I have been doing a ton of research on travel trailers. Looking for a 25-28' trailer without bunk beds, but want a king bed or something close to that size. Seems most have a dinky queen. It will primarily be just my wife, 2 labs and myself. So no need for multiple beds. A pull out sofa should suffice for when we may have someone along. Looking to spend $15-22k. Does anyone have any good recommendations that I may have not seen. I have spent a ton of time looking at most manufactures as it is near impossible to do a refined search that includes what you are looking for on campers. Oh, really don't want a 5 er as I like having the bed space for ATV or whatever. Also, will need something with a good heated floor/pipes as I will be using it some in the winter for ice fishing trips. TIA

 

Check out Prime Time Manufacturing they are a fairly new company backed by Forest River. Their prices are reasonable and they do things a little different from the crowd.

 

Go to the Good Sam website and look for RV shows in you area. There is no better way to find what you want than going to a show and looking. In my opinion do not buy at the show as there is too much pressure. Good luck and enjoy your camper.

 

The best thing I did to my TT was to install an electric tongue jack. Sure beats all that cranking when setting up.

 

I would suggest gel coated walls and stay away from Keystone. I put way too much money into my old 06 Keystone 33 foot bunkhouse within a few years with delam and soft floors. Not to mention the slide breaking. I would also stay away from lite trailers, they have a tendency to be built using cheaper materials to save on weight (just my opinion on an unlucky trailer). The aluminum walls (corrigated) are harder to clean but easier to replace and work on if something does go wrong and way cheaper to fix. I do agree with shep and get the electric tongue jack, as well as some stack jacks for extra stability when you camp. A few other things I bought were awning support clamps and went to Home Depot and had them cut me an outdoor rug the same length as my awning. That keeps a lot of debris out of the trailer and makes for a nice place for the dogs to lay. We also went to a local bed mart and had them custom cut a longer queen size bed for about $400, it is a pillow top and makes for a great sleep. Our bunk beds were used for storage more than sleeping so if you do get a bunk above the bed you will find a good use for it. I would also suggest plenty of storage above the seating areas and in the kitchen. Arctic Fox are solid and if you are looking for a higher end one there is Heartland. PM me if you find one and want me too look at it. After what happened to my Keystone I spent a good 6 months researching, calling RV shops for advice, and found my 5er that is built like a tank. Also before you buy a unit have a local RV shop look over it and they will check everything out for around $100. The place that worked on mine sold me my new one after their co owner passed away. Good luck buddy.

 

Another place to check out is: http://www.irv2.com/forums/ They know a lot at what you are looking for and might be better to answer any questions you might have. Besides this site that is the other site I belong to. My username is StarGazer-1.

 

Good advice. Didn't know that about the Keystones, as I like one of their models (floorplan). I do like the Arctic Fox 26x, then also the Dutchman 277RLS and 276RBS. I would like to stay under 28' just the ease of getting into some tougher spots. I won't be camping at a lot of per say "campgrounds", a lot of the use will be undesignated camp areas when hunting. Once I find the camper I want, then the task of finding the right generator.

I have been lurking around a lot of RV forums to get a feel of what people dislike/like about certain brands. Been a long search I am on a solid 8 months of internet scouting. I have stopped by a few dealers just to nose around, but nothing serious yet. Not concerned with buying a "light weight", those are for the 1/2 ton/ subaru crowd.

I did have a slide in with the corrugated walls and it wasn't the easiet to clean and wax, but I would buy another.

 

Maybe one of these would suit your needs:
http://sheepcamps.com/camp-types/outfitter/

 

The plastic/fantastic white boxes aren't made too well, as a general rule. So, arguing about which is better becomes frustration as the differences aren't all that great.

However, there are some that stand out. ARCTIC FOX is one of them. The premium one pays will be worth it according to a lot of threads on different RV forums. Were I in your shoes I'd become an expert on them. I'd want to be able to instantly spot differences from the way they do things.

Remember, as with a house, if you are buying used that replacement upholstery, flooring, curtains etc can add up to a few thousand . . well spent if the rest of the TT is a good deal. Most people will pass it by. Your budget is low, so expect a lot of competition from others. Be ready to drive to get a good one.

Bed platforms can be modified for a larger bed. But one sometimes looses any "walk-around-it" floor space. A custom mattress can be made that bridges the gap between sizes; just use bedding the next size up and "mod" it by sewing or with velcro.

RV's are not 4-season vehicles, especially for winter (xtra hot summer no good either). Not that people don't do it. So search out the threads on this subject. Search threads about "Arctic Packages" and the like where storm windows, tank heaters, etc are added to TT's by the factory. I would also look at air-to-air heat exchangers now available for RV's. Condensation and moisture build up in winter are not well-handled by RVs. And rot -- wet or dry -- really tears up an otherwise serviceable unit.