Pros and Cons of Hybrids vs. 24-25 foot Travel Trailers

ebell619 · 10-01-2016, 10:23 AM

Hey Forum!

I have been focused solely on researching the perfect travel trailer for our family of 4 (2 boys - 6 & 8), but have only been focused on Ultralight Travel Trailers (White Hawk, Jay Flight, Forest River Surveyor). I just spoke with a veteran RV camper who has owned it all, and she suggested I consider a hybrid for our first trailer. Her main "point" was that the kids will feel it to be more like tent camping because of the pop outs....

Anyway, I was wondering what your advice and thoughts were. For those of you who have owned Hybrid, do you see yourself wishing for a traditional travel trailer in the near future? Does it feel too "cramped" inside? How about the pop outs---are they warm enough? How about moisture with those that have canvas siding?

Any other considerations?

Thanks!

Erica

richie t · 10-01-2016, 10:34 AM

We had the Jayco X23B. Loved it! We had up to eight people sleeping in it. Tents ends opened made it about 28 ft. long. Only weighed about 4000 lbs. dry. Only suggestion, make the beds with one person inside and the other outside. Even with the slide in you could walk around and access everything. We have upgraded to a fifth wheel now but always enjoyed our hybrid. Good luck!

FeatherFam · 10-01-2016, 11:20 AM

We owned a beautiful high wall PUP and looked long and hard for several years at different HTT units. We finally went with a TT over the HTT. The HTT cannot be beat for floorplan maximization, and they come in a wide array of layouts. Many of them are super nice. However, we determined that we were done with canvas. We were tired of being concerned about putting it up wet, maintaining the mesh (tears easily), losing insulation in weather (hot and cold), and noise and security. These were the main drawbacks that we decided to move on from with our PUP. An HTT would not alleviate these problem areas for us. So we went for a TT with a Murphy bed floorplan. It is not quite as open as an HTT, but it is a very nice compromise. Jayco has bunk house Murphy models and a hard sided slide out bed model or two.

That's just our take on it. We dealt with canvas a lot, and we were ready to move on from it. While an HTT does minimize the canvas impact, it still has canvas and the limitations that come with canvas. The biggest advantage of an HTT for us was the floorplan. With our Jay Feather 23RBM, we got a neat couple's camper with a ton of space and just enough versatility. See what you think about the Jayco bunk houses and Murphy models with bunks.

RedHorse1 · 10-01-2016, 03:01 PM

Our story is similar to Richie's. we bought the 23B to see how we liked trailering and upgrade if we wanted in deeper. We found it to be an excellent trade-off between towed length and sleeping space. Since the bunks fold up they don't occupy any of the interior living space.
We enjoyed the tent feel and had no issues with condensation. We spent a few nights in it where the temp dropped to the high 20's and were comfortable, blanket+down comforter and the elec space heater (saving propane) as the primary heat source.
We traded to a 39' 5er but still fondly remember and talk about the HTT.

**norty1** · 10-01-2016, 03:28 PM

We never considered one mainly because I had canvas popups in another life and wanted a "roof" over my head.

Nothing wrong with them but if you camp a lot, IMO a hard roof is more desirable.

Force · 10-01-2016, 03:38 PM

Our first camper was a hybrid, and we really liked it the first 2 years.

After the 3rd year I couldn't wait to get rid of it.

Therefore my advice is to do yourself a favor and go directly to a travel trailer.

It was my experience that hybrids take more time to set up and break down, and required carrying a 4' ladder with us to assist in that process. They can't be put away wet, nor are they as warm as claimed (and I had pop-up gizmo's). DW and I hated having to climb over each other to get in/out of bed, the kids sleeping together wore off fast. I could go on...

Just one man's opinion of course.

North of 49° · 10-01-2016, 06:31 PM

The old saying is "buy your third trailer first", and that's what happened to us. We had a pop-up for five years and by the time we got rid of it, we couldn't wait to sign over the papers. We traded it in for a 19ft hybrid, which was great and we kept that for 9 years. But the hassle -- and for us, it was a hassle -- of setting up the bunk ends every time, being at the mercy of the weather both early and late in the camping season, dealing with the condensation and the possibility of mold and mildew if the tenting was wet, campground noises, setting up and tearing down in bad weather, etc etc, forced our hand into trading it in for our current Jayco. Now our setup time is literally half of what it was with the hybrid.

All of the stuff you either love or hate in a pop-up or travel trailer will also be in a hybrid; it is literally the best and worst of both worlds. Now that we've completed our second camping season with a TT, there's no way we'd ever go back.

Fire_Instructor · 10-01-2016, 07:13 PM

We had a "hybrid", and LOVED it..... for about two seasons... once we figured out that we needed to dry-out the fold-outs from rain or dampness; once we figured out that the "after-trip" work was as difficult as it was with a PUP, we looked for a hard side floor plan that we liked.....

gocarp · 10-01-2016, 09:14 PM

When we were in the market for our first travel trailer, we were set on a hybrid. Then, after doing lots of looking, it seemed that any used HTT we went in to had a canvas issues. We then realized it was one more thing we didn't want to deal with.
However, if you need to keep weight down, pack a lot into a little package, and have the motivation to take some extra care of the canvas, I think they are great.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

glsimms · 10-02-2016, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedHorse1

Our story is similar to Richie's. we bought the 23B to see how we liked trailering and upgrade if we wanted in deeper. We found it to be an excellent trade-off between towed length and sleeping space. Since the bunks fold up they don't occupy any of the interior living space.
We enjoyed the tent feel and had no issues with condensation. We spent a few nights in it where the temp dropped to the high 20's and were comfortable, blanket+down comforter and the elec space heater (saving propane) as the primary heat source.
We traded to a 39' 5er but still fondly remember and talk about the HTT.

I'll chime in as we are completing our 4th season with our 2013 X23B.

Reds' comments are pretty much how I feel about our hybrid. We like the fact the beds are out of the living area. As far as noise and canvas goes, we like it. And with the A/C running it provides enough "white noise" you don't notice the crickets chirping. And where we camp, quiet hour is usually around 11:00 p.m., so that isn't an issue either. We really like the floor plan and it works for us.

jsims · 10-02-2016, 12:58 PM

My own personal opinion, it's going to come down to how much you liked tent camping. I absolutely love our hybrid. You still get all the wonderful sounds of the wilderness as if you were in a tent, but with the luxuries of a full travel trailer. When you unzip all the windows it's pretty amazing to spend time in the trailer.

Now with as much as we enjoy our little x17z, once our kids move out here in a couple of years, the wife and myself will probably move into a standard trailer, something small like the hummingbird which was not available when we purchased our trailer. Also, had I known about hybrids not being allowed in some state parks due to bears, I probably would have looked at a few more standard trailers. But, I don't have any regrets purchasing our hybrid.

Isaacs · 10-02-2016, 02:54 PM

Most of our camping is dry camping in the summer and we love our hybrid. Without a/c the hard side trailers can get pretty hot at night but having screens on three sides of you in a hybrid makes a big difference.

We've done some fall camping but only with electricity. Our little portable electric heater purrs away all night long; if it gets really cold there's always the propane furnace. Electric mattress pads make a BIG difference because there's not much on the bottom between you and the elements.

If you pack it up wet all you have to do is open up the ends for a while--no need to set everything up.

SteveMM · 10-03-2016, 08:37 AM

We just bought our first trailer of any kind, so maybe my opinion will change, but I really like our hybrid. We shopped for small travel trailers, and they felt claustrophobic and dark to us. We didn't want anything big to pull around, and our x17z was the perfect size. To get a travel trailer the same size, we would have sacrificed room inside (because the hybrid beds are outside) and sleeping capacity. We can easily sleep five in our hybrid, without being cramped at all. Six is possible, if one of the people is really small and can fit on the fold-out couch. In the smaller travel trailers we looked at, four was really the max. Also, with the bunk ends out and all of the windows open/unzipped, the hybrid has a very open feel to it.

mike837go · 10-03-2016, 08:48 AM

We had been tent camping for years. Once I decided that I needed hot & cold running water, a flush toilet and a shower... Fabric walls were NOT going to be part of the equation. Totally personal matter. I didn't want the extra chore of having to deal with wet/damp fabric walls after an outing any more.

Having chosen the glamping path, no regrets. Including having to haul a large & heavy box up and down the hills.

dhinkle57 · 10-03-2016, 02:29 PM

I keep reading all the pros and cons about popups or hybrids. We like to camp, we don't RV. After leveling, I work on the outside(cords and hoses) while my wife does the inside stuff(putting the support in and putting a fitted sheet and blanket on.) We don't need hospital corners and fancy comforters and pillows on the bed. If we get a little cool so be it, we camp to get out of town and enjoy the outdoors. If this isn't for you then get an RV so you can be just like home. Each to his own, that's why they make so many different kinds.

nwminnesota · 10-04-2016, 06:41 AM

I have a x23b and like it a lot. As far as setup doesn't take to long to flip the ends down or up. About 5 mins or so. I don't need a ladder to do it and I am only 5'6". We just leave the sheets on the beds for faster setup. I have closed it up in the rain. Just had to open it up when got home to dry out. I have also setup in the rain which is no biggie just walk in the door of the camper make favorite drink and grab a rain coat and good to go. The tent ends for us provide a little more camping and tenting feel. However yes you can here noises outside easily which is good and bad depending if it is a loon or a person in the next campsite. If the noise is unpleasant I just turn on the bunk fans for some white noise. It is nice towing a shorter lighter unit as well. With that all being said I do always have one eye open for a 5th wheel but just not sure if I want to spend the extra $$ and lose out on some of the tenting feel....

BigGrover · 10-05-2016, 08:00 AM

Definitely gonna make the shift from a hybrid to a TT soon. Have had our 16 xlr for a year now. Condensation in the bunk ends is a battle and problem any time the outside temp drops to where you are not running the AC, even with pup gizmos. The set up and take down is not a problem for us, much quicker than with our old pop up but a little longer than with our A frame Flagstaff was. Manly becasue we now have to hook up to sewer. Looking at the Riverside Whitewater 19 footer.

geezerbob · 10-05-2016, 05:57 PM

My wife and I just finished a 2 month camping trip and never opened the ends.
This weekend our son and his family are going camping in it and there are 7 of them.
Someday though we will have a hard sided tt for primarily just my wife and I.
Bob

Dagwood · 10-06-2016, 10:59 AM

My family loves the 2013 X20E Hybrid we have. Most of the points mentioned are great. I really think it comes down to the type of experience you want. If you want quiet, go hard shell. If you want to enjoy the feel of camping under canvass and all the sounds that come with that, they you want a HTT.

navymommy · 10-08-2016, 09:22 AM

We tent camped for 15 years, moved to 2 different Coleman tent trailers for 20 years, loved them. Hubby wanted something newer, hard sided. I loved the tent trailer. I wanted the sounds and fresh air of camping. We discovered hybrids, bought the X23F last November. Love it. I can set up all 3 queen beds easily, but sometimes use a 6 inch foldable stool. We visit our kids and grandkids in SoCal for 5 weeks in spring, and Denver in fall. Hubby wanted the big one so we can fit in the grandkids, and I'm so glad now. Lots of floor space on a rainy day, easy set up and tear down, lots of storage. We've always carried a box of earplugs, learned from our tent trailer days. We cook and wash dishes outside, and use the bathroom sparingly - like when they closed all the campground bathrooms for renovation during spring break. (???) If I have to spend my camping time cleaning kitchens and bathrooms, I'll stay home.

Again, it's totally preference, but I would buy a hybrid again. Maybe sooner!

You may also like: