We have recently sold our sailing yacht after 10 years of bluewater cruising. We now intend to continue our travels ashore with an RV. As Canadians, we have to register our vehicles in Canada so we are presently in Alberta getting ourselves established as Albertans (no sales tax in Alberta) before purchasing and/or importing an RV.
After much deliberation as to what type of RV we should buy, suitable for several years of full time touring in the USA and Canada, and giving full consideration to both our needs and our financial resources, we have decided that a new, good quality, lightweight travel trailer, fitted out to our specification, is our best option.
We know that, to many, a lightweight TT may seem inappropriate for full timing. However, before spending 10 years afloat, we spent a year and a half full timing with a fold-down while shopping (leisurely) for the boat . So, for us, after nearly 12 years living in limited space, a 30ft+/- lightweight TT with a slide will have more room than we’re used to and we are used to traveling fairly light.
Our shopping to date has been primarily on the net as there aren’t many dealers near our present location. We plan factory visits to see the few that make our final short list in production. We also plan to test tow the final 2 or 3 prospects before making our purchase.
Our basic criteria are 28 - 32 feet, max GVWR about 7500 lbs with payload capacity 2000 lbs +/- and lounge with slide at one end & bedroom at the other. Those on our list at the moment are:
Alpenlite Aspen 28RL
Coachmen Captiva 275DS & 296Ks
Coachmen (Shasta) Capri 27DS & 29KS
Fleetwood Terry Dakota 830Y
Fleetwood Prowler Lynx 830Y
Fleetwood Wilderness Yukon 830Y
Forest River Flagstaff 827FLS & 829RLSS
Forest River Rockwood 8272S & 8294SS
Forest River Grand Surveyor GS-272 & GS-290
Gulfsteam Trailmaster 27TRB & 29TBW
Jayco Jayfeather 29N
Keystone Outback 28RLS
R-Vision Trail Bay 27DS & 31FKB
Starcraft Settler 285RLS
We would appreciate feedback on any or all of the above, or any others we should consider, as well as suggestions as to where we should shop for the best price (local dealer support is a non-issue for us). Also, any recommendations on aftermarket gear we should purchase will be welcome.
After much deliberation as to what type of RV we should buy, suitable for several years of full time touring in the USA and Canada, and giving full consideration to both our needs and our financial resources, we have decided that a new, good quality, lightweight travel trailer, fitted out to our specification, is our best option.
We know that, to many, a lightweight TT may seem inappropriate for full timing. However, before spending 10 years afloat, we spent a year and a half full timing with a fold-down while shopping (leisurely) for the boat . So, for us, after nearly 12 years living in limited space, a 30ft+/- lightweight TT with a slide will have more room than we’re used to and we are used to traveling fairly light.
Our shopping to date has been primarily on the net as there aren’t many dealers near our present location. We plan factory visits to see the few that make our final short list in production. We also plan to test tow the final 2 or 3 prospects before making our purchase.
Our basic criteria are 28 - 32 feet, max GVWR about 7500 lbs with payload capacity 2000 lbs +/- and lounge with slide at one end & bedroom at the other. Those on our list at the moment are:
Alpenlite Aspen 28RL
Coachmen Captiva 275DS & 296Ks
Coachmen (Shasta) Capri 27DS & 29KS
Fleetwood Terry Dakota 830Y
Fleetwood Prowler Lynx 830Y
Fleetwood Wilderness Yukon 830Y
Forest River Flagstaff 827FLS & 829RLSS
Forest River Rockwood 8272S & 8294SS
Forest River Grand Surveyor GS-272 & GS-290
Gulfsteam Trailmaster 27TRB & 29TBW
Jayco Jayfeather 29N
Keystone Outback 28RLS
R-Vision Trail Bay 27DS & 31FKB
Starcraft Settler 285RLS
We would appreciate feedback on any or all of the above, or any others we should consider, as well as suggestions as to where we should shop for the best price (local dealer support is a non-issue for us). Also, any recommendations on aftermarket gear we should purchase will be welcome.