Going from a TT to a Hybrid - anyone

cbaka27 · 02-19-2016, 03:22 PM

OK so I looked but could not find this answer. I have owned my TT 28BHS for 4 years and we love it. When I purchased my TT new my TV as an F150 but I upgraded to a F350. For several reasons I am back to an F150 and I am considering trading in my TT for a Hybrid. Will I regret making this move? Has anyone else done this?

oldmanAZ · 02-19-2016, 04:39 PM

Moving from a TT to a Hybrid is not the 'usual' RV progression. You may not find many (any?) others with experience doing that.

But have you asked yourself, "What were the reasons for moving to a TT from a Hybrid? Do those reasons no longer apply?"

rabalin · 02-19-2016, 05:18 PM

we did it. from a 32 ft to a X17C. it is just the DW and a couple dogs. This is big enough if we need to Turtle once in a while. Much cheaper to pull, and more comfortable with less weight behind us. We may upsize in a couple years to a X23B.

penguin149 · 02-19-2016, 06:37 PM

We did something similar to what rabalin did. Had a 30ft that I towed with a F250 V10. Had to move for work and sold the TT and truck. Ended up with a Nissan Frontier a few years later and got the TT fever again. Bought a used X17C. Towed OK with the Frontier but traded for a Nissan Titan 4WD. We have really enjoyed the HTT. Easier to move, park, get in/out of parking lots, etc. It's me, the wife and a 9 yo daughter. Mainly weekend trips. We spend most of our time outside anyway. The most serious drawback for us is trying to put up the tent ends when they're wet. And the very low CC of the X17C.

cbaka27 · 02-19-2016, 09:19 PM

I would be going from a 28 BHS (Basically 30 feet) to something like the X23B or F. Now that I am back in an F150 5.4 I just dont like to tow the larger TT.

Jagiven · 02-19-2016, 10:10 PM

I just posted this to a simular post with no other replies.

Ultimately you have to make the decision. We have the 23b and I think it's a great htt, it has lots of storage and space. You do have to crawl in and out of the bunks. For us the 17z would have been a bad choice, small, little storage and not much open space.

From a noise perapective, the tent ends typically is no big issue. We have stayed a few private CG with a lot of diesel pushers who got up early and idle their engines, that was annoying each morning.

Heady · 02-19-2016, 11:40 PM

In my opinion.....hybrids are nice, they give you a lot of space in a small foot print and you sleeping under canvas, however there are downsides. Packing up the bunk ends wet, heat/cold loss thru canvas, having to make the bed upon arrival, little bit more setup/breakdown time. We are moving from a HTT this year to a TT to avoid some of the reasons I listed.

Tunce the traveler · 02-20-2016, 12:05 AM

I have no experience with a regular TT but I would like to tell you why I really enjoy mine. I bought used because this floor plan works out best for us. Total is only 22' long, we can still use the bathroom with the slideout in and still sleep on the sofa and the dinette if need be. If you arrive late or its raining hard and you can't put out the bunk ends you extend the slideout and the bunk end mattress will fit on the floor with room to spare. I use the pantry for the rear bunk closet because kitchen storage is more than enough. With the large 3'x11-1/2' slide you never feel closed in and the large dog"Tunce" has all the room she needs and we don't trip over her.

Tunce the traveler · 02-20-2016, 12:10 AM

I found an interior pic of my TT so you can see all the room it has for a Hybrid. I built a set of stairs so Tunce wouldn't have to jump into bed or jump down and their great for the grandkids as well, if you need an extra seat they come in handy.

Fire_Instructor · 02-20-2016, 08:50 AM

Besides overall space, the only issue that we ever had with our hybrid was making sure that canvas wasvcompletely dry. Twice, we had to break camp in a rainstorm, and it took days to dry everything out after we got home.

secal48 · 02-20-2016, 06:53 PM

We have the 17z and have found it to be fine. When the kids were younger and traveling with us we had a pup for 19 years (jayco eagle 12) and now that it's just the DW and I going with our 2 Shetland Sheepdogs we have more storage than in the pup before, and the back bed is great when the grandkids get to come along for the weekend. Closing up wet is no worse now than before and having a bathroom is awesome. A slide out would be nice, but it's also nice to be light enough to tow with our jeep. Good luck.

DocBrown · 02-22-2016, 09:29 AM

I can't tell you what's it's like to from TT to hybrid, but I can make a couple of comments. We've tented, had a pop-up for 11 years, and 2 hybrids over the past 13 years.

Bunk ends and packing up wet. The outside surface of the tenting is vinyl. If they are wet and it's not raining I take a towel and get the excess water off. I open them when I get home and they are usually dry by then, or will dry off in a short time. When packing in the rain, not much choice but to fold them up. They have never taken days to dry. Usually a couple of hours at most. Packing up wet is far easier than doing so with a pop-up or tent. But if you aren't used to any kind of canvas, this could be a deal breaker.

Noise. If you are/were a tenter then this is no big deal. It also depends on where you camp. I've been to CGs that were essentially "party parks" where people we making noise 'till the wee hours. Most state parks don't put up with that, and many privates do not either. Usually by 10 pm all you really hear are normal night noises which I enjoy hearing. Again if you aren't used to this, you may not like it at all.

Heating/Cooling. We've camped in the tent and pop-up in as low as 30. The hybrid is pure luxury and heats and cools the bunk ends just fine. But it is not as good as a hard sided trailer.

Making beds. I never quite understood the concept of "making beds" on a 4" foam mattress. Why do people make their lives so hard? To us it's no different then tenting or using the beds in a pop-up. We lay out an unzipped sleeping bag on top the mattress, then throw the pillows and blankets on top. 2-3 minutes to "make" the bed.

Setup/breakdown time. Our old '03 hybrid had rods that held up the bed, like our pop-up had. A bit of a pain really. Now it's just cables. Easy peasy. Drop the bed wall, put in the shepherd's pole. All of 5 minutes, maybe.

When all is said and done hybrids aren't for everyone. You really have to like the "outdoor" feel of the tent ends and the extra few minutes of setup/take down time involved. And the fact that you can hear almost everything outside, and they can potentially hear you. If this isn't what you are used to, you may want to reconsider.

secal48 · 02-22-2016, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DocBrown

I can't tell you what's it's like to from TT to hybrid, but I can make a couple of comments. We've tented, had a pop-up for 11 years, and 2 hybrids over the past 13 years.

Bunk ends and packing up wet. The outside surface of the tenting is vinyl. If they are wet and it's not raining I take a towel and get the excess water off. I open them when I get home and they are usually dry by then, or will dry off in a short time. When packing in the rain, not much choice but to fold them up. They have never taken days to dry. Usually a couple of hours at most. Packing up wet is far easier than doing so with a pop-up or tent. But if you aren't used to any kind of canvas, this could be a deal breaker.

Noise. If you are/were a tenter then this is no big deal. It also depends on where you camp. I've been to CGs that were essentially "party parks" where people we making noise 'till the wee hours. Most state parks don't put up with that, and many privates do not either. Usually by 10 pm all you really hear are normal night noises which I enjoy hearing. Again if you aren't used to this, you may not like it at all.

Heating/Cooling. We've camped in the tent and pop-up in as low as 30. The hybrid is pure luxury and heats and cools the bunk ends just fine. But it is not as good as a hard sided trailer.

Making beds. I never quite understood the concept of "making beds" on a 4" foam mattress. Why do people make their lives so hard? To us it's no different then tenting or using the beds in a pop-up. We lay out an unzipped sleeping bag on top the mattress, then throw the pillows and blankets on top. 2-3 minutes to "make" the bed.

Setup/breakdown time. Our old '03 hybrid had rods that held up the bed, like our pop-up had. A bit of a pain really. Now it's just cables. Easy peasy. Drop the bed wall, put in the shepherd's pole. All of 5 minutes, maybe.

When all is said and done hybrids aren't for everyone. You really have to like the "outdoor" feel of the tent ends and the extra few minutes of setup/take down time involved. And the fact that you can hear almost everything outside, and they can potentially hear you. If this isn't what you are used to, you may want to reconsider.

X2

stryker75 · 02-28-2016, 10:01 PM

We actually sold our F350 crew cab and 2012 Jayco 28BHS last September. Decided to downsize and explore some campgrounds better suited for small trailers. We recently bought a 2015 X17Z and tow it with a 2007 Acura MDX. We haven't taken it out yet, so I can't report on the upsides or downsides of our decision to downsize but have a spring break trip planned in April. I can update this thread at that time. We spend lots of time outside of the trailer when we are camping, so space wasn't a big concern. Our kids are 15 and 12. We are former pop up trailer owners too, so the canvas isn't a big deal for us. Just need to remember ear plugs for the morning diesel trucks and crows!

Tunce the traveler · 02-28-2016, 10:35 PM

[QUOTE=stryker75;381628]Just need to remember ear plugs for the morning diesel trucks.

x2 and an oxygen mask for everyone around. From what I understand there's no need to run them for for 10-15 minutes. Dealers say it's old school and I'm on my 3rd diesel and I've never done that.

Canacct · 03-01-2016, 06:34 PM

We have a diesel TV and 40' quad slide 5er. We loved it, but its not camping. Luxury for 2 and not much room for guests. As soon as we sell it, we are going back to a hybrid. With the tent ends you still get the camping feel but have a few amenities as well. Probably will get another 23B. Load it up with grandkids and make a few memories. :-)
Me, I'm feeling like some camping, but I don't want an air mattress in a tent on the ground with the cold walk to the bathroom at 2AM. PUP's are too much work and everything needs to come out when you take it down. Hybrids tow easy, setup is easy, have some storage room and taking down in the rain is really no big deal.At worst you may want to pop the ends open to dry out when you get home.
Like several of the previous posts, it's very much a personal choice, depends where you camp and what you like. You couldn't pay some people to camp in a hybrid.
Happy trails whatever you decide. :-)

Fivepak · 03-01-2016, 09:16 PM

OP what size HTT are you looking at? Do you not find for F150 tows your 28BHS well? We upgraded from a X23B to a 29bhs and have absolutely no regrets. The hybrid was OK but not a lot of storage, camping in early spring and late fall was always uncomfortable because of colder climate. We'd also do 2-3 week stints in the summer and when we'd get prolonged periods of rain (ie 2-3 days) the insides of the canvas would start to get damp and uncomfortable.

jjsgonefishing · 03-02-2016, 07:35 AM

We have a 23B and love it! The only two drawback for us is that you do hear a lot of noise but everything else about this camper has been positive.

If we think it is going to rain we simply don't use the beds, we can always make up a bed in the dinette area or pop out the J-couch.

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