Brainstorming about a travel trailer/small toy hauler for full-time travel

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drummer4468

Pre-takeoff checklist
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drummer4468
So here’s my(currently hypothetical) situation: thinking about spending the next couple of years grinding hard, paying off all debt, and getting all the “golden ticket” certs I need to set myself up to be able to work anywhere. At that point, I’d like to buy a small travel trailer to live and travel in full-time for a couple of years-ish. Im a minimalist, so normally I’d be peachy in a small hard sided A-frame, but I’d be taking my SO with me and we’ll need a little more space.

The “toy hauler” bit is so we can take a motorcycle with us. Not a full-dress road king, but a comfortable cruiser. A huge part of my desire to do this comes from wanting to get out of the northeast and ride more than 3-4 months a year, scratch my nomadic exploration itch, and eventually figure out where we want to settle down. Bounce around a few hundred miles every few weeks or couple of months, explore different areas firsthand, and live more while we’re young before making an educated decision to set permanent roots

Size and weight are a consideration, as I’ll be hauling with a midsize pickup. Since a primary goal is to minimize debt, I’d rather keep my paid-off truck than upgrade, especially with the ungodly prices of trucks these days. And, well, I like my little truck a lot. I’m not a big ol land yacht kinda guy.

After some research, the Grey Wolf 18RR fits the bill really well. Rear ramp that doubles as a deck, spacious for its size once the bike is out whenever we’re parked, and pretty well equipped. BUT…the mixed reviews about build quality worry me. Anyone have experience with this brand? Any others I should look at or steer clear of?
 
Full timing and a toy hauler is 5th wheel land. A ten foot garage leaves you with less than 350 sq ft of livable area on a 40’ 5th wheel. More importantly, you’re getting into >10cu ft reefers which will allow you to keep more than a six pack cold.

Another option would be a Class C with a trailer for the bikes.
 
Skoolie. Flat tow the truck with the bike in the bed.
 
Check the size and location of the dining table. I don't think there is any, or an indoor place for one.
Heat?
Air conditioning?
Do they even have insulation?
Where will you set up your "Office space?
That queen bed looks difficult to get in and out.....I rented a unit like that.

A friend did this with a 28 foot trailer which had a "bedroom" at each end, he converted one to an office.
Large roll down awning on the side with the door, and he built a plywood deck, hinged at the bottom, under the awning.
He was as skilled carpenter and electrician, did most of the work himself.

He rented either a car or motor cycle as was appropriate for the place and season. He had a pair of 10 speed bikes for local running around.

He started that life in the early 2000's, sold the trailer last year, and settled down.

A great life if you are a true minimalist, but tough if the trailer is not insulated and efficiently heated/cooled, I have been with him in the Florida Keys in very hot weather, and in the woods with snow on the ground for a whole week. He had 2 roof heat pumps, and a gas furnace with under floor ducts. We ran out of propane in the middle of that week of snow, and lacking electricity, had to unhitch the truck, and make a "gas" run, out to civilization.

There is a lot of careful planning that goes into living in a small, portable, unit.
 
Full timed split between company provided hotel rooms and a company owned 26’ travel trailer for most of a year. Was so glad when the company wanted it back for a jobsite office. Trailer had a 2’ wide by 11’ long corridor that opened to 4’ wide at the table and sofa. Couldn’t keep it cool in the summer or warm in the winter. Woke up more times with ice on my sleeping bag than I want to count. No place to store much, pain to drain all tanks to move it and haul propane bottles for refills.
 
I have a plan in motion, likely a bit different than yours. I have an enclosed, 2 place, motor sports/ snowmobile trailer. The plan is to tow it to UT in June, with one motorcycle to ride with another once there. I plan to be solo for the drive, so few needs. Right now I plan to bunk on my large cot in the other space inside the trailer. This would be for sleeping only, kinda like a trucker does behind the driver’s seat.

No plan to use, but someone just gave me a portable toilet system, yes I know, TMI. The trailer will be handy once in Utah, factored in.

I have done some recreating in Western SD, somewhat ran the numbers towing verses lower cost hotel room. With most gassers, mileage is down a fair bit towing, me by 8+ mpg. Also unless doing the Walmart, Cabelas & similar lots, RV spots will be $35+ a night. I would rent a suitable cabin for $50 a night instead of towing.

I recently lightly assisted a relative setting up the full sized motor home going to FL, towing a small pickup. It’s a diesel, but unlikely to get more than 9 mpg. I know, it’s that ‘lifestyle’ thing, very fine. OBTW, they already own a Toyota hybrid, 50 or more MPG. One could run those numbers & do the Hampton Inn.

When solo I scrape the bottom for lodging facilities. Yes I want safe, & then find my vehicle undamaged in the morning. I’m talking places like rural Nebraska.
 
Need to know the towing capacity of your truck and how much your motorcycle weighs. I've been looking for something similar. The build reviews for many trailers are really bad. There is also the Covid factor. If the trailer was built during 2020-2022 it seems many manufacturers ramped up production, but the build quality suffered. Also, if your truck is anything like my truck, putting a heavy bike in the bed and hitch towing a trailer may exceed your truck's specs.
 
Thanks for the input, everyone. Again, just in the brainstorming/daydreaming stage.

I’ve got a Tacoma with tow package so it’s admittedly not great but not terrible. My rationale is that the plan isn’t to haul around every day. A few weeks here, a month or two there, staying with family on occasion, etc. Relatively short hops, no more than a few hundred miles per move. More like just state-to-adjacent-state

Will it be tight for full-time? Absolutely. But that’s kinda the experience I’m going for, at least at first. Basically a backpacking adventure with vehicles and a bed to sleep in every night.

Yes, upgrading to a Tundra and bigger camper would be better, but again, would introduce another large monthly truck payment whereas my Taco will be paid off by then. And I’m really not into bigger trucks. This one’s got enough to pull it, and still be a versatile off-road machine when unhitched.

So something that’s easy to pack the bike into just during moves, and I don’t mind making up for that space by packing “stuff” into the truck bed for transit. Plus I really like the fold-down patio concept.

The bike will probably be a Honda VTX or similar. I don’t have it yet, I’m looking to sell my Shadow and Concours and get one bike that better fits my needs.
 
topgun260 said:
Need to know the towing capacity of your truck and how much your motorcycle weighs. I've been looking for something similar. The build reviews for many trailers are really bad. There is also the Covid factor. If the trailer was built during 2020-2022 it seems many manufacturers ramped up production, but the build quality suffered. Also, if your truck is anything like my truck, putting a heavy bike in the bed and hitch towing a trailer may exceed your truck's specs.
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that’s what worries me. I don’t want to start this venture and find out 3 months in that my brand new camper is gonna be a total lemon per status quo. I’m quite handy but don’t want to spent tons of time fixing stuff. Definitely staying away from anything with slide-outs
 
drummer4468 said:
…I’ve got a Tacoma with tow package so it’s admittedly not great but not terrible. …
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Depending on trim and engine, you’ve only got 3500lbs - 6800lbs towing capacity and a payload between about 1000lbs and 1600lbs.

Fuel, people, anything else in the truck counts against payload which will limit your tongue weight which will limit your actual towing capacity.

If you have the 4cyl motor, I don’t see this working out.

If you have the 6cyl, I don’t see a whole lot of realistic ways to do what you want to do.

ETA: with the big motor, you *might* be able to make this work

https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/travel-trailers/rockwood-geo-pro/G19FBTH/6166

Otherwise you’re probably looking at

https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/travel-trailers/no-boundaries/NB10.6/3793
Or
https://intech.com/rv/models/flyer/discover/
 
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I don't think you're going to find something that checks all the boxes and keeps you within max tow/max gross for the Tacoma. You're looking at something that, minimally, will be just shy of 5,000 lbs dry weight. Throw in the bike and living gear, I doubt you're keeping it under 6,800 lbs. A couple people and a couple bags, plus your tongue weight, and you're over your limits. It's one thing to max out occasionally, but to plan on living on the road with the Tacoma as your ride, gonna be really tough.

I have a Colorado diesel that will pull 7,600 lbs, with 1,450 payload, and I don't think I could make the math work comfortably for me either.

You're gonna need a bigger truck.
 
No way I'd be attempting this with a Taco, or likely even a Tundra. I think a Class C would be a great option while flat towing the truck/motorcycle (in bed) or use a car hauler to put both of them on; or you move to a 5th wheel style with a 3/4 ton (doesn't have to be new, or a diesel).
 
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BTW, I get why you wouldn't want to do this with a Class C. You want to be able to base somewhere for a few weeks and not have the bike as you're only way to get around practically.

I don't think you need something that is overkill for this either - but you'll want at least 10k towing capacity and comfortably north of 2,000 lb payload capacity.

Pick your trailer, then find the truck that meets the requirements with 20% margin.
 
Unless you are moving with the temperature, any RV not an actual 4 seasons will be cold in winter.

Nothing like wearing long underwear and winter jacket to bed.!! :lol:
 
Jeff Oslick said:
BTW, I get why you wouldn't want to do this with a Class C. You want to be able to base somewhere for a few weeks and not have the bike as you're only way to get around practically.

I don't think you need something that is overkill for this either - but you'll want at least 10k towing capacity and comfortably north of 2,000 lb payload capacity.

Pick your trailer, then find the truck that meets the requirements with 20% margin.
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Yeah, as hesitant as I am, I'll probably/inevitably end up upgrading to a Tundra with a 12k tow capacity if I want to do this right. For clarity, I'm not playing dumb; I tow pretty frequently with this truck, and know this scenario is asking a LOT from it even with a whopping 4 liters of V6 power, lol. Hence my emphasis on not hauling very far or very often.

Guess I'm maybe a little more sentimental than I probably should be. I love this taco. Tackles anything I throw at it, and it's a bit of a rare gem being a V6 with 4wd and a 6-speed manual gearbox. Which is why I'm a bit more comfortable towing heavy; it's nice not having to worry about sending a torque converter into orbit lol
 
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Zeldman said:
Unless you are moving with the temperature, any RV not an actual 4 seasons will be cold in winter.

Nothing like wearing long underwear and winter jacket to bed.!! :lol:
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Lol, I do love winter camping, but a big catalyst for this adventure is getting away from the northern winters for a while. So not terribly worried about insulation performance for the time being.
 
TCABM said:
I’d be more worried about problems stopping than starting with your current truck. That’s even if you find something small with electric brakes.
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Agreed 100%. Tangentially, I also plan on upgrading the brakes on it in the near future, swapping in some larger rotors, calipers, and master cyl. Turns out the Tundra brake system is pretty much bolt-on with some minor modifications.
 
TCABM said:
I’d be more worried about problems stopping than starting with your current truck. That’s even if you find something small with electric brakes.
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This is the main crux. It's not a power issue, it's a size/braking issue. Even with upgraded brakes he's going to get pushed around at max towing capacity, and it may get dicey when towing in a crosswind. The Taco is a great truck, but towing heavy is not it's strong suit.
 
SoonerAviator said:
This is the main crux. It's not a power issue, it's a size/braking issue. Even with upgraded brakes he's going to get pushed around at max towing capacity, and it may get dicey when towing in a crosswind. The Taco is a great truck, but towing heavy is not it's strong suit.
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Yup, even if I did tow with the taco, I'd be using a weight distribution hitch w/ sway control at the very least. And trailer brakes are also a given in my mind. Though I will say that I have towed big boxy cargo trailers in nasty winds and it did exceedingly well when loaded properly.
 
drummer4468 said:
Yup, even if I did tow with the taco, I'd be using a weight distribution hitch w/ sway control at the very least. And trailer brakes are also a given in my mind. Though I will say that I have towed big boxy cargo trailers in nasty winds and it did exceedingly well when loaded properly.
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Yup, it just gets tougher when the trailer you're towing gets longer which creates a more significant lever/moment for your wheelbase to counteract, anti-sway or not. So combine that 26' box loaded to the maximum of your GCWR and then add the crosswind and it gets hairy. Same issue creeps up on the F-150 or SuperDuty trucks do the same thing with a 36' bumper pull loaded to the gills. At a certain point, the wheel base and truck weight can only combat the sway so much. The Taco would make a fantastic toad in your application though, with your manual transmission especially.
 
Don't get suckered by the published "tow ratings" for trucks. As others have mentioned, there's more to it.
What they said + I don't think anyone mentioned axle weight ratings.

I had a full half ton silverado with tow package and a V-8 engine.
Got the axle weights on it with full gas, all the regular stuff in the truck including family as if loaded for a trip and pulling the trailer
and compared that against the charts in the book (based on engine, transmission, and rear diff options), and I didn't have much to work with...if memory serves after adjusting for the added tongue weight on the truck my max trailer weight was in the neighborhood of only 6,000#...Nothing close to the "tow rating" that's on the sticker in the door jamb (or the brochure)
and based on experience I know that I don't want to tow long distances at that maximum!

Lots have mentioned class C's. Most full timers suggest class A's for more storage for full timing. I've had a class C for several years now, and mine has more inside storage than I know what to do with, but it's a rare floor plan. Most don't have near what I have. Where I lack is the outside storage. And even worse, you have to be careful with the larger C's (approaching 30ft) because the rear axles will be already at or near their limit.
 
If its a small motorcycle, consider a front hitch with a hitch rack. I hauled a 400cc enduro this way on my truck. It meant I could haul a regular trailer (not toy hauler), and put the motorcycle on the front. I felt it actually helped with balancing the load on the truck, as it seemed to ride better than just depending on the load-leveling hitch. This was a 3500 mind you...that's a lot for a truck, so it requires a lot of truck. Only downside: it blocked some of the radiator although it wasn't as bad as I would have thought...you only had to watch your temps on the really, really hot days.
 
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