Help with first TT purchase

[dwlandis]

Hi All!

I'm sure this has been asked over and over again, but I figured I'd give it a shot. That said, my wife and I are looking to purchase our first travel trailer.

I'll be pulling it with a 06 Dodge Ram 2500 Quad Cab w/ the hemi. I'm not looking to buy new, as this will be our first run at having one, but I was hoping the experienced could give me an idea of what to look for, what's essential, and what not to have...pretty much the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Thanks in advance!!

Dave

[dwlandis]

Hi All!

I'm sure this has been asked over and over again, but I figured I'd give it a shot. That said, my wife and I are looking to purchase our first travel trailer.

I'll be pulling it with a 06 Dodge Ram 2500 Quad Cab w/ the hemi. I'm not looking to buy new, as this will be our first run at having one, but I was hoping the experienced could give me an idea of what to look for, what's essential, and what not to have...pretty much the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Thanks in advance!!

Dave

[Randy the sly old fox]

Even though you want to by used (a good move) I would suggest attending an RV show - just to get a feel for floorplans and to gather data about various brands - the good, bad, and ugly.

You don't mention if you have kids or not. If you do, I recommend a unit with bunk beds - and if possible a full sized bed for the two of you.

If you are talking of only using it on weekends with a mix of dry camping and full hook ups almost any amount of fresh water and holding tanks will work. Just make sure that you have more holding tank capacity than fresh water.

When looking at rigs, take your time, sit a spell, pretend you are camping, try out the seating areas, the beds, the bathroom. Yes I am serious about the bathroom. Sit on the toilet, stand in the shower etc. Do you have enough room for everything??

As far as brands go there are so many to choose from and all have their share of lemons. Since Fleetwood has the lion's share of the market you will probably find lots of units out there. Another brand that is good, but rare in the used market is Arctic Fox or Nash. There are some out there (check www.afnash.com for some listings). It is not uncommon to find units from the 90's that are in real good shape.

Once you start looking at real potential units, come back here for more info on how to spot a lemon.

[K-Star]

Dave

First, let me welcome you to iRV2.com. I am sure you will find a lot of information here and get lots of help. Be sure to keep us abreast of your search. Feel free to continue to ask for advice.

Now. You are doing the right thing by asking experienced folks. "Randy the sly old fox" hit the nail on the head. Go to RV shows and look around. You need to decide the type of camping you want to do. Just weekends? A week or two vacation? Long term RV'ing? There are many brands that address each style of camping. Another thing to look in to is the towing capabilities of your tow vehicle. I doubt you will have much trouble as you have a 3/4 truck unless you plan on looking 5th Wheel trailers. A 5th wheel will quickly overload a 3/4 ton pickup. One of our iRV2 family members (Ken Lenger) has a very well written explanation of tow rating and how to figure out what your truck can safely handle. You can read it here

Good luck in your search and, like I said, keep us up to date.

[450Donn]

I might add don't buy too big! Our first TT was a 22 foot Terry. One stormy night at the coast we had 10 people inside for dinner. All at a table I might add. Yea, we had to make up our bed at night, but boy was is comfortable, and really just about the perfect floor plan for a family of 4 or 5. Our second TT was a 30 foot Holiday Rambler, It had a bed, but the rest of the floor plan was terrible. Could barely feed 4 and sleep 2. Besides being too big for a lot of camp sites.

[tony20]

I have just purchased a 1997 29 foot Fleetwood 5th wheel Mallard. What is to be known about this camper(good or bad)? The family and I have injoyed so for.

[PHCM USN RET]

I know this answer is a little late as you posted your question a month ago but... I just returned from a 5 month trip in my Artic Fox 22M TT. There were 2 people and an old lab dog and we were very confortable. The dog slept under the table at night which left plenty of walk around room. There is loads of storage -- we did not fill it up even with buying stuff everywhere we went! I really liked the counter space and the food pantry.

Anyway, good luck in your search and I hope whatever you buy you will have safe and wonderful times in your new unit.