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Old 02-08-2015, 07:46 AM   #1
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Why did you choose a Hybrid?

I have an X17Z on order and expect delivery in mid March. Of course during the wait and anticipation, I find myself going back and forth on my decision to go with a Hybrid as opposed to a standard TT. There are pros and cons, however I still feel I made the right decision.

Just curious why others chose a Hybrid and whether you wrestled with your decision. Would that still be your choice?

Its a big purchase for me so naturally I tend to over analyze the decision.
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Old 02-08-2015, 08:31 AM   #2
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I chose the hybrid because I wanted a trailer that had a nice living space and could still be towed by a 1/2 ton truck. The Hybrid that I purchased was a Jayco 23j. It has alot of storage, which we like as well as the two beds, the couch that converts to a bed and the talbe that also converts to a bed. These trailers are great, we upgraded from a pop up and looked at alot of different trailers before buying this one. We wanted the two beds like our pop up and wanted plenty of storage as well. The other thing that I like about them is you can still hear the birds chirp in the early morning while laying in bed. You will never find all of the amenities that you have with these in a trailer that can still be pulled easily by a 1/2 ton.
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Old 02-08-2015, 08:44 AM   #3
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We chose a hybrid based on its weight and ability to sleep our family of five in a compact package. Hearing the birds and wind through the trees is a bonus you won't get in a full on hard sided camper. We call it the Swiss army knife of campers. It does just about anything we ask it to and it folds up on both ends. We have a jayco 16xrb and love it. I am sure you will love the X 17 as well. Congrats and good luck!
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Old 02-08-2015, 09:56 AM   #4
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I bought an x23b originally wanted the x20e but found a great deal on a slightly used x23b. I bought a htt because I did want a light weight trailer for the tow ability also I like the fact it is not super long while towing. It nice not to have to make beds every night or pick them up in the morning. (The beds don't take away from the living space). They cool off really nice at night as well so you don't need to run the a/c very much. Like the fact you can open up the whole tent ends to let natural light in and fresh air. You'll love it.
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Old 02-08-2015, 02:21 PM   #5
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We wanted to go as light and lean as possible yet still have sufficient room. An added bonus is the fact that I sleep better in in the 17Z than our previous units.

Another factor is the day we were looking we checked out various units up to 28'. Standing on the dealer's lot, on a hot day the thought of washing and waxing up to 28" wasn't very appealing!
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Old 02-08-2015, 09:41 PM   #6
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For us, it was several reasons. Once upon a time, we had a 30 ft TT with a slide (7800#) and a V10 F250. While we loved the room, it was a lot to move, park, set up, etc. I found that I was spending most of my time packing, loading, unloading, setting up etc. Camping started to lose it's fun. We had to move because of my work and sold the TT. Went without for 3 or 4 years but the fever hit again after I had downsized to a Nissan Frontier. Had to get something that the Frontier could tow...found a used X17C. Much easier to tow, park, etc. Don't have to worry about getting into a parking lot that I can't get out of! We are taking more of a minimalist approach this time...not loading up with all of the bells, whistles and frills that we had with the 30 footer. We enjoy the open feel of the HTT...unzip the tent ends and we have a (almost) 360 view of the campground. The AC will cool the unit in a matter of minutes. We spend most of our time outside anyway, so the smaller interior is just right for use.






No regrets for us!!!
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Old 02-09-2015, 12:33 AM   #7
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Our reasoning pretty much echoes what others have said. Towability by a half ton, lightweight and compact, but opens up to a sizable interior.

We have an X17z, and two years in we are still extremely happy with the decision, though if we had it to do again, we probably would have bought the X23 just for a couple of features, like dual sinks, better storage and a higher cargo carrying capacity. We have camped in all kinds of weather conditions with it, and it does everything we want it to do under all conditions. We absolutely love it, and will go the hybrid route again when we have worn out ourZ.
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Old 02-09-2015, 01:58 AM   #8
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Lightweight, so easier on our TV. We like the bunks because they remind us of tent camping. This weekend, we boondocked in Joshua Tree Nat'l park. At daybreak, and half asleep - I unzipped the tent end a little and was treated to a beautiful and colorful sunrise and an instantly cool breeze. Can't get that when from an interior bedroom.

Also important to us is that the Big Guy (at 6'4") fits comfortably in the bunk ends and not so on most interior beds. We love our x20e and hope you are equally pleased with your hybrid.
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Old 02-09-2015, 06:21 AM   #9
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Thanks for your comments folks.
Reinforces everything I thought and my decision to go with the hybrid.
Can't wait for spring.
Happy Camping all.
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Old 02-09-2015, 09:59 AM   #10
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Pro: the bunks - 2 queen size beds in a lightweight 18 ft camper.
Con: the bunks - No barrier to outside noises (voices, dogs, trains, cars, etc). We almost always use the A/C fan or a small portable fan to drown out the noise so kids can sleep.
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Old 02-09-2015, 02:34 PM   #11
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Our '13 X20E is our second hybrid. Our first was an '03 Kiwi 17a (the ancestor to your 17Z) that we bought new and owned for 10 years. So, yes, we love our hybrids.

We got a pop-up because we loved tenting but wanted to get off the ground and wanted some conveniences. We bought a hybrid because wanted yet more conveniences, like a travel trailer but still wanted the tenting "feel". We'd never go back to a tent or pop-up. And we are not even thinking about anything else either. We'll have our X20E for 10+ years.

If you find that there's too much noise, you might be camping in the wrong places, or maybe a hybrid isn't for you.
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Old 02-09-2015, 04:42 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by go wild View Post
Pro: the bunks - 2 queen size beds in a lightweight 18 ft camper.
Con: the bunks - No barrier to outside noises (voices, dogs, trains, cars, etc). We almost always use the A/C fan or a small portable fan to drown out the noise so kids can sleep.
Finally! The upside to working more than full time . . . we can fall asleep in the middle of a stampede. There is almost nothing that can wake us unless we want to be awakened . . . which explains the Big Guy's "mother's ears" for hearing when Homer the Beagle wants to go outside.

Beware - that noise thing works both ways. The outside world can hear everything you say or do. Sometimes, we play music for the dog as he can be distracted by the sounds of people walking past.

Either way, this is a great size unit with all sorts of goodies going for it. We are very happy with our decision and hope you feel likewise.
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Old 02-09-2015, 05:50 PM   #13
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We looked for over a year to find just the right Hybrid that got us off the ground after about 40+ years and when we walked inside we herd the angles sing. No 2nd thoughts about this one and now just let it rain and it's OK.
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Old 02-09-2015, 05:55 PM   #14
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Like many others here, we bought our HTT because we could pull it with our Buick Enclave SUV. We were somewhat limited to about 3800# so we bought a new 2014 19H. We, however, did it on too much of whim! We have found that the bunk ends, while very comfortable, make the outside noise a problem for sleeping since we prefer to be in what turns out to be crowded RV "Resorts" with full hookups. Sure, we could go boondocking (my wife hates it!!! but we have done it twice and some noise was still there with a RV Club) and do it in the wild and obviate the noise thing; but that just is not really in the cards for my wife. If, and when, we do it again, we are beginning to consider a used Class C. Don't get me wrong, our unit is very comfortable, fully loaded and terrific when hooked up to electric and water. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to get more "out there" and not be the fussy ones that we are. Oh, yes, I would not buy a new one again either. You lose 15-20% of the value when you drive it off the lost. We just got impulsive!
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Old 02-09-2015, 10:10 PM   #15
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All of you should go to "Pinterest" and type in "hybrid travel trailer "and enjoy all it has to offer.
That is all,
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Old 02-11-2015, 07:15 PM   #16
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We bought a hybrid because we want the ability to have something with space but that was still light weight enough to pull with our Trailblazer. We had also had a pop up for a few years so the move to a hybrid seemed natural to us. The Jayco 20E fit the bill and worked great for us. We have since become seasonal campers and no longer have our hybrid.
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Old 02-13-2015, 12:14 PM   #17
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We love our hybrid Jayco Swift 165RB. It is perfect for my partner and myself. Tows great behind my Toy FJ, plenty of storage and the popout bed makes it feel like we are still out in nature when we are sleeping. We were on our way to sign the papers for a new RPod when we stopped by one last dealer to see a new listing they just posted. Fell in love with the TT and bought on the spot at half the cost of the RPod. Very, very happy and ready for some great Spring camping very soon.
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Old 02-13-2015, 12:55 PM   #18
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DW and I love camping. As time goes by we found camping on the ground was getting harder each season. Once we had kids, we continued ground camping but found our Full Size Mini-Van was packed to the rafters. I would spend hours setting up and tearing down only to move sites every 2 - 3 days as we traveled around the country for our summer vacations. Then, the VAN died so we traded in for a Kia Rondo thinking we could manage. LOL...this pic speaks for itself but we made do. There was four of us in addition to all our gear. The Site is at the Ovens Natural Park in Nova Scotia. We were looking out over the Atlantic.


And out of that packed car came this:


That's when we figured enough was enough so we purchased our first Jayco PUP. We got two seasons out of it but found it wasn't enough. The setup/teardown was still a fair bit of work for us. That's when we went Hybrid. We still have the "Outside" feeling while having a lot of the Amenities of home and we no longer have to pack so much stuff. We love it and once the kids are gone, we may hang onto it, or trade it in for something a little more suited for two people...but I suspect we'll keep at least one end Hybrid style.

Having a Hybrid also allows us to squeeze into tighter spots as well. Some Back-in sites at CG's can be tight trying to maneuver into spots..once in it's lovely to open up and gain an extra 10 Ft of space.
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Old 02-13-2015, 02:38 PM   #19
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Picked up a used 23B last October...it's our first camper. Previously, we stuck to tents.

Initially looking at PUPs, but the price difference between PUP and HTT was surprisingly small. We liked the towability and space of the HTT. I was leaning toward the 17/19...but the wife liked the size of the fridge in the 23.
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Old 02-13-2015, 04:32 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tunce the traveler View Post
All of you should go to "Pinterest" and type in "hybrid travel trailer "and enjoy all it has to offer.
That is all,
Tunce
Oh, I love this buddy sooo much!
Would Buddy like a little friend? Homer (the Beagle from Hell) is available as a "loaner". BTW, Buddy is very handsome . . .
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