We Might Switch to a Hybrid and Would Appreciate Your Thoughts

[steelmooch]

Hello, all...and thanks for your time & consideration.

Long story short...we started out with a 21' total length travel trailer. We used it a lot but our kids out-grew the tiny bunks and we needed something different.

We got a 28' model with a lot more room and huge bunks. We have to leave that camper *in a campground*, though (a storage lot would have been another option) because we can't get it up our steep driveway, and find that we're using it less.

(To us, having your camper at home is part of the ownership experience. Being able to "go out to the camper", being able to do maintenance, little upgrades & projects...all part of what we value as camper owners.)

Thinking of selling our 28' TT and buying something like a Rockwood Roo 183, Flagstaff Shamrock 183, or several other similar models.

It would fit up the driveway, we could keep it at home, and the growing kids would have plenty of bed space.

**I'm seriously concerned about the whole noise issue.**

We're on the quiet/private side. I read campground/state park reviews and scope things out on Google Earth before we go anywhere.

I'd never book a site with someone else's fire pit 6 feet from my slider or a tent bed. If someone decides to play washer-toss at 11 PM next to my site, I'll handle it. If we pull into a site and the folks next door are already intoxicated and loud at 3 PM, we're out of there.

Basically, we take proactive measures to stack our odds of a quiet, relaxing time when we're camping.

What I'm wondering is:

If we do pop-up-gizmos (which we would), line the screens with Reflectix (which we would), have the A/C running, and use white noise machines (I'd honestly put one in each bed if we needed to), would we do well and enjoy a hybrid TT in a state park, spaced-out type setting?

The dog barking 200 feet away...the camper-door-slammer 5 sites over...the people who never told their young kids not to scream in the campground...would we be able to drown these things out (with a combination of A/C, white noise machines, and a positive attitude), or are we going to be another family that trades theirs in after a year or two of light use?

Anything you can offer is much appreciated...I've watched videos, read forum threads, etc...and still feeling very unsure.

Happy travels!

 

[HappyWanderer]

Hybrids are great for getting a lot of living space out of a smaller footprint. The big trade off is weather dependency.

They are harder to heat and cool than a hard-side unit, and you must open them up to dry out if they get wet. Depending on the floor plan, you might be able to use it while closed up, which would help in those situations.

I know folks that have hybrids and love ‘em. Other got tired of the inconvenience and moved on. We started in a pop up, but moved to hard sides because of weather.

 

[TheBar]

We have a popup and a motorhome. We love the popup but we can only use it a few times per season. A hybrid has the same problems. We get a lot of rain and heavy morning dew here. We often have to dry the canvas/vinyl off with towels before we pack it up. If there is the slightest amount of moisture on the canvas it starts to smell like mildew is just a few hours. If there is wind the rain gets inside around the edges. So camping is very limited by the weather. The other problem is cleaning the canvas/vinyl. It accumulates and holds dirt and tree sap and has to be washed often, and is very hard to wash because it is so flexible.

 

[Papa Glenn]

We had a hybrid for 14 years and loved it. Lots of space in a small package (2001 Keystone Cabana 1701). Got it when our kids were 10 and 12. It worked great even when the grew to be 6’2” & 6’4”. We had home-made gizmos and reflectix. It isn’t as quiet as a hard side and rain can be a pain to deal with. All RVs come with compromises. It’s just a matter of what is most important to you and what you’re willing to live with.

 

[Oldgator73]

We mostly camped at State and National Parks so the sites were farther apart than what you might find at some private CG’s. Noise was never really a big problem. Since I have bad knees and couldn’t crawl up into the bed in our TT we purchased a tent attachment for our EZ-Up and would sleep in it on a cot. Never had a noise issue in the tent (other than occasionally hearing a curious animal sniffing around outside). But, like others have said, if it rains or there is an inordinate amount of dew you will have to clean your unit really well when you get home.

 

[CharlesinGA]

More and more locations now forbid Hybrids or popups due to the bear issue. The bear population has literally exploded and if you camp in an area where there are bears, you will probably not be allowed to. In the Smokies, they have closed some tent camp areas due to aggressive bears, and have all kinds of cautions about keeping food, grills, everything inside when it is not in use.

Watch this video, and read the comments. Lots of good comments to add experiences and information to the story.

Charles