Why do people have such large trailers?

[Lance72]

the simple answer is BECAUSE THEY CAN or WANT. I have a small 19' trailer that will sleep 5. You certainly aren't going to dance in there. My house is way more comfortable than my trailer so when i take it out i don't want to sit in the trailer. I see these monsters on the road 35-40' with sometimes with 2 people but never more 5. In fact I spent a week on the rd recently and didn't see more than 4 people per trailer. This post isn't directed at people who live on the road with their trailer.

[OBSPowerstroke]

RedRocket204 wrote:
As far as having a larger trailer... what else would I do with my 1 ton truck?

Use it for a slide in camper! 😉

I plan on buying a new truck within the next year and it's going to be a F350. I keep looking at the F150s, but the payload runs out exceptionally quick, especially with a slide in. Heck, I'd be at or slightly over rear axle weight ratings on any new F150 configuration with my current setup since I like to haul so much stuff in the bed.

[pappcam]

I have the trailer in my signature and it's basically a perfect size for me, my wife, my 6 year old daughter and my 50 pound dog.

[gwalter]

Our current 5ver is 38' as was our last one for 2 of us and 2 dogs. We got to this point over the past 45 yrs. We started with our honeymoon in a popup tent camper, then on to a popup pickup camper, 24' travel trailer, tenting while kids in college, 29' 5ver and finally to this point. Why???? Because this is what the DW wants now and we enjoy it alot.

[rbpru]

I can add that on our trip out west, we found several campgrounds that had limited room for anything over 28 ft.

Our 25 ft TT was considered small. Go figure?

[parcany]

We have a 35 foot Jayco travel trailer, it is just the wife me and a 80 lb dog. We spend 4 month during the summer in it, then every month anywheres from 7-10 days. We want to be happy when we can't sit outside. It is our little piece of heaven when we are out. Haven't had any problem with it being to long and no problem getting into places.

[Ranger431]

Well I'm probably in the minority here regarding number of people that camp, but I think our 35' trailer should be "justified" by just about everone's standards 😉 :

1) We have 6 kids, so when you have the wife and I that equals 8, plus 2 dogs and sometimes a few friends we're not exactly swimming in free space.
2) As for the get a 5'er comment - I'd love to get a 5th wheel but finding a pick up that seats 8 + 2 dogs is tough.

Anyway, to each his own. Someone shouldn't have to justify why they want big \ small - to each his own, but sometimes understanding other people's reasons can be interesting.

[GaryWT]

Interesting thread, I always wonder why some pay so much for little trailers but I always say to each his own. We made a list and our 35 foot trailer had what was on the list. We really only sleep and use the bathroom for the most part but is has a nice size awning for us to sit under.

In the words of my college history professor "so what and who cares".

[egilesscott]

De gustabus non disputandum.

[gmw_photos]

OBSPowerstroke wrote:
The timing of this thread is kind of funny since I'm looking at supplementing my 26' travel trailer with a 8'6" non-slide truck camper for short weekend trips and boondocking off the countless forest service roads I come across.

I really enjoy my trailer and have no plans to sell it, but I just can't get it into some of the areas we've come across exploring in the trucks that would be awesome spots to spend a night or two. The trailer will still be used for my longer trips, especially those where I have reservations and know I'll fit.

For the last minute "load and go" weekend trips, the camper will be much easier find a place to park and will be a lot less stressful exploring off pavement, especially when you discover you can't go any further and have to turn around. Doing that with the trailer in tow can be quite hair-raising at times.

I too am looking at a truck camper....in my case, a really small pop top ( four wh truck camper ) for some serious backwoods camping.

[mowin]

spike99 wrote:

mowin wrote:
Why do people have such small trailers?

- Easier to tow
- Easier to park
- Less maintenance cost (re: less wax, less window real replacements, etc. etc.).
- Being smaller size is often less cost (for trailer unit).
- Being smaller size is often less cost (for Tow Vehicle as well).

For me, I had a small 19ft trailer. Bought it 10 year old used - to save even more dollars. Going smaller allowed me to save more dollars for my kids future education. Thus, I could afford to pay for more college / university years.

For me, going smaller size trailer was well worth it. Especially for something like camping - that was only done a few times as year.

This worked for me...

And you just made my point... why??? Because its what fits Our specific needs

[RedRocket204]

OBSPowerstroke wrote:
The timing of this thread is kind of funny since I'm looking at supplementing my 26' travel trailer with a 8'6" non-slide truck camper for short weekend trips and boondocking off the countless forest service roads I come across.

I really enjoy my trailer and have no plans to sell it, but I just can't get it into some of the areas we've come across exploring in the trucks that would be awesome spots to spend a night or two. The trailer will still be used for my longer trips, especially those where I have reservations and know I'll fit.

For the last minute "load and go" weekend trips, the camper will be much easier find a place to park and will be a lot less stressful exploring off pavement, especially when you discover you can't go any further and have to turn around. Doing that with the trailer in tow can be quite hair-raising at times.

I can feel your struggle as I am contemplating the same thing. I want to have my larger trailer for family vacations but it would be nice to have a slide in for the ease of access in so many locations I can't get my TT into. A slide in would also allow me to tow my "toy" trailer.

As far as having a larger trailer... what else would I do with my 1 ton truck?

[colliehauler]

OBSPowerstroke wrote:
The timing of this thread is kind of funny since I'm looking at supplementing my 26' travel trailer with a 8'6" non-slide truck camper for short weekend trips and boondocking off the countless forest service roads I come across.

I really enjoy my trailer and have no plans to sell it, but I just can't get it into some of the areas we've come across exploring in the trucks that would be awesome spots to spend a night or two. The trailer will still be used for my longer trips, especially those where I have reservations and know I'll fit.

For the last minute "load and go" weekend trips, the camper will be much easier find a place to park and will be a lot less stressful exploring off pavement, especially when you discover you can't go any further and have to turn around. Doing that with the trailer in tow can be quite hair-raising at times.

I bought a 35' 5th wheel that I hardly ever use. I found that I like remote areas more then campgrounds and use a smaller trailer. If every size did not sell they would not build them.

[toaobigal]

After many years with a pop-up trailer, we bought a 19 foot travel trailer. After a year of week-end trips we went to a seasonal site, after the first season, the 19 footer became a little cramped, especially on rainy days... So, we traded the 19 footer and we got a 27 feet with a 12 foot slide. I see this trailer more like a cottage, it's our summer home... In a few years, we might get a 40 feet destination trailer and spend even more time at the campground.

[69_Avion]

I have a 34' Avion triple axle trailer that tows like a dream. I rarely use it anymore. My 19.5' trailer does everything we need it to do in a smaller package.

[ls1mike]

Because I spent 11 years going to sea on Submarines. I want to be comfortable now.