RVing

The following is a written version of "thinking out loud," if you will, in considering the RV option.


Lisa's RV want list, in order of importance

Stay below 80-85% of tow vehicle's GVWR, or 75-80% of hitch rating, whichever is lower, for best performance (our case: about 2500 lbs)
Toilet with black tank
Indoor shower with gray tank
Sink and freshwater tank
Queen bed 60" wide (full is 53")
Stove
3-way refrigerator (12V, 120V, LP) w/freezer compartment
Furnace
No need to convert bed into dinette every day
A/C or something innovative like ThinkGeek Desktop A/C
(depending on climates we stay in)
Screen room


Research by manufacturer

Casita - Insulation rating? Completely enclosed floor, around 13000 with options. Rice, TX
Scamp - R15 insulation in walls, dry 1750 lbs, antifreeze water lines?, around $13000 with options. Backus, MN
Shadow Cruiser -
Sun Valley - Several small models, X-Treme Lite has R7 insulation
Taylor Coach - Lower cost, all the amenities but still the most lightweight we've seen, all wood inside no particle board (wow!), R7 insulation upgradable to R12. Millgrove, ON


Airstream - Too expensive
Bigfoot - Too heavy
Burro - No cold weather features?, no longer in production?
Escape - Insulated, looks well-built, but wet weight is 2600-2800 lbs, and pricey at CAN$19200 w/shower
Fleetwood - Too heavy
Gulf Stream - Too heavy
Jayco - Too heavy
Keystone - Too heavy
Nash (Northwood Mfg) - Too heavy
Palomino - Too heavy
R-Vision (Trail-Lite) - Too heavy
Sunline Coach - Too heavy
T@b (Thor Industries) - No bathroom,lots of insulation?, heater not for use in weather below 40 degrees (yes, you read that right)
Trillium - No bathroom


Fiberglass trailers - Casita Trillium Scamp Escape Burro

Good information gathered from Lightweight RV News
and RV Towing Tips