty over) payload.

DC may be fine.

 

Lots of folks on here recommend 24 feet or less. You're probably going to be pushing it on tongue weight with something bigger.

 

Just looked at the layout of your camper i really liked it. We want to get a bunkhouse to accommodate future kids.

 

Newer trailers are much lighter nowadays. I think a 27Ft would be fine.
RV now but 3 trailers in my past the biggest being a 40ft King of the Road. 4 door dually 454 would barely pull it.

 

Just get yourself, your family, and friends together for a weekend and build a space shuttle replica. Throw in a few convertible sofas, a good sound system, and a giant beer cooler. You will be all set!

 

lmfao sounds like a good time too me

 

I have an Alpha Wolf 23RD-L. It is 5700lbs dry. It handles just fine after adding the Sway bar in back, which I recommend. Before adding that it wasn’t as stable going down the road as I wanted.

 

Go as small as you can, You'll use it more..

 

I’ve read a ton of RV forums and almost universally they all report that the Mfr. hitch weight rating is way under real world values and that’s what is limiting on the Tundra. So I’d look for something with an advertised hitch weight rating much lower than your payload to give you margin.

 

Check out Alpha Wolf's 26DBH-L. It's not much heavier than the 23RD-L mentioned above. I like Alpha Wolfs for the extra attention to the outdoor kitchen and electric fireplace that doesn't burn propane for early/fall camping at established campgrounds.

https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/travel-trailers/alpha-wolf/26DBH-L/4038

 

Ask yourself the following question:

- What do you want to do with it?
- Are you planning to leave it stationary for long period of time? then get as big as you can
- Are you planning to travel with it as often as you can? then get as small as you can
- Where are you going to store it? are you planning to store next to the house and use it a guest house? this can affect how you choose the layout.
- like some say, outdoor kitchen is REALLY useful, but you don't necessary have to buy one from factory, you can put an outdoor kitchen in a box for may be $150-200.
- where you want to go? does the sites you visit allow 27footer? when you factor in the length of the tongue you are often at 30+ft, many provincial park grounds here won't allow 25ft +.

We almost bought a Winniebago Micro Minnie 2108TB, but wait time put it useless when it arrives (september), so just decide to wait it out to buy it in winter and hopefully with more discounts than the craziness now.

https://www.winnebago.com/models/product/towables/travel-trailer/micro-minnie-1?floorplans=true

it's 22.8" total length, twin beds, I'll probably slap on a lift kit with taller tires and call it a day.

 

FWC Fleet - or hawk.
The amenities of a bumper pull, can go anywhere.

 

Some more information please. I have a 4WC Raven on order...

1. Supension mods?
2. Do you know your total weight with the 4WC?
3. How much does your boat/trailer weigh? Tongue weight?
4. Overall impressions/suggestions?

 

1) I have ride rights and e rated yokahoma geo landers, front and rear sway bar.
2) ~850 last I checked (this was before switching the propane heater to a chinese diesel heater)
3) I try and balance the tounge weight around 150-200 pounds, boat is about a thousand. Trailer is rated has gvwr of about 2400, so I store my gear over the axle in the boat.
4) I did not enjoy driving it without air bags / upgraded tires. Only did it once. This truck has plenty of power and handles the load very well. I have wanted a pop up for five or so years, we are in love with it. Mine is older (didnt want to spend a ton to find out the family hates it). I would reccomend the thermal pack. I have been thinking of going flat bed to save another hundred or so pounds and make it easier to get on and off. Here's another picture out near powell.

 

Thank you for the information. It looks great! I did go with the thermal pack and furnace. Can't wait to get it... next summer (huge lead time now).

 

Your going to love it, and as my 80s fleet is proof. It will be built for life. Congrats on the purchase!

 

As everyone is stating, know your requirements and go from there. For us, the 28' box with a fullsize queen for the "master" works extremely well.

This weekend we entertained 7 people and 3 50+ lb dogs without issue. Not the usual crowd but it was nice being able to do it while it stormed outside. Without the 3 extra humans and 1 dog, we're extremely comfortable.

Tanks sizes are also important to consider and is part of how we ended up at GrandDesign over a Jayco, for example. Same with ho we wanted the "flow" to be... We have 2 entrances so we can lock the door nearest the bunks and quietly enter without waking the kids. We also accept, for our time with this trailer, we are somewhat limited in parks with a 32' total length, which is fine for us.

Real numbers are critical, so scale everything. We always have 15 gallons of potable onboard which adds a lot, but so doesnt food and clothes and gear for 4 people. That's the kicker and something that us more "user specific".

Good luck ith the search! You've got a great support structure here.

 

There are obviously pros and cons to going big. We have a Jayco 184BS with two young kids (6 and 3) and it fits us great right now. Has bunks for the kids and an actual queen (not the smaller "RV queen") for me and the wife. We can fit into a lot more spaces than our friends with larger trailers, and the Tundra tows it easily. We also saved a lot of $$$ compared to something bigger.

We do wish we had more space at times, but unless it's raining we spend 90% of our time outside. If you have the space to store it (or are paying to store it at a facility), I think you can find a good layout in a ~24' trailer that the Tundra can still tow easily and be under payload.

Either way, have fun camping!

 

One of the biggest factors not yet mentioned here is wind resistance. It's not always about the weight, when you get out there pulling hills with 40+ headwinds or across states with 40-50 or worse crosswinds it makes an enormous difference if you have a big old sail hitched on your 1/2 ton pick-up. Might I suggest renting a few before you buy.

 

wow. i wouldn't have guessed that small of a trailer. bummer. i was hoping to get something in the 29-33ft range in the next year or so

 

That's definitely heavy duty territory. You getting a 3500, too?

 

It’s all what you’re comfortable with and which trailer model you choose. We have a 35’ overall length lightweight trailer, and have towed it thousands of miles with zero issues. Weight is roughly 7000-7500lbs loaded down for a trip. We’re planning to downsize largely to fit into more parks and forests. You’ll definitely want some help on the rear suspension though, whether air bags, sumo springs, helper springs, whatever. Stock ones just don’t last long on their own.

 

As it was said, weight isn't the only factor. Wind pressures on the highway are a big strain on driving comfort. Longer you go more surface area. I pulled a 24ft and was quite comfortable in most situation. It could handle more camper, but if you plan on pulling it longer distance then smaller the better. Less fatiguing, better mood happier trips.

 

Im now thinking 27 foot is the way to go.

 

Gonna limit it to 24 foot to 27 foot. I have space at my house to store it. That shouldint be a problem.

 

I went with Dobinson’s standard leaf pack for the rears (not installed yet), and will add the Roadmaster suspension kit later down the road if needed. The other options seem like too many compromises and I mostly drive unloaded so I’m attempting to get the best of both worlds.

 

I tow a Coleman 26’ bunkhouse (263bh) with my tundra with no issues. The campgrounds we frequent have on site fill up and waste disposal so I always tow tanks empty to save weight. Fill up before I park or use my 100’ hose to fill up from the nearest water point and dump black tank at the waste station before I head home. Longest tow to date is about 275 miles on I-40.