Question $25,000 ish camper quality between brands

[kentums]

Hi, I'm searching for a new camper, I do not know new campers. I have a list of "requirements" from my wife, and a few from me, for the camper (See below). My main question, is the quality really is much different between brands at this price point? Also, if anyone has any input on models that fit the list.

Thanks
Kent

More than 78” interior height ( I am 78.5" tall)
7+ people
Queen bed
Bedroom with door
Bath tub
Outdoor kitchen w/sink
Heat / AC
Dinette and Couch
Must have at least 1 slide out
Awning
Not an ultra-light class
Towable by half ton truck
OTD price less than 30k

 

[Gronk]

I would recommend that you go to different dealers in your area to be able to physically touch and look at trailers you may want. That way you can see what works and doesn't work for you. Tell the sales person what you want and they may have something that is close or even exceeds your wants. Take your time and don't let the sales people push you into something you don't want. Also, check your tow vehicle's towing capacity and then go to 80% (safety's sake) of that for the weight of the trailer you are looking for. Make sure you look at the payload capacity too. Figure the weight of the passengers, pets, and anything else you want to carry and subtract that from the payload. That number will be the tongue weight that your truck can handle. Next, DO NOT go by the dryweight. Use ONLY the Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) and figure 12% of that weight for the tongue weight of that trailer. Any other questions, feel free to ask. Someone will have the info you need!

 

[kentums]

I would recommend that you go to different dealers in your area to be able to physically touch and look at trailers you may want. That way you can see what works and doesn't work for you. Tell the sales person what you want and they may have something that is close or even exceeds your wants. Take your time and don't let the sales people push you into something you don't want. Also, check your tow vehicle's towing capacity and then go to 80% (safety's sake) of that for the weight of the trailer you are looking for. Make sure you look at the payload capacity too. Figure the weight of the passengers, pets, and anything else you want to carry and subtract that from the payload. That number will be the tongue weight that your truck can handle. Next, DO NOT go by the dryweight. Use ONLY the Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) and figure 12% of that weight for the tongue weight of that trailer. Any other questions, feel free to ask. Someone will have the info you need!

Great advice! We were hoping to go camper shows, but all in our area are canceled. So we are going to dealers, but trying to decide on how far we should go mostly.

 

[Horseshoer]

I have never once found my "unicorn" have always been willing to spend the money but have always given at least one thing. Most recently we conceded on a u shaped dinette to get everything else thing else we wanted. Good luck and enjoy.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Towable by half ton truck

With your wish list, I believe that item is going to be a challenge. Don’t believe what the trailer sales people tell you; run the numbers (GVWR and GCVWR plus tongue weight) and stay well below the maximum rating for safety’s sake.

TJ

 

[kentums]

Thanks! I agree that is a tall order. I set my goals that way so when I find one, I deem the one, I can decide how important each thing is.

I was mostly hoping to hear about quality between brands in what I would call lower mid range price.

 

[Horseshoer]

Thanks! I agree that is a tall order. I set my goals that way so when I find one, I deem the one, I can decide how important each thing is.

I was mostly hoping to hear about quality between brands in what I would call lower mid range price.

The quality thing is rough, its more about the warranty nowadays. I can tell you that Grand design is widely considered the the top of the heap and they do back the warranty well. That being said I just bought a GD transcend and am not overly excited about it. Very thoughtful design, lots of outlets, tall ceiling but build quality is pretty much the same as everything else and the materials are cheap. They are all here to make a buck and it shows with every make and model out there in the price range.

 

[drmox]

I am an Airstream guy, but at 6'2", I can tell you they are not an option for you, not to mention the price.
The majority of of square white box campers are made within 30 miles of one another, and vary in build quality just about that much. I would recommend looking at the slightly used market for a deal.
There's also a lot of guys out there who buy a big trailer and try pulling it with their daily driver SUV or 1/2 ton truck, and still try to bring 700 and 800 pounds of stuff. After their first bad highway sway incident, you score a deal off that guy.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

1/2 ton truck. 7+ people, and a tub?

 

[Germanrazor]

No ultra lite but towing with a half ton! Can it be done? Sure. Safely........not so much. I work with lawyers a lot and while you see many folks using 1/2 tons to let’s say, stretch the physics out a bit, a crafty lawyer in a personal injury suit will cut you for more and maybe get you for negligence for knowingly going beyond manufacturers spec’s.

We live is a litigious society on about everything that should be common sense.....don’t give those buzzards another feast to start feeding on.

Your best bet is find the TT that fits your needs then mate a truck to it.