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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / RVs / August 2005Sienna
I am looking for a lite-weight trailer, suitable for towing behind a 04 Sienna. There are 2 of us. We tend to travel light but as we age and have some health issues, tenting seems less of an option. We need something suitable for both 10-14 day outings as well as 2-3 month jaunts across the continent. We have looked at a few 16 foot trailers but most seem to be too heavy. Any suggestions? Bruce Guelph ON the easy suggestion...if you're going to travel a lot.. change tow vehicule! you may want to check this one, range from 1350# to 1450# dry weight. might be a bit small for a 3 month trip http://www.tab-rv.com Mel Bruce Weaver a écrit: > I am looking for a lite-weight trailer, suitable for towing behind a 04 > Sienna. There are 2 of us. We tend to travel light but as we age and [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Bruce > Guelph ON >I am looking for a lite-weight trailer, suitable for towing behind a 04 >Sienna. There are 2 of us. We tend to travel light but as we age and [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >Bruce >Guelph ON Bruce: There are not many trailers out there that can be towed safely with your Sienna. They are simply too heavy. A 2-week outing is too long in a popup or small trailer, IMO. Also, the set-up and take down of a popup will wear on you if you are changing locations every few days on the longer trips. You might want to look into buying a used small class C motorhome. There is very little set-up involved, and most have amenities like toilets, showers, refrigerators, etc.. I would suggest renting a small one first from a company like Cruise America or El Monte RV to see how you like it. Mark Filice 2004 Homestead Settler 255RS 1999 Starcraft Starflyer I disagree with you Mark, to some extent anyway. We spent 14 days on an odessy from texas to California and back. We stayed at 8 different campgrounds and moved often. Two weeks in a pop-up may be too long for some, but for others, it's just getting started. We traveled about 350 miles per day (seven to eight hours on the road). The put up and take down was a good bending and stretching routine after that long behind the wheel. Our pop-up had a 10" box. We always camped with hook-ups when possible and the microwave came in very handy. On another trip, we went 2000 miles in 10 days. 1000 miles outbound and then back. Set up a few times on that one too. It all depends on your camping style. The key here is knowing when to stop. Our pop-up weighed 2000 lbs when loaded and ready for the road. I don't know about the Sienna, but most autos and some so called SUV's are not good tow vehicles. Just my 2 cents worth Leon in Texas > There are not many trailers out there that can be towed safely with your Sienna. > They are simply too heavy. A 2-week outing is too long in a popup or small > trailer, IMO. Also, the set-up and take down of a popup will wear on you if you > are changing locations every few days on the longer trips. Angela and I did 2 weeks the first time we rented one, stopping at Black Hills, Big Horn Mountains, and the Rockies. We've done 2 week stretches a couple of times since. I asked her about 10 days into that first trip just how long she could stay out in a little 8 foot pop-up - she thought for a minute and then answered, "I wouldn't want to be out in it any longer than just the summer." Obviously, 2 weeks in a pop-up is great for some folks, not for others. Karl & Angela `02 Durango `96 Taos > 2 weeks in a pop-up is great for some folks, not for others. Our "historic" 2-1/2-week tour of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks when the girls were about 8-12-years old, was GREAT! I'd do it again in a heartbeat. In thirteen years with our popup, we did a "one nighter" only a couple or three times. Toward the end of our popup times, I wouldn't even consider a "one nighter". It's just too much work for too little fun. :) JR  Signature2000 Skamper Ultra 249 TT 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD Vortec 8100 - Allison 1000 > > 2 weeks in a pop-up is great for some folks, not for others. > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > three times. Toward the end of our popup times, I wouldn't even consider a > "one nighter". It's just too much work for too little fun. I would have to agree. 2 nights is what I would consider the absolute minimum. 3 nights would be a lot more relaxing. >> 2 weeks in a pop-up is great for some folks, not for others. > > Our "historic" 2-1/2-week tour of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National > Parks > when the girls were about 8-12-years old, was GREAT! I'd do it again in a > heartbeat. We added a couple of days in Lassen and Crater on our way to Yellowstone and Tetons, and then hit Bryce and Zion on the way home - for 3.5 weeks. Our kids were 11 and 14. Wonderful trip - and we only have a Santa Fe. We show up at a campsite, and sort of explode out. We rarely feel cramped. We have had two trips over 3.5 weeks, and serveral 2.5 week trips. We would do longer, but it is hard to get away for long periods of time. My husband is a wage slave, and now the eldest has too many academic obligations. Our days of long trips are over until they leave for college. > In thirteen years with our popup, we did a "one nighter" only a couple or > three times. Toward the end of our popup times, I wouldn't even consider > a > "one nighter". It's just too much work for too little fun. Ditto for us too. I like 3 night trips. Laura >Ditto for us too. I like 3 night trips. > >Laura That was what I was trying to write in my post. I've seen people take popups on long trips with 1-night stays. One particular camper I met was traveling back to Delaware from California. They stayed at the campground we were at for 3 days. But then, they were traveling back to Delaware after a stop in Los Angeles. They said that they were going to stay overnight at least 3 or 4 times during the return trip. After watching him swear at having problems latching down the lid after stuffing the popup full of gear, I figured this family would have been better off with either a motorhome or a travel trailer. Mark Filice 2004 Homestead Settler 255RS 1999 Chevrolet Suburban 2500 > That was what I was trying to write in my post. I've seen people take popups on > long trips with 1-night stays. A few years back, I took my twin sons on a tour of Michigan's UP. I think we stayed in 6 campgrounds. The most we stayed in one campground was two days, and several times it was just one day. All three of us were active on the setting-up/taking-down. We got pretty good at it. Come to think of it, on last year's trip to the UP with one of the boys (the other had a job), I think we had a 3-night stay, a 2-night, and a couple 1-nights. It worked for us, we had a blast. Your mileage may vary. When I was about 8 or 9, my family (6 of us and the dog) spent an entire summer in a 10" Jayco towed by a Pontiac Catalina station wagon. It was a wonderful time, and has remained one of the more memorable summers of my life. We moved out of our house just after Memorial Day and moved into our new one just before Labor Day. At one state park in AR (Devil's Den) we hit the 14 day limit 3 times. We'd stay there for a couple weeks, then drive somewhere for a couple (or few) weeks, and then come back for another 2 weeks. I really wish I'd kept a journal. > > That was what I was trying to write in my post. I've seen people take > popups on [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > It worked for us, we had a blast. Your mileage may vary. > I am looking for a lite-weight trailer, suitable for towing behind a 04 > Sienna. ...snip... Well, we have a minivan (Honda Odyssey) and a popup (Sedona), but our family of 4 has spent as long as three months happily cruising the roads with this setup. YMMV, Frank Dear Bruce: I'm about to put a trailer hitch on my 04 Sienna. We have a small Coleman Taos pop-up tent trailer. I'll let you know how it goes on our summer trip which starts next week. Fred Boer Also from Guelph, Ontario!! > I am looking for a lite-weight trailer, suitable for towing behind a 04 > Sienna. There are 2 of us. We tend to travel light but as we age and [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Bruce > Guelph ON > Dear Bruce: > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Fred Boer I'll look forward to your report! We are about to head for the Magdalen Islands and other parts of the Maritimes for 4-6 weeks. Well be tenting to see if it is still possible! At this time my wife rides with the seat reclined. It was one of the main reasons for going with the Sienna...comfort of ride and reclinability. I think that we do not have any option as far as the tow vehicle goes. We are looking at a 12 foot travel trailer by Taylor Coach in Millgrove for future tripping. Cheers, Bruce > > Dear Bruce: > > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > Cheers, > Bruce Bruce, I'm interested to hear if you've looked at that 12 foot Taylor Coach 'Bobbie' yet? I've been amazed at what it represents as a lightweight rv. We just purchased a Honda CR-V and from what I've read there should be no problem towing this trailer. What I've read is that the maximum towing weight goes up significantly when the trailer has electric brakes. You might even want to consider their 14' model which gives a bit more room plus a usable couch without adding significant weight. I haven't contacted Taylor Coach for more information yet, but I've checked out their website and I've ordered a back issue of Canadian RV Lifestyle magazine that had a review of the 12 foot Bobbie. We will likely keep tenting for a few more years, but I already know that I won't be transitioning to a tent trailer because I know too many people who try these after tenting only to give up on them shortly afterward (read: too much work). I think Taylor Coach would be a great RV to graduate to. Kyle |
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