I'm considering getting a toy hauler to escape Alaska's winters and travel. After spending February to end of March in Hawaii and Arizona, I'm over the snow—I'm currently staring at a foot of fresh snow outside my office window here in Palmer, Alaska. I've got a 2023 CRF450 in Northern California waiting for me; I'd rather be riding that and sleeping by the beach.
I need advice on a few things:
Toy Hauler Recommendations: I'm in the market for something compact yet cozy, not just a mobile shop with a kitchen. It's just me and my dog, but I'll be working from it too. I'd love one with a deck for parking by beaches or scenic vistas. I'd like to keep it lighter and not too big length wise. Im not trying to have a Mini Mansion but I do want it nice.
Storage Options: I'm open to storing the hauler in CA, AZ, or WA, planning to spend my summers in Alaska. WA seems appealing because I can easily fly to Seattle and rent a truck.
Camping and Staying Spots: I'll still be working, so I won't be overly nomadic. I'm looking for recommendations on places suitable for longer stays, as well as must-visit locations, preferably next to good riding.
What truck do you have now to pull it with?
Id imagine id pick up a new durmax for down there, up here I have a Silverado 2500HD 6.6L V8 but I think id buy new down there. Lot of miles back and forth.
1/2 tons tow 13,000+ pounds and deliver well over 20mpg all day long (currently averaging 24+ in a new F150 Hybrid that can tow 13,000 & makes 7.2kW of power). Had to go to FMF up in LA today: 94 miles r/t…26.2 mpg.
There are some very livable toy haulers from the Forrest River brands like the Cherokee Wolf Pup 18 (the Black Label version is the way to go) or the really nice stuff from Intech that are ALL aluminum and extremely well built/$24-30K for versions with bathroom.
Good luck!
Bye the way…this is actually very “Moto”! 😂
Welp that's plenty of truck but compact and cozy is hard to quantify.
Personally I would go for a 5th wheel toy hauler since it's tows better and will give you a nice bedroom in the front leaving you office - shop space in the back.
Many state parks have a size restriction so you need to look into that as you will likely want to stay in them for scenic views and cheap rates compared to endless RV Park fees.
Most of the modern toy haulers have the ramp door patio-deck conversion option that are really nice.
My vote is to go to an RV show and check out all the models to give you an idea of what works for you.
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Not a "Toy Hauler" but, compact and spacious. I'd look for something like that.
Get a comfy mattress. The ones that come in most are garbage. Also be prepared for unexpected problems, mostly minor things.
Get one big enough that it has a separate bedroom and garage.
Check out the Forest River RV Rockwood GEO Pro G19FBTH Toy Hauler Travel Trailer
Forest River has tons of other toy hauler options too.
My concern with that open style area is to do anything you have to put the bike outside to do it.
Very true, definitely something to think about.
I love my keystone outback 240. Half ton towable, king size bed, plenty of garage for a bike and other toys. You want something easy to pull, easy to set up, and comfortable to sleep in. I will never own another with a camper queen. Feet hangin off the bed or if theres a wall youre cramped. I put a nice pillow top king in mine and sleep like im at home in that thing.
Even if youre set on a Duramax, it'd be super comfy to pull around with a big truck. If you buy something much larger, it can be a pia to be very mobile.
The torque t31 or stryker 3112 are high on my list as my next one.
Another thought if you go the 5er route. Keystone makes a cougar thats a toy hauler too.
I'm also addicted to side load garages. Not having to worry what i back up against is nice.
If it’s just a bike and it’s tied down where the picture shows “flip-up seat”, it’s not really in your way.
If seen this floor plan out in the wild (bike was installed backwards as used by one of the BFG pits peeps in Baja). It works pretty darn good.
There’s a version that has tandem axles & a full bath w/sink. That’s what I’d look at.
The tandem Intech trailers have plenty of bike room.
The advantage of being 5’8” is that I fit all of’em & sleep really well if I put a REAL mattress in’em. 😂
My goal was to find something under 5,000 loaded that I can pull into remote locales in the Bronco.
Something I’ve heard from the RV Industry repair experts…virtually ALL of the popular/big brands of trailers will need some attention/are likely to have a few things that need to be worked on after some use. So, having a good dealer/warranty-repair facility seems like an important consideration when buying one of these new trailers.
On the other hand, the people I’ve talked to that own Intech trailers…like the folks at Guts & a couple of others that work in the industry or are in auto/side X side/Moto/off-road racing and have larger Intech haulers…say they are bulletproof. In my case, spending a few dollars more more a bit more serious construction and attention to detail looks like it’s gonna be a necessity.
RV bed mattress suck we went with a sleep number in ours.
RV’s rattle them selfs to death so get ready for youtube fixes to fix it your self
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