9 min
8 Travel Trailers a Rivian R1T Can Easily Tow Our Solar Electric Trailer Journey
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- Automotive
Last week, we attended the Florida RV Supershow in Tampa for the second time. What a blast! We exhausted ourselves roaming the show occupying the entire Florida State Fairgrounds, climbing in and out of dozens of travel trailers.
We left with a list of 13 RVs we’d consider towing with our Rivian R1T when it arrives this summer. We want a trailer that is in that sweet spot for towing range (weight) and comfort (size). The smaller the trailer, the farther we can go. The bigger the trailer, the farther we want to go. Here’s more of our analysis.
We’ve narrowed the list down to eight models with floorplans and features we like.
Here’s our list, showing dry (unloaded) weight and length.
We anticipate that the fully loaded weight of the trailer will be about 2,000 pounds more than the dry weight. We’ll review them in this order, from lightest to heaviest.
Gulf Stream Vintage Cruiser 23RSS
Devin’s favorite is the smallest trailer that made the cut—not entirely for that reason. The Gulf Stream Vintage Cruiser 23RSS is styled inside and out with a retro feel that Devin loves. The bathroom divides the bedroom from the rest of the living space. It does lack a feature we both want—theater seating.
Venture Sonic 231VRL
Gail’s favorite, perhaps she’d call it a reluctant favorite, is the next up on the list in terms of weight. The floor plan does an even better job than the Vintage Cruiser of using the bathroom to divide the trailer into three private rooms, which is important when we need quiet for work or when we have house guests. Like the Vintage Cruiser, it lacks theater seating.
Forest River Rockwood Mini Lite 2104S
The Forest River Rockwood Mini Lite 2104S is the shortest trailer on the list. With a murphy bed and good-sized slide-out, the trailer feels roomier than we’d otherwise expect. The short trailer would be more maneuverable, too. There is a theater seating option that eliminates other beds for guests or when Gail makes Devin sleep on the sofa.
JayCo Jay Feather 21 MML
The JayCo trailer offers theater seating, a dinette and a sofa/murphy bed set up. Still relatively small among the trailers on our list, we see how this one could work for us. The open floor plan creates a sense of spaciousness but doesn’t provide anywhere to have privacy.
Keystone RV Passport SL 229RK
The distinctive feature about this floorplan is the bona fide wall and doors between the bedroom and the rest of the trailer. It has an option for theater seating that we love.
Cruiser RV Shadow Cruiser 228RKS
The Shadow Cruiser 228RKS is similar to the last trailer but lacks the wall and has a curtain for bedroom privacy. It does come standard with the theater seating we love.
Twilight RVs Twilight Signature TW2280
The Twilight RVs Twilight Signature is the only one in the size range we found with a king-size bed. That’s pretty compelling. It also has theater seating but privacy is limited to a curtain around the bedroom.
Grand Design Imagine XLS 23LDE
The heaviest and longest trailer on our list, it is the only one with two doors—one in the bedroom and one in the kitchen. It features theater seating and maximum privacy with a big bathroom dividing the trailer.
We’re not sure which of these we’ll get. Almost certainly, we’ll find a fairly new but used model so we can use the savings to install the solar panels and battery storage we want.
You can help us decide. In the comments, please answer any of the following questions we have for you:
* Which is your favorite?
* Which would you pick for us?
* What else besides weight, length and theater seating should we consider?
* Does weight correlate with durability?
* Does weight correlate with insulation?
We’re excited to get your feedback before the Rivian arrives and we hit the road!
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit oursolarelectrictrailer.substack.com
Last week, we attended the Florida RV Supershow in Tampa for the second time. What a blast! We exhausted ourselves roaming the show occupying the entire Florida State Fairgrounds, climbing in and out of dozens of travel trailers.
We left with a list of 13 RVs we’d consider towing with our Rivian R1T when it arrives this summer. We want a trailer that is in that sweet spot for towing range (weight) and comfort (size). The smaller the trailer, the farther we can go. The bigger the trailer, the farther we want to go. Here’s more of our analysis.
We’ve narrowed the list down to eight models with floorplans and features we like.
Here’s our list, showing dry (unloaded) weight and length.
We anticipate that the fully loaded weight of the trailer will be about 2,000 pounds more than the dry weight. We’ll review them in this order, from lightest to heaviest.
Gulf Stream Vintage Cruiser 23RSS
Devin’s favorite is the smallest trailer that made the cut—not entirely for that reason. The Gulf Stream Vintage Cruiser 23RSS is styled inside and out with a retro feel that Devin loves. The bathroom divides the bedroom from the rest of the living space. It does lack a feature we both want—theater seating.
Venture Sonic 231VRL
Gail’s favorite, perhaps she’d call it a reluctant favorite, is the next up on the list in terms of weight. The floor plan does an even better job than the Vintage Cruiser of using the bathroom to divide the trailer into three private rooms, which is important when we need quiet for work or when we have house guests. Like the Vintage Cruiser, it lacks theater seating.
Forest River Rockwood Mini Lite 2104S
The Forest River Rockwood Mini Lite 2104S is the shortest trailer on the list. With a murphy bed and good-sized slide-out, the trailer feels roomier than we’d otherwise expect. The short trailer would be more maneuverable, too. There is a theater seating option that eliminates other beds for guests or when Gail makes Devin sleep on the sofa.
JayCo Jay Feather 21 MML
The JayCo trailer offers theater seating, a dinette and a sofa/murphy bed set up. Still relatively small among the trailers on our list, we see how this one could work for us. The open floor plan creates a sense of spaciousness but doesn’t provide anywhere to have privacy.
Keystone RV Passport SL 229RK
The distinctive feature about this floorplan is the bona fide wall and doors between the bedroom and the rest of the trailer. It has an option for theater seating that we love.
Cruiser RV Shadow Cruiser 228RKS
The Shadow Cruiser 228RKS is similar to the last trailer but lacks the wall and has a curtain for bedroom privacy. It does come standard with the theater seating we love.
Twilight RVs Twilight Signature TW2280
The Twilight RVs Twilight Signature is the only one in the size range we found with a king-size bed. That’s pretty compelling. It also has theater seating but privacy is limited to a curtain around the bedroom.
Grand Design Imagine XLS 23LDE
The heaviest and longest trailer on our list, it is the only one with two doors—one in the bedroom and one in the kitchen. It features theater seating and maximum privacy with a big bathroom dividing the trailer.
We’re not sure which of these we’ll get. Almost certainly, we’ll find a fairly new but used model so we can use the savings to install the solar panels and battery storage we want.
You can help us decide. In the comments, please answer any of the following questions we have for you:
* Which is your favorite?
* Which would you pick for us?
* What else besides weight, length and theater seating should we consider?
* Does weight correlate with durability?
* Does weight correlate with insulation?
We’re excited to get your feedback before the Rivian arrives and we hit the road!
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit oursolarelectrictrailer.substack.com
9 min