What floor plan of travel trailer RV should I get?

You just got the green light as a family to go buy an RV and build some family memories, but don’t know where to start. I was in the same place. As a young family, on a teacher income, I knew we couldn’t go out and find the next top of the line Winnebago that would act as a second mortgage. I had an idea of what I wanted, but didn’t know a whole lot about where to even start. I started the endless search and spent countless hours researching what type of RVs there were and analyzing what I needed when looking for one. Step one was finding one within our budget. Step two was making sure the sleeping arrangements were what we needed. Step three was figuring out what we wanted to use it for. After countless hours of reading and researching, we settled on a travel trailer. The next task was finding what model of travel trailer we needed. Here is a basic glimpse of what travel trailer options there were and what each one is known for. 

Model Numbers Tell Most:

The first thing I would look at when deciding what you are looking for is understanding the model numbers when researching the type of RV you are looking at. The basic code systems are pretty universal, but not always. Understanding the model number is the first step to figuring out what type of pull-behind travel trailer you should be looking at. 

Model Numbers and Meaning: 

BH = Bunkhouse (has bunk beds)

RB = Rear Bath (bathroom in the back)

RL = Rear Living (couch/living area in back)

RK = Rear Kitchen

FK = Front Kitchen

FR = Front Room / Living area

MB = Murphy Bed (bed folds into wall)

DB = Double Bed or Double Bunks

K = Kitchen

L = Living area

U = U-shaped dinette

Q = Queen bed

S = Slide-out (sometimes included)

B = Bathroom

TB = Twin Beds (not bathroom, easy to confuse)

WB = Washroom/bath

W = Wide - 8’ Wide 

Once you understand this, you can start to figure out what you might be looking for specifically. For example, when we were looking at what we needed for our family of boys, I knew that I wanted to get a Bunkhouse Model. I also knew that I wanted to get one with the full bunks, so that as my boys grew, we would be able to use the trailer for a long time. One of the best times we had was teaching the kids the model system. I told the kids to only find trailers that fit our criteria.  Before we could look at each RV, it needed to have a BH in the model number. This turned into an exhilarating scavenger hunt through the RV lot where the kids would shout out, “Here’s one with a BH!” It made the investigation and hunt for the perfect one even that much more fun. I am not sure if the sales people liked it, but the kids sure had fun. 

Box Length/Not Trailer Length

The second thing you need to understand is what the numbers mean in the model numbers, because this can also be confusing. The number series typically references the length of the trailer box, not the distance from bumper to tongue. We bought a 2016 264 BHW. Based on the research I have done, it would mean that it is a Bunkhouse where the box of the trailer is 26 feet 4 inches long and 8 feet in width. 

Think About Where You Will Take It. 

If you are planning on taking it to many state or federal parks, understand what the parks may limit in size for travel trailers. It would be a big bummer to pull up to your campsite only to find out your trailer is too big for the site. More and more parks are putting in bigger driveways to hold bigger trailers. However, many of the best campsites can still be quite limiting in size as to what you can pull into the camp. Some places have roads that are pretty daunting when pulling a long trailer, so knowing what sizes you are limited to is important. It is also important to think about the height of the trailer to ensure that getting to your destination isn’t ruined by a lower bridge that you had planned. 

Smaller Trailer Equals More Access Opportunities

If you want to be more free to explore most of the parks, I would recommend a trailer tongue to bumper less than 20 feet long. You might feel more cramped, being smaller than 20 feet however, many trailers still have the ability to feel spacious with slide out dining features. Slideouts open up the space inside way more than you might think. If you are new to trailers, the longer the trailer may feel more daunting as well.  We love camping at Farragut State Park in Idaho. Where we wanted to go limited some of the campsites we wanted to try out.  We knew that the Jayco 264BHW was right at the maximum length we would want to go.

Longer Trailers Equals More Space and Luxeries

If you are a champ at pulling a trailer, longer trailers do have their benefits. With a longer trailer, you obviously get more space, more storage options and the ability to sleep more people. Our BH allows us to sleep up to 10. With the length that we have, we have a couch, a queen bed, the full bunk house and table dinette space and a full kitchen with a stove, oven fridge and sink. Smaller trailers have a lot of the same amenities, but you might have to give up the spacious feeling or some of the other luxuries. If you choose to go with a larger model, please research what size of trailer your vehicle can safely tow, otherwise you might be like me and have to get a larger truck to feel more comfortable as you pull it down the road. 

Cookie Cutter Can Still Be Unique

Hopefully this has helped you understand some of the ins and outs to analyzing what model of RV is best for you. When meeting with different salesmen, one phrase that was said over and over was that a lot of models are pretty cookie cutter. You can find the model that has the most of what you want pretty easily by understanding the model numbers. With that, you can be a little more selective in choosing the perfect model for your needs and know what features add ons you know are essential to your happiness. No matter what model you go with, you still have the ability to personalize your RV and make it unique to your desire!