Travel Trailers vs Hybrid Trailers: 15 Things To Look At

When looking for a travel trailer, you’ve really got to keep a lot of things in mind, some of which might not be too obvious. The choice becomes a lot more difficult when you find yourself considering the choice between hard-side travel trailers and hybrids. There are a lot of real benefits to both choices, but the best choice will always be an informed one.

Here’s a quick look at the factors you should consider before taking the plunge:

Safety

While the risk of animals or criminals getting into your hybrid’s canvas sides is negligible, hard-sides have an obvious advantage here. This is especially true when you’ve got the kids or first-time campers along, who might need the extra feeling of security the solid panels provide.

Peace and quiet

As you might imagine, canvas-sided hybrids don’t really do much when it comes to blocking out noises from outside. This can be a real damper on your outing if you’re parked close to other campers or if you’ve got a rather loud generator as the main Champion running outside.

Toughness

As you might imagine, hybrids aren’t really optimized for durability. They will go a long way, sure, but hard-sides ultimately win out on this one.

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Sleeping Arrangements

Hybrids are a clear winner on this score, as you can fit in a number of separate, dedicated sleeping areas, which can be doubly important if you’ve got older children coming along who need their own ‘rooms’.

Floorplan Considerations

The popouts that come with a hybrid offer up a lot more flexibility when it comes to floorplan design than most of us give them credit for. You can get a lot of openness with these lightweight popouts.

Video Overview: Benefits of Hybrid vs Tent Trailer

Authentic Camping Experience

If you’re looking to get as close to the real feel of camping, then hybrids are the way to go. You’ll be able to get that outdoor feeling, which doesn’t compare to the insulated, closed-off feeling of hard-side trailers.

Waterproofing Worries

This is one of the biggest gripes hybrid users have, as the canvas allows a bit of moisture to get in when it’s raining outside. This gets into the beddings, meaning you’ll have to dry out your stuff after the trip if you don’t want mold. It isn’t a worry when the weather’s good, though.

Privacy

Just as you can hear all the noises coming in from outside n your hybrid, you have to consider that the outside world can hear all the noise you’re making. Conversations, crying toddlers, and family fun won’t be bothering the neighbors when you’re on the hard side.

Ventilation

It’s a lot easier to get the air flowing just as you like in a hybrid trailer. Zip open a window or two when it’s hot, and the air will flow freely through your living areas.

Waterproofing

Another major concern with hybrids is the issue of leakages between the canvas and hard parts of the trailer. These can be a real problem as moisture can damage the underlying components or bring about mold.

Temperature Control

While canvas obviously loses out when we consider insulation capability, hybrids don’t lose out quite as heavily as you might think. Even if you don’t like the additional covers, you could use your heater to get reasonably cozy when it gets really cold out.

Tonnage

While the slide-outs on travel trailers will weigh around 800 pounds, at least, you can get your hands on popouts weighing less than 50 pounds. This means that you can have as many as you want along without significantly affecting the overall weight of your setup.

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Assembly/Takedown Times

While the setup times for hard-sides will be about ten minutes, hybrids can go for a whole lot longer. Depending on the number of popouts you have, you might need to plan for an hour or an hour and a half of settling down, sometimes in bad weather. This might not be a major consideration if you’ll be staying put for a week, but it can put a real crimp in your program if you’re looking for a quick overnight stop-and-go.

Light Control

In a hybrid, you really have no control over how much light gets in at sunrise, meaning sleeping in after a late night around the fire can be difficult. This can be a real sore spot when you’ve got the family along with you.

Conclusion

The best way to make this choice is to take a good look at the people you’ll be camping with, and try and figure out how they would feel about the considerations raised above. Think about what you can and can’t do without a perfect camping trip, and the choice will be a lot easier to make. Happy trails!

5TH WHEEL-RELATED QUESTIONS.

What are hybrid travel trailers?

A trailer is an unpowered vehicle that is being towed powered and is mostly used for the transportation of goods and materials. Sometimes people use them to camp.

A hybrid travel trailer therefore is, a recreational vehicle that has the combination of both tent camping and hard-sided travel trailers, that is, it has more space for activities like entertainment.

Video Overview: The Best (and Worst) of Hybrid Travel Trailers | Things to Consider When Purchasing a Hybrid Camper

Are pop up trailers considered as RV?

Recreational Vehicles popularly known as RVs are motor vehicles that are equipped with some of the home amenities such as a bathroom, bed, and kitchen. Pop-up trailers are considered to be RVs that can be collapsed for easy storage and transportation.

When they are set up they tend to provide a large interior space as compared to how they look when they are collapsed. Another feature which makes them be RVs is that they have wheels and also some amenities such as kitchen and bed space are available.

Are tent trailers waterproof?

YES. When the tents are in the process of manufacturing, waterproof agents are part of the composition of the manufacturing materials. Therefore there is no need for applying the waterproof product after the purchase since this may result in clogging up of the pores leading to breathing problems. To keep them waterproof, you only need to repeat the seasoning process and keep them clean and dry.

Video Overview: How to waterproof a tent trailer (pop up camper)

How to clean a tent trailer?

Maintaining regular cleaning of the trailers prolongs its life. If not properly maintained they tend to get dirty and they may be damaged with mildew or debris during storage You require various items to clean a tent trailer such as ;

Soft scrub brush
Broom
Large bucket
A car washing sponge
Hose
Mild and detergent soaps

First, Using a broom, brush off all the loose leaves, dirt, and debris. In case the trailer material is wet, allow it to fully get dry by exposing it to direct sunlight. After its dry, brush again for the removal of any mold and mildew spores.

Secondly, In one bucket, mix the mild detergent with warm water. deep in the soft scrub brush in the detergent solution and scrub the tents’ surface to remove dirt and stains.

Thirdly, rinse the surface with ha one until all the detergent is washed off, and then allow it to air dry.

Fourthly, apply the protective spray to reduce the formation of mildew.

Video Overview: How to clean the outside of a pop-up camper ( tent trailer )

How to get rid of mold on a trailer?

Mold is a type of fungus that thrives in moist or warm conditions. Mold doesn’t the only form in bread alone but also on trailers too and if not taken care of immediately may end up damaging it. Mold on trailers is a result of not drying them completely. So to get rid of the mold on that trailer you need:

To dry it directly to the sunlight.
Using a brush you can also scrub off the mold from the trailer.
Avoid using detergents and chemicals that contain bleach.
Give your trailer a preventive treatment to help in the restoration of sealant on the material.
Ensure that all the pipes in your trailer are working well.
In case of leaking in your trailer, repair it with the specifically designed product.

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Hybrid travel trailer leaking?

Leaking usually happen when one does not follow the manufacturer’s instruction on the camper. If the hybrid travel trailer is sealed correctly, there will be no risk of leaking and water problems.

Leaking is a common problem for those people who like using a hybrid travel trailer. Leaking during the time of rain makes the bedding and the interior fabric to be wet.

This problem usually happens between the canvas of the hybrid travel trailer. Therefore, leaks are common in the hybrid compared to travel trailers and will cause significant damage if not first given attention. This problem makes it less used by people during rain seasons since they experience water problems and leakage.

Video Overview: FIXING HYBRID CAMPER LEAKS

Lasting of the hybrid travel trailer?

Hybrid travel trailers are known to have open floor plans, they are lightweight, less expensive, look like traditional camping, the airflow in the camper is good, and they have big beds.

The lifespan of the hybrid travel trailer is expected to be less than travel trailer since their body walls are different, but if there is good maintenance, the hybrid travel trailer can last for more than ten years.

Meaning of hybrid travel trailer?

The hybrid travel trailer is a traditional hard-sided travel trailer and contains pop-outs on both ends with a bed inside. These pop-outs are manually open when one wants to enter, and they are made up of fabric walls.

They have a length of between 13 to 25 feet, up to six people can sleep inside, contain slide-outs, and have a gross weight of around 3000 to 7000 pounds. Travel trailers have a rigid body, but their body is complex and has canvas slide-outs for sleeping places in hybrid travel trailers.

Worst travel trailers?

Different types of travel trailers are considered the worst; these include: “Coachmen which is used mostly in forest river RV, keystone, Winnebago, hurricane, Jayco and Fleetwood.” Choosing the best travel trailer will depend on the camping location, user reviews, and truck.

Best camper for money?

The best trailers for money include the following; “prime time avenger ATI20RD, forest river flagstaff micro-lite travel trailer, KZ sportsmen classic 181BH, coachmen freedom express travel trailer and Livin Lite Camplite Travel Trailer.”

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