Pulling 17’ scamp with 2008 Honda Odyssey

[Coletrain]

I’m considering purchasing a 17’ Casita, and would be pulling it with a 2008 Honda Odyssey.
I work as a musician, and have the van fully loaded with music equipment. I’m guessing that I usually have about 1100 pounds of stuff in the minivan.

Does anyone have experience, or advice on pulling a camper this large with an Odyssey?

The Casita’s empty weight is 2800 lb.

[k corbin]

Originally Posted by Coletrain

I’m considering purchasing a 17’ Casita, and would be pulling it with a 2008 Honda Odyssey.
I work as a musician, and have the van fully loaded with music equipment. I’m guessing that I usually have about 1100 pounds of stuff in the minivan.

Does anyone have experience, or advice on pulling a camper this large with an Odyssey?

The Casita’s empty weight is 2800 lb.

I was looking at what Etrailer had to say about a 2010 Honda Oddysey pulling a trailer, it's towing capacity is a total of 3,500 pounds including passengers in the vehicle. So your passenger weight plus 1100 pounds of extra stuff inside the vehicle plus the dry weight of the Casita and also the weight of the stuff you keep in the trailer will exceed the Odyssey's towing capacity. You are going to need a van that can haul bigger loads or a smaller trailer plus minimizing what you take with you.

[Borrego Dave]

Shawn, all models of the 17 foot Casitas are going to come in at around 3200+ pounds and the TW will be 350 or better in the real world. The light dry weights the builders state are kind of a selling ploy . Just FYI, Casita 16s are a lot lighter.

[Coletrain]

Thanks for the quick response.

[Joyce H]

Our 2003 casita s.d.17' weighs 2680 lbs not loaded with anything. It was weighed at our local county landfill.

[Jon in AZ]

Shawn, tow ratings assume 2 people and no additional cargo. The owner's manual for my 2011 Honda Pilot 2WD (also rated 3500 pounds) includes a chart showing how the trailer and tongue weight ratings decrease as you add passengers or equivalent cargo. With 1100 pounds of gear, I doubt you could even tow a 13' trailer. Check your manual.

So the short answer is no.

The longer answer involves understanding various manufacturer ratings: GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating, which includes vehicle, passengers, cargo, hitch, and tongue weight of the trailer), GCWR (gross combined weight rating, the total weight of vehicle, trailer and everything in both), and GAWRs (gross axle weight ratings, front and rear, the maximum weight each is designed to carry). Your set-up would certainly exceed the GVWR and the rear GAWR, and likely the GCWR, too.

Cargo and towing are somewhat mutually exclusive. A full-size van might solve your problem with higher ratings all around, but even then you'd have to do some homework to make sure your combined rig is within all the various ratings.

Best wishes!