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Old 02-17-2015, 01:29 PM   #1
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Name: Nick
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Family of four - good trailer size options?

Hi,
we are a family of four: two adults, two small kids.
We are looking for our first trailer.

I guess the main goal would be to have good sleeping arrangements, I am thinking permanent bed plus one convertible bed.

What should I be looking at?

Escape? Scamp? Bigfoot?
I am thinking 19 foot would be a good starting size?
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Old 02-17-2015, 03:18 PM   #2
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Actually, any 13' with a gaucho will sleep 4. Dinette becomes a double bed, gaucho becomes a bunk bed.
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Old 02-17-2015, 03:46 PM   #3
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Go to a Rally

I would suggest going to a rally some will be coming up once you get some warm weather and see the different trailers. Everyone has their needs and wants, look at the rally's coming up that might be near you or your travels and most all would be willing to show their eggs. I don't know what you will tow with but once you get toward a 19 footer you will need more to tow with on the weight. Good luck looking.
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Old 02-17-2015, 04:06 PM   #4
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Our Escape 19' has worked well with four of us travelling with permanent rear queen bed, front dinette bed, and front bunk. Check out Escape Trailer Industries – Chilliwack, British Columbia
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Old 02-17-2015, 04:14 PM   #5
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Nick, welcome to the forum!

As others have suggested, 19' is actually fairly large as molded fiberglass trailers go and will require a truck or larger SUV to pull. There are fewer choices in the larger sizes and they tend to be fairly pricey, even used. If that works for you, the Escape is a nice trailer.

You'll find many more for sale in the 13' to 17' range. Some can accommodate four people, but a lot depends on what your expectations are. We have two children, 9 and 12, and we all fit in a 13' Scamp, but it's cozy, and we do our cooking & eating outside. For us the trailer is more like a hard-sided tent and a retreat on rainy days. We do without a bathroom. Scamp also makes a 16' model with bunks and a bathroom (layout 4), which is a family-friendly option.

Casita is another popular brand and their 16' and 17' models can be ordered with bunks, but I've only seen a few for sale used with the bunks.

Looking through the classified ads and archives here and at fiberglass-rv-4sale.com will give you some ideas of what's out there and how much they cost. I'll also second the idea of visiting a rally to look at some real trailers.
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Old 02-17-2015, 04:45 PM   #6
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I am in your situation also, with two boys 10 & 11. I think that the Escape 17B with the Gaucho bunk option, and the Escape 19 with the cot option might be a great fit for your family.
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Old 02-17-2015, 05:10 PM   #7
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A Parkliner with the bunk option may be a good option. Lots of room in a 15Ft trailer. Built in NC.
Eddie
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Old 02-17-2015, 06:22 PM   #8
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It depends on your camping style and your tow vehicle. We went from a 16' Scamp back to a 13'. We are 2 adults, 1 child and one 100 lb. dog. Happy shopping!
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Old 02-17-2015, 06:42 PM   #9
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Hi Nick, and welcome to the group
For starters why don't you give us a little more information.


1. What will you be towing with, everything else may be controlled by this answer.
2. How "Small" are the kids and how much longer do you want your first rig to work out for?
3. Are you looking to buy new or used?
4. in either case, what is your approximate budget.
5. If used, what age and condition can you accept.
6. In any case, how far can you travel to look/buy


Give us some more info and even more suggestions will be forthcoming.



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Old 02-17-2015, 08:56 PM   #10
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We had a 13' Scamp with out shower/bathroom when we camped with kids, and did fine, but Parkliners were not available back then....... that would be my choice if we were in your situation now.
Dave & Paula
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Old 02-17-2015, 09:30 PM   #11
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Age and gender of the kids would make a difference and you need to consider how you camp. If you and the kids stay up and play board games, and then all go to bed, the Escape 19 ( for instance ) has a permanent bed and a convertible dinette ( for the kids ). If the kids are young and need to go to bed early, you might want to take the dinette bed after several rounds of cribbage.
If kids are boy and girl, they'll likely prefer something with a bunk bed or gaucho.
At a certain age, those kids will rather sleep in a tent outside the door than sleep in the same room as you or stay home with their friends.
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Old 02-18-2015, 05:55 AM   #12
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Weekends or two weeks on the road? A small trailer and a tent for the kids works for weekends with floor space if the weather turns foul. A Scamp 16 or Parkliner might be better for the road trip. Then there is always a pop up to start. Cheap and roomy at the expense of dealing with canvas and set up. And, they are easy to pull. Raz
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Old 02-18-2015, 08:45 AM   #13
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Family of four - good trailer size options?

Parkliner is a nice family-friendly trailer. Their bunk design is the only one I know of that will hold full-size adults, and I believe the dinette bed is larger than Scamp's, too. All that, and a full wet bath, in 15' is pretty impressive.

Be advised that this is a fairly new company, and there were some design glitches in early builds related to the battery, air conditioner, and wheel wells. There have also been on-going reports of customer service issues. A Google site search for "Parkliner" will turn up a number of discussions, and you can make your own judgment. I myself am not entirely sold on their "reverse trolley" roof design, either. It seems like it could trap snow and debris, though I haven't heard any complaints about it here. They are not far from you in NC.
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Old 02-21-2015, 09:59 PM   #14
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bunk?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ice-breaker View Post
Our Escape 19' has worked well with four of us travelling with permanent rear queen bed, front dinette bed, and front bunk. Check out Escape Trailer Industries – Chilliwack, British Columbia

hey ice breaker: where does the bunk go? I need a trailer for five, sounds like you like yours.
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Old 02-23-2015, 03:18 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by j-rod View Post
hey ice breaker: where does the bunk go? I need a trailer for five, sounds like you like yours.
In the Escape 19', the optional bunk fits above the front dinette. My 13yr old daughter has used the bunk quite a lot in preference to the dinette bed, as she finds it more comfortable. My 19yr old son also finds the bunk comfortable for his 6' 4" frame. Escape puts a 200 lb weight limit recommendation on the bunk, but one of the employees at Escape told me they have confirmed with informal testing that it would hold much more than that.
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Old 02-23-2015, 05:59 PM   #16
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My ParkLiner has the bunk option. My wife and I have taken my 10 year old daughter and neice camping along with a big chocolate lab. There was enough room for us to be comfortable. The girls love the bunk bed! Also the wet bath is priceless.
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Old 02-23-2015, 06:08 PM   #17
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We're a family of 4 (2 adults + 2 small kids 5&6) We camp in a 13ft Uhaul. We have dogs too. It's tight but we mainly use it just for sleeping. We setup a screen room outside where we mostly sit/eat. We only hang out inside when it's really cold or rainy. So it really depends on what your expectations are. Mine are to keep our children active and outside; not inside on video games/movies (though we do travel with portable dvd player for use during rainy times). We moved up from tent camping to have a more "permanent" tent setup ready to go at a moments notice for weekend trips. We rarely camp for more than 3 nights except for probably 1x per year.

From what I've seen most of the 16ft models are setup for 2 or maybe 3. Sounds like the parkliner and some of the larger trailers may handle more. I've never understood why there are not more 16ft sleeps 4 models out there. I'd be tempted to step up to one. But I don't want to have to buy a new bigger vehicle to tow with so a 19ft isn't in the cards for us as roomy as that might be.

Good luck with your search.
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Old 02-24-2015, 09:07 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by knighth001 View Post
..,From what I've seen most of the 16ft models are setup for 2 or maybe 3. Sounds like the parkliner and some of the larger trailers may handle more. I've never understood why there are not more 16ft sleeps 4 models out there...

Both Scamp and Casita offer 16' layouts that can sleep 4 or more. Scamp layouts 3, 4, and 7 all have front bunks. The Casita 16SD can be ordered with side bunks and/or front bunks (non-deluxe). The availability is there, but few are actually sold. The majority of new units are sold to couples. That's why you don't find too many family-oriented used fiberglass trailers for sale.

Why don't more families buy new fiberglass trailers? My theory is that in the McMansion generation, you can get a lot more space for the money in the world of stickies.
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Old 02-24-2015, 09:36 AM   #19
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But even large stickies usually sleep four as a max.
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Old 02-24-2015, 09:39 AM   #20
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That's good to know Jon. I always buy used (cars, house, camper...) so I just haven't seen many. You do make a good point. It's a shame that more families don't see the value of a smaller camper vs a "condo on wheels."
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