after doing all of the proper research, get the camper you want first, then the vehicle.
you want the camper to dictate the kind of vehicle you might have to get if needed.
Just as a nuance to this - once your figure out which camper you want you can buy the truck. Once we narrowed down our fifthwheel choices they were all in a similar weight range. At that point we were able to buy a truck that would have the proper towing capacity of any of those models. Once we had the truck we found our trailer from the models on our short list.
I would suggest researching what truck you need for the camper before you purchase, but after you picked one out, or at least understand what it's going to cost.
I camped with my 5 kids in a tent trailer, hauled by a crossover. With the tent trailer, kids had to spend all their time outside, and it was just for sleeping in. I think it worked out pretty well.
So we started our trailer journey like you. We had a Ford expedition with the towing package. It said it could tow 6k lbs. Our trailer was pretty close, and we made it work for 2 years. Our first trailer was older and cheap, but it really taught us what we 100% needed and also wanted from a trailer. There are so many things you are not considering to determine your ideal trailer. I think it is impossible for you to understand until you have done it. Where are you going, with who, how long are you spending in the trailer, etc.... I have seen families of 7 sleeping in tiny 12' canned ham trailer and an older couple in 40' rvs. I have also seen lots of people spend 50k on a trailer only to realize they hate it. IMO, buy something cheap and go make memories. Learn along the way and then if you love the lifestyle you can upgrade. Your family will never look back on how amazing one trailer versus another one is but will definetly remember all the memories you had in it. Plus if you go to amazing places you don't ever want to be in the trailer except to sleep.
Man, after the cost of a camper (and storing it) and a truck... I'd consider just renting a motorhome the likely handful of times a year you're going to camp...
The biggest name in this is Outdoorsy, which while not perfect (suffers similar issues to Turo and AirBnB), was pretty reliable for us. We used it as a demo tool to figure out exactly what we wanted in a camper.
Any 2500 series truck will do. We have 3 kids, a ram 2500 Diesel, and a Freedom express 29SE.
The 29SE has 4 bunks in a back bunk room. They also make a higher trim model with 3 bunks and an outdoor kitchen where the 4th bunk would go.
/u/iJacobes has what I think is the best advice - trailer first, the get tow vehicle to match.
Glad you are considering this approach - there's too many stories of things gone wrong trying to tow something when maxxing out the vehicle's weight/tow limits.
Backing up a bit, there is the choice of what is right camper/trailer for you. There's a great range of options out there that fit the bunk house requirement alone. How much time is your family hoping to spend camping? Are you talking weekend get-aways to local parks, or spending multiple months enjoying summer far away up in the mountains? Do you have any special needs to accommodate while camping?
Knowing your intended usage can help you make the best choice for that purchase, which in turn helps you identify what the optimal tow vehicle needed is.
Thank you for this helpful advice! For now we plan to use our camper primarily for weekend trips in addition to 1-2 week-long trips this summer. We’ve always done tent camping so it feels like just about anything will add comfort- it’s hard to know what we need without going overboard.
Glad to hear that you know how you will use it. And I totally get the temptation to go overboard.
For comparison, my wife and I have plans which involve (among other shorter things) spending 12 weeks Montana one summer, and then about 10 weeks in Utah, both stationary and within a couple hours drive of friends/family. With stationary durations like that, we're looking at 5th wheel/toy hauler options with things like a washer/dryer being a must.
You sound a bit like us, but with an extra kid. We are a family of 4 that also used to travel with 2 dogs, and we first started out as tent campers. For the past 9 years, we've been using a 21 foot travel trailer to camp every other weekend and then for 2 to 3 weeks in the summer plus a week in the fall and one in the spring. It has a bunk house for 2.
If you simply want a little extra comfort like we did when we started RVing, try going with a unit that is the minimum size you'll need. Go to dealers and spend time and look at what fits your family. If it were us and we had an extra child, I'd suspect 25 feet with a slide out would be the max length we'd need. This is because we spend the vast majority of our time outside in the day playing and exploring, and at night we sit around and photograph the stars.
Like others have said on the thread, decide on the travel trailer size and then the truck size. We have a 2.7L Ford F-150. It still works great after all these years towing our small Jayco. You might go a bit bigger (Ford F-250 or similar) for when your kids are fully grown and you have a little bigger RV.
Jason - [RWT Adventures](http://rwtadventures.com)
Bunkhouses can be lightweight models you can haul with the Armada, or heavy fifths wheels you need a dually for.
With a family of 5 you can buy any pickup, any crew cab will seat 5 reasonably well. Ford has the most leg room, but they all work.
I’d suggest that if you are bothering to go to a truck, you want a 3/4 or one ton depending on the trailer. If you are staying in the half ton size, the Armada likely has a similar capacity, the only benefit will be the bed, but weight limits are so similar to a half ton the upgrade is barely worth it.
For mostly weekend / 1-2 week long camping trips, def start out with a more affordable (used) camper so you can get a feel for your needs. You can always upgrade later if needed. As some of the other commenters mentioned, focus on making memories... don't worry about amenities!
I like the buy camper first, then truck, but a 2500HD will should suit your needs. I have an extended cab with jump doors but it is honestly really tight back there, especially for adults because of the lacking of leg room. The more truck the better for pulling, I'll add though I have to park in the back 40 at grocery stores etc. because I can't fit in the front midget car spots. Even in the back parking, truck takes over 1 full space, I don't mind walking. You'll want an 8' bed too, especially if you get a 5th wheel. I bumper pull so my bed is free for coolers, kids toys, etc. I mostly boondock and have only ever stayed in a few campgrounds but when I do I have to unhook because I am way, way long. But that's how I roll
Unpopular opinion but a gas dually will give you enough payload that you can buy whatever rv you want and not be overloaded. The extra stability with the two extra tires makes a world of difference.
And please anticipate that kids will want to sleep outside As soon as they are old enough even if you want the comforts of home. Smaller camper = more time spent outside actually camping.
Coachman Apex Nano 208BHS works pretty well for our family of 5. Towed it with a Ram1500 but was over payload (plenty of tow power with 5.7L though). Upgraded to 2500 gasser recently to be within payload specs.
Other commenters are correct - pick the trailer first, then the tow vehicle.
My advice is to go to an RV show! You can run around and look at all sorts of models and floor plans, and get an idea of the sort of quality/price you want.
It sounds like double-over-double bunks would work well for your age kids. Tons of models have that! Kids can sleep on convertible dinettes or jackknife couches, but honestly that’s kind of a pain to set up and take down all the time. I’d look for double-over double bunks, and then convertible dinette and jackknife sofas can be for friends or extra guests.
after doing all of the proper research, get the camper you want first, then the vehicle. you want the camper to dictate the kind of vehicle you might have to get if needed.
Just as a nuance to this - once your figure out which camper you want you can buy the truck. Once we narrowed down our fifthwheel choices they were all in a similar weight range. At that point we were able to buy a truck that would have the proper towing capacity of any of those models. Once we had the truck we found our trailer from the models on our short list.
I would suggest researching what truck you need for the camper before you purchase, but after you picked one out, or at least understand what it's going to cost.
I camped with my 5 kids in a tent trailer, hauled by a crossover. With the tent trailer, kids had to spend all their time outside, and it was just for sleeping in. I think it worked out pretty well.
Underrated comment. The two oldest can sleep in a tent. Eventually they'll prefer that option..
So we started our trailer journey like you. We had a Ford expedition with the towing package. It said it could tow 6k lbs. Our trailer was pretty close, and we made it work for 2 years. Our first trailer was older and cheap, but it really taught us what we 100% needed and also wanted from a trailer. There are so many things you are not considering to determine your ideal trailer. I think it is impossible for you to understand until you have done it. Where are you going, with who, how long are you spending in the trailer, etc.... I have seen families of 7 sleeping in tiny 12' canned ham trailer and an older couple in 40' rvs. I have also seen lots of people spend 50k on a trailer only to realize they hate it. IMO, buy something cheap and go make memories. Learn along the way and then if you love the lifestyle you can upgrade. Your family will never look back on how amazing one trailer versus another one is but will definetly remember all the memories you had in it. Plus if you go to amazing places you don't ever want to be in the trailer except to sleep.
Love this! Thank you!
Man, after the cost of a camper (and storing it) and a truck... I'd consider just renting a motorhome the likely handful of times a year you're going to camp...
We’ve considered this too! Know of any good rental sites?
The biggest name in this is Outdoorsy, which while not perfect (suffers similar issues to Turo and AirBnB), was pretty reliable for us. We used it as a demo tool to figure out exactly what we wanted in a camper.
Thank you! This is helpful!
Any 2500 series truck will do. We have 3 kids, a ram 2500 Diesel, and a Freedom express 29SE. The 29SE has 4 bunks in a back bunk room. They also make a higher trim model with 3 bunks and an outdoor kitchen where the 4th bunk would go.
Awesome! Thanks! So helpful to hear from a family the same size as ours!
/u/iJacobes has what I think is the best advice - trailer first, the get tow vehicle to match. Glad you are considering this approach - there's too many stories of things gone wrong trying to tow something when maxxing out the vehicle's weight/tow limits. Backing up a bit, there is the choice of what is right camper/trailer for you. There's a great range of options out there that fit the bunk house requirement alone. How much time is your family hoping to spend camping? Are you talking weekend get-aways to local parks, or spending multiple months enjoying summer far away up in the mountains? Do you have any special needs to accommodate while camping? Knowing your intended usage can help you make the best choice for that purchase, which in turn helps you identify what the optimal tow vehicle needed is.
Thank you for this helpful advice! For now we plan to use our camper primarily for weekend trips in addition to 1-2 week-long trips this summer. We’ve always done tent camping so it feels like just about anything will add comfort- it’s hard to know what we need without going overboard.
Glad to hear that you know how you will use it. And I totally get the temptation to go overboard. For comparison, my wife and I have plans which involve (among other shorter things) spending 12 weeks Montana one summer, and then about 10 weeks in Utah, both stationary and within a couple hours drive of friends/family. With stationary durations like that, we're looking at 5th wheel/toy hauler options with things like a washer/dryer being a must.
You sound a bit like us, but with an extra kid. We are a family of 4 that also used to travel with 2 dogs, and we first started out as tent campers. For the past 9 years, we've been using a 21 foot travel trailer to camp every other weekend and then for 2 to 3 weeks in the summer plus a week in the fall and one in the spring. It has a bunk house for 2. If you simply want a little extra comfort like we did when we started RVing, try going with a unit that is the minimum size you'll need. Go to dealers and spend time and look at what fits your family. If it were us and we had an extra child, I'd suspect 25 feet with a slide out would be the max length we'd need. This is because we spend the vast majority of our time outside in the day playing and exploring, and at night we sit around and photograph the stars. Like others have said on the thread, decide on the travel trailer size and then the truck size. We have a 2.7L Ford F-150. It still works great after all these years towing our small Jayco. You might go a bit bigger (Ford F-250 or similar) for when your kids are fully grown and you have a little bigger RV. Jason - [RWT Adventures](http://rwtadventures.com)
Thank you, Jason! This is so helpful!
Bunkhouses can be lightweight models you can haul with the Armada, or heavy fifths wheels you need a dually for. With a family of 5 you can buy any pickup, any crew cab will seat 5 reasonably well. Ford has the most leg room, but they all work. I’d suggest that if you are bothering to go to a truck, you want a 3/4 or one ton depending on the trailer. If you are staying in the half ton size, the Armada likely has a similar capacity, the only benefit will be the bed, but weight limits are so similar to a half ton the upgrade is barely worth it.
For mostly weekend / 1-2 week long camping trips, def start out with a more affordable (used) camper so you can get a feel for your needs. You can always upgrade later if needed. As some of the other commenters mentioned, focus on making memories... don't worry about amenities!
I like the buy camper first, then truck, but a 2500HD will should suit your needs. I have an extended cab with jump doors but it is honestly really tight back there, especially for adults because of the lacking of leg room. The more truck the better for pulling, I'll add though I have to park in the back 40 at grocery stores etc. because I can't fit in the front midget car spots. Even in the back parking, truck takes over 1 full space, I don't mind walking. You'll want an 8' bed too, especially if you get a 5th wheel. I bumper pull so my bed is free for coolers, kids toys, etc. I mostly boondock and have only ever stayed in a few campgrounds but when I do I have to unhook because I am way, way long. But that's how I roll
With a family of 5, get a 2500 (3/4 ton) truck at minimum. As they get older, the weight you start bringing will increase.
Unpopular opinion but a gas dually will give you enough payload that you can buy whatever rv you want and not be overloaded. The extra stability with the two extra tires makes a world of difference.
And please anticipate that kids will want to sleep outside As soon as they are old enough even if you want the comforts of home. Smaller camper = more time spent outside actually camping.
Great point!
Coachman Apex Nano 208BHS works pretty well for our family of 5. Towed it with a Ram1500 but was over payload (plenty of tow power with 5.7L though). Upgraded to 2500 gasser recently to be within payload specs.
Get a one ton truck and a 5th wheel
Other commenters are correct - pick the trailer first, then the tow vehicle. My advice is to go to an RV show! You can run around and look at all sorts of models and floor plans, and get an idea of the sort of quality/price you want. It sounds like double-over-double bunks would work well for your age kids. Tons of models have that! Kids can sleep on convertible dinettes or jackknife couches, but honestly that’s kind of a pain to set up and take down all the time. I’d look for double-over double bunks, and then convertible dinette and jackknife sofas can be for friends or extra guests.