What kind of camper do you have?

I felt like the truck worked hard to do it but honestly it seemed to do fine. Trans Temps never got concerningly hot.
After awhile I got used to the high RPMs.
Gas mileage sucked. 10-13mpg. But expected I guess.

I think a bigger truck would do it better but I’m not there yet for buying a new truck to accommodate a travel trailer. Rather get a smaller trailer or different set up.

 

Only place we can afford to camp

 

Just picked up a Aliner lxe this weekend. It towed well home about 260 miles at 15.1mpg - empty. Cool little camper.

 

Nice. Interested in interior pics when you get a chance. I really like these little pop ups.

 

The inside is very simple but has a few things that I decided were must haves such as an a/c (most important because I live in the south) and a small toilet/shower combo.
The height makes it feel bigger than it is and it's not that hard to set up.
This was the only photo of the inside when I had it up but shows the layout well.

 

My girlfriend bought a Clipper for me to pull around

 

After selling the 23ft Jayco and picking up a Patriot X3 things were cozy for our family of 4 so I sold the Leer shell and picked up a GFC. The kids missed the RTT so they've claimed the GFC (we've been told no adults are allowed) and the adults will sleep in the Patriot.

 

My TT is cold but am trying to make it warmer

 

Looking at pulling the trigger on this one. Found a '21 very lightly used. Price seems in line with what's for sale. It's got a great layout for the size. 22' long, 3600 lb dry. I did the math and read lots of posts, with the brake controller and WD hitch and watching the truck payload numbers the Tacoma will handle it. I just don't know the reputation for Crossroads units and didn't see any matches for searches on here. This would be our first camper.

 

RV Review: Crossroads RV Zinger Lite ZR18RK, an affordable unicorn - RV Travel

The only thing I could find on this type of trailer.

The lower cost units typically have inexpensive cabinets, fabric, mattresses and foam padding in the seating. I have had a few lower cost units and they performed and lasted just fine. Keep in mind that ALL RV's have issues with them at some point regardless of price and construction.

Just check this unit out closely, look inside the cabinets, under seats, under mattress for water stains and check the floor for soft spots which could indicate water damage. Look at all the seams outside on the roof, front, back, windows, vents, fans, A/c unit if equipped making sure they are sealed. With this age unit you should have no problems with any of that but check it anyway because QC is very poor at RV manufactures assembly.

Whatever you do, DON'T trust what a salesman tells you, do your own research. Many of them don't really know what they are talking about.

Good luck and take someone with you that knows RV's if you are not confident inspecting on your own. Maybe even get a mobile RV tech to inspect it for you.

 

wow great info and great review. thanks for that. gives me a lot more confidence in my impressions and how were are looking to get into this 'world'.

 

I agree with everything MTB58 said. Also, bring your own ladder when shopping. Good lap seal is everything.

If I had done it again, I wouldn't have bought new. Quite often you can find a one-owner deal, where all of the factory "imperfections" are already resolved, and you're not the one that takes the instant depreciation hit.

That said, if I found a unit that was immaculate, the very first thing I would do after parking it in my driveway would be to replace the wheel bearings and sacrificial anode in the water heater. It's a peace of mind thing and good practice for your annual maintenance checks (anode, axle lube, and lap seal checks annually, I like to replace bearings every three years).

 

I used my camper for one summer then got the bearings repacked. I'll have to remember to check the anode in the spring.

 

Somehow the anode was the one thing that fell off my maintenance list for three years. Then I finally pulled it:




That was a fun day of flushing the heater.

 

There’s still some meat on that

I’m quite surprised that our anode rod is still in great shape after 1 year of constant use.

Our TT has the easy pack bearings. I packed them as soon as we got the TT last thanksgiving and again this summer which was after 7k miles

 

My dad's boat trailer has bearing buddies but I wasn't able to confirm if any travel trailers have those.

 

You can buy them for most TTs (as almost all of them use Dexter brand axles) but they aren't popular amongst RVers.

Bearing buddies put a constant pressure on the axles to stop from "sucking in" that supposedly occurs from the sudden thermal change when submersing. Or in other words, it stops the #2 grease from mixing with lake water. But also, most TTs these days come stock with the EZ lube system, which, I must say, I'm a fan. To completely repack the hubs without even having to pull the drums means my trailer only spends a half-hour on jack stands, tops. Unless its a year when I pull and replace the bearings. That and a total lap sealant refresh are both coming due this spring. Fun fun.

 

LOL, that's the system I was trying to refer to. It's really easy, both times I've done it whilst at the campsite (have been on the road since picking our TT up from the dealer), not having to remove a wheel is awesome!

 

2015 Tacoma TRD Pro w/2021 Geo Pro 19FD... VT to CA and back... twice... during the summer. No issues.

 

I need to redo the lap sealant on ours. Any tips for remove the old stuff? I tried a razor blade but it’s rock hard.