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The Camper & RV Thread

GTI Jake

Autocross Champion
While I’ve been camping as far back as I can remember, just recently the serious conversations about buying a dedicated travel trailer or toy hauler have come up (& I’ve been actively looking to purchase one).

So I figured I’d start a thread here for all things camping related. Share your set up, recommendations & experiences of the dos & don’ts.
 

GTI Jake

Autocross Champion
Really at a cross roads of what we want to do. When I built our shop I added a car port bay on the far end for a camper, 30’ deep with a 12’ opening so that’s really what I’d like to keep the overall dimensions under.

Towing our friends 25’ travel trailer home basically gave me an idea how our Suburban would do (didn’t adjust the hitch, but it was like it wasn’t even back there outside of some windy conditions on the freeway).

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My dads been offering for me to just come get his Forest River Work & Play from Ohio, but two issues there are both due to its size (40’). It’s both too large for the Suburban to tow & way too big for my shaded parking at the shop.

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Granted “free” is a really great perk for a camper/toy hauler the shaded storage and buying another tow vehicle are issues.

He’s offered to swap trucks with me, and take his 1990 Cummins back I’m just finishing up a restoration on in trade for his 2003 Cummins SRW CCSB 4x4. It works out for everyone since he’d be able to fly down to use it whenever (camping season is short up north, and endless between here and Florida).

Ideally I’d still rather just buy my own 25ish foot toy hauler that checks all the boxes. So here I am open to suggestions & recommendations from you guys.

If I were to pick up a traditional travel trailer rather than a toy hauler then we’d be cutting out riding/camping trips which would be the majority of its use. Again, if I bought a pickup truck that’s no longer a issue, but I have no plans to sell the Suburban & would rather not add to the fleet.

One suggestion I got from a friend was a large roof top tent & a normal enclosed trailer to cover our wish list while keeping weight, parking & costs lower. Although I’ll admit I don’t know anything at all about roof top tents (lack of AC comes to mind as a big issue in the Carolinas).
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AM407

Autocross Champion
We’ve got a 24’ toy hauler that we pull with a Yukon XL 2500. Pulled it with a 1500 Suburban for a few years and that was fine too, but the 2500 is a much nicer tow vehicle.

I wouldn’t want to go too much bigger on the trailer, but it’s hard to find reasonably sized toy haulers these days. Bought ours in 2008.
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GTI Jake

Autocross Champion
We’ve got a 24’ toy hauler that we pull with a Yukon XL 2500. Pulled it with a 1500 Suburban for a few years and that was fine too, but the 2500 is a much nicer tow vehicle.

I wouldn’t want to go too much bigger on the trailer, but it’s hard to find reasonably sized toy haulers these days. Bought ours in 2008.View attachment 282397

Finally some input, I was starting to think this thread would just sink to the bottom.

Eventually I plan to buy another 3/4 or 1 ton (wife actually reminded me of that, so I’m glade we’re on the same page).

Your toy hauler looks fantastic for a 2008! Any issues with it over the years?
 

AM407

Autocross Champion
I think that pic was taken in 2018. If you look closely, the aluminum skirting around the bottom is in pretty rough shape. It’s even worse now, but I tried to do a cheap patch up job and I guess it’s holding up ok.

I haven’t done as much maintenance on it as I should. There’s been water leaking at the front seam of the roof and the whole front of the trailer seems rotten under the fiberglass. It looks pretty bad from the front, to be honest.

Luckily, I don’t think any water has leaked to the inside. We’ve never seen or smelt mold or mildew inside the trailer anyway.

We did the usual stuff when the trailer was new: replaced some crappy plumbing that was leaking and replaced the crappy cushions with a proper mattress. Oh, and we bent the axles on our first trip down a rough gravel road, but replaced them with an oversized set that has been great since.

Overall, I’d say it’s served us really well but I guess it’s showing its age. I’ve thought about spending some money to have it fixed up, but am torn. Got a quote for a roof replacement, but the guy said it was still fine so don’t bother. I keep slathering the sealant goo on the seams, but I know that’s not ideal.

Couple more photos from when it was in better shape.

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GTI Jake

Autocross Champion
Well the wife was really against the toy hauler idea more than I originally thought, so I caved and compromised.

Picked up a 23’ travel trailer today, so I’ll probably end up adding a hitch receiver to it at some point for a two bike hitch carrier.

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It’s in really good condition & I was able to negotiate $500 off due to it being a 2018 on its original tires still (trailer tires generally age like milk). I ordered a set of Goodyear endurance tonight so I’ll swap those out and grease the bearings next week before we take it on it’s maiden voyage. Need to buy a different hitch or add bags to get the Suburban sitting right with it at some point, but it handled great on the 2 hour drive back through the mountains (averaging 10mpg).

The kids are really excited, & that’s what it’s all about. Hoping to get a lot of use out of it.
 
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