Looking into Camping Trailer

Nice awning we love our Hasika

 

Trailmarkeroutdoors.com

 

That’s a pretty cool trailer, similar to the intech trailers too I think.

You know what I want? An expanded Jayco 10RK:
https://www.trailerlife.com/rv-gear/rvs/tiny-trailer-jayco-hummingbird-10rk/

I’d add 54” to the hitch side of the interior, allowing a 24” walkway and stacked 30” wide bunks running the width of the trailer. Storage slides under the main bed that go out of the galley, drawers under the foot of the bed, and storage cubby’s under the bottom bunk, and the top bunk folds down so the bunks will also be a couch. Bonus if they can figure out a way to have a folding table that pops out or one that drops down from the ceiling.

Have a option for a 4.5’ wide platform at the front of the trailer to make it a toy hauler.

overall weight would probably end up a lot the same as the a-frames, but with more bed space and outside cooking.

 

I have a 2nd Gen Tacoma and a Nucamp Tab 400 with the bed rack and truck tent. If I ditch the truck tent I can fit two kayaks and two mountain bikes on my rack while pulling the trailer and it makes for great Moab mountain biking and CO river kayaking trips. I'm working on developing the batteries and solar on it so that I can go entirely off the grid with full AC. Its a fun setup for just going anywhere in the national forests. I've tried motorhomes but I love the versatility of a Taco and a Teardrop.

 

Here’s our pop up, set up in the driveway for cleaning and the first round of sorting out. All cushion covers, curtains, and such came out and got washed, floors and cabinets vacuumed and scrubbed, etc



I can see how some people want to bring more with them in to the woods, but we think it’s going to be about perfect for us.

As far as bear safety, the best thing to do in any camping situation around bears is to keep a clean camp and not attract bears in the first place. We’re not going to cook in the camper and probably won’t be eating in it much either. It really is a place to sleep and get out of the weather for us.

 

That is a great setup. It's hard to beat the tow weight and instant space of something like that. I used to use the combo of a Jumping Jack and truck tent (and I could overland with it) to give me similar number of beds but found over time I needed AC (desert camping and mid-summer beach camping), shower, toilet (this was a must for my wife in the middle of the night), and quiet from the camp site next door. But if you can get out in the forest a little with some space between campers and cool mountain temps your setup is perfect. Happy Camping!

 

Nice set up! Loved my gen1 tundra.

 

The 19 or 21 is going to be our next trailer for sure. I've been drooling over these for the three past months.

We bought a Forest River NoBo 16.5 since it was our first trailer purchase and I didn't want to dish out a ton of money without knowing how much we'd really get into using it. The idea was sound: have a hard-walled trailer so we can camp year round in the PNW since winters aren't terrible.

Now we're totally obsessed with camping in it and I wish I would have just splurged and gotten a lifetime camper like the Escape instead of losing $5k as soon as we drove the NoBo off the lot.

It's a fine trailer that's been treating us well and we've got a good dealership for warranty and service work but I'd love to have a higher quality trailer that will have less future issues with water intrusion and be better insulated against the colder nights, etc. I'm not looking forward to losing my ass on it and trying to sell it private party when the time comes.

But now that I know we're probably life-long travel trailer owners from here on out, the Escape is at the top of the list.

...as long as I'm not unemployed by the time this COVID19 thing is over at least.

 

I’ve read mostly good things about the NOBO campers. What’s your concerns about the build quality? Just curious, it was an option we’re considering in the future.

Long term RV success mostly comes down to maintenance and storage conditions. Keep up on the roof and seals and crevices seems to be most of the battle.

 

Just the general quality issues of all mass-produced brands. They're not huge concerns, especially since my dealership has done a great job on any warranty work and what not (I think having a good dealership is also a huge key to successful ownership). But just knowing that I want something I could keep for life (i.e. I know that now, we weren't 100% positive how serious we would get when we first bought it, hence going for the less-expensive option), I wish we would have just dished out for a higher quality build but we were going into this as complete novices.

I try to be diligent about maintenance on all my stuff, so I check the roof seals and look for any signs of leaks on every trip and add RV sealant any time a crack shows, but there's only so much I can manage living the apartment life and having to store the trailer 30 minutes away. I also am not down for spending $400-500/month to store the thing in covered parking (Puget Sound area storage fees are crazy).

My main concern is long term water damage that seems to be prolific in this kind of trailer such as water soaking in the subfloor underneath the vinyl flooring just from use, etc and us being in Seattle, rain is obviously a concern.

All RV's and travel trailers have issues regardless of whether you spend $7000 or $500,000, but I'm fully on board the fiberglass travel trailer train in the future.

We really like the NoBo 16.5 layout. Just wish the belly was better insulated since we go out in the winter and I wish it was easier to get into the bathroom (I don't care what anyone says, besides not sleeping on the ground, having a bathroom right there when you need it is a fucking glorious aspect of having a travel trailer, especially if you were boozing all day the day before and didn't drink enough water and need somewhere to "get over your hangover" the next morning).

 

With trailers it's all about what comfort level you can deal with, how far off pavement you'll yank it, how much you can pay, and can you shit in it when traveling.

 

Clearwater Lake, Delta Junction, Alaska

 

We picked up this used teardrop a few years back for under $4k. It's super simple and there's almost nothing to maintain, no stove, water tank, sink, fridge. KISS! We have our own stove and cooler that just stays in it. All LED lights and a battery that we charge up before a trip means we have plenty of juice for a long trip. It's just got a queen bed, some cabinets, and a small removable child bunk inside. super easy to tow, has plenty of ground clearance, and only shaves 1.5mpg off my fuel economy. An ARB awning and add-on room that can be swapped to either side of the trailer for shade and extra room. If there's shore power, there's even a small A/C and heater inside. It's pretty sweet!

Cons: There's no off-grid heater, so I've been considering adding a propex system. And it only sleeps 2 (and 1 small kid) comfortably, so with a family of 4 we could use a bit more room. I have a platform in my truck bed that the kids can sleep in (shown here), but I have to admit it would be nice to have a little more space inside a heated area to hang out, which would allow us to do more shoulder-season outings.

 

Another vote for the A-liner. The towing advantages of them folding flat just cannot be understated. We had a TAB for a while, and it was miserable to tow compared to the A-Liner. If it was windy with the TAB, we were lucky to maintain 45-50 mph. With the A-liner, I can go with the flow of traffic.

 

Hard to maintain 50 mph with that small trailer? Was that with an I4 or perhaps a 9* grade?

 

Thanks for the honest straight forward answers. Real life shit helps. LOL.
Zim

 

If it was windy with the TAB, we were lucky to maintain 45-50 mph.

 

Was that your experience? It is hard to imagine. I've rolled down the windy highway with my 16 Casita at 80 mph loaded up with 700 lbs of gear. Real life shit.

 

Look at a fiberglass trailer like Casita (Tx made) or a Escape (Canada). They basically eliminate leak issues, even on older units and tow well with a Taco. They cost more than a stick and tin trailer but depreciation is VERY low as you will find out when shopping for a used one.

 

The T@B is extremely heavy for how small it is, and yes, elevation and hills and wind - even with a 4.0 - it was miserable AF to pull that thing. Not all of us are flatlanders. Elevation also takes a 15%+ hit on engine performance.

I don't have any of the towing hassles with the A-Liner.