Best RV for mining trips?

[mellowyellow]

Ok, I know this thread is a bit off, lol. I own a tent trailer that I re-did, it's been great but time to upgrade.
Curious of different opinions here. Something I can stay in for a week or two, with some more comforts. I have a newer half ton 4x4.

 

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[mellowyellow]

I got cut off....


Trailer obviously has to be able to handle off roads and very light. With my truck I assume i shouldn't pull over a 20 footer. What do you all have ? Goods and bads....

 

[Aurabbit79er]

I really love my 1979 class C Rollalong
It uses a 1 ton Chevy C30 Truck Cab w/ a 454cc big block, and when I bought it in 2002, for $4,500.00, it had only 27'000 miles on it.
Now, that being said, I have, as of this date, put almost $6,000.00 into it, and more to come.
I have started changing the coach side to all electric using Solar & Wind w/ Inverters and 6 deep cycle house side batteries.
The engine has its' own auto battery.
I found out that they are designed different.
I have found an RV store on line that sells DC plug in kitchen appliances, most under $40.
12 Volt LCD TVs - 12 Volt Refrigerators - 12 Volt Appliances - 12 Volt Accessories
A Trucker told me about it.
I'm going to remove the Stove so I can expand the restroom.
I can make the the toilet into a combo shower.
It's my never ending Project.
When I worked our of town I lived in it, commuting to work on Monday and to Home on Friday, for 2 years.
I saved more than enough to justify any cost.
At some point I will register it with the Tin Can Club.

 

[NeoTokyo]

Have you heard about the cricket?
Its neat, light, loaded and comfy.

You also might want to look into a modernly updated canned ham.

I honestly would not ever mess with another Class A (Or C) ever again, such a huge PITA to get into tight or dippy area's, let alone going more off the beaten path.

There are some crazy off road intended RV's out there but they are very expensive.


The Cricket

All folded up ready to ride!
This pic is from Get-Out-More on flickr.com

 

[mellowyellow]

Pretty cool little trailer there ! Somewhat similar to my tent trailer. See pic.


















Thinking I want something bigger, more livable, an with real walls. Something that doesn't take me an hour and half to set up, lol. Again,
I rebuilt that trailer from scratch and I added ALOT of cool 12v gadgets, lights, LEDs, ect.. But when i go on a 2 week Yuba river trip, the tent trailer get a lil tight. Great for weekends and such..

I'm thinking a 18 - 20 footer ultra light. (Chevy 1500). With spec'ed out for dry camping, and able to handle some of roads a bit. Sometimes just getting to a decent "campsite" can be nutty roads wise. Possibly even a slide out. I know I will pay prob 15-20k for something like this, but go big or go home, haha.

Curios if there certain brands of travel trailers that guys are using and they like, and what they don't like.

I over thinks things way to much.
But it's a big purchase and I want to make the wife as comfy as possible as well. Thanks

 

[mellowyellow]

Cool 12 volt gadgets. I use a few myself. Thanks for the links. Bro I know, it took over a year and hundreds and hundreds of hours to rebuild my tent trailer. At times I wanted to burn it, lol, but in the end it came out brand new, and I learned ALOT on RV repair.

 

[NeoTokyo]

In this case I would suggest a NICE used RV, really no older than 5 years old and have a couple slides on it.

After you find one that you like buck some taller, wider tires for it and have the suspension modified to give more ground clearance.

If you are a bumper pull then raise your hitch and get a stupid strong hitch ball, highest class rating that you can find and carry and extra with you, an extra stinger wouldnt hurt either.

5th wheels are super nice because you get the extra room of having your sleeping area over the bed of your truck.
Some companies like Peterson know that people will sometimes go offroad with their 5th wheels.

Peterson Industries makes the Excel RT which is marketed as an off road trailer.


As you know, off road on just about any trailer is bad, they just dont like it but if you take the right steps to pack light, pack low and modify what you can then you should be just fine.

 

[NeoTokyo]

Here is some info on it.

Excel RT fifth wheel review - Roaming Times

 

[mellowyellow]

I like the idea about the tires and suspension and upgrading the ball hitch. My truck is brand new and I got the full off road tow 4 x4 ect all the bells , but it's still only a half ton. Next time I will go bigger. Not sure if I can find a 5th wheel that I can tow. Sure be nice, more room, easy as heck to connect. But, where do you keep all your mining gear? Always use my bed to the fullest.

I agree used a few years old , hoping I might find an "off road" or dry camping package? Well see, I'm excited about looking but gonna take my time.

Thanks again all!

 

[NeoTokyo]

There are smaller, lighter 5th wheels out there just gotta look around

Air bags on the rear axle of your truck would help.

Some things to help you tow a little more and get a little better fuel economy out of it.

1.) Chip/tuner meant for towing NOT speed performance
2.) Catback exhaust, a Banks Power Pack would be something to really think about.
3.) CA legal Cold Air Intake with a foam cover over your filter (For Off road to keep your filter from clogging early)
4.) Electric Fan if your truck doesnt already have it, find a dual kit that flow at least 5000cfm, a dual speed kit will keep you from running max all the time.
5.) Look into tow kits for your transmission
6.) Run a transmission cooler if you dont have one.
7.) Run an oil cooler if you dont have one.
8.) Look into a Procharger P1SC centrifugal supercharger. The powerband is linear and goes up with engine RPM, it really helps out when towing but works more in the mid to high RPM range, a D1SC would come into boost sooner but it is more expensive. Be sure to run an intercooled version, if you are short on space you can run a Vortech Liquid to Air cooler or go to a Vortech or other Centrifugal system. There are a few to choose from and they are easy to put on for the most part.
9.) Look into upgrading those front brakes, huge for anyone towing.

Its easy to drop a ton of money into your truck but if you do the work yourself, buy quality used parts and research your prices you could get one hell of a tow rig out of your truck and save a little gas doing it because the more power your truck has to tow means less effort is needed to tow the same amount.


I am a Ford guy but it almost all carries over the same to Chevy.