Seeking First Travel Trailer Advice

Hi all - I am shopping for my first travel trailer and am seeking advice on weight and length considerations for towing. Previous towing experience is just small U-Hauls. Here's my setup:

Truck: 2022 Tundra 1794 TRD OR (no air suspension)
Sticker Payload Capacity: 1281 lbs
Hitch: Plan to use an Equalizer or other WDH/anti-sway option

I have narrowed my search down to two primary trailer options:

Trailer 1: Grand Design Imagine XLS 21BHE (https://www.granddesignrv.com/travel-trailers/imagine-xls/21bhe)
Hitch: 456 lbs
Unloaded Weight: 4698 lbs
GVWR: 6395 lbs
Length: 24' 11"

Trailer 2: Grand Design Imagine XLS 23BHE (https://www.granddesignrv.com/travel-trailers/imagine-xls/23bhe)
Hitch: 504 lbs
Unloaded Weight: 5325 lbs
GVWR: 6995 lbs
Length: 27' 11"

This will be a camper for trips for my small family. Minimum typical truck payload will be wife, toddler/young child, dog, and myself. Estimating conservative passenger payload of 500 lbs. Also have a tonneau cover and predator steps not factored into payload weight yet (plus whatever hitch I get).

I plan on taking my truck to a CAT scale to get an accurate weight reading for correct potential payload calculations.

My two main questions:

1. How will I realistically be doing on payload with either of these trailers? I understand that is the primary limiting factor.

2. Is Trailer 2 too long, at almost 28 feet? I know that the truck can tow it, but is it advisable given length and payload?

Thanks!

 

You’ll be fine with either

 

I just towed a 28' trailer weighing 11,000 lbs from Chicago to Daytona Fl and back. The truck ran flawless and never missed a beat. I have about 25k miles of towing over 10k on my 22 plat.

You shouldn't have any issue with either of those trailers.

 

Whatever you get make sure it has 4 wheel/dual axle setup. Not much sucks more than a flat on a single.

 

I had a 2008 Keystone Passport 245RB. Length was 27ft, dry weight of 4,420 lbs. I towed with a stock 2006 Tundra limited. Your truck is way more capable and will handle either of those trailers fine.

 

Use the trailer's payload to carry stuff for camping. This will help shift some of the load off the truck so you can carry passengers or pets.

Consider 1,000 lbs of cargo and if loaded in the trailer, it would only add about 100 to 150 lbs against the truck's payload.

 

Is that quoted length the total external length from hitch to bumper or is it the inside length of the living area. My trailer is 25' inside and 28' outside and that's about as big as I would go.

 

You be able to tow either one comfortably. My 2023 has been towing at TT that is 27' 8" and have not had any issues. Mine is a bit heavier than your prospects but as long as you are getting some of the weight pushed back on to your front axles with the WDH, you should be OK. I made a trip to the CAT scale and weighed truck alone, hitched up to TT with and without WDH. I'm well under GCVW and only needed to adjust the WDH to get some weight returned to the front axle since the coil springs are squishy.

 

Door jamb

 

oops . . .mis read . . .

For GVWR I was at 6800, my door jamb says max is 7310. For RAWR I am 3600, door jamb max is 3860 so you can see my RAWR is getting close. All hitchhikers will have to be 200# or less

 

All - thank you for your feedback. To close the loop on this one, I ended up purchasing a Grand Design Transcend 235BH (https://www.granddesignrv.com/travel-trailers/transcend-xplor/235bh). Same GVWR as that 23BHE (6,995lbs) but a foot and a half shorter at 26' 4". Somewhat heavier tongue weight empty at 567 lbs.

I also weighed my truck at a CAT scale and did find that the sticker payload rating is somewhat conservative. Sticker payload is 1,281 lbs; my measured max capacity is somewhere around 1,400 (factoring in tonneau cover and various other stuff in the truck, which could even be removed in worst case).

I'll need to keep tongue weight on the lower end and manage WDH properly...which I can hopefully do...and will likely be at max payload if trailer is at max weight, which I do not plan on doing. Will see how it goes!

 

Thanks @Mattedfred , I appreciate that. Yes, at max trailer weight I need to be ~11% tongue weight to stay safe. So I hope I can manage that. Realistically, the only way I see myself hitting that max trailer weight is if I fully load up with water and gear for an extended boondocking situation, which is not our primary use case. Much more likely to travel with trailer very dry to campgrounds and do that sort of thing. This trailer also only has an 1,100 lb capacity over dry weight so I am discouraged from going overboard on gear from the get-go.

 

Thanks, yes, I've already got this on my shopping list. Will check those brands.