tomb1269

So Brian as others have said if you plan to do anything more than season camping (i.e. Tow it to one camp ground in the spring and then to storage in the fall) this is would not be a good choice as you will end up over loaded. Most RVs add 1000 lbs to there trailers with gear ect., some needed some not. From experience, I had a 8ft jayco 806 popup that was 1400lbs dry when loaded for camping it weighed 1700 to 1800lbs. And trust me there are guys reading this post laughing there ***** off wonder as to where they he!! it put 400lbs of gear in a trailer that small. When closed you'd have trouble getting 3 dead bodies in the remaining space. The fact is that stuff just weights more than you think. So back to yours. If you are going to do seasonal camping, then you will need to be vigilant about towing the trailer on and off site empty, literally empting the trailer out and taking the gear home in another car or another weekend and then coming back to pickup the trailer for transport. Anything else and you be at risk. As for the "truck Exploding part" you asked, no it will not it has plenty of power. It just not got enough capacity to handle an emergency manuver at that weight, and thats when bad things go REALLY BAD. Being you live in a tourist are, think of it this way. You know how that dumb tourist pulled out in front of you the other day without even looking. Now image you had a trailer one of these trailers hitch on. Even with in your limits its going to be he!! not runing them over, and if your overload it will only be by the grace of god that you do not run them over. However, I do wish you and your daughters the best and it will be some of the greatest time you spend with them which ever way you deside to go. I know it was for me and my family.

Cleanmaxx Brian

Ok, I have been convinced...that big heavy trailer is out. Now I am back to the original 2 Jayco's and I just picked up a brochure for they Passport ultra light by Keystone and the trailer that has me interested is the Elite 28BH. It has a dry weight of 5635 and a carry capacity of 1965 with a hitch weight of 625. By the pics and video on the web, this looks like a very nice trailer! It has the double bunks that I need and one slide.

So next question, how does this Keystone Passport compare to the Jayco White Hawk 28DSBH in terms of build quality? They are so close in dimensions and floor plans...

Again thanks all!

WLDTX

The post your sales man doesn't want you to see. The absolute best advice I can give you that I haven't seen anyone else say is this. Hold off on buying a trailer, if you and the family have never camped (that's what it sounds like) go rent a trailer for a weekend or two and get a taste before you drop that kind of coin. Experience the hobby even if you are not crazy about the trailer you rent just see if your girls enjoy the experience. I am no expert but given their age it may wear out quickly. Don't get me wrong I love camping and own a toy hauler, but I know too many people that bought a trailer owned it for a year then got frustrated when they couldn't come close to getting their money back out of it when they decided it wasn't for them. That being said good luck ,have fun ,and I send my condolences for your families recent loss.

canadian-nut-fx4

I have a Keystone Springdale 267bhss, I chose this one over the Jaco 267bhs because it has a bigger slide, I liked the layout better and it was a bit shorter over all, "I had a limit on the length to fit in my driveway" but overall the builds quality is very similar. And as for the weight not much different there, Springdale is 5830 dry and 730 hitch and the Jaco was 5600 dry and 635 hitch, but I also got 2-30 lbs bottles and 2-6volt batteries. So far I am very happy with my trailer and not to mention it tows really nice with the f150 5.0 SC, best advice is to go actually look at then in person and even take a camera to compare the builds for yourself, compare pros and cons to both and then go with what your gut tells you. Everyone can say one trailer is better then the other or that one is nicer, or what ever, but in the end your the one sleeping in it.

Good luck on your search and not matter what you but you will enjoy it.

Cleanmaxx Brian

Good advice and I may do just that!

As for the shopping, Jayco is updating the White Hawk for 2014. They are addressing the low ceiling with a new arched one! They are also adding LED lights to the awning. A 32 inch tv replaces the 26 and aluminum rims are now standard. There are a few other changes but these are what interested me.

b727capt

I'll put in my $.02. Sorry to hear about your loss. I would agree with WLTTX, that if you have never camped, rent a camper and try it out. I tow a Sunset Trail 33BD with my 2010 F150 Lariat 5.4L 6'5" box, with an Equilizer WD hitch. I have also added Firestone Riderite airbags and will upgrade my tires to LT's soon. When picking up my trailer, I took my rig accross the scale after filling the gas tank and was about 150 lbs overweight by the door sticker. With the hitch and airbags my truck tows just fine in the flat, but would be underpowered in the hills. I have not had any problems with sway at a reasonable speed, stopping, accelerating or controllablity.
Happy Camping

Cleanmaxx Brian

Wow that is a nice trailer!
And heavy! 7800 dry and 9600 wet with a hitch of 818...that is awesome the you were only 150 over! I have to look at much smaller/lighter trailers :-(

brulaz

He prolly doesn't have a Platinum with all the extras. The Plats are not really Work Horses, more like Show Horses.

Cleanmaxx Brian

Big update to this old thread

I am now the owner of a 2015 Holiday Rambler "Traveler" 27BHS
I followed the advice of many here and kept the weight down....
It is 4695 dry but more important, GVWR of 7700. It is 30.5 long including the hitch...speaking of hitch, I went with the top model Reese dual cam. I should be picking it up the 2nd or 3rd week of April.

I have already installed the RAS active suspension so that should help a bit.

The floor plan is the ever so popular rear full size bunk house. Took the girls to see it and they were quite excited

While I liked the Jayco White Hawk a lot, it was small things that won me over to the Holiday Rambler...
1, the Holiday Rambler dealer came very highly recommended
2, stairs to the top bunk was built in
3, AC power outlets at each bunk...girls want to charge iPads/iPhones
3, preferred the darker color...thinking it will show less dirt
4, had power jacks
The price was a bit more but it just "felt" higher end.

Camper $24,600
Dual cam hitch $599

smurfs_of_war

Congrats on the purchase, and just as importantly- I commend you for what you are doing for those girls. These are going to be "forever" memories for them.