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Old 04-20-2009, 10:01 AM   #1
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i have been lurking here for a while and now i need to intoduce myself. name is kelly and live in houston. never owned an rv before. my primary use for a trailer is for bird hunting from nov thru feb in new mexico and kansas. by myself with 2 dogs. kansas is limited to nov maybe dec depending on weather. 4 weeks a year hunting and all will be boondocking. one week a year with wife and daughter in designated rv campgrounds. thinking of a road trip to colorado this year. not sure if daughter will even like rv camping but i know i need it for hunting . trying to kill 2 birds with one stone.
tow vehicle is 1/2 ton silverado. some of my issues and concerns-
1. looking used up $8,000
2. i travel 500-800 miles a day when hunting so i need to keep my speed at 70mph to make decent time
3. hunting is on areas of maintained dirt roads mainly but might have some unmaintained so ground clearance is a concern.
4. used but reliable trailer i am looking at. 16 foot casitas or similiar.
6. gas milege is a concern
7. dont have paitence to look for more than a couple of months.

words of wisdom?
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Old 04-20-2009, 11:24 PM   #2
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Kelly, Ummm, 70 miles an hour? I don't think you want to treat a Casita that way. Not saying I haven't pulled mine at 70 or above. I have, but not on dirt roads good or bad. Ground clearence is ok on the newer models, but on the older models their pretty low clearance. and frankly at 70 miles an hour on a dirt road, I can't imagine any rv, fiberglass or stickie that could hold up to continued use under those demands. I am thinking the Casita may be a little small for yourself and 2 bird dogs for long periods of time as well. Ok I know it looks like I am trying to talk you out of a Egg, I am not! I am just thinking it may not be the right camping unit for your hunting needs. As far as any other camping need all I can say is I love my Casita and recommend them highly. Have you thought about a Bigfoot Camper such as a slidein camper?

When it comes to gas mileage with a Silverado, I didn't notice a huge difference when towing the Casita. As far as towability! Most times I couldn't even feel the Casita behind me. Tows very smooth.

Now that being said, I have to say, in my opinion if your planning on pulling a Casita or any other fiberglass travel trailer around 500 to 800 miles a day over mostly dirt roads at 70 miles an hour, your expecting performance that truely they were not made for. And I think you would be disapointed. Robin
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Old 04-21-2009, 04:47 AM   #3
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If you want to tow at 70 mph, good chance you might be 7 feet under.
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Old 04-21-2009, 05:48 AM   #4
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Quote:
i have been lurking here for a while and now i need to intoduce myself. name is kelly and live in houston. never owned an rv before.

7. dont have paitence to look for more than a couple of months.

words of wisdom?
Welcome to FiberglassRV Kelly. You're right in the midst of Casita Country there in Texas. You'll probably find more used Casita's in Texas than any other state due to the close proximity of the manufacturer.

Buying a used egg requires patience and tenacity, sure we're seeing more for sale (maybe due to the economy), but that doesn't mean one will be available on every corner and every RV lot (unlike stickies).

Pulling a trailer requires a certain amount of concentration, after all now your entire rig is twice as long and twice as heavy as it was with the tug alone. Traveling 500-800 miles a day pulling a trailer isn't going to leave you rested to enjoy your other activities. I'm leaning with Robin, perhaps you should look at a camper for the tug, rather than a trailer.
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Old 04-21-2009, 06:19 AM   #5
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Most of the major divided roads around here have a speed limit of 110 km/r, which is 68.4 mph. There is no reason in this world that a properly set up tow and trailer could not handle these speeds in good driving conditions. If there is a cross wind, icy surfaces, or any other poor conditions speed should be adjusted accordingly. If you were to go lower then the speed limit it tends to make the other drivers anxious, and though that should not be your problem it does create a road hazard when they get too aggressive. I have driven MANY a mile with all sorts of trailers behind, and only ever had one incident and speed had nothing to do with it (it was a poorly balanced load on a flat deck).

PLEASE NOTE. - I am not in any way advocating that people drive this fast, you should definitely go no faster then the speed limit of the road you are on, especially pulling a trailer. I think the biggest issue stems from lack of towing experience with many new RV owners. There are plenty of driving schools that will help train you with the basic knowledge for towing. Things that apply in addition to regular driving skills, like maintaining a longer distance to the person in front of you, making turns, reversing, dealing with adverse conditions and reacting accordingly, etc.



Back to the OP's original question. Bigfoot trailers are the most popular egg I have seen amongst hunters, because of their toughness and good insulation. Hunting here is usually in cooler months. I am not sure though how many used Bigfoot's you would find in Texas though.
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Old 04-21-2009, 06:36 AM   #6
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Hi: KellyT... "It's not the fast pace of life that gets you... It's the SUDDEN Stop at the end".
I was just looking under "Our Escape Hatch" and found quite a bit of "Road Rash". The previous owners took it to Alaska and a combo of speed and gravel roads has done a number on it. Now I have to figure out what to do about it???
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie
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Old 04-21-2009, 08:17 AM   #7
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i guess i wasnt clear about the dirt roads. the dirt roads are after i have arrived to my destination within 20 miles or so where obviously i will slow way down . i certainly am not driving 500-800 miles on dirt roads at 70. for extra info the speed limit on I 10 in west tx is 80 mph for passenger cars and 75 for others . i am 2 hours from the casitas manufacture in Rice. i called them and they have zero trailers on the lot other than the demo models which are not for sale. the economy is not hurting casitas. how old do you consider an older trailer vs a newer trailer?
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Old 04-21-2009, 09:39 AM   #8
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Kelly, Ok, thanks for the clarification! Whew.................. Glad to hear you won't be driving the Egg at 70 on dirt roads. Can you tell I was trying to defend/protect your future purchase...LOL OK, so you will be parking it in a spot and coming back to it at the end of the hunting day? Well then, actually any Egg you find that meets your camping needs would be a good purchase. The issue would be finding what meets your needs. I think Jim is correct in that a Bigfoot would be a great choice due to the fact it's made for cold weather, plus being extremely well built. Have you had a chance to get inside a Casita, I ask cause as much as I love mine, I am aware that they are not for everyone. The thing with Casita is they are tunnel-ish. If crawling over your hunting dogs (this is assuming that they will be sleeping in the Casita) is ok for your hunting adventures then finding the right one for you should be a realitive easy task cause as Donna said, Your in the heart of Casita Country. I have seen several come up for sale that are set up for your hunting needs, Solar panels, generators, etc. And know that several members have set theirs up for boondocking on their own, so if you find a trailer that meets your needs but needs some extras added, you can get tons of great info on how to add solar panels etc. Again, with your tow veichle you will be ok with just about all of the Egg choices. Best of Luck! Robin
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Old 04-21-2009, 09:52 AM   #9
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Opp's forgot to answer your question about older versus newer. In my opinion that is a hard question to get a answer to, because for each of us it would be relative to the individual needs of the people looking for the perfect trailer. I for one think the older ones are wonderful, heck there are 30 year old Eggs still on the road. But due to my circumstances anything not in this decade is too old for us. But let me tell you, under different circumstances I would have an older one in a heart beat! You could find a wonderful older Egg that would fit your camping needs and beef it up for your hunting/camping needs. I have seen lots of people have their trailer axels beefed up for their needs and or flipped for more clearence etc. So again it will be about finding the trailer that meets your needs despite the age of it. Best of Luck! Robin
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Old 04-21-2009, 10:16 AM   #10
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Kelly,
I realize that you are probably too far away but you can look anyway. Go over to the for sale section and scroll down th my 1986 Burro wide body and read all of the info. This trailer has many of the qualities that you are looking for. higher than most for ground cleance due to new frame, axle and 14" tires. The 14" tires will run slower than the standard 13" at the higher speeds that you are looking to travel at. The larger tires also will handle the unpave roads much better also. It has a gravity heater so that you do not need a battery to run it. Large wide body has wide open space for dogs. Full width tool box across the back for lots of storage. I tow with 2004 F150 SCREW and get 14 MPG but not at 70MPH.
Good luck,
Rick

Quote:
i have been lurking here for a while and now i need to intoduce myself. name is kelly and live in houston. never owned an rv before. my primary use for a trailer is for bird hunting from nov thru feb in new mexico and kansas. by myself with 2 dogs. kansas is limited to nov maybe dec depending on weather. 4 weeks a year hunting and all will be boondocking. one week a year with wife and daughter in designated rv campgrounds. thinking of a road trip to colorado this year. not sure if daughter will even like rv camping but i know i need it for hunting . trying to kill 2 birds with one stone.
tow vehicle is 1/2 ton silverado. some of my issues and concerns-
1. looking used up $8,000
2. i travel 500-800 miles a day when hunting so i need to keep my speed at 70mph to make decent time
3. hunting is on areas of maintained dirt roads mainly but might have some unmaintained so ground clearance is a concern.
4. used but reliable trailer i am looking at. 16 foot casitas or similiar.
6. gas milege is a concern
7. dont have paitence to look for more than a couple of months.

words of wisdom?
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Old 04-21-2009, 10:49 AM   #11
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rick
i REALLY like it. in fact yours got my wheels spinning last week when i saw the add.
are there any options you know of being far apart for making a transaction on it? ( your retired with lots of time on your hands... meet half way or any other ideas?
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Old 04-21-2009, 11:04 AM   #12
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We find the high-lift option (about an extra 4") and bigger tires on our trailer helps a bit on gravel & dirt back roads, as well as on very steep ramps to gas stations and parking lots.
Before we bought our Dodge 4x4 pickup, we towed about 10,000 miles with our Silverado half ton, and it was a great tow vehicle for our Oliver (17). We lost on average only a mile or two to the gallon when towing on the interstate, and a little less mpg with a smaller ATV in the truck bed. I suspect towing a Casita, Scamp or any of the eggs with the more rounded fronts will yield happy results for you as well, especially if you're towing on mostly flat land.
The smaller, more narrow footprint of the Casita, Scamp, Oliver types is great on narrow roads. The trailer tracks along with the Silverado (or any other truck) nicely, being basically the same width, because we drive a lot on narrow mountain roads.
The molded fiberglass trailers have a great history for longevity, ease of us, and value. You're looking in the right board.
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