need help on campers

[M8ball]

This will probably be the vaguest of questions, but here goes..

The wife and I took our toddler camping for the first time ever last weekend. Had a blast. We met up with other family members, two of whom had camping trailers. The wife is now looking at getting some kind of trailer. We've ruled out the pop-up kind and are looking at getting a conventional trailer but she's also looking at the motorhome kind. I'm partial to getting a trailer (not the gooseneck variety). I also like the traditional in-bed camper but know I'll have to sell the short-bed F150 as I doubt a camper that would fit it would work for three people.

Any experience on which one makes the most sense? I know mileage is a function of weight, frontal area, etc. of the camper but what kind of mileage reduction does one see with a camper? I'm guessing it's money saved all around by not getting a motorhome.

Thanks for your opinions.

[rlm2007x]

No expert here, but just a thought.  With the trailer you can pull it with your truck or whatever, park it, then drive the truck around to the lake, or town, or whatever.  With the moterhome, you'll either have to tow a vehicle, or move the whole thing everytime you want to leave your campsite for whatever reason.  Plus, the trailer will be cheaper, and will probably get better gas mileage than a motorhome towing another vehicle.  I know you can get used or small trailers for just a few thousand bucks.  You'll probably be looking at many times that for a motorhome.  With the trailer, many less parts to break and repair, it'll probably last much longer.  To me, motorhomes just don't seem very practical unless you need something huge and have a lot of $$$ to spend.  I guess one advantage to a motorhome would be if you wanted to tow a boat.  You'd be limited to canoes, kayaks, etc., with a trailer.

[EsoxLucius]

My BIL has a 22' HiLo TowLite.  A very nice rig.  He still gets 18 mpg towing it with his GMC van.

[DCRthe3rd]

No expert here, but just a thought.  With the trailer you can pull it with your truck or whatever, park it, then drive the truck around to the lake, or town, or whatever.  With the moterhome, you'll either have to tow a vehicle, or move the whole thing everytime you want to leave your campsite for whatever reason.  Plus, the trailer will be cheaper, and will probably get better gas mileage than a motorhome towing another vehicle.  I know you can get used or small trailers for just a few thousand bucks.  You'll probably be looking at many times that for a motorhome.  With the trailer, many less parts to break and repair, it'll probably last much longer.  To me, motorhomes just don't seem very practical unless you need something huge and have a lot of $$$ to spend.  I guess one advantage to a motorhome would be if you wanted to tow a boat.  You'd be limited to canoes, kayaks, etc., with a trailer.

Exactly my thoughts , as for M.P.G , figure somewhere between it varying berween 6 to 12 with either type , its a fact of life youll need to get used to.

[jager]

I had the same dilemma a few years ago and opted for a 22' "toy hauler" by KZ that I can put a couple of motorcycles or an ATV inside and still have decent "living space". The toy hauler can get pretty expensive if you get "slide-outs", or extend the length and weight. My diesel, which usually gets 21mpg on the road, gets about 12.5 to 13mpg pulling the "rig". I do like the convenience of "unhooking" from the trailer at a destination and a good "anti-sway" bar keeps everything in control on the road. I also looked at "Jayco's Feather-lite" series, which are lighter to tow (better gas mileage), but they didn't have a model with a "cargo box". I also liked the "Hi-Lo" trailers because of their low profile, easy towability, and fairly light weight; however, they are pretty "pricey" when compared to other makes and designs of the same dimensions (no "free lunch"). Good luck!

[bilmac]

I've always been partial to pickup campers because you can pull a boat behind. How big do you expect your family will ultimately be? We did just fine with two kids when I was young, now a pickup camper seems crowded with me and the wife, but we manage. It is real nice when you're by yourself.

We've had both fixed sides and pop-ups. The fixed side campers are more roomy, but you really need a 3/4 ton PU, especially if you live where there is a lot of wind, and of course gas mileage will suffer. My current rig is a light pop-up on a half ton Dodge with a 318 and manual tranny. I get 15mpg with it, in the mountains, in the wind doesn't seem to matter. Still power left over to drag my 16' boat.