Hybrids

[BarbaraRose]

Has anyone on here owned a hybrid travel trailer? Any opinions pro or con? I have looked at some that I could use without putting out the beds if I was somewhere that didn't allow them out such at Yellowstone,(ie, has a couch and/or dinette that could be used as a bed if needed). I opened and closed one (popout) at an RV show once and they are easier than a regular popup to do.
Just checking all my options...

[Azusateach]

I have. It was my second trailer. 19' and when both ends were popped out it was 26'. It's true that you don't have to pop out the ends to be able to use it. You can see that I don't have one end popped out. However, you have virtually no room to walk if you put the couch down to sleep on, and the dinette is pretty short. AND you've got a lot of tent material intruding into the interior.

Remember, you tried a pop-up and didn't like it. A hybrid isn't that much different.

If you think it's easier than a pop-up, it may be -- but only by a little. I was too short to put the bunk ends up by myself and latch them, so I had to be careful where I camped so I could use a pole and step stool to get them up and get them latched on my own. It was tricky, and sometimes pretty dangerous. Those bunk doors are heavy. If I was lucky there was a guy around who could reach them and latch them for me.

Barbie, you're still dealing with more trailer than your Jeep is capable of towing. As Melissa said, the front of ANY trailer apart from true popups create a LOT of wind resistance, and can be easily buffeted around by any amount of wind from either head-on or broadside. When that happens it's up to your tow vehicle to try and keep everything on the road. Your Liberty isn't up to the task.

Please, for everyone's sake, don't think about pulling anything with that Jeep apart from a true pop-up trailer. Aliner, Chalet, Trailmanor -- all of those might be towable by your Liberty, depending on how big you go.

[Redetotry]

Not a Hybrid but as long as you are considering all possibilities check out these remodeled Airstreams. Beautiful!! and $$$

https://hofarc.com/for-sale/

[Colliemom]

Laura's right Barbie, as long as you have the Jeep, don't look for something to pull. Get a different vehicle first. Have you looked at those A frame trailers? I see them periodically and they are pretty neat. Granted, they don't have the amenties of a travel trailer, but at least you are off the ground, have a bed etc. I'm thinking of selling my Sportsman trailer and for now, will get another trailer. But one of those could be in my future.

[dpf]

Barbie, Are you considering something to be a full-timer or recreational camping?

[avalen]

Laura's right Barbie, as long as you have the Jeep, don't look for something to pull. Get a different vehicle first. Have you looked at those A frame trailers? I see them periodically and they are pretty neat. Granted, they don't have the amenties of a travel trailer, but at least you are off the ground, have a bed etc. I'm thinking of selling my Sportsman trailer and for now, will get another trailer. But one of those could be in my future.

Just a note on the a frame,,,,,a friend of mine had one, she said although it was cute, it was too much work, (like a pop up) and she was quite physical! She used it one year and sold it.

[BarbaraRose]

I am considering another vehicle...

I have looked at the A-frames and had it demonstrated at an RV show once. I could only imagine trying to set it up or take it down in the pouring rain or with lots of mosquitoes. etc, that will get inside before it gets set up completely.

For now I am just looking for something I can use recreationally. But also something comfortable enough to "live in" when I am moving back to California (for the trip out there which might be a couple months long so I can stop and explore along the way).

I am just looking into all my options at this point. I seem to have missed the RV shows around here this season but when it gets nicer out I will head up north to where there are several RV dealers and look around.

[Azusateach]

I have looked at the A-frames and had it demonstrated at an RV show once. I could only imagine trying to set it up or take it down in the pouring rain or with lots of mosquitoes. etc, that will get inside before it gets set up completely.

There's just as much canvas in a hybrid as there is in a pop-up, and if you think mosquitoes won't get inside, guess again. And you still have to worry about the canvas being dry when you take it down, or you'll have to have somewhere that you can pop it back out to dry it before it gets moldy.

[BarbaraRose]

good points Laura. That is why I am asking...

[Liz]

I know nothing about towing a trailer and whether it would be light enough, so someone who does can chime in, but the only trailer I can think of that you might be able to tow with your jeep is a Teardrop type. It would be for short camping trips only, not for living in, but that might work for you. Otherwise, if you want to keep your jeep, you might look for a used van-size RV, such as Roadtrek that would have the capability to tow your jeep. But then you would have two vehicles to register, insure, and maintain, and possibly store.

Laura has some very good points to consider.

[dpf]

I'll just chime in with that I don't think that I would want a hybrid if I ever planned to live in it full time. I don't think all I would want between all my belongings and a thief is a piece of canvas. I realize that you can close them up but do you really want to do that every time you leave the unit? Guess I just look at them as more of a recreational RV. JMHO

[JudyJB]

My younger son rented one of those a few years back. He said it was fine on a sunny day and dry night, but they had a full day of rain and the person who slept on the outside of the bed near the canvas got damp during the last night from either rain or condensation. (He was sleeping with the then-four-year-old, and she was wet all over by morning!) It was also a pain to fold up and put away, and they were supposed to return it dry, which was not possible. The one he rented also was brand-new from a dealer and one he was considering buying, but that long weekend turned him completely off anything with canvas.

Also, don't forget that those foldable units do not have as much storage as other trailers the same size because the folding parts need to fit inside. Also, remember that trailers with canvas sides are going to be harder to heat or cool and not allowed in some places where there are bears.

There are lots of small trailers that would be big enough to live in for a few weeks, but are much easier to set up and break down, plus still being easy to tow. How about a Scamp or R-Pod? Some of the small ones still have bathrooms, showers, and kitchens and real beds. I see an awful lot of R-Pods in campgrounds. And Scamps are built in Minnesota so you could visit the factory!

Here are some articles on small trailers:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/best-ti ... rop-208165

http://topratedtraveltrailers.com/small ... -trailers/

[Azusateach]

This was my set-up with the hybrid & my V-8 Explorer. The car looks quite small in front of that 19' trailer, doesn't it. Fortunately, I'd done my homework and felt that I had plenty of car for the trailer. That meant that the Explorer was capable of stopping it when necessary, and could handle wind. However, when we were traveling to Mt. Lassen the Explorer overheated and I had to quickly turn on the heater to keep the engine from blowing up. And that's with a big engine!

This same car wasn't beefy enough to tow my 19' hard-sided trailer. It really struggled in the mountains, and the extra weight of the Hideout (no slides) made me nervous. The rear suspension didn't like the extra weight, either, so I spent about $1200 on custom air bags that I could inflate when towing the Hideout. After towing for about a year with that setup I wanted to go to Wyoming, and knew that I'd be a nervous wreck the whole time. That's when I went to the Expedition.

People say to buy as much rig and tow vehicle you can buy, because you'll do just what I did over the years -- get a bigger trailer, then get a bigger car. New bigger car --> bigger trailer. That happened 3 times with me. Then we got a Class A motorhome. Hopefully we're done!

[Bethers]

There are several companies that make hard sided hybrids. I've seen several this winter. I just did a quick search and found this:
http://www.haylettautoandrv.com/rv/cold ... d+roo+21bh