Travel trailers...
 

"John H." wrote in message
...
On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 22:17:30 -0700, "Calif Bill"
wrote:


"Calif Bill" wrote in message
news:SYGdnXIJBKzdUtnVnZ2dnUVZ_jmdnZ2d@earthlink. com...

"JimH" wrote in message
...
On Jun 2, 10:12 pm, "Calif Bill" wrote:
"JimH" wrote in message

...



On Jun 2, 6:08 pm, wrote:
On Jun 2, 4:02 pm, John H. wrote:

On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 09:50:53 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:
On Jun 2, 6:34 am, John H. wrote:
Anyone have one, or know anything about them. We are
considering
a
small
Airstream, but wondering if there are other brands of decent
quality.
--
John *H*

Check these:
http://www.trailmanor.com/

One of my favorites:

http://www.hilotrailer.com/

Thanks Loogy, but I can't get the wife interested in a 'pop top'
no
matter
how fancy. She thinks Airstreams are the way to go, and I'm
wanting
to
look
at Coachmen (man?).
--
John *H*

Listen to the village idiot Hertvick!! He doesn't even realize that
the "pop tops" I've mentioned are first class. Airstreams are heavy
as
hell. I've got a guy lives down the street that works for one of
the
largest RV places in the Atlanta area, but I'm sure Jim knows more
than he does.......

A popup. ROTF!!!!!!!!

Yup, they come as 5th wheels, hard sided, extendable, etc. Saves lots
in
fuel while towing. The Chalet is a completely hardsided unit. And to
make
it on topic for boats, I have a slide in pop-up camper for the truck
so
I
can tow the boat when we go to remote lakes camping.
Thewww.palominorv.com
Bronco B-800 was fine for a 7 week trip to Alaska 2 years ago. Got 15
mpg
for the complete trip with a 2004 Diesel Chevy. Buddy with the same
model
truck and a 30' 5th wheel got about 11 mpg on the trip. Lots less air
drag
and not the top heavy unit like a Lance. My Son in law has a Four
Wheel
Camper popup on his Tundra. http://www.fourwheelcampers.com/Only
weighs
about 800#. Aluminum frame. The Airstreams are overpriced. Paying
for
the
name. Look at used travel trailers, there has to be a bunch repo-ed
and
people about to get repo-ed out there with the economy as it is.

So are you placing pop up campers at the same comfort and quality
level as an Airstream?

If you recall, that was the base line set by the original poster.

Eh?

I am not putting down pop up campers............heck, I owned one when
I was in college and it served my camping needs during those tough
financial years.

They are not the same popup anymore.


http://www.trailmanor.com/


You're right. As I told Loogy, I've one brother who is a pop up fan and is
trying to talk me into one. As far as comfort, I'm sure they're every bit
as comfortable as the 19' or 22' Airstream we're considering. But, it's
kind of like Mrs E's horse, if you recall. My wife is not into even
looking
at a popup.
--
John *H*

Actually the Trailmanor and Chalet's are not really a popup but called a
hybrid.

Travel trailers...
 

"John H." wrote in message
...
On Mon, 02 Jun 2008 23:52:30 -0400, JG2U wrote:

On Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:16:09 -0400, John H.
wrote:



Then I made the second big mistake. To show my wife how nice trailers
could
be, I took her to an Airstream dealer. I should have taken her to a pop
up
place first!


Yep, they can be nice. The downside is that you have to have
something larger than your 4runner to tow a decent trailer with.

With a class A motor home, you have the grunt you need to move it down
the road, only when you need it. You can tow a small, gas efficient
vehicle behind that can otherwise be used for everyday transport.
While driving down the road, your wife can use the bathroom, dry her
hair, make you a sandwich and drink, and relax while you drive her to
the destination.

With a trailer, you have to drive, or park, a big tow vehicle on a
daily basis while you're not using the camper. Big cost and burden
even when not camping. Your 4runner is not going to cut it. The
smallest Airstream is sneaking up on your 4runner's max towing
capacity.

Serious "campers" do the motor-home deal. If you're going to do short
distances a couple of time a year, try the trailer. If you are
serious about camping, the motor-home is the answer. On the plus
side, RV's are selling for cheap right now. Have fun.

The Airstreams we're considering are in the 4500lbs or less category. The
4Runner has a 7000lb max capacity, so I'm in the safe zone for the
4Runner.
I would definitely stay below 5000 lbs.

A small cooler in the 4Runner would cover drinks and sandwiches on the
road
(I don't eat lunch), and rest stops would suffice for bathrooms. We are
not
serious 'campers' but want to see the country. She's not seen very much of
the USA.
--
John *H*

4500# is too much for the 4 runner. I towed my 4500# boat and trailer with
a 96 S-10 Blazer. About the same size rig. Broke a differential, bearing
failure, and going over the Sierras to Tahoe, was at about 45 mph, and the
braking could add to grey hairs.

Travel trailers...
 

"Calif Bill" wrote in message
m...

"HK" wrote in message
...


Off topic crap


Not as much as your political stuff. Lots of people use a travel trailer
while at the lake with the boat. Guy across the street, stores his
trailer near the lake, and then tows the boat up, parks the boat, then
gets the trailer from storage about 2 miles away and has nice quarters for
the weekend.


Good grief. I agree. Talk about hall monitors. Seems to me that JohnH is,
among other things, considering some sort of RV that he could also tow and
launch his new boat with. What's so "off topic" about that? I think it's
cool that a guy and his wife can enjoy doing what they like in retirement.
They've paid their dues.

Eisboch (wondering why I bothered to "subscribe" again. Same old, same
old.)

Travel trailers...
 

Calif Bill wrote:
"HK" wrote in message
...
John H. wrote:
On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 19:12:28 -0700, "Calif Bill"

wrote:

"JimH" wrote in message
...
On Jun 2, 6:08 pm, wrote:
On Jun 2, 4:02 pm, John H. wrote:



On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 09:50:53 -0700 (PDT), wrote:
On Jun 2, 6:34 am, John H. wrote:
Anyone have one, or know anything about them. We are considering a
small
Airstream, but wondering if there are other brands of decent
quality.
--
John *H*
Check these:
http://www.trailmanor.com/
One of my favorites:
http://www.hilotrailer.com/
Thanks Loogy, but I can't get the wife interested in a 'pop top' no
matter
how fancy. She thinks Airstreams are the way to go, and I'm wanting
to look
at Coachmen (man?).
--
John *H*
Listen to the village idiot Hertvick!! He doesn't even realize that
the "pop tops" I've mentioned are first class. Airstreams are heavy as
hell. I've got a guy lives down the street that works for one of the
largest RV places in the Atlanta area, but I'm sure Jim knows more
than he does.......
A popup. ROTF!!!!!!!!
Yup, they come as 5th wheels, hard sided, extendable, etc. Saves lots
in fuel while towing. The Chalet is a completely hardsided unit. And
to make it on topic for boats, I have a slide in pop-up camper for the
truck so I can tow the boat when we go to remote lakes camping. The
www.palominorv.com Bronco B-800 was fine for a 7 week trip to Alaska 2
years ago. Got 15 mpg for the complete trip with a 2004 Diesel Chevy.
Buddy with the same model truck and a 30' 5th wheel got about 11 mpg on
the trip. Lots less air drag and not the top heavy unit like a Lance.
My Son in law has a Four Wheel Camper popup on his Tundra.
http://www.fourwheelcampers.com/ Only weighs about 800#. Aluminum
frame. The Airstreams are overpriced. Paying for the name. Look at
used travel trailers, there has to be a bunch repo-ed and people about
to get repo-ed out there with the economy as it is.
I agree that Airstreams are over priced, but try to find a bargain in
used
ones! Hell, the used ones sell for damn near the same price as the new
ones, unless it's twenty years old.

Off topic crap

Not as much as your political stuff. Lots of people use a travel trailer
while at the lake with the boat. Guy across the street, stores his trailer
near the lake, and then tows the boat up, parks the boat, then gets the
trailer from storage about 2 miles away and has nice quarters for the
weekend.




Post it to rec.traveltrailer.NASCAR.guitars.badbeer.chili.bs

Travel trailers...
 

wrote in message
...
On Tue, 3 Jun 2008 10:18:41 -0700, "Calif Bill"
wrote:


"John H." wrote in message
. ..
On Mon, 02 Jun 2008 23:52:30 -0400, JG2U wrote:

On Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:16:09 -0400, John H.
wrote:



Then I made the second big mistake. To show my wife how nice trailers
could
be, I took her to an Airstream dealer. I should have taken her to a pop
up
place first!


Yep, they can be nice. The downside is that you have to have
something larger than your 4runner to tow a decent trailer with.

With a class A motor home, you have the grunt you need to move it down
the road, only when you need it. You can tow a small, gas efficient
vehicle behind that can otherwise be used for everyday transport.
While driving down the road, your wife can use the bathroom, dry her
hair, make you a sandwich and drink, and relax while you drive her to
the destination.

With a trailer, you have to drive, or park, a big tow vehicle on a
daily basis while you're not using the camper. Big cost and burden
even when not camping. Your 4runner is not going to cut it. The
smallest Airstream is sneaking up on your 4runner's max towing
capacity.

Serious "campers" do the motor-home deal. If you're going to do short
distances a couple of time a year, try the trailer. If you are
serious about camping, the motor-home is the answer. On the plus
side, RV's are selling for cheap right now. Have fun.

The Airstreams we're considering are in the 4500lbs or less category.
The
4Runner has a 7000lb max capacity, so I'm in the safe zone for the
4Runner.
I would definitely stay below 5000 lbs.

A small cooler in the 4Runner would cover drinks and sandwiches on the
road
(I don't eat lunch), and rest stops would suffice for bathrooms. We are
not
serious 'campers' but want to see the country. She's not seen very much
of
the USA.
--
John *H*

4500# is too much for the 4 runner. I towed my 4500# boat and trailer
with
a 96 S-10 Blazer. About the same size rig. Broke a differential, bearing
failure, and going over the Sierras to Tahoe, was at about 45 mph, and the
braking could add to grey hairs.


There is a world of difference between a Chevy s-10 Blazer and a
Toyota 4-Runner. The 4-Runner will handle 5000 pounds easily with a
very large margin for safety.



Why? 5000 pounds is more than the truck weighs. Why is it so much safer
than an S-10? I now tow with a crewcab 2004 Chevy diesel. That is safety.
When the idiot pulls in front of you and stops, the huge brakes on the truck
stop the rig.

Travel trailers...
 

On Tue, 3 Jun 2008 07:40:02 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:


"John H." wrote in message
.. .



You know, I may relook the Sprinter thing, and just get rid of one of our
other vehicles. You've had good luck towing the trailer. I wonder how the
thing would do towing a 3000lb boat/trailer and launching same. If I could
do that, I could get rid of the 4Runner. If not, then the Highlander would
have to go.

Decisions, decisions. Another advantage to a Class B is that I could park
it in front of the house. I can't park a trailer there for long or the
neighbors will complain. I don't like the idea of storing it in a lot
where
it's subject to break-ins.

Hope the boat gets ready for pickup. Also hope to see lots of pictures!


It would easily tow it. Launching/retrieving might be interesting and
dependent on the design and condition of the launch ramp, but I don't see
why it would be a problem. The Sprinter is basically a European Van ....
similar in purpose to Ford's E-250 Econoline Van or GM's 2500 Van offerings.
It replaced the Dodge 1500, 2500 and 3500 series of vans.

I mentioned this before, but just to repeat, the newer Class "C" Sprinters
with the heavier (14,500 lb) GVW are rated to tow 3500 lbs. Ironically, the
one we have, with the single rear wheels and 8500 lb GVW is rated to tow
5000 lbs. The most I've towed is probably about 3000 lbs ( Haulmark
trailer loaded with motorcycle, and "stuff") and it handles it effortlessly.
I've done the same using the little Ranger (which is the heavy duty "Level
II" model) and there is no comparison. The Ranger is rated to tow up to
6000 lbs with a weight distribution hitch or 3500 lbs regular, but I'd never
try it. Something to keep in mind.

Eisboch


I've been out playing golf all day, so couldn't get back to you. Talking
about the Class B has got me thinking seriously about it again. I need to
quit thinking about cost and just go for which would be more fun and easier
to manage. I found a Pleasure Way Plateau for $75K
http://tinyurl.com/4pdyts which isn't too bad, but I'd like it better about
$15K cheaper.
--
John *H*

Travel trailers...
 

On Tue, 03 Jun 2008 08:02:45 -0400, JG2U wrote:

On Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:11:00 -0400, John H.
wrote:

On Mon, 02 Jun 2008 23:52:30 -0400, JG2U wrote:

On Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:16:09 -0400, John H.
wrote:



Then I made the second big mistake. To show my wife how nice trailers could
be, I took her to an Airstream dealer. I should have taken her to a pop up
place first!


Yep, they can be nice. The downside is that you have to have
something larger than your 4runner to tow a decent trailer with.

With a class A motor home, you have the grunt you need to move it down
the road, only when you need it. You can tow a small, gas efficient
vehicle behind that can otherwise be used for everyday transport.
While driving down the road, your wife can use the bathroom, dry her
hair, make you a sandwich and drink, and relax while you drive her to
the destination.

With a trailer, you have to drive, or park, a big tow vehicle on a
daily basis while you're not using the camper. Big cost and burden
even when not camping. Your 4runner is not going to cut it. The
smallest Airstream is sneaking up on your 4runner's max towing
capacity.

Serious "campers" do the motor-home deal. If you're going to do short
distances a couple of time a year, try the trailer. If you are
serious about camping, the motor-home is the answer. On the plus
side, RV's are selling for cheap right now. Have fun.

The Airstreams we're considering are in the 4500lbs or less category. The
4Runner has a 7000lb max capacity, so I'm in the safe zone for the 4Runner.
I would definitely stay below 5000 lbs.

A small cooler in the 4Runner would cover drinks and sandwiches on the road
(I don't eat lunch), and rest stops would suffice for bathrooms. We are not
serious 'campers' but want to see the country. She's not seen very much of
the USA.


Another thing to consider... those published weight are normally *dry*
weights, No water in any of the tanks, nothing in the fridge, no
clothes or supplies. That 4500 lb trailer will tow closer to 6000 lbs
ready-to-go.

I'm looking at the GVWR, which, as you say, is much higher than the unit
base weight. Thanks for the thought, though.
--
John *H*

Travel trailers...
 

On Jun 3, 1:23*pm, "Eisboch" wrote:
"Calif Bill" wrote in message

m...



"HK" wrote in message
...

Off topic crap

Not as much as your political stuff. *Lots of people use a travel trailer
while at the lake with the boat. *Guy across the street, stores his
trailer near the lake, and then tows the boat up, parks the boat, then
gets the trailer from storage about 2 miles away and has nice quarters for
the weekend.

Good grief. *I agree. *Talk about hall monitors. *Seems to me that JohnH is,
among other things, considering some sort of RV that he could also tow and
launch his new boat with. * What's so "off topic" about that? *I think it's
cool that a guy and his wife can enjoy doing what they like in retirement.
They've paid their dues.

Eisboch *(wondering why I bothered to "subscribe" again. *Same old, same
old.)

Not really, if you read back the last few days you will find that only
Harry is doing the same old, same old.. At one point this morning the
top ten posts were Harry spam. The group as a whole has agreed to
ignore him and another retarded sock puppet or two, and things have
worked out pretty well. As expected Harry and the others are getting
more and more shrill as the reality sets in, but still, most of us are
holding our powder and letting it go by. If you are going to judget
the group on one posters antics, you loose.... sorry to see you go,
again.

Travel trailers...
 

On Tue, 3 Jun 2008 13:23:23 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:


"Calif Bill" wrote in message
om...

"HK" wrote in message
...


Off topic crap


Not as much as your political stuff. Lots of people use a travel trailer
while at the lake with the boat. Guy across the street, stores his
trailer near the lake, and then tows the boat up, parks the boat, then
gets the trailer from storage about 2 miles away and has nice quarters for
the weekend.


Good grief. I agree. Talk about hall monitors. Seems to me that JohnH is,
among other things, considering some sort of RV that he could also tow and
launch his new boat with. What's so "off topic" about that? I think it's
cool that a guy and his wife can enjoy doing what they like in retirement.
They've paid their dues.

Eisboch (wondering why I bothered to "subscribe" again. Same old, same
old.)


It's 'same old, same old' because of one individual. Filter him and it's
not bad, if people would ignore him as he deserves.
--
John *H*

Travel trailers...
 

"John H." wrote in message
...
On Tue, 3 Jun 2008 07:40:02 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:


"John H." wrote in message
. ..



You know, I may relook the Sprinter thing, and just get rid of one of
our
other vehicles. You've had good luck towing the trailer. I wonder how
the
thing would do towing a 3000lb boat/trailer and launching same. If I
could
do that, I could get rid of the 4Runner. If not, then the Highlander
would
have to go.

Decisions, decisions. Another advantage to a Class B is that I could
park
it in front of the house. I can't park a trailer there for long or the
neighbors will complain. I don't like the idea of storing it in a lot
where
it's subject to break-ins.

Hope the boat gets ready for pickup. Also hope to see lots of pictures!


It would easily tow it. Launching/retrieving might be interesting and
dependent on the design and condition of the launch ramp, but I don't see
why it would be a problem. The Sprinter is basically a European Van ....
similar in purpose to Ford's E-250 Econoline Van or GM's 2500 Van
offerings.
It replaced the Dodge 1500, 2500 and 3500 series of vans.

I mentioned this before, but just to repeat, the newer Class "C" Sprinters
with the heavier (14,500 lb) GVW are rated to tow 3500 lbs. Ironically,
the
one we have, with the single rear wheels and 8500 lb GVW is rated to tow
5000 lbs. The most I've towed is probably about 3000 lbs ( Haulmark
trailer loaded with motorcycle, and "stuff") and it handles it
effortlessly.
I've done the same using the little Ranger (which is the heavy duty "Level
II" model) and there is no comparison. The Ranger is rated to tow up to
6000 lbs with a weight distribution hitch or 3500 lbs regular, but I'd
never
try it. Something to keep in mind.

Eisboch


I've been out playing golf all day, so couldn't get back to you. Talking
about the Class B has got me thinking seriously about it again. I need to
quit thinking about cost and just go for which would be more fun and
easier
to manage. I found a Pleasure Way Plateau for $75K
http://tinyurl.com/4pdyts which isn't too bad, but I'd like it better
about
$15K cheaper.


You should be able to find one, perhaps an '05 or '06. PleasureWay happens
to be very high quality and you pay a bit more for them. One thing though
.... you are tall. Make sure the driver's seat positions work for you. Mine
is fine for me but I am under 6' and slowly shrinking. I've heard that the
newer Sprinters have less driver's seat adjustments due to an increase in
the size of the head.

Eisboch