anyone have experience with travel trailers or toy haulers?

VaB

Michael Peterson status
Nov 14, 2004
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682
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Virginia Beach, VA
Looking at a toy hauler and trying to do some research which has proven challenging. Has anyone owned one? Any advice? A drivable would be great but is outside of my price range.
Thanks
VaB
 

Eimeo

OTF status
Oct 18, 2005
232
92
28
Encinitas
Yes, I own a 26' toy Hauler. Use it for motocross trips and family camping trips. for this size, I pull it with a GMC 2500HD Diesel 4x4. Anything less and it would not be fun towing or braking. Pros, three queen beds and two twins. Full kitchen, dining, bathroom and shower. Great AC and heater, generator, and solar. Cons, need a big truck to pull it at this size, $6.50/gal. for diesel right now and only get 9mpg when towing fully loaded with a 25 gal tank. That said, I only paid $15K for the toy hauler. The closest thing I have seen for sale in my area from the van life world is some POS 1978 van with rust for sale at $35K. If you want a drivable RV or Sprinter, from what I have seen you can't get anything decent for under $100K, which is a total joke. What else do you want to know?
 
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bluemarlin04

Michael Peterson status
Aug 13, 2015
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Yes, I own a 26' toy Hauler. Use it for motocross trips and family camping trips. for this size, I pull it with a GMC 2500HD Diesel 4x4. Anything less and it would not be fun towing or braking. Pros, three queen beds and two twins. Full kitchen, dining, bathroom and shower. Great AC and heater, generator, and solar. Cons, need a big truck to pull it at this size, $6.50/gal. for diesel right now and only get 9mpg when towing fully loaded with a 25 gal tank. That said, I only paid $15K for the toy hauler. The closest thing I have seen for sale in my area from the van life world is some POS 1978 van with rust for sale at $35K. If you want a drivable RV or Sprinter, from what I have seen you can't get anything decent for under $100K, which is a total joke. What else do you want to know?
that sounds pretty cool. How is driving with it?

i always thought trailerable was better cause you could still have a car once Parked
 

GromsDad

Duke status
Jan 21, 2014
54,144
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West of the Atlantic. East of the ICW.
This is the 38' toy hauler my sister & BiL just sold last year. Thanks to the crazy demand covid created they were able to come out ahead on this thing which is unheard of with RVs. They are over $90k base price now. Theirs was pretty tricked out. Have to be careful where you go because of its height.

Capture.JPG
 

Muscles

Michael Peterson status
Jun 1, 2013
2,596
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California/Hawaii
I went down this rabbit hole a while back. Most are built with crappy materials except for a few brands. Then you have to figure out storage when not using it.

Some back of the number calculations determined that it didn't make much sense for me. Easier to camp in a nice tent or pay for a hotel room or cabin a few times a year. Only thing with that route is that storing bikes can be a problem if you don't have a van or enclosed trailer to keep them in.
 
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grapedrink

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May 21, 2011
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A Beach
I've seen enough of them jack knifed on the freeway to make me think twice. I like the idea of driving and steering a single unit, but I'm risk averse when it comes to driving. Many people are perfectly comfortable with that and good for them, but not my thing.

I'd like to repurpose on of those shuttle buses into a camper or buy one with that style and dimensions. Could easily rent it out when you aren't using it through a sharing app to cover the cost and not have to store it all year :beer:
 

VaB

Michael Peterson status
Nov 14, 2004
3,075
682
113
Virginia Beach, VA
in the midst of this rabbit hole now.

trying not to go to get a POS (new or used) that needs repairs soon .

Looking for something easy to tow with a tundra and trying to make an educated purchase but found it's hard to find info. I feel like I'm buying a mattress and all the details are hidden in names. really looking for a head to head like consumer reports does for trucks.

Also trying to figure out the unforeseen costs.

Nearly got one yesterday but fortunately I can't buy anything without extensive research and we walked away. We have 2 dirt bike and a BMWGSA so off road riding would be fun. Just hard to access from our location. WV is good but quite a drive.

How many times a month/year did you use it to make it feel worth the expense? Same with a boat, around here season is short (probably really may-sept) you could go more but doubt people do.

I would love a drivable but can't afford one.
 
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silentbutdeadly

Duke status
Sep 26, 2005
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Tower 13
If you're not sure how much you'll use it rent one first. You may get to try out a couple of brands that way and it will give you an idea if the whole deal is for you or not. If you're only using it a few days a year just continue to rent. A buddy of mine rented for two years in between selling his motorhome and buying a trailer. He found someone on c list that had a few rigs that he rented out much cheaper than the rental companies.

If you don't have much experience towing keep in mind that you shouldn't be towing at or even close to the towing capacity. It's not save with the exception being a 3/4 or 1 ton but even then you need to be careful.
 
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ghost_of_lewis_samuels

Phil Edwards status
Oct 27, 2019
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Looking at a toy hauler and trying to do some research which has proven challenging. Has anyone owned one? Any advice? A drivable would be great but is outside of my price range.
Thanks
VaB
is this the one that was stolen from that HS surf team a few months back?
 
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VaB

Michael Peterson status
Nov 14, 2004
3,075
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Virginia Beach, VA
If you're not sure how much you'll use it rent one first. You may get to try out a couple of brands that way and it will give you an idea if the whole deal is for you or not. If you're only using it a few days a year just continue to rent. A buddy of mine rented for two years in between selling his motorhome and buying a trailer. He found someone on c list that had a few rigs that he rented out much cheaper than the rental companies.

If you don't have much experience towing keep in mind that you shouldn't be towing at or even close to the towing capacity. It's not save with the exception being a 3/4 or 1 ton but even then you need to be careful.

Will rent for now. Good advice everyone, thank you. I”ve towed a 16 foot texas bragg trailer with 3 dirt bikes and loaded with coolers, gear and tents on some long drives so if it’s similar I should hopefully be ok.
 
Jan 4, 2009
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San Diego
Just sold my toyhauler. Holy cow, it was a madhouse after I posted it on Craigslist. It sold instantly. Bought it new in 2005. Numerous desert and beach trips with the kids. They grew up riding bikes in the desert and in San Felipe where we have a beach house. It was awesome. Kids are all grown and my wife and I are getting a 4wd Sprinter that we can explore with. This 19ft Superlite was pulled with a Toyota Sequoia with no problem.
IMG_3906.JPGIMG_3875.JPGIMG_3874.jpg
 

silentbutdeadly

Duke status
Sep 26, 2005
33,486
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Tower 13
Just sold my toyhauler. Holy cow, it was a madhouse after I posted it on Craigslist. It sold instantly. Bought it new in 2005. Numerous desert and beach trips with the kids. They grew up riding bikes in the desert and in San Felipe where we have a beach house. It was awesome. Kids are all grown and my wife and I are getting a 4wd Sprinter that we can explore with. This 19ft Superlite was pulled with a Toyota Sequoia with no problem.
View attachment 129152View attachment 129153View attachment 129154
my friend has a 23. no issues. I miss the days of having a toy hauler but I don't miss the days of having a toy hauler :)

Mine was an 03' and things seemed to go to crap all at once