Camper Tow-ers, Have Question.

So I'm looking through the local CL looking at campers for E36 M3s and giggles. I'm actually looking at hybrid/expandable campers around 20 feet in length.

The problem is that I can't seem to find too much info weight wise on these trailers to know what is at the limit or not. Some sellers provide the weight, most do not. My interwebz search has got me nowhere on some models especially if they're over 5 years old.

My Durango has a 7300 lbs towing capacity.

Is there a way to determine a size to weight? Is there a database of camper specs?

I have been looking a lot over the last few years. Most ultra-lites below 25 ft. are under 5k lbs. 20 ft. ones are more like 3k lbs.

I would guess that your Durango with a 7300 limit would easily pull a 20 ft hybrid (they are heavier due to the pull-out stuff).

The trailer weights shown in most ads are dry weights, so if you get a lot of stuff in the trailer and a full tank of water you can be looking at an extra 1000 lbs. real quick.

My 14' popup camper ( a 2000 model coleman Sea Pines) is 2200lbs dry, and just under 3k loaded with no water in the tank. although I've never seen a weight database ( too many options n models) I agree that you should be fine with just about any folding camper. If you buy a single-axle unit, it's almost a guarantee.

You need to check the manufacturer's specs.

Most hybrids are fairly small and use laminated fiberglass/ aluminum frame construction.

NOT ALL.

Some still have wood frames.

For reference, I have an older wood framed 23' RV trailer. It's dry weight is 7800 lbs. There are comparably sized laminated fiberglass units that weigh less than 3000 lbs.

It is likely that only the manufacturer can give you accurate info on specific models.

One more thing...Hybrids are heavier than pop-ups.

I have been shopping for a trailer to both camp with the family AND haul our motorcycles (it would work for sportscars/race-cars too), and settled on these. They are all aluminum construction, so they are lighter and less prone to decay than their competition.

VRV

http://www.nadaguides.com/RVs isn't super easy to navigate, but it almost always lists empty and GTWR.

In reply to curtis73:

I looked through there and they are missing info on some of the companies I looked at the other night.

For Example: It says Puma Campers weren't built after 1980.

Yeah, they still make Campers.

Thanks for the link though, it does have some info that was helpful.

I've found usually the tongue weight of the trailer becomes a limiting factor before the weight of the trailer. Pay attention to that. I have a 31 ft travel trailer that is around 5800lbs unloaded, well within the 9800ish towing limit of our Nissan Armada. However the tongue weight of 1000lbs empty exceeds the Armada and it's hitches' limit. I found a cheap '98 Dodge 2500 with V10 in a small town nearby in great condition for around $3000 so that is what I use for camping duty. Pulls the trailer like a champ. Even though it is not nearly at capacity, it is a bit dicey to say the least at Interstate speeds with semi trucks passing you. Even with a load leveling hitch and sway bars, that thing is a bit unnerving with the wind buffeting from other large vehicles.

SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: For Example: It says Puma Campers weren't built after 1980. Yeah, they still make Campers.

That's a frustrating part. Puma was bought by Palomino in the 80s. You might find your specs under a parent name. RV manufacturers trade ownership like an adolescent trades baseball cards.