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[Gypsytraveler]

Hi all narrowed it down to a Jayco now whats everyones opinion on which model to for a family of 4- 2 adults and two kids 4 and 6 and dog something that we can grow in and not remortgage our house

[Vasquez Kid]

Hi and welcome,

This will be tough as this can be subjective. What is not subjective is how much you can safely tow. What will your tow vehicle (TV) be? Do you know it's 'numbers' on towing capabilities?

We have a family of four as well as a large dog. My signature below describes our rig. We like both our TV as well as our TT. It works out well but we really don't do the type of camping where a TT this size is a problem.

Which reminds me, what type of camping will you typically be doing? RV park with full hook-ups or out in the middle of nowhere boondocking? Something in between?

You'll get a lot of opinions once you provide some additional detail...

Good luck on the hunt!

[RogerR]

Some other factors include will you be dry camping? Need more water/sewer capacity if you will be parked a while.

Several smaller bunk house models but again, you if you can't pull it then you will have to trade up or settle for smaller.

What is your budget, you might need to go used.

Tell us more about yourselves and what you want to do with the RV.

Also, have you considered going with a popup? Lots of sleeping capacity, easy to tow and relatively low cost.

[DocBrown]

Have you ever camped before? If so, what kind of camping, tent, pop-up, travel trailer?

[nathan3306]

If you have a starcraft dealership around you, I'd encourage you to check them out. I bought my Jayco and a week later my neighbor got his starcraft. The starcraft has way more options for the same or lesser price than the Jayco plus it is built darn near the same exact way the Jayco is. Other than a couple of brackets and plywood under the beds, I cannot tell the difference. If I had to buy again, I would have sought out a starcraft before making my final purchase decision.


They have a family of four with a stepson that goes every now and then. They purchased the 20MB and it has turned out to be a really nice unit. Black tank flush, medicine cabinet, pass through storage LIGHTING, detachable 30amp plug, heated enclosed underbelly, 30lb propane tanks with a cover power tongue jack, etc... The only thing I have over his is black pleated shades, 2 year warranty. and the plywood....I was actually pretty ticked off after seeing theirs compared to my SLX 264BH.


Don't get me wrong, we are really enjoying our Jayco but I wished I had found the direct competitor starcraft 26BH. Would've 100% gone with the Starcraft

[Siamese]

Unanswerable.

Me, I'd go with a 26BH. Somebody else would go with a giant 5th wheeler. Plenty of people are happy with a popup.

Depends a lot on how you're going to use it, too. Tow all over the country, or use it up at the lake most of the time.

We chose our 26BH with the hindsight of knowing how well we do in our 28 foot sailboat, and having had a 27 foot trailer some years ago.

We reached our decision by checking out floorpans online and at the dealers.

It's a decision only you can make.

Just don't go too big, and don't go too small

[nathan3306]

Meant to add we are a family of five 2 adults and three kids, 10/6/4 plus a 40 pound squirrel hunting machine of a dog... He's a pain once he knows they are at the campsite... Towing with a 04 F-150 5.4 3V 4x4 supercrew lariat. I'm a wee bit overloaded for my truck so make sure you've got the vehicle to do this with.
I would consider the 264BH and my favorite was the 224BH. The 224 Had a large shower, outside kitchen, and actual room to sit down on the toilet. Remember, you'll probably end up hanging towels in the bathroom and those things eat up should space like crazy.

[Learner]

Originally Posted by nathan3306

Meant to add we are a family of five 2 adults and three kids, 10/6/4 plus a 40 pound squirrel hunting machine of a dog... He's a pain once he knows they are at the campsite... Towing with a 04 F-150 5.4 3V 4x4 supercrew lariat. I'm a wee bit overloaded for my truck so make sure you've got the vehicle to do this with.
I would consider the 264BH and my favorite was the 224BH. The 224 Had a large shower, outside kitchen, and actual room to sit down on the toilet. Remember, you'll probably end up hanging towels in the bathroom and those things eat up should space like crazy.

We just got a 224bh.

We had considered the 264bh, but did not like the fact that it was missing the pantry closet which is on the 224bh. So effectively the kitchen on the 264bh has less storage space.

Also, the sink on the 264bh is outside the bathroom, making it less convenient to wash your hands after answering the call of nature, as well as making the bathroom noticeably smaller.

And of course to 264bh is 3 foot longer, making maneuvering in small campgrounds more difficult.

The only things I miss which the 264bh has, are the higher cargo carrying capacity, and the sofa.

Best wishes,

[Learner]

I should add that if I were to design my own layout for a Jayco trailer, it would be the 224bh but with a higher cargo carrying capacity, and with the awning covering the external camp kitchen.

Jayco made the awning on the 224bh only 13 foot long, so it does not cover the external camp kitchen which stays out in the open during use.

[DonaandDon]

Under the safely towing..... Bigger is better.

[Midnightmoon]

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your search.

We are currently in a 22BHM and LOVE It as compared to our previous larger units. We went opposite of most Rvr's and downsized as we gained more camping experience.

For our family of 4 the 22-26 range is optimum. Your needs may very. But in our experience, the smaller trailer gets used much more than the large ones ever did. It's just so much easier to hook up and go.

Again, best of luck in your search.

[RAurand]

We had the 26BH and for a family of 5 it was a little tight as the kids grew. Went to the 28BHBE and LOVE IT!

[nathan3306]

Originally Posted by Learner

We just got a 224bh.

We had considered the 264bh, but did not like the fact that it was missing the pantry closet which is on the 224bh. So effectively the kitchen on the 264bh has less storage space.

Also, the sink on the 264bh is outside the bathroom, making it less convenient to wash your hands after answering the call of nature, as well as making the bathroom noticeably smaller.

And of course to 264bh is 3 foot longer, making maneuvering in small campgrounds more difficult.

The only things I miss which the 264bh has, are the higher cargo carrying capacity, and the sofa.

Best wishes,

The 224BH was my choice for the exact reasons you stated but the wife wanted the sofa and larger awning.... really wished I had gone with the 224 instead of the 264 but we are happy with it and the sofa is nice. The bathroom is very tight in the 264 especially since adding room to hang towels. My next trailer will not suffer when it comes to this department again.


The cargo carrying capacity was darn near the same for both models when we were looking? My trailer weighs 4755lbs w/1245lbs of cargo carrying capacity.

[Learner]

Originally Posted by nathan3306

The 224BH was my choice for the exact reasons you stated but the wife wanted the sofa and larger awning.... really wished I had gone with the 224 instead of the 264 but we are happy with it and the sofa is nice. The bathroom is very tight in the 264 especially since adding room to hang towels. My next trailer will not suffer when it comes to this department again.

The cargo carrying capacity was darn near the same for both models when we were looking? My trailer weighs 4755lbs w/1245lbs of cargo carrying capacity.

On Jayco's site the "unoptioned" version of the 224bh showed 4500 empty, 5500 loaded, for a cargo capacity of 1000 lb.. But as our model was built, the actual empty weight was higher than 4500. Hence the door sticker reads 885 lb. I call that pretty low for a trailer that size.

Considering that the trailer has a 42 gallon FW tank, and a 6 gallon WH, it can hold over 400 lb of water alone, thereby not leaving much capacity for cargo when dry camping. That's why the extra capacity of the 264bh was tempting, with its listed 6000 lb GCVR. And as canmbe seen from comparing he actual CCCs, your trailer has 360 pounds more capacity, which is close to a full load of FW more.

Further mystifying is that my 224bh has twin 3500 lb axles, so you would expect the GVWR/CCC to be higher, as it is for the 264bh. (I guess that the good thing is that if I should go up to the CCC limit or slightly over, I won't need to worry about bending an axle.)

There are two things that would make the 224bh perfect in my mind: greater GVWR/CCC, and a longer awning which would extend over the outdoor camp kitchen pullout.

Best wishes,

[curver900]

Originally Posted by Gypsytraveler

Hi all narrowed it down to a Jayco now whats everyones opinion on which model to for a family of 4- 2 adults and two kids 4 and 6 and dog something that we can grow in and not remortgage our house

I have 2 dogs instead of one and 2 kids 11 and went with a very nice used octane T26y... you can have your bunkhouses...

lots of room, kitchen isn't the biggest.. but we cook on the grill 90% of the time so it doesn't matter.. you put the beds up and you have a great place to put the chairs, pull down the screen and take in the view from the back..

when you go to book a site tell them you have a toyhauler and ask if they have any views for when you park ... sometimes they do....

good luck

[Boze]

Lots to consider. How much will you use it, duration and distance of trips, type of camping (dry, pull thru, full hookup, typical activities during the day, space needed for rainy days, cold weather camping, distance to public restrooms or willingness to dump honey wagon, friends of kids, etc.) The more thought you put into your decision the less regrets you’ll have. Then there’s the tow vehicle...

IMHO, don’t make it (camping) more work than it already is. Follow the KISS principle and don’t overload your tow vehicle.

[Twin2]

You might take a couple of older kids and your spouse to look at camper models together to get an idea how it will feel with bigger bodies since you want to grow into the camper. Consider how your camper will be used. It's easy to say you will only sleep in it, but is it functional enough for everyone to get cleaned up or spend a rainy day.

[Johnynorthland]

You will get a lot of different opinions on this site, all of them valid and great because everyone has experience.

As for me, my wife and I travel in our RedHawk R25 class C (sleeps and seatbelts for up to 8)with my daughter, usually one or 2 of her friends and my dog. I personally prefer a MotorHome over a TT. My listed reasons are;

1. Your vacation starts as soon as your family steps inside your rig, kinda like a cruise ship!

2. No bathroom stops! No food stops either! ( unless the driver is hungry!)

3. Plenty of room and entertainment on board as compared to a Truck that’s towing a TT

4. I would much rather tow my little Kia Soul than worry about a TT behind me.

5. I suck at backing up trailers!

7. Price of the RedHawks are reasonable, it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles like that of the Greyhawks or Integra’s but I am slowly adding The upgrades needed!

Growing up we had 3 different TT in my family. I remember the fun we had in them, but I never had to tow or maintain anything at a young age of course. We are on our 3rd MH and we love it!

Try and buy slightly used, and hire an RV inspector, most mobile RV repair guys do inspections. Good luck!

[brburcham06]

Love our 2018 JayFlight 28BHS. 2 adults, 2kids (3 and 8) and a dog. Tons of room inside and storage all over. Love it.

[Learner]

Originally Posted by Johnynorthland

You will get a lot of different opinions on this site, all of them valid and great because everyone has experience.

As for me, my wife and I travel in our RedHawk R25 class C (sleeps and seatbelts for up to 8)with my daughter, usually one or 2 of her friends and my dog. I personally prefer a MotorHome over a TT. My listed reasons are;

1. Your vacation starts as soon as your family steps inside your rig, kinda like a cruise ship!

2. No bathroom stops! No food stops either! ( unless the driver is hungry!)

3. Plenty of room and entertainment on board as compared to a Truck that’s towing a TT

4. I would much rather tow my little Kia Soul than worry about a TT behind me.

5. I suck at backing up trailers!

7. Price of the RedHawks are reasonable, it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles like that of the Greyhawks or Integra’s but I am slowly adding The upgrades needed!

Growing up we had 3 different TT in my family. I remember the fun we had in them, but I never had to tow or maintain anything at a young age of course. We are on our 3rd MH and we love it!

Try and buy slightly used, and hire an RV inspector, most mobile RV repair guys do inspections. Good luck!

I think that was the best explanation that I've ever seen as to why someone might prefer a motorhome.

Thank you for sharing!