# Looking to buy a trailer- suggestions?



## gilly (Apr 3, 2002)

Still seaching for a great deal. Hoping for a 25-28 footer, fiberglass sides, sofa or dinette slide and walk around queen. Looking for suggestions for a quality unit. Weight is also a concern with 5,000 lbs being the max. Considering R-Vision, Grand Surveyor, Suveyor and Starlite by Starcraft. Any thoughts or suggestions appreciated........


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## ArrowFlinger (Sep 18, 2000)

Are you looking for a new or used? My bro-in-law has a nice ?28'? and had mentioned he is thinking of selling it and switching to a truck cap camper, so he can pull some additional toys around. I think it is a Wilderness or something like that.


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## mwp (Feb 18, 2004)

Wow,I hope your not pulling it with that box I saw!!I have a neighbor down the street with one for sale,let me check the make and model for you.It looked nice when it was setup in his driveway this summer,sides came out and the whole nine yards!!!Geeze going from new shanty to trailer,WOW!!!All I do is pull my cargo trailer with me and put my shanty up in it,thats my camper,thats why the wife won't go!!


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## Frantz (Dec 9, 2003)

I have a 28' Jayco I am selling, I sent you a PM.


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## Ogre (Mar 21, 2003)

* If I had it to do all over again then I would go the fifth wheel route and not the trailer route. Greater costs but greater comforts.
* Certain models of RV's are notorious for having short beds. Make sure that not only the bed but the sofa bed and everything else is regulation size. A lot of 6 footers have their feet hanging out the end of some RV beds or they are scrunched up in a fetal position due to inadequate length.
* Make sure that your holding tanks are within the enclosed structure and insulated.
* Do not go the arctic package route (add ons) but get a trailer that is build with adequate insulation and windows from the onset. The insulation is important for many reasons with the most obvious being a barrier from both the heat and cold. The other reason that many over look is the noise factor. Camp grounds have very close quarters and if you and the spouse are fighting believe me everyone will be aware of it and conversely if there is outside noise and you are trying to sleep then you will appreciate the insulation. 
* The trailers mentioned so far are not considered high end.
* I highly recommend getting expanding units but when the extension is pulled in then many things are blocked off. If for example your extension is pulled in, and in doing so the refrigerator is blocked then you have to understand that you can't stop and get a quick can of pop. Decide what is important for you to access while traveling then make sure you view the trailer when the extensions are all of the way in to make sure that you have critical area access.


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## gilly (Apr 3, 2002)

Ogre, you have made some good points. All info appreciated.


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## Big Reds (Oct 14, 2007)

At 5000 max, your'e probably looking at a 25' or smaller. The fiberglass sides are nicer looking, but they are much heavier than the aluminum sided ones. Slide outs also contribute to the weight gain. I picked up a 28 foot coachmen with superslide and basically the set up you describe. This unit weighs a whopping 6500 lbs. dry. I figure it weighs close to 7000 with it loaded. The old chevy has no problem pulling it though! Let us know!


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## gilly (Apr 3, 2002)

For sure a super slide on a conventional frame construction is heavy. However, you can get a lite 27 footer in the 5,000 lb or less range with a single sofa or dinette slide. These would be your Rockwood, Surveyor, Starcraft Starlite or one of many R-Vision models such as Trail Cruiser or Trail Lite. Has anyone had any problems with leaks associated with their slide?


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## ArrowFlinger (Sep 18, 2000)

Gilly your PM is full.

I'll contact him this weekend and get detail. He is close to you. He is near Marysville.


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## kroppe (May 7, 2000)

We have a travel trailer with bunks and it is great for the kids. I have looked at 5th wheel floorplans, and generally speaking they cater to two adults. That is great, and we will probably get a 5er when the kids are grown. But for a family with kids, I think a travel trailer with bunks is the way to go. 

Slides are great. You will never regret having more space. Good luck with your acquisition. We have loved our trailer and the trips we take with it.


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## hondakid (Aug 8, 2001)

After years of camping with my parents I've decided the 5-wheel is not a good option for backwoods camping. He has a 26' 5-w and I have a 24' trailer and we do alot of primitive camping during hunting season, and here are some things we have noticed:

1. A 5-w is hard to back into really tight places
2. You always have to be aware of low hanging branches
3 You can't load up your pickup bed with that much stuff

I do agree the 5-w are nice for towing & hooking-up. But with 90% of our camping being in the backwoods, the above 3 points are very crucial to us.


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## gilly (Apr 3, 2002)

Just looked at a 2002 Starcraft Starlite 27 rear bath with sofa slide. Perfect and stylish with the fiberglass sides and awesome decals. Tight on the inside for a 28' overall length trailer. The sofa slide was only about a 5' sofa. Couldn't sleep on unless you were a smaller child. Definitely look for 74" sofa and dinette. Walk around queen was nice. Unfortunately they didn't keep up on the roof caulking. Front showed signs of dark brown water stains on wall, in overhead front cabinet and all around plastic shroud under front roof vent. Seems water is trapped and trying to get down and out with gravity. Front section of ceiling covering very punky and undulating. Too bad and the search continues. Weight was right though at 4,244 lbs. We have now looked at five trailers? and 3 have had roof leaks. Seems as if the old metal roof we had on our 1986 24' Mallard never leaked and sure seems to be better than most of the new 12yr guaranteed rubber roofs out there now.


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## Hemidan (Jul 27, 2007)

My brother is selling a 30' travel trailer,with bunks in the back.(no slide outs)

If your interested I can get more details.
He is in your area,off of range rd.(Marysville) Its in front of the house for sale.


Dan


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## WALLEYE MIKE (Jan 7, 2001)

hondakid said:


> After years of camping with my parents I've decided the 5-wheel is not a good option for backwoods camping. He has a 26' 5-w and I have a 24' trailer and we do alot of primitive camping during hunting season, and here are some things we have noticed:
> 
> 1. A 5-w is hard to back into really tight places
> 2. You always have to be aware of low hanging branches
> ...


I find none of your 3 problems a problem.

1. I've backed it up inbetween tight trees. No harder than same size trailer.
2. My 5th wheel is just the same height of a trailer. (it is a little shorter (7 ft cieling vs.8ft) than some higher ceiling 5th wheels)
3. Whatever you can't get into the truck bed goes in the camper. Most everything is in plastic tubs.
3.


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## hondakid (Aug 8, 2001)

I guess I didn't phrase my comments correctly. Let me try again.

1) A 5-w is hard to jack-knife into some tighter spots with little approach area then with a TT.
2) Most 5-w are taller at there front then a TT....therefore the low hanging obstacles.
3) You can't load larger items into the truck bed with a 5-w. Being a hunter we always have larger items that you just don't want to store in the trailer. Examples: treestands, ladders, game carts, firewood, deer...:lol:


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## ArrowFlinger (Sep 18, 2000)

My brother in law is coming over this weekend and i'll get you the details.

Here is what I know 32' with slide. Slide is the kitchen table/bed + a 2 seat sofa next to it (i would guess about 12 wide total)

Accross from the slide on the left is the kitchen(pantry, cabinets, sink, microwave, stove, not sure about oven, refrigerator/freezer. To the right is the TV and a recliner. 

In the mid section is the bathroom and shower.

In the backk is the main bedroom. Queen maybe a king sized bed and a TV


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## gilly (Apr 3, 2002)

I can tell you a 32' with a slide will be way past my towing 5,000 lb weight. We have stumbled on to a new floorplan we really like and all the manufacturers seem to make. It is a 27BH. I has a queen walk around up front and a sofa just beyond it perpendicular to the trailer side. Dinette and kitchen in the middle. A double bed in one back corner with a single bunk above and the bathroom in the opposing rear corner. Have found some right in the 4,800 lb mark so we would have just enough weight left for our clothes/food as we would never travel with full tanks. These units are plenty big though coming in around 28 1/2'. Down side is we loose the fiberglass sides and slideout but from I have been seeing a slide might be another source for a leak. With the sofa and dinette separated and not parallel/across form one another it opens up that area as well in this floorplan. Any comments?


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