I have been looking at trailers (on line). There is also all kinds of internet blather that dealers are way overstocked. And that seems true with all the dealers around me. There are thousands of them in just a 3 mile ride on Interstate 90 near me.
No one is buying right now due to the interest rate increase.
Anyway the prophets on UTube say get ready for big sales.
AND, since we have a dedicated thread, I’ll throw in some layout pics of the top two contenders. Both brands of Forrest River.
The dual axle 25’ Coachmen Apex Nano 213 RDS comes in at a UVW of 3826# and has both a couch and small dinette with a walk around queen bed. Road Mode is perfect with full access to everything. The downside is the bathroom/shower size…
The 221 RLS would be better as it has a full dinette in the slide and true theater seating at the rear, but alas at 4500# UVW it’s only shaving 4-500 pounds off what we tow now.
Coming in heavier than the Apex, but still under my target at 4128# UVW is the 24’ Surveyor Legend 19SSLE. This is a single axle trailer has a walk-around queen bed, tri-fold couch in a 3 window slide and a rear bath. Seems very roomy inside. This years model comes with 400 watts of solar. Downside is that Road Mode is tight for access to the bath and without mods to the wardrobe, the toilet area is tight…
We plan to go look at the Surveyor on Monday. They have one near Hartford, about 75 minutes away. No-one local has the Apex.
I’ve looked at a few other brands as well, but these two seem to always make it to the top of the list. My short list to date also includes:
Rockwood Geo Pro G19FBS 20’ 2" - Has an E-W bed which is a deal breaker.
Ozark 1800QS 23’ 0" - Has an odd Chaise Lounge couch.
Ibex 19QBS 23’ 0" - On the heavy side of my target.
Plus a few more that push the UVW beyond what I’m comfortable with.
I’m really leaning toward the Surveyor, but after experiencing tire issues on my current dual axle unit, I’m a little leery of single axle models.
FYI - This is what we currently tow. A 2007 31’ Trail Lite 8310S. Original UVW was 4700# before we started upgrading. Added two Fantastic Fans, an electric tongue jack, TV, stereo & speakers, some extra floor supports plus that heavy Wilderness mattress. I would guess UVW today is well over 5000#, but it tows great using a Hensly Arrow hitch system. Shown here set up in our backyard campsite…
I agree. COVID created a huge market. Manufacturers geared up for that volume. But now that a basic campsite costs way more than a room at Super 8 or Motel 6, lots of folks are ditching their campers. The used market has tanked, but thankfully there are deals to be had on new due to overstocks.
Our 5 night stay near Bob’s for TrainOps will run us just under $500. There are rooms little further away for around $75/night. Not a lot of financial incentive to camp unless you are set up to do state parks. In CT, no dogs at state CGs, so we go commercial.
Thanks Bob, one would think we were old enough to know better 
Jon, ya gotta love those Hensley’s/ProPride hitches, we had one for our 26’ Cougar a few years back. But they do present their own set of problems hooking and unhooking if misaligned slightly and I was good at that.
Looks like some nice units you are looking at, the Surveyor’s are very good, we looked at them several times.
Later I will post a few picts of our mods.
We are leaving next Wednesday for another N. Idaho camp and ride. We got full hook-ups on the N Fork for 70.00 a night. 40.00 a night at another campground spot, but no sewer dump. We haven’t boon-docked for several years. My wife would rather have creature comforts. Me, I don’t care one way or another.
Well, after 17 years, I’m getting pretty good at it. Rarely had issues unhooking, and I’ve learned a few tricks for hooking up. A lot depends on how you unhooked! Backup cameras really help as well.
In 17 years I have never once had any sway problems and when getting passed by a big bus or 18 wheeler, if there is a bow wave it effects the entire rig, not just the trailer, so is easy to compensate for. The drawback is the “Hensly Bump” when slowing fast, especially if the tow brakes are set too light. But once you’ve experienced it, it’s not that big of a deal.
I prefer full hookups only because I hate being “that guy” at the dump station who has to rinse his tanks 4 or 5 times until they drain clear! Lately I’m not so picky since we had a dump port installed at home. Now after we dump and do a quick rinse at the CG, I put in a quart or so of liquid detergent and a few gallons of water. That sloshing while traveling does a great job of getting the stuck on stuff loose. We do a dump and rise cycle at home where I can take my time.
Jon,
I really hope you didn’t mean a whole quart of dish soap 
We have always used dry laundry detergent and Calgon bath beads, couple spoons of each and 3-4 gallons of water and the bouncy ride home does the rest. Have never used chemicals and never had a smell issue and especially that nasty chemical smell.
Mom says that if the site doesn’t have everything up to and including WiFi we are Boon docking, and she doesn’t do that anymore. Probably goes back to our early days and hunting/fishing trips when the gear was an ice chest, camp stove, and a sleeping bag in the truck bed, she was a good sport for quite a few years.
Our latest trailer the Wildwood FSK, 179DBK and our mods.
A screen shot of how the bunk area looked from the factory, I didn’t take before pictures because I wasn’t planning a build log around this project
Our modifications to the area.
The top bunk turned into an 18 inch wide wrap around shelf and the bottom bunk was cut back to 28 inches wide for the dogs bed. We have a Mini Aussie and a Border Collie that love camping. The wardrobe on the right has a cubby hole under for a step stool to be stored. The stool makes it easy for the little dog to jump to the bunk and gives us better access to the storage bins on the top shelf.
The cabinet we added to expand the kitchen, where it sits was just dead wasted space.
At least a dozen other small modifications and additions have been put in place, the last major one I am working on now is pullout drawers for the storage spaces under the dinette seats, instead of having to lift the cushions and the plywood sheets to access things.
Wow! $500 +petrol to get there!
Rumours here are you can O/N at Walmarts. Or is that an urban myth?
Nice work Rick!
The detergent is usually Simple Green or Fabuloso if I can’t find the Simple Green.
Like I said earlier, I wanted to convert the 1 twin over 1 double bunk to an office area with a desk. That idea was killed when I used the area under the lower bunk to run new duct work for the furnace. Mice got in the heating system one year. I had to completely tear down the furnace to get the smell out and I sealed up and abandoned the under floor ducts that they used as tunnels.
You can say it’s had a few issues
You can, but a lot of them are in sketchy areas. Cracker Barrel restaurants are a better choice if available. They have great breakfasts too!
The petrol (gasoline) isn’t too bad and prices here have been relaxing. I get over 15mpg towing the camper and its only 160 miles door to door.
We stayed at the Cabela’s in PA during our recent trip. Felt very secure, and both times there were only about four other rigs there. The area for RVs is gigantic, and they have a dump station and potable water, which a couple dozen rigs used while we were there.
What vehicle are you going to pull theses trailers with Jon?
Same one I’ve been pulling my current 32 footer: KIA Sorrento with the 5K Rated tow package. My current unit is well over 5K unloaded (4.7K as built + many add-ons). I run a Hensley Arrow hitch which makes a huge difference.
EDIT to add a P.S. It tows great even in the hills and gets over 15MPG towing! My GMC Envoy struggled on hills and got 7MPG towing at best.
We went and looked at the Surveyor today and stopped at a dealer that sells the Apex. Even though the Surveyor MSRP is $5K more than the Apex the bottom line deal is $600 cheaper for the Surveyor. Because it’s in-stock and the 2025’s are on the way, the Surveyor dealer made a trade offer of what I was planning to sell it outright for. The Apex dealer gave me an insulting trade allowance of $500.
We looked in some of the other Apex models that were in stock. The fit and finish just isn’t quite as good as the Surveyor. The Surveyor is very roomy looking inside with a light decor. Apex is changing to a dark decor for 2025 which would be what I could order.
The only sticking point keeping me from pulling the trigger on the Surveyor is the single axle. I’m not worried about handling, but rather what happens if a tire goes. It does come with TPMS installed.
Jon,
We found a tandem set up gives better stability when towing and when set up but there is twice as much running gear to maintain and replace. What’s your tradeoff?
First thing we do with a new trailer is go directly to the tire shop and have new upgraded tires and wheels (if necessary) installed, eases the mind considerably.
Have you found that service departments want to give you some grief because of the Hensley?
Other than the initial “We Owe” fixes (stabilizers ripped off in transit, interior slide roller foot broke off) we’ve never needed dealer service. Nothing else broke in warranty and I do all my own maintenance. The only time the Hensley was an issue is when my tow vehicle blew a water pump on the interstate. The tow truck they sent had a welded on ball, no 2" receiver box. They finally decided to tow it still connected. Fortunately it was only a few miles from the dealer where I bought the SUV.
I just did a side-by-side feature comparison. The Surveyor wins on nearly every point. And the most important thing - Marilyn loves it.
If the boss say’s that’s the one, well, done deal
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Talked to the sales guy this morning. He is trying to convince us to take delivery before our Train Ops trip. I’m not sure I can get it emptied, and swap out the Fantastic Fan and cover for the original vent in time. Especially with the heat wave this week.
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We did it! They offered us what I would have asked private sale for our current trailer. The dealer I bought the current one from insulted us with a lo-ball trade and so-so discount. They lost a deal!
We close on Friday the 28th.
I think we are good. Goodyear radials on aluminum rims. Makes me sad that I’m giving them 4 brand new Maxxis on my old one. Buying China Bombs for it to keep the Maxxis doesn’t make sense as they will age out before I will need them.
I am swapping out a Fantastic Fan and Max Air cover for a cheap Camco roof vent which was what it came with. AC is running - we start packing out today!