Brian and I spent about a year researching options for a support vehicle for the cross-country bike trip. Our biggest challenge was finding something we could live in for three months, and something that Brian could work from during the day (and sometimes over night). We started by looking at small travel trailers that could be pulled by our Honda Pilot. We didn’t want to spend too much money, and we didn’t want to purchase a larger tow vehicles because we don’t have a need for a truck.
There are so many travel trailers to choose from, and they come in different layouts with a variety of options, but when you narrow to units that can be towed by an SUV with a 5,000 lbs towing capacity, the range shrinks significantly. When we first started looking, we assumed that a 5K towing capacity meant any unit under 5k lbs. Ah, but that’s not true…it really means a unit that weighs less than 4500 lbs fully loaded (that’s at the very top of the scale). And, additional stuff that you load into the RV could be 1,000 lbs, so really, something between 2,500 and 3,500 lbs “dry” is ideal. Plus, you have to consider the hitch weight, which is an entirely different calculation. Trust me, it’s complicated.
After months of research, we decided to rent a unit to pull with the Pilot just to see what that might be like. We used RVShare, and found the perfect option for a trial run – a 2017 R-pod with an RV queen bed (shorter than a standard queen and maybe not as wide) and a slide-out. It only weights 2,800 lbs dry. So, well within our towing capacity.
We decided to rent the unit for a weekend and tow it to Black Moshannon State Park for the 2024 Public Lands Ride (an amazing ride that’s held every year). Fortunately, the owners live less than 10 miles from our house, and the drive to the state park from the pick-up spot was about 25 miles – a good opportunity to tow for a bit, but not stress the vehicle. The route included one long steep hill (about 8 miles), climbing into the park.
By the time we reached the park, we had our doubts. The trailer bounced around and shook the Pilot during most of the trip. We knew that a stabilizing bar and other accessories might help with that, so we tried to keep an open mind going into the weekend.
The unit was small, but the slide-out gave us enough room to pass each other in the hallway without having to move out of the way. That was more important than I realized. The kitchen was a good size, considering the overall size of the unit, and the seating area was more than enough for us. Brian could work at the table, and there was still plenty of room for me to sit as well.
But, the bathroom was a wet bath, meaning the shower head is over the toilet, not in a separate space, and that was a challenge. We took showers in the bathhouse at the park.
Brian works online overnight about twice per month, and we realized that there was no separation in the unit between the table where he would be working, and the bed where I would likely be sleeping. And, just pulling a curtain between us wouldn’t be enough. When Brian has a late-night work call, we would need to find an alternative arrangement for him, another tricky issue.
Overall, it wasn’t a bad experience, except for the small bed and the shower situation. However, it was also eyeopening because we realized that something this small was tolerable for the weekend, but no way we could live in it for three months.
Bottom line, unless we upgraded our tow vehicle, a travel trailer wasn’t workable for us. Even one a little larger would be too small for us to function comfortably. My friends with trucks love their travel trailers, and they like having a separate vehicle to use when they head out for the day and leave the trailer behind. I was a bit bummed that it didn’t work for us, but that just meant more research to find a good option at a reasonable price.
I’m glad we did the test run with a towable trailer. Brian and I agreed that this wasn’t the right fit for us. So, we turned our attention to Class C motorhomes, and that’s another post for another day.
Keep the Wheels Turning 
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