What kind of camper do you have?

With the Escape 15 you have the choice of with or without a wet bath. Without the bath there is an extra 2-person dinette in the front. Unfortunately, as of February of this year, Escape is no longer taking orders for the 15.

That's a really nice looking slide-in. I was originally thinking of a slide-in but decided I wanted to keep the truck bed available for bikes and/or scuba gear.

 

15A no bathroom , 15B bathroom

I was looking at a 17B last year

 

I had a new carport installed today to protect my Casita. I ordered it big enough for the toyotas too.

 

Cleaning for this season

 

How does that pull behind the taco. The wife is really wanting a trailer until the boys are of age to help set up their own gear.

 

Pulls pretty good behind the tacoma. You can tell it's there especially if going up any type of grade. I wouldn't go with any bigger of a trailer for the tacoma.

 

Thats kinda what i was thinking. Didnt know if it liked to push or drag the back end about being so tall.

Do you guys stick mostly to improved campgrounds then? My other concern is the ground clearance. I had a buddy drag the drain off his fresh water tank on a trip and mad for an interesting weekend out a few hours from the nearest town.

Thanks

 

We do stick to developed camp grounds. No real rough roads or anything. They do make spacers to lift the body of the camper up higher off the axle. Don't know the pros/cons about them.

 

What current does the A/C draw? Do you bring a genny or focus on hook up sites?

 

I believe it will handle 110 and 220. But honestly I haven't used it yet. I just bought the camper in February of this year from a local TW member. You could ask him his handle is lowinhz. I've used the heat though on our 3rd annual land between the lakes meet when we had 12-18 inches of snow it was perfect.

 

My wife and I just purchased a Rockwood Miti-Lite 2306 (see post #97 on previous page for pic). We are first-time RV’ers and are looking forward to having many family memories in the years to come. I have always been a backcountry camper, preferring to 4x4 or backpack into remote locations. My wife is a bit more cautious and prefers campgrounds. We now have a 1-year old daughter so the wife actually brought up the idea of getting a travel trailer. I'm in support of anything that gets us outside, so I started doing research and we started looking at options.

My current truck is a 2010 Toyota Tacoma long bed. It says it is rated to tow 6400 but I know that is very optimistic. I wanted to get something we could tow with the Taco but still have it be big enough where we wouldn't be wanting to upgrade in the near future. We are planning on another kid in the next couple years. The 2306 seemed to be the best compromise of large size and light weight.

To prepare for towing I got a Tekonsha P2 brake controller and an Equal-i-zer WD hitch. I also got some fold out towing mirrors. A couple other things that I think will help are removing my camper shell when we tow (250lbs) and using my smaller (31" instead of 33", both E-rated) set of wheels.

We bought the trailer from a dealer in Prescott AZ which is about 1.5 hours north. We went up the following weekend to do the orientation/walk-through and take delivery. I was pretty nervous as I have not towed anything so large before, but was pleasantly surprised at how well it went. It was pretty windy but we did not have any problems with sway. I kept the speed at 60 on I-17 and chugged along. I could feel the weight on hills but it did not drag us down too much and I never had the pedal to the floor winding it out to keep the speed up. I am going to look into getting a bluetooth OBD and app that will monitor trans temp as that seems to be the weak link when towing with Tacos.

We have a bunch of trips planned for this summer to campground on the Rim. For those that don't know Arizona, the Mogollon Rim is an escarpment that rises to 8,000’ (Phoenix is at 1,100’). We will see how bad it is pulling it up the grades to the Rim. I know the Tacoma is not an ideal TV, but it was just paid off last month. If it is an absolute nightmare, the wife's lease on her Camry is up in Feb 2016 and we were planning on getting her a SUV. If it becomes the new TV we will look at Sequoias and Tahoes.

 

No nightmares! Couple of questions, but I think I know the answer. You have a V6, hence the 6400lb. Tow package with the trans-cooler? If yes, you shouldn't have any problems. I was looking at the Rockwood Minis, nice rigs. Ended up with a Nomad which is a little heavier- but tows very well with a Taco, so you should sit back, camp, and start gathering memories! In AZ, there are a lot of memories to be had. I'm jealous; my last truck pulled a small trailer all over the Coconino forests, and Utah Natl Park loops (not far from you) a few times, and never had so much fun in my life. Az and Utah are great areas for camping. Enjoy!!!

 

Yep 4x4 V6 DCLB with tow package.

 

Is that the Bunk bed model? How does the Tacoma handle it

 

Not good. I posted this in a couple places but I'll paste it here as well:

"I just did my first trip with our TT as well. Ours was from Phoenix (1100') up to the Mogollon Rim which gets up to 8000'. Our travel trailer is pretty light at 3800 dry, 4700 GVWR. Its 24' long and has a pretty big frontal area (8'x10').

My Taco complained a bit going up some of the grades. We were in 2nd a few times doing 50 at about 3800 rpms. Not bad but according to Torque the trans temps were eeking up there (230 pan, 245 TC). Engine temp only got over 200 once. I would highly suggest getting a OBD dongle and app like Torque so you can monitor trans temps. That seems to be the biggest issue with towing with our trucks. I was right on the edge of pulling over and letting the trans cool down."

The 2306 has the Murphy bed in front and twin bunks in the back. My new diesel F-250 tows it no prob

 

I'm in flat florida, and was thinking of installing another trans cooler to help keep things cool. So you traded the taco out? Other than that did it feel ok with the load? thanks for your reply

 

Yes the taco is gone. It did ok on everything but hills/mountains (which is where we take the camper). I did a lot to try and make it work (swapped 33s for 31s, took off camper shell, removed skids) but it didn't work out here. With a weight dist hitch and brake controller it would prob be ok in Fla. The only places I could think that would slow you down would be on the Turnpike north of Orlando, or I-10 around Tallahassee. I think a larger/or additional trans cooler and a way to monitor trans tempe (Torque app + OBD dongle) would be a good idea.

There is another member on here with a 2306 that sold his Taco for a Tundra and he was in NC or WV. He had the same issues with towing in the hills/mountains. Another guy on the Forest River forums with a 2306 sold his Frontier for a F-150. I think that the 6400# tow rating on the Tacoma does not factor in the drag caused by the 8'x10' frontal area of a travel trailer.

Go Gators!

 

I'm going to stick with a Taco, altho I plan to trade up to a newer model and possibly a 6 cyl. Right now I have a 4 cyl, 2007, with a brake controller and it has towed just fine, a little slower in the low mountains of Georgia-North Carolina. I had a 21' TT that got rotted out in the floor, so am now searching for a replacement. I'll often be camping by myself, so have been searching at Camping World because they have stores in almost every state. The downside is that I'm restricted to only the brands they sell. Their biggest sellers are Starcraft and Coleman. Trying to find something small and comfortable for sleeping, but no longer than 20' and with a larger fridge than the under-counter type.
PS Yes, I learned my lesson about sealing the roof, etc., to prevent that interior rot!!!

 

Be Careful out There:

This guy passed me outside of Payson headed down to Phoenix doing about 70-75. I mentioned to my wife that he looked to have a lot of sway going on. Also a big trailer for a 1/2-ton. About 15 mins later I see brake lights and a trailer on its side. I said to my wife I wonder if it was that trailer that was swaying. well it sure was. this guy got way lucky. His truck stayed upright with his wife and 2 kids in it...Nothing is worth the extra time it takes not to drive safe.