Help, which hybrid to buy?

[Rain Dog]

Ok, new to rving ( I'm a sailor gal) but was hoping to get feedback about the quality of the different brands. Could you please give your opinion on the hybrid trailer manufacturer from best to least quality.
1.-
2.-
3.-
4.-
I am not looking to bash any particular maker but just simply looking for a common sense list. Thank you for any input and advice

Erika
No rv yet, live on a 34ft sailboat.

[Funkmoney]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rain Dog Ok, new to rving ( I'm a sailor gal) but was hoping to get feedback about the quality of the different brands. Could you please give your opinion on the hybrid trailer manufacturer from best to least quality. 1.- 2.- 3.- 4.- I am not looking to bash any particular maker but just simply looking for a common sense list. Thank you for any input and advice Erika No rv yet, live on a 34ft sailboat.

Not in order.
Jayco
Forest river
Shamrock

[TXiceman]

The hybrids we have looked at...I would not consider any of them as a high quality trailer. Of the manufacturers that I would consider high quality is Jayco.

You might want to look at the TrailManor....Travel Trailers That Are Lightweight and Easy to Tow|Trailmanor Travel Trailers

Ken

[Rain Dog]

Thanks for the feedback!
Erika

[TXiceman]

Rain Dog, since you have been in cruising quality sailboats, I think you will be disappointed in the quality of the hybrids.

What do you intend to pull it with and what size are trailer are you considering?

You might consider looking for a nice used Avion, Silver Streak or Airstream and spending a little fixing it up. The quality for the dollar will be much better.

Ken

[SmokeyWren]

The purpose of a hybred travel trailer is to have a decent-sized trailer that can be towed by a half-ton pickup or large SUV without being too much overloaded over the GVWR of the tow vehicle. As a rule, they are compromised by substituting light-weight components to keep the weight down, and a "high quality"trailer does not result.

I had a pop-up tent camper for 24 years. Drug that thing all over the USA. It served its purpose. Then I had a fifth-wheel RV trailer for another 11 years. Much, much better, but it required a diesel-powered pickup to comfortably tow it over the mountains.

I would not want the compromise of a hybred TT, if "hybred" means the Camping World definition:

"Hybrid travel trailers combine the features of a pop-up trailer and a hard-sided trailer. In their camping configuration, one or more bunks fold down from the side with canvas tent covers. When in travel, the bunks fold up into the side of the trailer leaving four hard sides."

But they are gaining in popularity, as indicated by all the brand names that now offer hybred travel trailers:

Hybrid Travel Trailer Coleman RVs
Hybrid Travel Trailer Dutchmen RVs
Hybrid Travel Trailer Flagstaff RVs
Hybrid Travel Trailer Fleetwood RVs
Hybrid Travel Trailer Forest River RVs
Hybrid Travel Trailer Gulfstream RVs
Hybrid Travel Trailer Heartland RVs
Hybrid Travel Trailer Jayco RVs
Hybrid Travel Trailer K-Z RVs
Hybrid Travel Trailer K-Z RV RVs
Hybrid Travel Trailer Keystone RVs
Hybrid Travel Trailer Kodiak RVs
Hybrid Travel Trailer Palomino RVs
Hybrid Travel Trailer R-Vision RVs
Hybrid Travel Trailer Rockwood Rv RVs
Hybrid Travel Trailer Skamper RVs
Hybrid Travel Trailer Starcraft RVs
Hybrid Travel Trailer Thor RVs

New And Used Hybrid Travel Trailers For Sale - Camping World

We sold our 5er and diesel Ford last fall, but now we're thinking about maybe buying a light-weight TT that we can drag with our F-150. Not a hybred, but about a 24-foot TT with one slide, and a queen-sized bed we can replace the cheap standard matteress with a quality mattress. GVWR must be less than about 7,500 pounds. We really liked our 25-foot Keystone Sprinter 5er, but the lightest 2012 Keystone TT is too heavy for our tow vehicle. So sticking with Keystone, here's one candidate: Keystone Cougar XLite model 24RKSWE, GVWR 7,200.
Keystone Xlite | Floorplans

[Groveite]

Hi Smokey
We are in the same boat....The much loved keystone Cougar 5th is gone and also the diesel...(still miss it but...) and now I am working with the 2011 F150 Ecoboost max tow club cab so am limited to 11,300 lbs. That's MUCH more than I want to tow anymore so we are looking at a North Trail 21FBS that has a GVW of 6900. Not large but seems spacious and not heavy!
Might be worth a look too.
Ian

[SmokeyWren]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Groveite Hi Smokey We are in the same boat....The much loved keystone Cougar 5th is gone and also the diesel...(still miss it but...) and now I am working with the 2011 F150 Ecoboost max tow club cab so am limited to 11,300 lbs. That's MUCH more than I want to tow anymore so we are looking at a North Trail 21FBS that has a GVW of 6900. Not large but seems spacious and not heavy! Might be worth a look too. Ian

Hi, Ian -

Good to hear from you again

Your new pickup is the one I wanted and was ready to order when my brother died. He left his widow a 2003 F-150 Lariat SuperCrew 4.6L for which he owed more than it was worth. And she's handicapped, so it was too high off the ground for her to get into and out of. So she had to get rid of it. To help her out, I ended up with it by paying a coupla thousand more than it was worth.

Only 6,000 tow rating if it had the trailer tow pkg, which it doesn't. I added the OEM tranny cooler, brake controller, 7-pin trailer plug, and changed the ATF to synthetic. I hope that is good enough to tow 6,000 pounds. My cargo trailer has a GVWR of 7,000 pounds, often grosses 5,000 and sometimes up to 6,000. So I barely have enough tow vehicle for that trailer. We made one trip from Midland to El Paso and return, grossing about 6,000 pounds on the return leg. The rig did okay over the Rockies on I-10, but I don't have a tranny temp gauge so I don't know how hot the tranny got. The truck had enough power to climb the three passes on that road, but got only 12 MPG.

So I'm saving my sheckles and I should be able to trade for a new EcoBoost in a coupla years. By then I'll ask you if Ford had a better idea, or not.

[Rain Dog]

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7...zPE/s576/3.jpg

We bought a Casita! Not a hybrid but a tiny camper that we love! We pull it with a Nissan frontier v6 :-).
Getting ready to go to a casita rally to get ideas for storage and hope to get a few insights to all those little tricks you expienced folks have.
Cheers,
Erika

[TXiceman]

Casitas are nice little trailers and should serve you well. They way it is built will remind you of your sailboat.

ken

[Groveite]

Smokey...check your pm's
Ian