Wow, not one thread on the Transcend xplor 221RB

[ichn2travel]

I just ordered one here in Ontario not coming til June but with all the issues with covid not much else to do. My question is the weight once you add the clothing food bbq all the stuff you need is it hard on the gas tank of a pick up truck I've got a 16 Sierra 4 x 4 this is a big purchase for me hate to go out and spend and find out the weight is going to be killer thanks for any info you can share.

[rootusrootus]

I just ordered one here in Ontario not coming til June but with all the issues with covid not much else to do. My question is the weight once you add the clothing food bbq all the stuff you need is it hard on the gas tank of a pick up truck I've got a 16 Sierra 4 x 4 this is a big purchase for me hate to go out and spend and find out the weight is going to be killer thanks for any info you can share.

It really isn't the weight that kills gas mileage, it's the wind resistance. To a rough approximation, most people (with a gas engine, at least) get 10 mpg while towing a travel trailer. It's kinda like pulling an open parachute behind you...

[MBFlatlander]

We have a 2014 F150 3.5EB 4x4 and to my disappointment the mileage barely changed from our previous camper which was 33' and just over 7000lbs. So we shrunk by 6' and lost about 1500lbs and the only thing we gained was the ability to squeeze into smaller sites which was 1 of the 2 things we were wanting to accomplish, the other being better gas mileage. We are happy with our 221RB and happy we are able to get into places in our area that we couldn't before but we definitely miss that extra 6'.

As stated by rootusrootus it's the wind resistance, your pulling a big box down the highway. If I got 10mpg I would be ecstatic, I'm usually average between 8-9mpg.

[rootusrootus]

We have a 2014 F150 3.5EB 4x4

Such a great truck, very powerful and an excellent tow vehicle. That's exactly the model we had up until recently, when we were towing a Jayco X213. I figured the Transcend I'm picking up Saturday is just a little to big to reasonably tow with an F150 (not due to power, however). But it was such a great truck. Pretty zippy for a truck. It will be interesting to see how my F250 (gasser, not diesel) will handle the towing job. I bet it winds up a lot higher. The EB didn't really need to go much over 3500 RPM, even going up the mountain.

[MBFlatlander]

I'm thinking that if our camping and travelling picks up after retiring in <5 yrs that our next truck will most likely be a F250 gasser, just to have a heavier trans and bigger brakes. I'm happy with the EB but miss the sounds of a V8. Which camper are you picking up?

[rootusrootus]

We're picking up a new 261BH. It's a big step up for us; the X213 we towed with the F150 was just a little over 24 feet long. The 261BH is just a little under 31 feet. We wanted the bigger layout (as much for the better bedroom, to be honest, as anything else), but we sure did manage to stuff that little X213 in a lot of places it wasn't really appropriate for a travel trailer to be. My favorite campground has either a 26 foot limit, or a 32 foot limit depending on which web site you believe. I'm hoping nobody really cares; I know the bigger trailer will fit down the roads and in the spot we like most (could probably put two of them end-to-end, really), as long as the camp host isn't a stickler for the limit. I guess if we get kicked out then I will be very sad, and we'll do more traveling and less camping.

We came this -><- close to buying a 247BH. Essentially the same layout but no slide. And the couch is horribly uncomfortable. But lighter and less to go wrong.

[MBFlatlander]

I hope all works out well. The extra room will be great.

[ichn2travel]

It really isn't the weight that kills gas mileage, it's the wind resistance. To a rough approximation, most people (with a gas engine, at least) get 10 mpg while towing a travel trailer. It's kinda like pulling an open parachute behind you...

thanks for that info changed my mind on that unit looking at the Imagine now 221RBE