Trailer for three adults with more than 6 ft headroom

[WaltP]

The only thing I can think of is a Parkliner with the main bed modified into two twins. I think that's pretty doable. The company might even agree to help. It might even inspire them to make that an option. The bunk bed is quite good for the third bed, the ceiling height is about 6'5" and the bathroom with shower option is as good as any. The only downside in the bathroom is the sink. If I were to buy another PL I wouldn't bother with the sink option. It's pretty non-functional and also makes the closet much less functional.

Walt

[jrmarsh]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

All of our trailers have a compromise in one way or the other, whether bed size, bath size, storage, you name it. It is just a matter of finding the best compromise that works well for you. Sure you can get bigger and bigger, but then you start to compromise cost, towing capacities, etc. No one right answer for everyone unfortunately.

Its very frustrating for me. I'm a backpacker and am satisfied with no bathroom facilities, no heat, no air conditioning, sleeping on the ground in a tight tent, cooking on a fire, etc, etc. and walking 15 miles to my destination with all my stuff in a sack strapped to my back. Even an old 13 ft Boler would be great as far as I'm concerned.... I'd sleep outside.

My wife is completely unable to compromise about this. She's got to have it all and have room for her friend to tag along. This, as you say, means going bigger and bigger and quickly changes from camping and enjoying the outdoors to parking a rolling monstrosity on a concrete apron right next to someone else on both sides doing the same thing. Honestly if that's where we end up I'd rather just stay home.

[jrmarsh]

Originally Posted by WaltP

The only thing I can think of is a Parkliner with the main bed modified into two twins. I think that's pretty doable. The company might even agree to help. It might even inspire them to make that an option. The bunk bed is quite good for the third bed, the ceiling height is about 6'5" and the bathroom with shower option is as good as any. The only downside in the bathroom is the sink. If I were to buy another PL I wouldn't bother with the sink option. It's pretty non-functional and also makes the closet much less functional.

Walt

Thanks Walt. I know about Parkliners. I'm not interested in a Parkliner for a number of reasons I'd rather not go into here. I appreciate your input though.

[Sid]

John,
If you want to "see" my Tom Bass edition Plarkliner please PM me if you have an iPhone and want a FaceTime tour. I would be happy to let you do a virtual inspection of our 2014 with about 22000 miles on it. Having never done this before I'm not sure if you could get a proper volumetric sense of the bed size or interior but I would be willing to give it a try.
Sid

[Sid]

Oops John I just saw your last post.
Sorry to Emily Litella you.....never mind
Sid

[jrmarsh]

Originally Posted by Sid

Oops John I just saw your last post.
Sorry to Emily Litella you.....never mind
Sid

Thanks for offering to be so helpful. I appreciate it.

[steve dunham]

Just a thought . A Casita Liberty has 2 twin beds. That would work when you and the wife go camping alone . When her girlfriend tags along , you could sleep in a tent and the girls could use the Twin beds. When we go camping with our grandkids , my wife and the grandkids sleep in the trailer and I sleep in a small dome tent.
That way I can get some sleep , my wife not so much.

[jrmarsh]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

Just a thought . A Casita Liberty has 2 twin beds. That would work when you and the wife go camping alone . When her girlfriend tags along , you could sleep in a tent and the girls could use the Twin beds. When we go camping with our grandkids , my wife and the grandkids sleep in the trailer and I sleep in a small dome tent.
That way I can get some sleep , my wife not so much.

Thanks, that's a good idea that I hadn't considered. We're interested in the trailer to do long road trips though, not weekend 3 or 4 day trips to the local state parks. I'd rather not sleep in a tent for weeks at a time. Although, I actually have done it. I lived in a tent for several months when I worked at Scout camp back in the 70's.

[Jon in AZ]

John, building on Steve's suggestion, if I were traveling with an adult who was not my spouse, I too would not just want separate beds, but separate bedrooms. Another way to achieve that (besides a tent) is with the tow vehicle.

Have you considered a full-size van with a fold-out bed, or a pick-up truck with a topper or small slide-in? Pull the Casita Liberty behind. You'd have to watch things like GCWR and GAWR very carefully, but I think it might be possible. Around here lots of folks on the rodeo circuit have small slide ins on trucks pulling horse trailers.

If you like the Liberty, you might also want to take a look at the Casita Independence model. It has 30" wide true twins rather than the narrow (24-26"?) benches in the Liberty.

[jrmarsh]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

John, building on Steve's suggestion, if I were traveling with an adult who was not my spouse, I too would not just want separate beds, but separate bedrooms. Another way to achieve that (besides a tent) is with the tow vehicle.

Have you considered a full-size van with a fold-out bed, or a pick-up truck with a topper or small slide-in? Pull the Casita Liberty behind. You'd have to watch things like GCWR and GAWR very carefully, but I think it might be possible. Around here lots of folks on the rodeo circuit have small slide ins on trucks pulling horse trailers.

If you like the Liberty, you might also want to take a look at the Casita Independence model. It has 30" wide true twins rather than the narrow (24-26"?) benches in the Liberty.

Thanks, I thought of that. Not for me.

[steve dunham]

John , I think you would have to admit that the source of your dilemma has more to do with your desire to camp with 3 non related adults in a single trailer than the short comings of any trailer manufacturer's design .Yours is an unusual situation and most things are built for the norm . I am not trying to be critical of you or your desires but most trailers are built for singles ,couples or a family with children. Having a custom trailer built to satisfy your particular needs may be extremely expensive and would probably
not have much appeal to a future buyer. IMHO

[jrmarsh]

[QUOTE=steve dunham;[/QUOTE]

Yes, exactly. I have special circumstances.

The point of my question was to see if I had missed any possibilities. It seems that I was already aware of all my options before I posted this. ... Thanks, folks.

[Jim Bennett]

How about the Happier Camper? You can make the interior into one big bed if you like.

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by jrmarsh

Yes, exactly. I have special circumstances.

The point of my question was to see if I had missed any possibilities. It seems that I was already aware of all my options before I posted this. ... Thanks, folks.

John,

It's near-heresy on this site as everyone loves their molded eggs, but I have been known to look at the dark side; non molded-fiberglass RVs. I posted my take on several brands here:

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...tml#post559342

Don't breath a word to anyone on this site, but the Mrs. and I are rather taken with the Lance 1475. This model is not a good choice for your parameters, but the little swivel chairs are amazingly comfortable. We are currently working up a plan for how to improve or convert the chairs in our Casita.

A big advantage, as I anticipate you understand, is the relative water-tight integrity of the molded fiberglass bodies. I don't know that we will ever consummate a relationship with the Lance or any non-FGRV. But, I do have my dalliances of "just looking" as more conventional square-cornered RVs usually have higher ceilings and generally feel more spacious.

RV construction methods have been rapidly evolving, (you might want to watch the 20-minute video on the Lance site), but haven't been really proved out. Delamination is a significant concern. In my case, I don't see much opportunity to putter and add anything to these types of trailers; the construction including wiring and whatnot is all sealed within bonded walls and ceiling panels. I am not sure I could be happy with a trailer I couldn't readily modify to taste.

My other council would be to try something. Anything. Rent a trailer or a motorhome. Buy a cheap old used trailer. Find out what really works and what doesn't. There is an old adage that says to buy your third RV first.

Anyway, now they're going to toss me out of the forum. I better go.

Regards,
Mike

[jrmarsh]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

How about the Happier Camper? You can make the interior into one big bed if you like.

I saw that one a few weeks ago. It might work for a young family with a bunch of small children. Anyhow, thanks. I do a lot of internet surfing. Based on what I've learned from the responses to this thread is that I probably already knew about all (or most) of the currently available options.

[jrmarsh]

Originally Posted by Civilguy

John,

It's near-heresy on this site as everyone loves their molded eggs, but I have been known to look at the dark side; non molded-fiberglass RVs. I posted my take on several brands here:

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...tml#post559342

Don't breath a word to anyone on this site, but the Mrs. and I are rather taken with the Lance 1475. This model is not a good choice for your parameters, but the little swivel chairs are amazingly comfortable. We are currently working up a plan for how to improve or convert the chairs in our Casita.

A big advantage, as I anticipate you understand, is the relative water-tight integrity of the molded fiberglass bodies. I don't know that we will ever consummate a relationship with the Lance or any non-FGRV. But, I do have my dalliances of "just looking" as more conventional square-cornered RVs usually have higher ceilings and generally feel more spacious.

RV construction methods have been rapidly evolving, (you might want to watch the 20-minute video on the Lance site), but haven't been really proved out. Delamination is a significant concern. In my case, I don't see much opportunity to putter and add anything to these types of trailers; the construction including wiring and whatnot is all sealed within bonded walls and ceiling panels. I am not sure I could be happy with a trailer I couldn't readily modify to taste.

My other council would be to try something. Anything. Rent a trailer or a motorhome. Buy a cheap old used trailer. Find out what really works and what doesn't. There is an old adage that says to buy your third RV first.

Anyway, now they're going to toss me out of the forum. I better go.

Regards,
Mike

Thanks, I started branching out a little looking at other types of trailers last night. Most of the stick builts are heavy or if they're intentionally built to be light I'm sure they have torsional rigidity issues. Racking will eventually break all the seals and you'll end up with leaks.

The concept of a fiberglass shell is sound. They are light, don't have big issues with leaks and racking, they last forever and look pretty good for the wear even decades later.

The easy solution to my issue is to just focus on a trailer for my wife and myself since there are plenty of those that would be great. But, since we have an unmarried daughter who still lives with us and she camps and backpacks I thought trying to accommodate three adults would be a worthwhile goal.

Its harder than I thought it would be. I can find something that works but not what I wanted (the escape 19 works and I can probably easily tow it with a midsized truck). Or I can go with the escape 5th wheel and buy a full sized truck to pull it. I didn't want a full sized truck....too big to negotiate around in bumper to bumper Atlanta traffic every day. Or I could skip the third adult and leave my daughter (or wife's friend) at home and buy just about anything and tow it with just about anything... but that wasn't the point of the thread because I already knew that.

[Cathy P.]

The only thing I can think of is not molded fiberglass but still lightweight with a good reputation and does customize: Taylor Coach - Welcome He has quite a few youtube walk-thrus. These are made in Canada and you are required to travel there to pick one up for the walk-thru.

You also need to study up on what bed sizes are in RVs. A twin is often 24" x 72" to at most 75". Many of the queen beds are only 75" long. Without hookups, fresh water will disappear quickly and gray/black tanks will fill very quickly when using the toilet and shower. These are "wet" baths. Although we don't have a fiberglass molded trailer, I am familiar with wet baths and it was always very difficult to dress in there after you shower.

Suggest you measure out the trailer size in the yard or on a floor with masking tape to get a feel of the actual size of everything. You will be surprised.

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by jrmarsh

Its harder than I thought it would be.

Yeah, that's half the fun. I'm always trying to figure out how to get two pounds of sugar into a one pound sack.

I just got back from an RV show here. It had all the usual emphasis on the ginormous. One of the things I generally find myself most disappointed with is how poorly all that space is utilized.

Yes, concentrated stresses and racking forces are not our friends. I have mused with ordering a high-end V-nose cargo trailer and outfitting it myself if I make my planned retirement party in a couple of years. I would have to become convinced that I could actually get a well-sealed trailer to begin from, but haven't made those investigations yet.

I see Escape is keeping their site current on their production schedule; it's basically a year out. If you stay FGRV but decide to completely change your other parameters Armadillo trailers would provide a finely crafted 13-footer. Otherwise, I think all the current manufacturers have been mentioned.

Rooftop hard-shell tent and a sassy looking new Land Rover to thump through the commute there? I'm afraid I'm about tapped out for fresh ideas here!

Good luck and happy hunting John.

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by Carol H

Aside from my Scamp I have a SOB trailer

Carol, now isn't SOB what Airstream owners call trailers of Some Other Brand? It makes me chuckle when I see you use that.

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by jrmarsh

but that wasn't the point of the thread because I already knew that.

Well John, after reading all the posts and suggestions given to you for your OP, it seems that you've been doing research of FG trailers yourself by your answers of "I already knew that". This is a pretty good group of friendly, knowledgeable helpful members that try to help newbies out to find the perfect rig. It doesn't seem that anyone has made/makes a FG unit that fills your requirements.
I bought a bunkhouse class A when my girls were small so they had their own "rooms". They are adults now and have moved on and away but if they want to camp with dear old Dad again.....they'll be in a tent outside.