Need some advice on towing a camper

[BlueCT]

I want to take the kids on a short camping trip. I’m not an expert at towing but I have pulled an open car trailer a bunch of times so I’m comfortable driving with a trailer in tow but I’m far from an expert. I am considering renting a 29 foot trailer to get the little ones to a camp ground. I have 5 year old twins and an 8 year old all girls. It will be a daddy daughter trip. Probably just one night and I want to ease into getting them into a tent. Long story short it looks like the camper has a tough weight of 645 and Unloaded weight of 6200. It is also 29 feet long. That is really pushing the limits of a Gladiator rubicon. I’m probably only towing 50 miles. Am I crazy trying to tow something that big with a JT or am I fine since its within the manufacturer spec. I wont really be loading up the trailer or truck with much gear since it will just be for one night. I could really use some advice from some guys that tow often.
Thanks
Chris

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[mmulroy]

I want to take the kids on a short camping trip. I’m not an expert at towing but I have pulled an open car trailer a bunch of times so I’m comfortable driving with a trailer in tow but I’m far from an expert. I am considering renting a 29 foot trailer to get the little ones to a camp ground. I have 5 year old twins and an 8 year old all girls. It will be a daddy daughter trip. Probably just one night and I want to ease into getting them into a tent. Long story short it looks like the camper has a tough weight of 645 and Unloaded weight of 6200. It is also 29 feet long. That is really pushing the limits of a Gladiator rubicon. I’m probably only towing 50 miles. Am I crazy trying to tow something that big with a JT or am I fine since its within the manufacturer spec. I wont really be loading up the trailer or truck with much gear since it will just be for one night. I could really use some advice from some guys that tow often.
Thanks
Chris

Go smaller if you can, unless there is something you really like about this particular trailer. That said, for 50 miles unless you are on really tight roads you should be fine. Take your time, make wide turns. Also, for anything over 3000 lbs you will need to install a brake controller.

 

[Whiplash2130]

Brake controller and a weight distribution hitch for that much weight. Go rent a teardrop.

 

[futzin']

Four people in a teardrop??

Kudos to the OP for wanting to get the family into camping. I don't have kids but we have a 25' travel trailer that we use quite a bit. From what I've seen, once the kids start out in a camper, good luck getting them into a tent!

My suggestion would be to consider renting a pop-up camper if possible. A nice camping experience and well within the limits of a JT; a 29' is too much.

Another option is to find a campground that has larger tents set up full-time; some of them are really nice.

Best of luck; I like what you're trying to do here.

 

[WXman]

I concur with the others. It's awesome that you're going to take your girls camping. In today's age of smartphones and video games, it's more important now than ever to get kids outdoors.

Having said that, a smaller camper would be a better idea. 29' is a pretty big unit. The things you have to keep an eye on are maximum frontal area, which is only 55 square feet on a Max Tow. I'm assuming it's the same for Rubicon. And then payload. I'm assuming because I have no idea, but I'm guessing you and the girls would go 350 lbs. or so. That eats up quite a bit of payload/tongue capacity. You could probably do it and make it work, but a smaller camper would be ideal.

Oh, and definitely install a trailer brake controller.

 

[BlueCT]

Thanks for the feedback. It seems like getting a smaller camper is the best approach. I know there are a bunch of variables to consider but any recommendations on what is the largest size / tongue weight to keep things safe? If I keep it under 25 feet and 500 lbs on the tongue is that practical? It seems like most of the trailers are either very small tear drop or 29+. I find one that was 24 feet. Can't find the tongue weight but is that length OK.

 

[futzin']

If the 24' has a convertible dinette, that one should be just fine.

 

[NaughtyGeek]

Length isn't nearly as important as weights. I've been shopping for a camper for about a year and finally purchased a unit last week. The unit I picked up has a queen, 2 bunks and a slide out with a U Shaped dinette in it and is just shy of 3800# and just shy of 400# tongue weight. Granted it was VERY windy pulling it home, but it was work to pull it. Sway control is next on the Just Empty Every Pocket list. I have to think the weights you're talking about would be a straight nightmare to pull. When shopping I set my max dry weight at 4500# and tongue weight at 500#. There are several models on the market that fall in that range. However, when looking to rent something before buying I couldn't locate anything close enough to what I was looking for to do so. Most rentals were WAY too big. I'm attaching the spreadsheet I was using to try to keep track of things. Maybe you can use it to search some specific models. It's not exhaustive by any stretch. As stated, get a trailer brake controller installed before you even think about strapping on to anything.

 

[futzin']

@NaughtyGeek, what did you get? I'm anxious to start the season with mine, but rising campground rates have me shopping for land.

 

[NaughtyGeek]

Forest Rivers No Boundaries 19.8. Was leaning heavily towards the 16.6 but fear of rainy days with a 2 person dinette and 5 people convinced us otherwise. I really wanted the 19.1 so I could haul a quad with us as well but the tongue weight was just too high if we didn't have the quad to loaded.

 

[futzin']

Not familiar with the No Boundaries line, but we've been happy with our 2015 Forest River Flagstaff MicroLite 25 KS thus far. We camped out of a converted cargo trailer for a year or two but missed having a bathroom. Love having a travel trailer. The cargo trailer makes a great hunting rig. Enjoy your camper; keep us posted how she tows.

 

[Ferg]

This is what I use for my brake controller when I tow my trailer. It has consistently worked very well. I'm quite pleased with my purchase. https://www.curtmfg.com/dm/echo-mobile-brake-controller

 

[eaglerugby04]

Length isn't nearly as important as weights. I've been shopping for a camper for about a year and finally purchased a unit last week. The unit I picked up has a queen, 2 bunks and a slide out with a U Shaped dinette in it and is just shy of 3800# and just shy of 400# tongue weight. Granted it was VERY windy pulling it home, but it was work to pull it. Sway control is next on the Just Empty Every Pocket list. I have to think the weights you're talking about would be a straight nightmare to pull. When shopping I set my max dry weight at 4500# and tongue weight at 500#. There are several models on the market that fall in that range. However, when looking to rent something before buying I couldn't locate anything close enough to what I was looking for to do so. Most rentals were WAY too big. I'm attaching the spreadsheet I was using to try to keep track of things. Maybe you can use it to search some specific models. It's not exhaustive by any stretch. As stated, get a trailer brake controller installed before you even think about strapping on to anything.

Thanks for sharing this. I am in the market for one as well, this if very helpful to see that there are some that might meet my needs without maxing out the capacity.

I want to take the kids on a short camping trip. I’m not an expert at towing but I have pulled an open car trailer a bunch of times so I’m comfortable driving with a trailer in tow but I’m far from an expert. I am considering renting a 29 foot trailer to get the little ones to a camp ground. I have 5 year old twins and an 8 year old all girls. It will be a daddy daughter trip. Probably just one night and I want to ease into getting them into a tent. Long story short it looks like the camper has a tough weight of 645 and Unloaded weight of 6200. It is also 29 feet long. That is really pushing the limits of a Gladiator rubicon. I’m probably only towing 50 miles. Am I crazy trying to tow something that big with a JT or am I fine since its within the manufacturer spec. I wont really be loading up the trailer or truck with much gear since it will just be for one night. I could really use some advice from some guys that tow often.
Thanks
Chris

I am in the same boat looking for a camper for my 8 year old twins and 5 year old. Make sure you also look into clip on mirrors. The mirrors on the JT are kind of garbage when it comes to towing. Brake controller will be critical, I had about 6k on the back of mine driving about a mile with a load of gravel and felt it back there, wouldn't have made the trip if it was any farther away. Brakes make a huge difference, I felt better the time I was 1500 over capacity on my sienna with brakes then I did being under without them in the JT.

 

[robertm55]

We tow a 25' travel trailer all over the place.
Use a weight transferring hitch,brake controller and clip on mirrors.
My trailer dry weight is under 5000 lb. So probably around 6000 lb loaded.
I have never had an issue, and always have been very comfortable. I just take it slow, rarely exceed 65 mph.
For the op, most campgrounds we go to have seasonal trailers they rent for the night, so no towing until you get exactly what you want/need to be safe and comfortable.

 

[Valhrue]

This is what I use for my brake controller when I tow my trailer. It has consistently worked very well. I'm quite pleased with my purchase. https://www.curtmfg.com/dm/echo-mobile-brake-controller

Plus one vote for the Echo. I use it pulling my 24' Cruiser MPG.

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