Help us pick!!

[Shadowlove]

My husband and I have two girls, ages 13 and 6. We currently have a 1990 Coleman Chesapeake popup, that we bought in 2010. We're in New England and camp 2 or 3 times a summer.
The canvass on the pop up has seen way better days, the roof is getting soft as is the floor. We know it's time to upgrade. But we don't know to what?!
We first were looking at hybrid models, as we tow with an SUV (Chrysler Aspen), and due to the fact my husband would like to stay between 20-25 feet. We fell in love with the Rockwood Roo 23IKSS. However at a dealership the sales guy pointed out everything that "could go wrong" with a hybrid, and explained how his dealership doesn't even order new hybrids anymore. Then we started looking at TT with a Murphy bed and bunks. We found the Keystone Bullet Crossfire 2070BH. We really liked it, even though the floor space was less then the Rockwood. However my concern was the narrow bunks. My 13 year old is really broad in the shoulder area. I don't want her outgrowing the bunks in a year or two.
What are some of the things you love about your HTT, some of the things you hate about it? Does anyone regret buying a HTT, and wished they would have bought a regular TT instead?

[Burnt_Marshmall]

We upgraded from our second PUP in 2009 with a Roo 21ss. After some health setbacks we shopped TT's for a year before we decided to buy a second hybrid. We got the Roo 23IKSS. 🙂

Closing up in the rain is no big deal now, the canvas is permanently attached to the bunk end. Temperature control isnt a problem as long as you have access to electricity and use PUGS.

If you get a TT I'd suggest you look at the duobunks, not the skinny singles. My niece who has a tiny frame refuses to sleep in theirs, she prefers the couch.

[Camper_Sue]

We have a 23IKSS and LOVE IT !!!!!! I cannot fathom a salesperson giving you that kind of advice either he is uninformed about hybrid campers or he was looking to make a bigger commission. Sorry you had to deal with all of that confusion! I researched for years, loved our popup, took her to Niagara Falls Ontario and all the way down to Key West FL. Many happy memories but I knew one day I would have a camper with a full sized refrigerator and freezer, a bathroom and OMG storage that I didn't have to crawl on the floor to put things away and use a flashlight to find things lol. Once I saw the Rockwood Roo IKSS I knew she was the one and we love it, so much storage space, room to spare inside and I still have the ability to feel the night breeze blow over us, and hear the sounds only nature can offer. Go for it, you won't regret it. Sue :C

[robbie47]

HI:
We're from the PNW (Kirkland, WA) and just bought a used 2004 R-Vision Bantam F-18. We sold a 1977 Apache hard side pup and decided we really like the added floor space since the bed ends don't take up the space and chose a hybrid. Granted, it's used but it fit our budget and was in very good shape and pulls like a dream with our 4-Runner. My wife and I are very happy with the hybrid and can't see going to a hard side any time soon.

[thesaads]

We came from a class A bunkhouse and as our girls got older they found them to cramped. We purchased a Keystone passport 217exp three queen beds and dinette slide out. We absolutely love it. We live in prairies in Canada and it is either cold or very hot no in between. We have regulated the temps with pop up gizmos and reflectix in the windows. This has made all the difference in the world and the A/C works no harder than in my class A. We did add a heated mattress pad for the cold nights and the DW has not complained since. We keep a container of ear plugs and only use them if we happen to camp in a noisy area, but lets be real no matter what type of camper or RV you have you will hear partyers and ear plugs do the trick. Based on what you have said this might be a great solution for you. It takes no more than 30 minutes for setup from the time we pull up to our site.

Happy Camping!

[normal_dave]

If I were considering moving up from a popup, and lived in New England, I'd be talking to this guy: This setup is literally turn-key, everything you need is there. Seems well cared for, by what appears to be a Roo/Shamrock enthusiast. I ran across his ad on Forest River forums, took a chance and found it on Craigslist...
2015 Flagstaff Shamrock 19
What's not to like?

I agree with the others, if the tent camper has been satisfactory to you in concept, the right HTT would be the best next step. Also if you only camp 2-3 times per season, seems difficult to make a big investment. Using use the Aspen, you'll want to watch the weight closely on the traditional travel trailer. This HTT even comes with a weight distributing hitch setup included!

Edit: PM sent...

[bikendan]

Shadowlove wrote:
That was pretty much my opinion on the sales guy too!

My husband likes the looks of the Keystone RV Bullet 2190EX too. We've seen it in person a few times, and he likes that there's 3 queen beds, so that our 13 year old will have her own space without having to share with her little sister. Any thoughts on that particular model?

We have seriously looked at at least 200 campers over the last year to find "the one". Whatever we get will be a long term investment.

The Bullet hybrids are new this year.
The only other Keystone hybrids are the Passport Express line so don't know if the Bullet hybrids are clones of the Passport ones.

Keystone hasn't had much success with their hybrids. They don't sell very many compared to other brands.
And yes, the 2190EX is a Keystone copy of the super successful Roo/Shamrock 233S,which came out at least 5 years ago.
Forest River created the 3 bed hybrid.

[fritz_monroe]

Shadowlove wrote:

My husband likes the looks of the Keystone RV Bullet 2190EX too. We've seen it in person a few times, and he likes that there's 3 queen beds, so that our 13 year old will have her own space without having to share with her little sister. Any thoughts on that particular model?

That's the same floorplan as my Rockwood Roo 233S. We love it. My 13 y.o. daughter loves the back bunk because it gives her privacy from the rest of the camper. However with the cabinet there, it blocks a lot of the air flow so heat and AC doesn't get there as easily as the other bunks.

Jayco has a model with the same floorplan, but I don't know the model number.

[Shadowlove]

That was pretty much my opinion on the sales guy too!

My husband likes the looks of the Keystone RV Bullet 2190EX too. We've seen it in person a few times, and he likes that there's 3 queen beds, so that our 13 year old will have her own space without having to share with her little sister. Any thoughts on that particular model?

We have seriously looked at at least 200 campers over the last year to find "the one". Whatever we get will be a long term investment.

[bikendan]

The dealer you spoke to is an idiot.
Newer hybrids are way better than they used to be.
They have fewer issues and faster setup.
The pre-attached canvas and better bunk seals have improved them a lot.

There is no hybrid like the 23IKSS.

We had our 2007 Roo 23SS for over 10 years, with virtually no issues.
If we hadn't retired, we would still have it.

That dealer wants to sell more expensive units that aren't hybrids.

[Maman325]

We bought a Roo 23IKSS last fall and LOVE it. DutchmenSport makes good points on both side, and as everyone says - you just have to find what's right for you. We've spent about 10 nights in it so far, in anywhere from 20's at night to mid-90's during the day, and it's been comfortable in all. We love the open air feel of the tent beds, and as others have pointed out, setting up the tent beds take a few minutes at most. Wishing you the best of luck whatever you decide!

[Front_Range]

We're also on our 2nd hybrid. The 1st was a Thor Wanderer but it was destroyed by a Colorado hail storm. We didn't even consider anything besides another hybrid, the "sleeping outdoors" feel is very nice, I couldn't imagine being enclosed! Like others, we've been in below freezing temperatures and simply hit the furnace when we crawl out from under our blankets.

To each their own but we'll be hybrid users until something forces us into an alternative which will be a day for us.

[Shadowlove]

Thanks all!
We've been through some pretty heavy rain storms with our pop up, so we're experienced in having to care for canvass in inclement weather.
Toy Haulers have never really been on our radar, but something definitely worth looking into 🙂

[fritz_monroe]

We love our hybrid. I love how much air flow and light we get through all the windows. We like the tent feel with the comforts of a TT. We have camped in 20F weather and in 95+F weather with no issues. With hookups, the AC will freeze us out of the trailer.

When we moved from a popup to a hybrid, we had a 13 y.o. boy and a 9 y.o. girl. We decided we wanted them to have their own space. That lead us directly to the 3 bed hybrids. We ended up getting the Rockwood Roo 233S. We love this camper. We have 3 queen beds and my daughter loves the privacy of the back bunk.

I believe that most of the brands have hybrids with 3 bunks.

[Campfire_Time]

We're on our 2nd hybrid. The first was an '03 Jayco Kiwi 17a that we had for 10 years. As said above anyone who tells you all the negatives and has never owned one and simply doesn't know how nice and easy hybrids really are. A common misconception is that a hybrid is just a glorified pop-up. They are a different animal entirely. We wouldn't have it any other way right now.

As said, no more poles. It takes about only a few minutes to open and setup a bed. Less than 10 minutes for both beds combined. When we have had to pack up wet, if it's not raining we simply dry off the bunk ends with a towel. They are covered in vinyl and the water does not soak in like traditional canvas. Even packing while raining, simply open them up for a bit when returning home and they dry off fast.

We have camped as low as 28f and as hot as 100f. Plenty comfortable.

We've never had leaks, not from the bunks anyway. Our old one developed a leak on a roof seam when it was about 7 years old. I caught it early and sealed it with Eternabond tape. But that's an issue that any trailer can have.

What ever you pick you'll enjoy it even more than your pop-up.