Are there any good fully enclosed travel trailers?

[calicamper]

I know, hard to stay under with what is acutally available at the moment along with what we would want. Targeting the apex nano 194bhs also which runs 22.7 from hitch to bumper.

The Nano and the Eco and the Baja are all more or less the same different packaging and big price differences. I’ve ben eyeing the same stuff over this past yr only my deal is size not tow rig given my tow rig is max rated at 9300lbs with 400hp. I want to still fit / sneak into tent sites when available which means 16-19ft max. Towed my 1800lb 25ft long 8ft wide racing boat with a 4runner 3.4L it towed well but even that setup the 4runner would sweat it at times. A giant RV box probably not that enjoyable especially if your doing really long hauls. My future trips to Big Bear country so hard side will be long hauls so trying to keep tow ability halfway decent is also my priority otherwise we won’t be making those long trips.
My trailer for the last 9 yrs has been a jumping jack style trailer 12 day trips Moab, Yellowstone etc it had negatives winds in Moab nobueno and limited due to no hard sides in Yellowstone

 

[jadmt]

my lifted jkur had no issues with the 195RB jayco and I live in Montana so either going up or going down with winds in your face both ways .

 

[vintageracer]

"Are there any good fully enclosed travel trailers?"

No such thing!!!

Even the brands with a supposed heritage of quality such as Airstream, Lance and others have seen their product quality Go To Hell with the consolidation of RV brand ownership by Thor, Forrest River and Berkshire Hathaway within the RV industry.

Given the sales volume the RV manufactures have enjoyed the last 3+ years as reported by RVIA the industries trade group with 400,000-500,000 new units shipped each year it's all about volume and not quality.

All one has to do is spend time on RV social media groups and the different brand specific RV website forums to see sad state of RV quality discussed at length. In only a couple of the states do RV's qualify for that states Lemon Law process which is a fact that the RVIA industry trade group repeatedly states to it's member and lobbies Congress and state governments very hard to maintain that status of exemption. The industry is very proud of that fact and says so often!

Manufacturer's expect their dealers to do their quality QC before retail delivery to fix all the manufacturer's defects. Fat Chance on that. It's the customer that "Pays the Price" when their brand new RV is returned to the dealer for warranty work and SITS at that dealer for weeks or even months waiting on parts or waiting their turn in line to git their warranty work completed.

Go to the "RV Horror Stories" Facebook group hosted by RV Travel newsletter to wet your appetite about the sad state of affairs of quality in the RV Industry!

Maybe another question for consideration is with very few if any new campgrounds under construction in the USA, National and State park systems overwhelmed with visitors/campers and the vast majority of new RV's sold in the last 3 years having been sold to First Time RV Buyers leads me to my question:

Where the Hell are all these new first time RV buyers going to go "Camp"?

 

[calicamper]

"Are there any good fully enclosed travel trailers?"

No such thing!!!

Even the brands with a supposed heritage of quality such as Airstream, Lance and others have seen their product quality Go To Hell with the consolidation of RV brand ownership by Thor, Forrest River and Berkshire Hathaway within the RV industry.

Given the sales volume the RV manufactures have enjoyed the last 3+ years as reported by RVIA the industries trade group with 400,000-500,000 new units shipped each year it's all about volume and not quality.

All one has to do is spend time on RV social media groups and the different brand specific RV website forums to see sad state of RV quality discussed at length. In only a couple of the states do RV's qualify for that states Lemon Law process which is a fact that the RVIA industry trade group repeatedly states to it's member and lobbies Congress and state governments very hard to maintain that status of exemption. The industry is very proud of that fact and says so often!

Manufacturer's expect their dealers to do their quality QC before retail delivery to fix all the manufacturer's defects. Fat Chance on that. It's the customer that "Pays the Price" when their brand new RV is returned to the dealer for warranty work and SITS at that dealer for weeks or even months waiting on parts or waiting their turn in line to git their warranty work completed.

Go to the "RV Horror Stories" Facebook group hosted by RV Travel newsletter to wet your appetite about the sad state of affairs of quality in the RV Industry!

Maybe another question for consideration is with very few if any new campgrounds under construction in the USA, National and State park systems overwhelmed with visitors/campers and the vast majority of new RV's sold in the last 3 years having been sold to First Time RV Buyers leads me to my question:

Where the Hell are all these new first time RV buyers going to go "Camp"?

Lol yeah I predict a huge glut of trailers on Craigslist by February after all these newbs realize there aren’t any rv parking lots available.

I’m headed to families private property end of next week camping out then day trips to Yosemite

 

[Deleted member 9101]

I looked at several enclosed utility trailers for my build but they are mostly junk. So I got a used flat bed trailer and went to work. Due to photo hosting site failure photos don't start till about the middle of the thread.

Bigger "Not a Teardrop"

I got the heater installed but it vibrates so bad I have to return it for a replacement.

americanadventurist.com

It is so much more rough road capable than any cargo trailer and has tiedowns for my motorcycle!

I looove your trailer!

 

[AZ4Runner]

Lol yeah I predict a huge glut of trailers on Craigslist by February after all these newbs realize there aren’t any rv parking lots available.

I’m headed to families private property end of next week camping out then day trips to Yosemite

Agreed, worst possible time to be searching for one to buy as inventory is low. Sold house and need to be out in a few days so if no trailer then we are in hotels. I would just start driving the 4Runner north and utilize the rtt but wife not on board with that.

 

[calicamper]

Agreed, worst possible time to be searching for one to buy as inventory is low. Sold house and need to be out in a few days so if no trailer then we are in hotels. I would just start driving the 4Runner north and utilize the rtt but wife not on board with that.

Yeah buddy just sold his place he’s VBROing it crazy cheap deals in really nice places now.

 

[AZ4Runner]

Yeah buddy just sold his place he’s VBROing it crazy cheap deals in really nice places now.

That is another option. Hotels is just easier to say. Anyway, really hoping a apex 194 bhs comes in that is on order at Toms Camperland in the next week. Kind of like that one from the videos I have seen. Runners up are no bo 16.6 and jayco 184bh. Have accepted that they are all basically garbage.

 

[billiebob]

I looked at several enclosed utility trailers for my build but they are mostly junk. So I got a used flat bed trailer and went to work. Due to photo hosting site failure photos don't start till about the middle of the thread.

Bigger "Not a Teardrop"

I got the heater installed but it vibrates so bad I have to return it for a replacement.

americanadventurist.com

It is so much more rough road capable than any cargo trailer and has tiedowns for my motorcycle!

Very cool.

Have you scaled it yet?

 

[john61ct]

Where the Hell are all these new first time RV buyers going to go "Camp"?[/FONT]

As usual 99.9% will sit in driveways or paid storage yards hardly ever taken out even for the occasional long weekend

 

[calicamper]

That is another option. Hotels is just easier to say. Anyway, really hoping a apex 194 bhs comes in that is on order at Toms Camperland in the next week. Kind of like that one from the videos I have seen. Runners up are no bo 16.6 and jayco 184bh. Have accepted that they are all basically garbage.

All my RV buddies tell me all of them are junk so just suck it up. Lol
This popped up today
This guy is taking a loss

2020 Forest River Rockwood Geo Pro 20bhs - 4 weeks old - rvs - by...

Hey there CL folks. I have a brand new 2020 Rockwood Geo Pro 20bhs for sale. We’ve had it for a...

sfbay.craigslist.org

 

[dreadlocks]

inTech | All Aluminum RV Manufacturer

Travel Trailers, Off-Road Adventure Toy Haulers, Microlite Campers, & Teardrop Trailers.

www.intechrv.com

4th season of boondocking and its been flawless, full aluminum chassis, dexter torsion axles.. handles back country roads just fine.

 

[HOOLIGAN]

I happen to have been researching the hell out of travel trailers recently. Here's what I've narrowed it down to. There are basically two manufacturers that I'm looking at after excluding ALL of the Forest River and Keystone families of trailers (they make the bulk of the RV/trailers out there). Outdoors RV and Northwood RV. Both are out of Oregon. The are 4 season, aluminum framed and built pretty damn solid. You aren't going to take these rock crawling, but they should handle forest roads and the like just fine. We've narrowed it down to the Northwood Nash. The Outdoors RV are much nicer inside, but the price on the Northwoods are right for us. Both of these brands are heavier than most of the other travel trailers you will find, but that is going to be the case for quality and durability.

 

[HOOLIGAN]

Agreed, worst possible time to be searching for one to buy as inventory is low. Sold house and need to be out in a few days so if no trailer then we are in hotels. I would just start driving the 4Runner north and utilize the rtt but wife not on board with that.

We happen to be in the exact same boat which is why we've been looking for a travel trailer. I've got until 7/10 to figure something out.

 

[jadmt]

That is another option. Hotels is just easier to say. Anyway, really hoping a apex 194 bhs comes in that is on order at Toms Camperland in the next week. Kind of like that one from the videos I have seen. Runners up are no bo 16.6 and jayco 184bh. Have accepted that they are all basically garbage.

I disagree that they are all garbage but maybe I was just lucky. We sold our house and lived in our jayco 195RB for 6 months solid with a dog and 2 cats and never had a single issue. i bought it new and figured we put it through more in 6 months than most would put one thru in 6 years. I sold it for slightly less than I paid for to a guy that was going to work the oil fields up in Canada. My buddy that has the 154 jayco has used it steady and has 3 dogs and a young child and he has never had an issue. The other option is to buy an old beater motorhome to live in I see them all the time for dirt cheap and then when your done just dump it at the scrap yard...make sure it was not used as a meth kitchen tho..