As the title indicates, I am a brand new member and have been researching for around 2 years for a travel trailer. I have watched every youtube video known to man and feel like I have a general grasp on what to look for. I have a family of 4 (wife, and 2 kids). My kids are 2.5 and 8 months so sleeping arrangements for them are one of our main concerns. We rented a TT about a year ago to see if we liked the idea of RV camping. It was a 27 ft Shadow Cruiser bunkhouse (cant remember the model #, but i believe it was a 24-something. Its the same floorplan every manufacturer has, dinette slide, bunks in the corner and a small kitchen/bathroom. After staying in that for a weekend we decided that it didnt have enough seating as the dinette isnt great for lounging. I also chose this model because it is about as big as i want to go with my current Tow Vehicle. I have a 2018 F150 3.5 Ecoboost with 7,000 GVWR/ 1558 lbs of payload, ~15,000 GCVWR / 3.55 rear end. I didn't have any sway issues (drove about 100 miles @ 55 mph), but really felt the trailer. The guy I rented it off had an F150 as well and provided me with a husky WD hitch that seemed to work ok.
So with that being said, i have been looking at smaller trailers in the 22 ft range, but the problem i'm running into is that the cargo capacity is atrocious, something like 500-750 lbs. If i decide to camp without hookups, i will basically be at capacity from a full water tank and some camping chairs (slightly exaggerated). I'm assuming this is due to the single axle and manufacturers skimping to save a few bucks? Been looking at wildwood/salem 178BHSK's in both aluminum siding and laminated. I like the idea of the murphy bed to fix my seating problem and that they are short/light. I will be using it for traveling for work (about 200 miles away 5 days every month) and weekend trips with my family. Has anyone had experience with these types of trailers and single axles that have been good rigs? Really hate to drop $20,000 and it be a nightmare like I have read so many times.
Apologies in advance for the winded post.
So with that being said, i have been looking at smaller trailers in the 22 ft range, but the problem i'm running into is that the cargo capacity is atrocious, something like 500-750 lbs. If i decide to camp without hookups, i will basically be at capacity from a full water tank and some camping chairs (slightly exaggerated). I'm assuming this is due to the single axle and manufacturers skimping to save a few bucks? Been looking at wildwood/salem 178BHSK's in both aluminum siding and laminated. I like the idea of the murphy bed to fix my seating problem and that they are short/light. I will be using it for traveling for work (about 200 miles away 5 days every month) and weekend trips with my family. Has anyone had experience with these types of trailers and single axles that have been good rigs? Really hate to drop $20,000 and it be a nightmare like I have read so many times.
Apologies in advance for the winded post.
