all I know is that when you have an h1 as your tow behind dingy...you are DEFINATELY living right!

 

We went to 2 huge RV and Boat shows this year, and the one we actually thought about buying was the smallest Dutchman in the series, but it was pushing something like 2800 lbs, and with me, my wife and our gear, it would hvae exceeded the 3000 lb limit of wieght on the Manual H3 we have. Since all I have ever towed were motorcycle trailors, I wasn't sure about this. I have a good hitch and ball setup, but I wasn't sure 1) if the weight would damage the transmission and/or engine 2) If I'd be able to make it up the steep inclines and 3) if we would could get away with just using the H3 brakes or if I'd have to install some kind of perpetual assisted braking system on the H3. I only wired the standard 4 wire connect for our hitch, but I would like to at some point also install the power-assist braking system (forgot what it's called) that applies pressure based on a motion sensor. You guys know what I mean

We are getting one of three things this coming summer:

1) A used Camper Van (we have seen the early 90's one as cheap as 10k in great condition)

2) a trailor or pop-up (even though my wife wants a self-contained vehicle, I'll settle for this if it does the same thing for us)

3) A second car (either a used BMW Z3 or Merc SLK convertible (old used of course)

If ANYBODY out there has driven a Z3 and/or SLK hard top, let me know because I'm dying to find out which handles better.

We don't have a whole lot of money to work with, but hell we are still young and want to do some fun things before we have kids.

Oh, and I love your setup. Nothing cooler then a H2 towing a trailor, or better yet, that RV towing a H1!

 

don't know what kinda system the travel trailers use for brakes but if they make one with surge brakes that is the way to go. the tongue of the trailer is actually a slide that when the tow vehicle brakes the trailer goes forward slides the tongue and applies the trailer brakes. It's a great no hassel easy system and is fool proof. All you need for wiring is a wire to your reverse lights that will disengage the surge brakes so you can back up, without it when your tow vehicle goes into reverse it will push in the trailer tongue and engage the brakes. In my auto I have towed over 4000 pound regularly with no problems at all, I maintain a 70-75 speed and make passes on the highway with no real problems. It may slow down on steep inclines but no more than a loaded big rig, just get to the right behind the trucks when you see an incline coming.

 

we originally looked at getting a pop-up, but that was when we had a 4runner to pull it, and there isn't much storage room in a 4runner. the only problem we had was lack of storage, and setting it up in the rain. you're young, so the rain shouldn't bother you, but my ancient joints don't deal with it well - and i might melt .

as for braking, if you're going to tow more than 1000 lbs, you should have a brake controller. i don't know about pop-ups, but all other rv trailers come with electric brakes. i've put the controllers in 2 different vehicles now, they're not hard at all, and definitely a necessity. i'd recommend one with a variable output, based on how hard the tow vehicle is braking. otherwise, you could end up locking up the trailer brakes on a wet road, and a fishtailing trailer is no fun.

it's obviously your choice, but camper vans, IMO, aren't the way to go. most can't pull a vehicle as heavy as the H3 behind them, so you'd have to drive 2 vehicles wherever you go. trailers tend to hold value a bit better (not much though), since there's far less to break or wear out, and insurance and registration is a good bit cheaper (big deal here in CA). plus, you have regular DMV inspections that your state requires, and all the other hassles that come along.

still, gettin' out under the stars, in whatever mode, is definitely a good time.

 

they may be out there, but i haven't seen a rv/trailer with the surge brake system. i've only seen that on boat trailers.

 

This is the trailor I'd really like to get: (it has alot for a small space)

http://www.airstream.com/product_lin...ambi_home.html

BUT, when I found out how much an airstream costs, my smiles of joy turned into sighs of woe. I appreciate all the feedback though. We'd really like to do something like this. We went from being city people to now wanting to be country people. I hear that is just unforgivable

Also, the pop-up I am looking for and am having a REALLY hard time finding are the one(s) that have the solid collapsable walls. We saw one at the show that has a full shower that actually expands inside when you open it. I thought that would be a good medium between a full trailor and weight, but I'll be damned if i can find a place that sells them. We even went the RV capital of the world (supposedly) which was this town in Indiana. It was almost a 3 hour drive, and still, nothing. For being an RV capital, they sure didn't seem to have too much fo a selection.

 

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I stayed in a pop up one week for deer hunting because my buddies cabin wasn't done yet....it was TERRIBLE!!! It was 4 degrees outside and I think the heater made it a balmy 25 degrees inside. That was the worst week of my life. Nothing worst than going outside to pee and it's so cold your basically shootin ice cycles, then you go inside to warm up but it's still so damn cold that any drippage you may have ends up freezing to your leg

 

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LOL Hence the search for one with solid collapsable walls instead of those cloth ones, or whatever they use.