Traditional Travel Trailer versus Hybrid?

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, 10:41 AM

Just wanted to add that yes they are warm enough and you do have heat. As far as the moisture goes just crack a window and/or fan.

Dropnaduece · 10-01-2016, 11:02 AM

We looked at the Hibryds a little but didn't like the idea of having to have a trailer that looked like a pop up trailer. Just my thoughts but I'm sure there are Pro's & Con's just like everything you purchase in life. This is our first trailer and my family is the same just a little older and because it would be our first trailer we thought small at first. The more shows and places we visited the trailer got bigger and so did our car and in the end after forking out a lot $$$ our decision was the 25BHS WH simply because it's had just about everything that suits my families needs and is big enough to not want something bigger too soon. Also it's small enough to enjoy places that don't have 70' pull thru sites cause we have such a long trailer. Sorry can't give you good feedback on a hybrid but I hope this helps on how to make the decision.

1. How often will it be used?
2. Price point for your budget
3. Family lifestyle for set up inside the TT example: my son was almost 6' at age 14 so we were not going with a small bunk.
4 Your tow vehicle is a huge determining factor and I learned that the hard way. My car was an 07' Tahoe and I believed the salesman that I could pull a dry weight 6,000lb trailer with no problems. Grrr on that.
5. Like you are doing DO your research before buying anything un-like me I bought with my emotions and lost touch with reality. But I got a new truck BUT that wasn't the original plan going into the idea of having a trailer.

What ever you get have fun fun fun! We love our trailer and have only had since May but been out numerous times with already over 1800 miles. Kids are so happy as well.

Hope you find the right one for your family

2500hd · 10-01-2016, 11:15 AM

When looking for our first trailer a few years back a hybrid was never a consideration. I never really liked the idea of anything with soft sides. For instance I would buy a truck camper before a pop up. They just do not appeal to me for a number of reasons.

MissLou · 10-01-2016, 02:09 PM

We have owned a hybrid plus three popups and the hybrid was more trouble to deal with than our popups. After three years with the hybrid we bought our Jayco 22FB and love it. There were condensation issues in the hybrid plus dealing with canvas after a rainy trip. There was no problem keeping it cool or heated, just a matter of convenience for us.

bankr63 · 10-01-2016, 04:31 PM

I'll vote for listening to your friend. We spent 8 years in a pup before graduating to our HTT. Absolutely no regrets. We camp all weather down to freezing, and have had no condensation issues, and keep plenty warm, or cool when it is hot. Canada throws all kinds of weather at us. We had one of the hottest Augusts on record, and camped right through it, not having to turn on the A/C once.

What I like about a hybrid is that in our 20' trailer, we get 20' of living space. In a traditional 20' trailer, you get 7-8' of bedroom, and 12-13' of living space. To get the same living space, I would need something longer than 25', and then I would probably also need a 3/4 ton pickup to haul it properly instead of our very comfortable full size SUV that delivers excellent fuel economy (for the class) when not towing.

Also, in our HTT we have 10 windows, 6 on the bunks that open wide for cool breezes and wide vistas. In the same length classic TT we might have 5 windows, often with only limited air handling capability. I'm sure we would be running the A/C all the time in a classic TT.

Do we see ourselves upgrading? Yes, in another 7-8 years when we are ready for retirement, we plan to buy a moderate sized 5th wheel, and finally get that 3/4 ton pickup. By then we will be half-timing on the road, and will want the place to be more like home, less like camp. But that is a long way off still.

Whatever decision you come to, you'll be building great memories and great times with your family. My kids are both pretty much grown now (both in post-secondary), and have been camping since very young (starting in tents). And they still want to come along every time they can...

John K. · 10-01-2016, 06:29 PM

We have a JayFeather Ultralite x20e with 1 slideout and 2 popouts (one at each end). We like it because:
1. We have room to sleep 8 if needed; kids want to bring a friend? Plenty of room.
2. The popouts offer some privacy/special room if needed.
3. Being at the ends, popouts don't infringe on the living space.
4. Even if no one sleeps in the popouts, the cross-breeze from having them open is fantastic.
5. The trailer is 23 feet from end to end (longer, of course, when the popouts are used), and that's a manageable size whether in the driveway, on the highway, in a parking lot or a campground.

We keep the canvas open slightly at night, or use a fan, to allow for ventilation. We've never had condensation problems. However, if you break camp in the rain, you need to open the popouts asap after reaching your next destination to keep mildew at bay.

Good luck!

Fire_Instructor · 10-01-2016, 07:16 PM

Get a hard- side for you and your bride. Buy an 8' x 8' tent for the boys, and set it up behind the trailer.... the boys will love the "adventure", and you (and your wife) will enjoy the privacy...

Paintinfool3 · 10-01-2016, 07:26 PM

We looked at hybrids when we bought the first tt and ended up with a hard side. I just sort of like not having to worry about tear down or set up during rain and I do believe hard sides are quieter when things outside are noisy

Atlee · 10-01-2016, 09:50 PM

I would not like to deal with wet tent fabric. Folding them up after a rain, or heavy dew, means having to unfold them once you arrive home in order for them to dry out.

I also realize hard sided TT walls aren't very thick and will let in a fair amount of noise, they are head and shoulders better than the thin canvas walls.

Rustysocket · 10-01-2016, 10:00 PM

My thoughts are that if you need to "feel" like tent camping.... get a tent.

Jflyboym · 10-02-2016, 02:30 PM

I know many have commented on this but I will throw in my 2 cents. We went from a Jayco Popup which we LOVED to a travel trailer. There were only 2 things I didn't like about the tents in the pup that steered me away from a hybrid.

1 packing up in the rain. I always had to reopen the camper and make sure the tents were thoroughly dry pretty soon after we got home. I could do it in my garage. That probably is not possible for most people with a hybrid so if it Rams for several days it could be an issue. You have to be diligent about that if you want the tents to stay in good shape. The Popup was an 03 and the tents were still like new when I sold it last year. It is possible to keep them nice it's just extra work.

2 setup and tear down in general. It took time setting the tents up, putting in the braces,ect and the beds had to be fully made up every time sheets and all. With a TT we can have the beds made and ready before even leaving for the trip.

Bassdogs · 10-02-2016, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ebell619

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....

Erica

If you're ready to step up to a hardsided trailer, there is no reason not to go all the way unless your tow vehicle and weigh restrictions are an issue. That said, why go half way? For sure you will stay dry [did that in the popup] and warm [did that in the popup] in a hybrid but at the end of the day you will still be dealing with canvas and packing up wet when it rains. The kids will love the new trailer which will probably get them into bunks. Once you step up to a full hard side you will be glad you did. Pop ups are great and we loved our 10 years with them. Now on our 2 TT and love it.

Jflyboym · 10-02-2016, 03:06 PM

X2 Bassdogs. My kids (7 and 11) love the bunks. I really don't see a lot of hybrids around here. It seems like most go from a Popup to a full hard side TT. I guess because of the tent maintenance aspect of things.

Gone campin · 10-02-2016, 04:48 PM

No way I would pick a hybrid over our 26BH. Perfect for a family (we have a 4yo & 6yo) We love it!

DebKen · 10-02-2016, 05:50 PM

Having gone from a pop-up to a hard sided trailer I would say that I agree with everyone about it being a pain when it rains but my favorite part about not having a pop-up or hybrid is that the beds in a hard sided trailer are always made! When you have to pop out your beds you have to find a place to store your sleeping bags or sheets/blankets and pillows. When setting up you have to drag all that stuff out to make up the beds. We love that as soon as we have leveled the trailer and plugged it in (and hooked up hoses if needed) we are ready to go!

LabMan · 10-02-2016, 07:03 PM

In Yellowstone ( I don't know about other parks) some campgrounds are restricted to hard side only trailers. Might not be an issue, just some information.

Coldfusion · 10-02-2016, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gone campin

No way I would pick a hybrid over our 26BH. Perfect for a family (we have a 4yo & 6yo) We love it!

Same here

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

glsimms · 10-02-2016, 07:52 PM

[QUOTE=bankr63;454217]I'll vote for listening to your friend. We spent 8 years in a pup before graduating to our HTT. Absolutely no regrets. We camp all weather down to freezing, and have had no condensation issues, and keep plenty warm, or cool when it is hot. Canada throws all kinds of weather at us. We had one of the hottest Augusts on record, and camped right through it, not having to turn on the A/C once.

What I like about a hybrid is that in our 20' trailer, we get 20' of living space. In a traditional 20' trailer, you get 7-8' of bedroom, and 12-13' of living space. To get the same living space, I would need something longer than 25', and then I would probably also need a 3/4 ton pickup to haul it properly instead of our very comfortable full size SUV that delivers excellent fuel economy (for the class) when not towing.
QUOTE]

These are very good reason for hybrids over traditional TTs. As far as opening up the bunk ends to let them dry out, it's not a big deal. It literally takes me maybe 5 minutes to open them.....

tdk2765 · 10-02-2016, 08:43 PM

I have a little different take on this. We have a 264BHW and love it, but if there had been or we would have known of hybrids, we might have gotten a TT sooner. We enjoyed tent camping all these years, but thought off and on of getting a pop up. Then the kids started getting older and we worried about having enough room. So if we were about 10-12 years back, we'd definitely be looking into a hybrid.

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