Help !!! Keep the 16ft. Travel trailer or get a pop up

[J-Bird]

Hi All;  I have a beautiful 16ft. 2003 shadow cruiser travel trailer.  weight is about 2200lbs. total.  I have a Dodge Durango 2005 4.7  no hemi  it sucks gas by itself and with the trailer its about 10 mpg appox.  plus it has a hard time pulling it !!! Its able to tow 6600 lbs !!! I have the factory tow packeage too on it ....ugh...  any way, I have a verbal commitment on a brand new 2006 Jayco pop up 1006 model.  No bath, no a/c but everything else is in it.  A got a GREAT deal on a trade in, very good deal..... not sure if I want to get ride of the shadow, its all set up already, no need to pop it up, you just walk in and load it, has ac already, roll out awning rather than setting it up with ropes etc.... has a bathroom, I am trying to weigh the pros and cons and make the best move,  any advice.... THANKS---- J-Bird

[tlhdoc]

Only you can decide which is right for you.  Good luck on what ever you decide.

[mlslocks]

Have you ever popup camped before? You may want to try it before switching.
Some people (my wife) are not cut out for the popup life.

Lee

[flyfisherman]

Longer ago than I care to admit to, use to have a 17' Shasta. Without a doubt, it was the most lousy thing I've ever towed! Just a bear to haul down the road.

Campers are just like tow vehicles, you give-up a little something to gain a little something else. I went with a popup so it would'nt have so much wind resistance (like the Shasta had). Plus I love a canoe and that rides so well on the top of the closed popup! Yet, having said all this, kinda nice pulling into the Wally-Mart lot and just clinbing into the hardside for the night!

Ah, yes ... decisions, decisions, decisions.

Good luck!


Fly

[AustinBoston]

Hi All;  I have a beautiful 16ft. 2003 shadow cruiser travel trailer.  weight is about 2200lbs. total...I have a verbal commitment on a brand new 2006 Jayco pop up 1006 model.

You should read the specs carefully.  Our Bayside weighs more than your TT.  It would be a shame to go from a tough-to-pull TT to a tough-to--pull pop-up.

Austin

[PLJ]

Wow! I just did a search and found shadowcruiser.com. I take it you have the 16 ft fun finder. These things are light. I could tow that with my mini van. I am amazed that the Durango would have an issue pulling this.

[wynot]

Hi All; I have a beautiful 16ft. 2003 shadow cruiser travel trailer. weight is about 2200lbs. total. I have a Dodge Durango 2005 4.7 no hemi it sucks gas by itself and with the trailer its about 10 mpg appox. plus it has a hard time pulling it !!! Its able to tow 6600 lbs !!! I have the factory tow packeage too on it ....ugh... any way, I have a verbal commitment on a brand new 2006 Jayco pop up 1006 model. No bath, no a/c but everything else is in it. A got a GREAT deal on a trade in, very good deal..... not sure if I want to get ride of the shadow, its all set up already, no need to pop it up, you just walk in and load it, has ac already, roll out awning rather than setting it up with ropes etc.... has a bathroom, I am trying to weigh the pros and cons and make the best move, any advice.... THANKS---- J-Bird

As everyone has said - only you can decide about whether to switch from hardside to popup.  Having worked at an RV dealership, I'm kinda suprised that you got a good trade in on the Shadowcruiser - in general, they take kind of a beating on trade in.  I hope you have the entire deal in writing for your sake should you decide to trade in.  One of the reasons I left that business was their deal manipulations, especially with trade in value.
 
It sounds like you're facing the same problem with your tow vehicle that people who tow with the 4.8 L Chevy Tahoe face (vs. the 5.3L), low gas mileage and low performance.  Both the Tahoe and Durango weigh so much, that the smaller V-8 has to really work (read: have to really keep on the gas) just to move the vehicle, let alone the rig.  My guess would be that you have a fairly high rear end in the Dodge, coupled to a smaller engine, and then you're pulling a trailer with a good sized face.  Length ends up being relatively minor in the equation, it's frontal area.  Most popups that you would probably consider are going to weigh out close to 3,500 lbs once loaded.

[beacher]

I tow a fully loaded 3500+lb PU with the previous generation Durango, a 1999 4x4 SLT model with the 5.7L Magnum engine and factory tow package.  On flat ground I literally don't feel the PU behind me, I need to look in my mirror.  Going up hill is a breeze, (as fast as I dare to go).

You might just want to trade in your 2005 TV, to one with a HEMI and factory tow package.  The longer you wait, the more it will depreciate.  It gets almost the same gas mileage.  Then you can keep your already set up TT!

With a more capable TV, you can obviously safely tow more.  If you still want to swap over to a PU at some point, you could then tow any PU currently manufactured, with ease!

[zamboni]

We moved from a PUP to a hybrid -- primarily (ONLY!) because we got so frustrated with the pack/setup.  Since we have an RV slip on our new house, we only had to put the PUP down to drive to the CG and back.

It is very nice to be able to leave our kitchen, bath, etc, set up in our hybrid.  When we stop at a gas station, we can go to the fridge, bathroom, change the baby's diaper in there...

However, you have to determine your own needs.

My V8 Explorer (7300 lb towing) gets about 18 normal, 14 towing our Niagara PUP, and 11 towing our hybrid.

So, it only "cost" us 3 MPG to upgrade to the hybrid.  Honestly, you may find you'll only gain a few MPG by switching to a PUP.  Is that worth it?

[J-Bird]

We moved from a PUP to a hybrid -- primarily (ONLY!) because we got so frustrated with the pack/setup.  Since we have an RV slip on our new house, we only had to put the PUP down to drive to the CG and back.

It is very nice to be able to leave our kitchen, bath, etc, set up in our hybrid.  When we stop at a gas station, we can go to the fridge, bathroom, change the baby's diaper in there...

However, you have to determine your own needs.

My V8 Explorer (7300 lb towing) gets about 18 normal, 14 towing our Niagara PUP, and 11 towing our hybrid.

So, it only "cost" us 3 MPG to upgrade to the hybrid.  Honestly, you may find you'll only gain a few MPG by switching to a PUP.  Is that worth it?

Thanks for the advice,  i think your right.  The shadow will give us less room and my daughter (16) is tight in the 28" wide side bed but we only camp a few times during the year and she only comes home for about 4-6 weeks in the summer, she doesn't live with me.  Thanks, J-Bird

[weathermaker]

Hmmm. I have a 2001 Dodge Dakota with the 4.7 V8. I tow a 2005 Fleetwood Evolution which is not exactly a light weight.

The last time out I was climbing a long grade and trying to pass a slower vehicle. The vehicle keep speeding up. Finally at about 90 MPH the other vehicle ran out of gas, while my Dakota was still pulling.

By the way...I get about 14 MPG while towing the Evo.

[williamfriggle]

It sounds to me you have a problem with your tow vehicle. A durago should have no problem pulling your trailer. A freind had trouble with his TV and spent hundreds on finding out what was wrong with his motor. It wasn't the motor but his transmission was bad. New trans and it pulled mountains. Might want to have it checked.

Bill

[wynot]

Just an observation, but the folks NOT having problems towing with the Durango all have the midsize Durango, not the full size one that is being referenced.
 
4.7 is a SMALL V-8 for the size of the new Durango.

[Dee4j]

We moved from a PUP to a hybrid -- primarily (ONLY!) because we got so frustrated with the pack/setup.  Since we have an RV slip on our new house, we only had to put the PUP down to drive to the CG and back.

It is very nice to be able to leave our kitchen, bath, etc, set up in our hybrid.  When we stop at a gas station, we can go to the fridge, bathroom, change the baby's diaper in there...

However, you have to determine your own needs.

My V8 Explorer (7300 lb towing) gets about 18 normal, 14 towing our Niagara PUP, and 11 towing our hybrid.

So, it only "cost" us 3 MPG to upgrade to the hybrid.  Honestly, you may find you'll only gain a few MPG by switching to a PUP.  Is that worth it?

I second that..while we enjoyed our PU..I did most the set up and DH would show up after work...going to the Hybid has made me very happy and has also saved us on fast food costs...stop at a rest stop and make lunch..CLEAN bathroom etc and when we would leave to go home it's always lunch time so now we pack up and just before we pull out we have lunch...can't do it in  a PU...



you may want to consider this...before I got DH to buy the PU we rented one for a weekend to see what it was like.

[beacher]

Just an observation, but the folks NOT having problems towing with the Durango all have the midsize Durango, not the full size one that is being referenced.
 
4.7 is a SMALL V-8 for the size of the new Durango.

The new style Durango is still considered a midsize SUV.  It is 3 inches longer in wheelbase, 7 inches longer overall, close to 5 inches wider, and almost 400 lb heavier than its predecessor.

My point was to trade in the 4.7L for the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 ASAP.  While the vehicle still has some resale value.  The Durango quickly depreciates dramatically.