Help selecting camper with bunk beds for todlers

[chrisbuzzard]

So my wife and I have plans to leave our house in care of a friend for a year and travel. My subaru can tow 2500 w/ 200 tongue weight, but for economy sake I don't want to exceed 1500 or so. I know that the hunter / trails west has a largeish comfortable bed and can be adapted to hold two small bunks for kids. That's our first pick due to the price. I'm also aware the uhaul and a few other 13' have larger bunks but the adult bed may not be as large? Are there any other choices around that size or a little larger (but not the 16') that have a functioning toilet or toilet closet? Shower would be awesome, but I think that is asking too much. We're looking for something vintage in the $5000 range.

[Jon in AZ]

Seems like you've nailed the possibilities… The rear-entry, pop-top models have a bigger bed for the adults, but you have to rig your own arrangements for the kids (and not a lot of headroom over the bed to work with). The side-entry, front bunk models have better kid arrangements, but a smaller main bed. Take your pick.

My preference is the latter. My wife shares the main bed with one of the kids, the other takes the top bunk, and I get the lower bunk (limited headroom, but otherwise roomy enough for an average-sized adult).

Scamp now offers the bunk model with a larger bed, but it's not vintage, and it's not $5000.

Unless you go crazy packing, you should be able to keep most 13'ers around 1500 pounds. But not with a wet bath. A port-potty cabinet is about all you can realistically expect in that size, weight, and budget range.

[Bob Miller]

I agree with Jon and you have an almost impossible order to fill. Although there was a bunk bed option offered in the Hunters, I have never seen a factory built one. And, if one was built, it would take up a lot of the storage space as well as the bathroom.


The 13' Scamp w/bath is near impossible to keep under 1500 lbs when full timing, and has no provision for bunks, and would usually be over your budget as they have only been around for no more than about 10-15 years, i.e., they are "Newer"


For practical purposes, in order to keep at least 10% of the total weight on the tongue, you have a 2000 towing limit, which also rules out almost anything larger. There is a listing of actual "Real World" trailer weights in the General Chat forum that will give you some fairly accurate ideas about more typical weights.


If you can forgo the extra bunks or the bathroom, there are some possibilities, but not with both. Please share your needs and thoughts.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by chrisbuzzard

So my wife and I have plans to leave our house in care of a friend for a year and travel. My subaru can tow 2500 w/ 200 tongue weight, but for economy sake I don't want to exceed 1500 or so. I know that the hunter / trails west has a largeish comfortable bed and can be adapted to hold two small bunks for kids. That's our first pick due to the price. I'm also aware the uhaul and a few other 13' have larger bunks but the adult bed may not be as large? Are there any other choices around that size or a little larger (but not the 16') that have a functioning toilet or toilet closet? Shower would be awesome, but I think that is asking too much. We're looking for something vintage in the $5000 range.

I agree with Bob, look at the weights in real world.
Also look at sales archive here and look the prices of used trailers. I thing $5000 will get you a fairly good fixer upper. Ready to go is closer to $8000 to $10,000 even is the older used market. Also advertised weights of the older trailers are way off as can be seen when looking at weights in the real world.

[chrisbuzzard]

I had a feeling I couldn't have it all. A fixed uper is fine, I prefer sweat equity. Thanks for confirming. No bathroom it is. I think we've narrowed it down to a hunter compact because of the larger "master" bed and the attractive price. Making some toddler bunks will be easy enough. Now living on the road for a year in that tiny camper! There's the challenge.

[Bob Miller]

Okey-Dokey

You need to know that there are Three (3) Hunter Compacts, all different. The Compact-Jr. is the most basic model but has a huge bed. The Compact-I & II have a bit different body, the I is like the Jr inside, the II has more accessories and appliances, and was the more expensive of the three when new.

Here are a couple of links to pics of my Compact-II. One set is before we converted the bathroom to a closet/storage space and a slide out porta-potty loo, the second set has pics after the work was done.

For infants, the space in the upper half of the former loo could be made into small bunk-beds for very small kids. Here is a detail of that as well.


Hunter Compact II by Robert Miller | Photobucket


Hunter Mods 2014 by Robert Miller | Photobucket

[Jon in AZ]

One of the challenges of the Hunter design is going to be what to do with four people on a rainy day when you're stuck in camp.

An advantage of the front sofa/rear dinette set-up is you have two separate lounge spaces: kids at the back, doing activities at the dinette or playing on the bed, parents reading or using their preferred electronic gadgets on the sofa.

I'd at least keep the option on the table as you look.

Your greatest challenge, regardless of which 13' trailer you end up with, is going to be keeping the loaded weight down. Going out for a week is one thing, going out for a year will take some thoughtful packing. Beware of overloading the car- that's just as bad as overloading the trailer.

It's the sort of thing I might have considered twenty years ago (when I was single). If I suggested it now, I know what my wife would say... and I would only need one bed!

I wish you the best in your family adventure!

[Bob Miller]

When the factory "U" shape dinette in the Compact-II is made up, (Not that WE ever do that) it seats 6, and we have a flat screen TV on the wall and a DVD player built in above the refrigerator.

[chrisbuzzard]

Oh I will definitely keep options open. That is a very good point about separating the kids in an already tiny space.