What size travel trailer should we buy?

[cdambrosio]

My wife and I are looking to purchase a Travel trailer and are worried about the weight. We have an 09 GMC Yukon that has a towing package and can pull around 7500 lbs according to the dealer. THe travel trailer we are looking at weighs 6500 lbs. is that too heavy???

Thank you for any input.
Chris

 

[kiljoi308]

We just bought one recently and the camper dealer told us to allow roughly 1000 lb for all your gear meaning anything you put in it when towing it. So you should be good. You would be pushing your max but still good.

 

[foxylady]

I would think you would probably be fine. I can't imagine taking 1,000 pounds of gear but I guess some might. Besides that a lot of the gear you need to take would probably be hauled in the truck and not the trailer itself.

 

[Grady]

I think you'll be okay. 1,000 pounds of gear does sound like a lot, but I guess stuff just adds up before you know it. I do actually store just about everything in the trailer when I'm towing one. I like to keep the clutter out of the truck.

 

[FeO2Man]

Something else to consider, however. Will you be pulling it through the mountains? Your tow vehicle loses a significant amount of power at altitude, so it's not just an issue of pulling the trailer uphill. I started towing my camper with a Ford Expedition and after a couple trips to Glacier National Park and Yellowstone, I bought an F-250. Take a look at "The RV Book" by Mark Polk, it has a lot of great information in it including how to calculate the amount of weight you can tow.