Beginning a Hybrid Search

[4campinfoxes]

DH & I are in the very early stages of considering moving from our Coleman Bayside to a hybrid.  There are definite pros & cons to both.  But I'm curious as to what companies are making hybrids.  I know of Starcraft, Jayco, KZ Coyote, Thor, Aerolite, Trail Lite, Rockwood Roo, Palimino.  Am I missing any?

One concern I have is bed size, many of them seem to have pretty small beds and my kids are kind of spoiled with our king size beds in the pop-up.  I'm also concerned about not having an outside stove - I don't cook much inside my pop-up & I certainly don't brown hamburger or anything real greasy like that.  

I guess our main reason for considering the move is an eye towards easier set-up.  Any comments on that?

Thanks!

Sharon

[GeneF]

As for cooking in the hybrid, I do it all the time but we don't fry a lot of food.  The hybrids generally have an exhaust fan over the stove.

We have a two burner gas stove that we use to cook the messy stuff outside.  Like you, we never cooked in the popup but the hybrid seems to be built to do this.

Yup, you may find the beds a bit smaller in a hybrd or at least some of them.  We have a queen on the front and a double on the back but neither one is as large as the ones on the Mesa.  We have had couples use the back one and they have said they have plenty of room.

Set up on a hybrid is a lot easier.  Everything is in its place inside the storage areas.  No need to shuffle sleeping bags or duffle bags around.

On our trips, if we get a level site, Dw and I can set up the hybrid in about 15 to 20 minutes.  Takes a little longer to break down becuase more things need ot be secured but still less time than a popup.

If bed area is a concern, be sure to check out the size of the sofas and dinettes that make into beds.  You will find that they vary from hybrid to hybrid.

Also, a slide makes a big difference in usable space.  We can use the Kiwi very easily with or without the slide out.  Plenty of room to walk around either way.

Another thing you might want to look for is where the TV might be located.  Some are in strangest places and I don't see how they are easily viewed in some.

The dinette table in our Kiwi is free standing so we can easily move it anywhere we want or use it outside.  At night we just slide it to one side to make it easier to get into the bunk.

We have had the 23B for two years now and still enjoy it very much.  We have looked at a lot of other hybrids, but for us, the Kiwi was the one.

Oh one more thing, some of the hybrids we have seen don't come iwth a toilet paper holder.

Good luck with your quest. You will find the right one for you.

[zamboni]

Have a read through the recent threads in this forum, where people have posted pros/cons about different floorplans, options, etc.

We moved from a PUP to a hybrid for ease of use (far faster setup), loading, and more "real" bathroom & kitchen (it is very nice having a separate freezer!).

We also have the 23B floorplan - and spent time in every one out there before settling on the exact plan that we both thought we would hate (from web pictures, we thought we'd hate to climb over the dinette - but we keep the table in front of the couch most of the time, and have enjoyed that we can pack 8-10 inside to eat if it is raining outside!)

Quick points
Some brands (Jayco) have 78" instead of 76" ceilings.  Made a huge difference to me.
Rockwood Roos have longer beds, but narrower boxes (7.5 wide instead of .  They now have ducted AC, which helps offset the lower ceiling.

[Gone-Camping]

There are too many benefits to list them all here, but the Hybrid is the next logical step. It sure makes set-up a lot easier too... If you pull into the campground in a heavy rain, you just back it in, scramble aboard and wait for the rain to stop or at least let-up. If you don't mind getting a little wet you can hook-up the power cord...though that isn't the greatest thing to do in the rain...just make sure the breaker on the pole is OFF before playing with the cord!!

Your biggest drawback will be pulling the trailer. The size of the trailers frontal area will create a lot more drag than the PU does, and you'll have decreased power and fuel consumption because of it...a big drop-off can be expected if you have a marginal vehicle. A big power V8 and long wheel base TV will help out and not feel the difference as much.
Size of the trailer you buy will be a direct correlation to what your tow vehcile is or is capable of towing.
 
Good luck!! If you want some deeper input, check out Hybridexplorer.com, we have a lot of people over there (including some that are here now) that will provide you a lot of information on your planned HTT...

[ilovecamping]

We moved to an HTT from a pu last fall.  We had just purchased our 3d pu in Feb-new-with everything but the elec lift on it.  Last season was our first one without any kids with us and we learned real quick how much they had helped in the set up, loading and unloading of the tv, etc.  We also had no counter space in the pu so when we looked at the HTT's we knew we wanted lots of counter space, an oven, mw, places to put things like your keys, camera, cell phones, etc.  We also wanted enough storage space to put everything away in and not have to have it in the way in containers.  We also wanted a slide and it makes a lot of difference when it is out.  We wanted the larger bathroom than the potti/shower combo in the pu.  Ours has 2 queen beds that are 60 X 80 as well as the couch and dinette if needed.  We found all of this in the Kodiak 236.  I know that the 235 has about the same but just different floor plan and I saw a 19? that had a lot of counter space for its size.  It is all in what you want in yours.  Make a list and then go looking.  I didn't like ours when I had looked at the floor plans and it is the one DH did like.  When we went in them this is the one I loved and didn't like the one I had chosen from the floor plans.  We have a place for everything when we travel and it is so easy to put it all out and back that I can have it all ready by the time DH hooks up the elec and water and lowers the bed ends.  That includes a candle burning on the table.  LOL  Best of luck in your adventures of looking them over and finding just the right one for you.

[griffsmom]

My DH and I are thinking about buying a hybrid later this year and are starting to do our research also. I have looked at the hybrid manufacturers' Web sites and have narrowed it down to two manufacturers and a couple of floorplans that we like. I have created a very extensive comparison spreadsheet based on this one created by geodude when he was buying his pop up. You can prioritize certain features that are most important to you and color-code things to show which model has the most features you desire or really misses on somethng you absolutley must have. My husband laughs at me and calls me anal retentive, (okay, maybe a little) but it really helps to narrow down your shopping to the model that you think will suit you best.
 
Once you have it narrowed down, there still is no substitute for seeing the models in person. Go sit in them, pretend you're doing all the things you do when camping, and you'll know which one just feels right. Good luck and have fun!

[GeneF]

'Once you have it narrowed down, there still is no substitute for seeing the models in person. Go sit in them, pretend you're doing all the things you do when camping, and you'll know which one just feels right.'

Great advice Griffsmom

I might add one more thing.  Get rid of the salesman and then do the pretending.

We looked at a lot of hybrids before we bought the Kiwi but once we stepped into the Kiwi, we knew it was the one for us.

[SheBantam]

I never cook inside. I have a B21. 2 burner gas stove and stove stand (or picnic table if I don't feel like dragging the stove stand) for all myu cooking.

Mine is a 1999, so it has the mini fridge and no tub. I have a wardrobe instead, which I love (have 4 of those large drawers in it).

The Queen bed in the front is big enough for hubby and I, the back bunk is a full and only one person sleeps really copmfortably there, The u-shaped lounge is a queen bed also and is what I use in cold or windy weather especially when I am in the camper my myself (which is most of the time).

Also it is the one that is narrower than the new ones. But is is plenty big enough for me to lug around behind the F150.

[homecrew]

I think that the setup is just a part of it. One of the bigger benefits in my mind is that we no longer have to popup to load up the camper. On our longer trips we would have one night stopovers and if it is raining it is no fun knowing that you have to popup to sleep and that you will need to close up wet to get to the next place the next day. Now we can leave it all closed up if we want and still sleep. We have even left it all hooked up without any issues.
 
grifssmom, I like the spreadsheet idea from geodude. A couple of suggestions for a hybrid is to look at where the fridge and hot water exhaust is. You may not want it blowing under the awning if you spend a lot of time there. I also would not get one without a slide. The extra room really does make a difference. Freezers are great. We always had an issue with our popup fridge being cold enough, but not anymore. You will also want to make sure that you can get to the bathroom with everyhing closed up. The bathroom can be handy in an emergency on a backroad with the nearest town a little ways off.:p  Sometimes we will hitch up and drive to another part of the park and spend some time going caching and come back and sit inside and have lunch before heading home. We have plenty of room to sit and have lunch without getting in each others way.
 
Can you tell......we like it. :-()

[SheBantam]

Here is another plus with my rig, The hitch bar is long enough that I can leave the Bantam fully hitched and still get the bed down if I need to. Granted it is not as convient to put the bunk end in and out, but if I was boondocking with the family (or friends) I could drop the bunks and stay hitched.  Have also closed up, coolers outside, and used the two table beds (very small single bed/table, that is a short single) for the 3 of us, and all I had to do in the early AM as I hitched up the night before, is plug the truck up to the camper, stow the coolers and go.
Try that with a popup.

[campingcop]

We have a KZ Coyote, don't know if all models come with the set up we have but the outside stove is built in.  The bed size one queen(front) double (rear)
You can see the 2 burner stove I'm talking about on the first page of my web page.