My rig - '15 NVP 3500 / Surveyor SP295

[ASD Dad]

Just wanted to post up a photo of our current towing setup.  I used to tow this camper with a 2010 Tundra Crewmax 5.7.

 

NVP vs. Tundra

Pros:

Way more room.  More payload.  Smoother ride towing.

 

Cons:

Mirrors dont pull out as far.  WAY less power, I have to pull onto a 55mph 2 lane road and the Tundra had zero issues.  NVP pulled it up to speed but took way longer than expected.  Dont think I will be able to easily pass people if needed with the NVP vs. Tundra.

 

The ride was much smoother on rough roads with the NVP.  That made me happy and I am sure my kids will be happier in back.  Much more room to spread out.  Still debating what I want to haul in the NVP vs. getting a roof rack for it.  

 

I only took a 20 mile test run with it to see how it shakes out.  Van was empty except for me and camper just had our normal gear in it so figure it was a couple hundred pounds lighter than normal vs. being packed up for a trip.  Our first trip with it fully loaded will be a decent test for it all - we are heading up north through the NC/TN/KY mountains with several 6-7% grades to deal with.  I think I would have preferred one closer trip but we just dont have the time to squeeze one in.  I am debating getting a Bully Dog GT tuner for some extra power.  The Titan/Armada guys love it and depending on other mods can really add some power to the 5.6 motor.  

 

Here is the rig - about 55 feet from bumper to bumper!!  

 

[Chris_CommercialManager]

that's a nice looking set up.

[ASD Dad]

Thanks. Should have added. It's 6600lbs loaded up with about a 850# tongue weight. 30ft long with triple bunks and a large outside kitchen. Blue Ox Sway Pro hitch with a Tekonsha P3 controller.

[Heavy Metal Doctor]

I'm surprised by your numbers. Is that actually weighed or just the advertised spec's? My camper is considered and "ultralight" and only 2 feet longer and yet it lists as 6500 empty weight and tongue weight is supposed to be around 800, IIRC.   Reality is, tongue weight is 950 measured with a hydraulic tongue scale with just a reasonable load-out of gear just for 2 of us and full propane tanks -- not packed in heavy for a full week with the whole family. I have yet to make it to a scale to check the axle weights yet -- feels a lot more like 7500 to 8K behind the van.

[ASD Dad]

Those numbers are loaded for camping and taken over a Cat Scale 3 times to check total weight, tongue weight and weight restoration to the front axle. The camper weights are when I had the Tundra hooked up but that doesn't affect the weights.

 

My TT empty only weighs 5700# according to its yellow shipping sticker inside the door. It was the lightest "big" bunkhouse we could find. I was over my payload on the Tundra with the kids, dogs and gear so we had to do some serious shopping.

[van]

That's a sweet looking NV!

[Heavy Metal Doctor]

Those numbers are loaded for camping and taken over a Cat Scale 3 times to check total weight, tongue weight and weight restoration to the front axle. The camper weights are when I had the Tundra hooked up but that doesn't affect the weights.

 

My TT empty only weighs 5700# according to its yellow shipping sticker inside the door. It was the lightest "big" bunkhouse we could find. I was over my payload on the Tundra with the kids, dogs and gear so we had to do some serious shopping.

 

Interesting. I always thought anything around 28' / 30' was heavier. I guess most are if that particular one is the lightest, LOL.

 

The whole setup looks good, BTW!     

[ASD Dad]

Interesting. I always thought anything around 28' / 30' was heavier. I guess most are if that particular one is the lightest, LOL.

 

The whole setup looks good, BTW!     

 

Most are heavier.  A few things make this one lighter.  1) no "super slide" - the slide is shallow only going out a couple feet vs 4 feet for a super.  The slide is my couch, stove, sink area.  2) it is made cheap!  I mean they used the thinnest materials possible on it...  I have had to fix numerous little things or reinforce areas that get heavy use.  It's also showing pretty good wear and tear after 3 years and a little over a dozen trips.  Nothing major but we can tell this wont be around a decade without some work.

 

On the other hand my in-laws have a Trail Manor.  It's ultra light and super crazy engineered but built like a tank.  No slides of course but I am amazed how well put together it is.  However it also cost a good $10K more than ours!  

 

Coachmen makes almost the identical trailer to ours but with a full super slide and a little better materials.  It weighed in empty at the same weight mine is full.  

 

Thanks for the compliments.  We camp 3-5 times a year typically.  Years ago I tent camped.  Once married and had a kid we had a Pop-Up.  Had more kids so moved up to TT's.  We're going to try and keep at it 30'-ish max on length from now on since we tend to stick to State Parks and most have restrictions on length.  Plus over 30' gets pretty long and tricky during maneuvers.  I already had one incident with a 30' and those concrete posts that guard gas pumps!  Thought I had it cleared and clipped 6" of the rear corner of the camper.  Peeled it open like a tin can!  

[Heavy Metal Doctor]

OUCH!  I hear ya on the length issue. So far (almost 2 years) my worst move was too much tail swing brushing some  tree branches pulling out of the driveway - no damage, just rubbed and made me pretty nervous  about tearing  the roof.

I'm always very cautious and take my time at gas stations - I don't care how crowded / busy they are, I'm trying to not damage anything.

 

We also do half state parks kinda camping and have only had one site, so far, where getting leveled was an issue due to the slope and length -- tail of camper was about 4 feet off the ground and the tongue was sitting  nearly on the dirt.  I started carrying a lot more leveling block after that! LOL!

 

We did tents the whole time we raised our kids. Occasionally used a pop-up and then we jumped up to a travel trailer. 

I guess ours is pretty heavy for "ultra light" due to slides that are 14 feet long on each side - only about 18" out on one side and 24" one the other, but still all that slide-gear / structure adds weight.

[ASD Dad]

What camper do you have?  Our next will be a super slide again.  We had a shorter Salem 26TBUD that had a huge slide even though it was only 26' long and it was so roomy in the main area vs. our new camper.  The new camper gives the kids their own bunk space which is why we went with it (plus we love the outside kitchen).

[Heavy Metal Doctor]

Ours is a Keystone Passport 31RE --  No bunks for young ones, but technically can sleep 5 or 6 with fold out couch and dinette, but we rarely do that.     We think it's great for 2 adults as the slides make the whole kitchen / living area feel more like a regular house and the kitchen has enough counter space that we aren't constantly shuffling stuff around to do dishes and cook - I can leave my coffee pot "station" set up the whole time during a stay and space enough to actually pitch in to help her when she asks.

[Jerry]

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Edited July 28, 2015 by Jerry