Community Forums

Zanzabar · 06-11-2020, 05:19 PM

Hello all. Been lurking for a time but wanted some advice from some more experienced folks.

I am currently in the market for a TT. I want something that I will be able to boondock/dry camp in for a week or more as well as withstand cold temps as the wife and I are avid snowboarders and plan to spend some time in the mountains with it. I believe in quality and dont mind paying a more for it if it is worth it. I will be pulling with a 2018 F150 ecoboost, so tongue weight is a factor.

I really like the layout of the Northwood Nash 23D, and seems to fit my sizing well. Does anyone have any experience or reviews on this? Any other similar (size/weight/features) TT I should look at?

Here is the catch: I am currently working away from home and wont be back until around the end of the year, shortly after that I will be moving to Maryland (currently live in Washington state). I want to purchase out here and then drive it across the country (taking our time) to Maryland. Any advice? My wife can check some trailers out for me while I am gone, but I am worried and unaware of the average time-frames required to purchase and set up my rig to live in for a month. When should I start seriously looking? Average lead time to order and receive?

Any first timer advise appreciated as we will be living in this full time until we find a house on the East coast, after that it will be our weekend getaway rig.

tuffr2 · 06-11-2020, 06:03 PM

You have Arctic Fox, Outdoor RV and Lance. Under Arctic Fox you have Nash.

For insulation the Nash is hard to beat because it has a wood frame. The is what you want for cool weather camping. The Lance has a lower ceiling so it would be easier to heat bacause of less interior volumn.

Now when you move to Maryland the western part of the state has a few mountains as well as Pennsylvania to the north. In Pennsylvania I am familiar with Blue Knob Ski Resort. Probably 1.5 hours north of Hagerstown Maryland.

Lance, Nash, Outdoor RV and Arctic Fox - You have a better selection of these type of trailers west of the Mississippi.

BCam · 06-11-2020, 06:16 PM

We towed a Nash 25S for a number of years with a 2004 Nissan Titan and had no problems. The 25S's GVWR was 7,400#, with a Dry Weight of 4,567# and a Dry Tongue Weight of 560#. The 23D's weights are 7,500#/5,740#/606#. I never weighed the loaded trailer but we didn't carry a lot of stuff and I tried not to travel with full tanks so I'm guessing we were 6,500# - 7,000# max.

My Titan's tow capacities are: 9,200# with a 920# tongue weight. I found that it towed best with 1,000# WD hitch bars even though my dry hitch weight was 560#.

You'll have to compare your truck's capacities to mine. Keep in mind that how much stuff you carry in your truck will affect how much you can tow. You probably know that there's more to it than just the tow ratings, but here's a summary:

https://www.curtmfg.com/towing-capacity

Our experience was pretty good but we had to downshift and slow down quite a bit in the mountains. I never had a problem with passing semis causing us to fishtail or anything but, here in CA the towing speed limit is 55, and the CHP is pretty strict so we didn't push it. Overall, I'd say that we were in pretty good shape but I wouldn't have wanted to push the limits much further. Mileage was in the 9 - 10 mpg range depending on terrain.

The Nash's and Arctic Foxes are well insulated but you'll need supplemental heating, especially in the winter (we never camped in the snow aside from a little dusting of snow in the morning). We used an Olympian Wave 3 propane heater for dry-camping and an electric oil-filled radiator heater for when we had shore power. Depending on how long you'll be camping in the winter you may need to carry extra propane.

Good luck.

BikerMikeyB · 06-11-2020, 07:59 PM

There are lots of trailers which claim to be "half-ton towable". Yes your F150 will pull it, but I upgrade the fuel tank to something larger. And buy a good WDH.

You're going to get 6-10 mpg. Do the math and you're stopping every few hours for fuel.

If you're going to boondock. Make sure you check tank capacities. You'll either burn through water or need to dump in under a week.

Also, I would invest in a good generator. You can do a lot on 12 volt, but you'll pay for it in solar and batteries. Get a Honda EU3000iS. So worth the cost. It's sooo quiet and you can run it close to 24hrs on a tank of fuel.

bneukam · 06-11-2020, 10:19 PM

Camping in cold temps is a challenge as water vapor is your biggest challenge. Nash is built with wood framing, batten insulation and zero vapor barrier. Humidity control is a must. They do not build these for full time use, especially in cold temps.
Batten insulation needs protection from humidity as it will soak up that water vapor, as it does this the fibers are compressed, and r-value goes down. Mold can be the end result. Not saying you shouldn’t buy the Nash, but it is something to be aware of. Dehumidifier would be a must, and hot showers, boiling water should be kept to a minimum.

tuffr2 · 06-12-2020, 05:35 AM

I know what you kinda want to do but Maryland and Washington State are kinda two different worlds. In the winter there are very few if any State Parks or RV Parks open in the winter. Maryland will have a 6 month 'camping season' and winter is not in 'camping season'. The elevation of many mountains in the area is 2,000' to 3,000'. The highest point in Maryland is 3,300'.

If you are in the military you will probably be in the Washington DC area which is super conjested and is really built up. There is nothing in Washinton State like it.

This is why I think it is better to rent an apartment because there really might not be a place to stay in a travel trailer.

GT928 · 06-12-2020, 09:09 AM

I have been towing a 30' TT with a 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee for the past 3.5 years. I rarely ever go over 70, most of the highway time at 65. It pulls and handles like a dream. Most of my trips have been on curvy mountain roads. Never any waggle or porpoising at those speeds. Stops are short and controlled. The dry weight on my TT is approximately 4800 lbs. Probably 6600 loaded and 2 in the car. I replaced my first WDH with an Anderson Anti Sway hitch. I would never have anything else. I know people caution against pulling a trailer that long with a vehicle the size of mine, but I cannot understand why. I do have the tow package and self leveling air bag suspension. My trailer "disappears" when towing.

GT928 · 06-12-2020, 11:04 AM

Sorry the above reply was for another thread. My bad.

Zanzabar · 06-12-2020, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tuffr2

You have Arctic Fox, Outdoor RV and Lance. Under Arctic Fox you have Nash.

For insulation the Nash is hard to beat because it has a wood frame. The is what you want for cool weather camping. The Lance has a lower ceiling so it would be easier to heat bacause of less interior volumn.

Now when you move to Maryland the western part of the state has a few mountains as well as Pennsylvania to the north. In Pennsylvania I am familiar with Blue Knob Ski Resort. Probably 1.5 hours north of Hagerstown Maryland.

Lance, Nash, Outdoor RV and Arctic Fox - You have a better selection of these type of trailers west of the Mississippi.

Thanks! yeah, i am pretty impressed with all of their units! hard to find something the size and with the features i am shooting for that still has a slide sometimes. Definitely scoping out PA as well!

Quote:

Originally Posted by BCam

We towed a Nash 25S for a number of years with a 2004 Nissan Titan and had no problems. The 25S's GVWR was 7,400#, with a Dry Weight of 4,567# and a Dry Tongue Weight of 560#. The 23D's weights are 7,500#/5,740#/606#. I never weighed the loaded trailer but we didn't carry a lot of stuff and I tried not to travel with full tanks so I'm guessing we were 6,500# - 7,000# max.

My Titan's tow capacities are: 9,200# with a 920# tongue weight. I found that it towed best with 1,000# WD hitch bars even though my dry hitch weight was 560#.

The Nash's and Arctic Foxes are well insulated but you'll need supplemental heating, especially in the winter (we never camped in the snow aside from a little dusting of snow in the morning). We used an Olympian Wave 3 propane heater for dry-camping and an electric oil-filled radiator heater for when we had shore power. Depending on how long you'll be camping in the winter you may need to carry extra propane.

Good luck.

Thanks! I will have to look into the Olympian Wave heater, they sound pretty darn efficient. Seems like that trailer is about the same specs as mine, so sounds like my truck should handle it no problem.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tuffr2

I know what you kinda want to do but Maryland and Washington State are kinda two different worlds. In the winter there are very few if any State Parks or RV Parks open in the winter. Maryland will have a 6 month 'camping season' and winter is not in 'camping season'. The elevation of many mountains in the area is 2,000' to 3,000'. The highest point in Maryland is 3,300'.

If you are in the military you will probably be in the Washington DC area which is super conjested and is really built up. There is nothing in Washinton State like it.

This is why I think it is better to rent an apartment because there really might not be a place to stay in a travel trailer.

Thanks, yes I am in the military, will be staying a bit more north in the Patuxent River area. I will have to research and see if there is a place I can park it for a month or three. I agree that MD will be a different scene altogether, will miss the heck out of WA, that is for sure. Had no idea the mountains there were so low, definitely looking at hitting some areas up in PA too though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bneukam

Camping in cold temps is a challenge as water vapor is your biggest challenge. Nash is built with wood framing, batten insulation and zero vapor barrier. Humidity control is a must. They do not build these for full time use, especially in cold temps.
Batten insulation needs protection from humidity as it will soak up that water vapor, as it does this the fibers are compressed, and r-value goes down. Mold can be the end result. Not saying you shouldn’t buy the Nash, but it is something to be aware of. Dehumidifier would be a must, and hot showers, boiling water should be kept to a minimum.

I will have to look into that, cold weather camping is the goal, after the trip I dont see us living in it long term, but would like to be able to do a week at a time without issue.

Zanzabar · 06-12-2020, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BikerMikeyB

There are lots of trailers which claim to be "half-ton towable". Yes your F150 will pull it, but I upgrade the fuel tank to something larger. And buy a good WDH.

You're going to get 6-10 mpg. Do the math and you're stopping every few hours for fuel.

If you're going to boondock. Make sure you check tank capacities. You'll either burn through water or need to dump in under a week.

Also, I would invest in a good generator. You can do a lot on 12 volt, but you'll pay for it in solar and batteries. Get a Honda EU3000iS. So worth the cost. It's sooo quiet and you can run it close to 24hrs on a tank of fuel.

Yeah, the tank capacities are pretty close to the biggest i have seen at that size/weight, but will still be a limitation if we dont live consciously. My truck has a 35g tank, so should do the trick, but I know fuel consumption will be pretty bad haha. I have a genny, was planning on maybe selling and 'upgrading' to one of the quieter Honda units, seem like they come pretty highly recommended. Plan is to eventually go solar, but I will only really have time to upgrade batteries (two 12v parallel) and a somewhat beefy portable solar panel. should help keep me charged in-between generator top-offs.

Normal_Dave · 06-12-2020, 06:02 PM

What outdoor sports do avid snow boarders do in the warmer months? Kayak, mountain bike? How about a small toy hauler?

Outdoors RV, sister company to Northwood (Nash) has a 22 TRX, under their Trail Series line, but all aluminum walls with foam block insulation instead of wood and fiberglass batten.

Walk around:
https://youtu.be/pg2-PqYL644

Brochure:
https://outdoorsrvmfg.com/trail-series-22trx/

BikerMikeyB · 06-12-2020, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zanzabar

Yeah, the tank capacities are pretty close to the biggest i have seen at that size/weight, but will still be a limitation if we dont live consciously. My truck has a 35g tank, so should do the trick, but I know fuel consumption will be pretty bad haha. I have a genny, was planning on maybe selling and 'upgrading' to one of the quieter Honda units, seem like they come pretty highly recommended. Plan is to eventually go solar, but I will only really have time to upgrade batteries (two 12v parallel) and a somewhat beefy portable solar panel. should help keep me charged in-between generator top-offs.

Good luck. You seem to have a good handle on it.

BCam · 06-12-2020, 10:48 PM

I went to high school in Fairfax County VA when my dad was at the Pentagon (a long time ago) and skied at Blue Knob in PA and other areas. The snow conditions are going to be drastically different from what you're used to in WA, think ice.

If you buy a Nash or Arctic Fox, buy it in WA.

tuffr2 · 06-13-2020, 05:03 AM

I looked at that area you will be in. Man, that is Washington DC. To me, that changes everything. You really need to scope out that congested flat area with no mountains until you learn the ropes. Back in 1990 I had a chance to move to Tyson Corner in the Washington DC area. I looked around for a few days in that area and thought my quality of life would suck. I decided not to move there. It was just too congested and expensive. Traffic is a nightmare. 5 years ago I was in that area. I was driving on 495 around DC. I was in bumper to bumper stop and go traffic on 10 lane highway. Think LA kind of traffic.

There is zero boondocking land. All the land is privately owned.

I would forget about snowboarding and a trailer. I would keep my nose to the grindstone and work hard and try to survive until I got transfered to Colorado or some place else.