35' toyhauler recommendations and what to look for

[RoyBell]

We are looking for recommendations for toyhaulers in the 35' range with separate garage and suggestions on what to look for when shopping THs. We currently have a 33' BH.

Current toys:
My Harley which is 8.5' long.

Would like to get a golf car which is around the same as the Harley.

In the future?? Maybe a RZR/quad (maybe, but doubtful as not many places here work with one). A single seater RZR is 10', and a 4 seater is just over 12 feet. Both are 6' wide.

So I would think a garage under 13' would be more than suitable? Or not worry about a 4 seater I probably never plan on getting and stick with a garage closer to 11'?

We like the ones with a bathroom in the back for the kids, but it's not a deal breaker since we aren't traveling long stays. It seems most with a second bath end up being closer to 39'.

Slides are nice as we usually go camping with 4-6 people so it gives some room inside at dinner time.

A generator is a must so we can expand our locations.

Other than that, what key elements should we be looking at that are different than travel trailers? Storage tanks, axle ratings, etc.... We are in Chicagoland and visit mostly Michigan and Wisconsin currently.

Appreciate the input everyone has here.

[CincyGus]

Rob,

Here is the one I'm leaning towards currently. My hauling needs is just a golf cart so this may not work for you if you have bigger toys. But I love the TV Placement, Closet slide, Bathroom access and the bonus outside kitchen I wasn't really looking for but I would like.

Frig slide has to be out to load so I'd have to work around with a cooler or park somewhere I could slide that one out for roadside lunch breaks/restocking.

It's as close as I've come to meeting my full list and I had to bump my original 35' limit to 37' to make this work as a first option.

A little more detail

[RoyBell]

Below is my spreadsheet (it's not going to paste correctly, but you can figure it out) under 39'. I didn't put all the 37-38' because some where out of my what I Was looking for in terms of weight capacity.

RV brand model length weight slides access fridge access bedroom access bath slide in porch

grand design 328 35.9 2 yes yes yes yes
impact 311 35.9 11700 2 yes no no no
Attitude 36tsg 39.5 13360 2 no? yes yes yes Iconic, Stellar same floor plans
xlr boost 36DSX13 38.8 10000 1 yes yes yes yes 2 bath
xlr nitro 29DK5 37.9 11555 2 yes yes?/ yes no
vegance rogue 311A13 38.5 10300 2 yes yes yes no small gray 38 gal
Cherokee wolf pack 295pack13 38.5 10800 1 yes yes yes no small gray 38 gal
Puma 373 QSI 38.5 9622 1 yes yes yes no metal siding
spartan 3210 36.2 11700 2 yes yes yes no
dutchman endurance 3456 37.6 11000 1 yes yes yes no bad tv placement
dutchman voltage 3005 35 12000 2 yes yes yes no bad tv placement
Carbon 337 35.9 12000 2 yes yes yes no
Carbon 347 38.2 12600 3 yes yes yes yes

[CincyGus]

I'll be following this post closely. Seems we and possibly many others are looking for the same things in a approx. 35'-37' toy hauler. There always seems to be one of them missing and often more than one.

• 35'-37' so we are not campsite limited as much in the older campgrounds that have very few +35' campsites.
• Frig and bathroom accessible without deploying slides for packing and rest stops for lunch while traveling.
• Bedroom closet slide for those fulltiming than need more than a dozen hangers.
• 60-80+ gal tanks so we can dry camp for more than 3-4 days we can make on the 35 gallon gray and black tanks.
• TV placement that doesn't require chiropractic visits if you like watching a movie before bedtime once in awhile.
• Decent size shower for a 6', 200 lb person to be able to turn around in.
• Enough counter space to put a cutting board for meal prep somewhere other than on the stove or on the sink covers.
• 
  

I look forward to seeing if you find something that fits or comes closer to my list than I have so far. Good Luck!

[Wild_Card]

Check out the Dutchman Voltage Triton lineup as well.

The TV seems like a rediculous spot but it works well for me anyhow. We only watch when raining or my son watches a bit b4 bed. Mine is on a pivoting mount.

The units with small gray tank. Do they have 2 tanks 1 for shower and separate for kitchen. If they do...and mine has 2 as well. I added another Valtrex valve whete you connect sewer pipe. I now open both gray tanks and leave the new valve closed, now I have 80 gallons of gray. With only 40 gallons of gray i got 2 showers each of 3 people. Get the job done showers not spa day.

[RoyBell]

Lot of good stories here. Back on topic though. We checked out another place that had some Grand Designs in stock.

328- Was really hoping to like this one. We weren't sure if you could get to the fridge with the slide in and the couch on the porch side is something I am going to have to warm up to.

354- Had the makings for a nice camper. No slide into the porch, but the fridge is hard to get to and open. The bedroom and bath are inaccessible when the slide is closed.

351- We liked this layout, but you cant get the fridge open unless you open the slide. Couch into the porch area and. The 2nd bath is nice. Little out of the price point though.

Over the weekend I made a spread sheet of all the TH on the market (per the link in this forum) in the 35-38' range.

The Spartan 3210 seems to click all of the right boxes for us. Access to fridge, bed/bath with slides in. 36' long. Under 13,000 lbs dry.



However, the cabinets and kitchen look straight out of the 70s.



The Dutchman Endurance and Voltage line has a nice 35 & 37' model, but the TV is the goofiest place ever, over the entry door. We really only watch tv when it's raining so this might be a good compromise for the other items it checks for us. It looks like you can access the bedroom with the wardrobe in, but not positive



Forest river Cherokee/Vegance makes some nice layouts, but they only come with a 38 gal gray tank which seems ridiculous for a camper this size.


The XLR Nitro clicks a lot of the right boxes, but it's getting long at 38'. I like the loft in the shorter length. It appears to only have 2 AC units which might be fine for the shorter unit. It looks like most have 3 in this size though.

We are going to have to sit down and figure out what we are willing to compromise on.

[ReneeG]

dedmiston wrote:
I've read just about every single post on this forum since it was first created in 2004 (do any of you old-timers remember when we didn't used to have a Toy Hauler forum?). There have certainly been some memorable posts over the years, most of them fun and/or outlandish. But one thread that I can't ever shake was from a guy who had his dog in a crate in the back of his hauler when the rear queen bunk gave way. When he got to camp, the bunk was on the floor and his crate and dog had been crushed. Unforgettable.

I keep a dog blanket on the rear bench seat in my truck and let the dogs ride back there with the kids. When we sometimes have all three kids home for a trip, one of the dogs has to ride up front at my wife's feet.

The dogs enjoy it. Our kids get some hair on their pants. I get some dog snot on my windows.

We make do.

Sad. We too keep our dogs in the back seat.

[dedmiston]

I've read just about every single post on this forum since it was first created in 2004 (do any of you old-timers remember when we didn't used to have a Toy Hauler forum?). There have certainly been some memorable posts over the years, most of them fun and/or outlandish. But one thread that I can't ever shake was from a guy who had his dog in a crate in the back of his hauler when the rear queen bunk gave way. When he got to camp, the bunk was on the floor and his crate and dog had been crushed. Unforgettable.

I keep a dog blanket on the rear bench seat in my truck and let the dogs ride back there with the kids. When we sometimes have all three kids home for a trip, one of the dogs has to ride up front at my wife's feet.

The dogs enjoy it. Our kids get some hair on their pants. I get some dog snot on my windows.

We make do.

[Hap_Hazard]

RoyBell,

This topic of dogs in the T/H has been debated many times on this site. I normally stay out of such unwinnable discussions but I just can’t help myself this time.

This topic has no right or wrong position. It’s sad that people take such hardline one sided approach to their replies, (usually their position is the only correct position.) I believe we are talking about dogs (or pets in general).

The basic premise is that if there is an accident or incident the pet will be at risk of injury or death if in the T/H. This assumption is not valid IMHO. The risk of injury or death to a pet is equally shared if the pet is unrestrained in the bed of the T/V or in a kennel that is not securely attached to the bed. Injuries may also include bouncing around within a kennel even if secured or for that matter if the pet is in the cab of the T/V and not secured.

Therefore, the fear of possible injury to a pet is only a “What If” scenario. The safest place for your pet is at home and not travelling with you.(Not an option for us.)

I have had every dog that we’ve owned in the last 15 years ride in the T/H without incident. All our dogs have lived long happy lives and passed from natural causes. However, I do have another opinion from my dog’s point of view. Based on the fact that we have a remote video camera we can monitor the interior of the T/H and the dogs activities.

Prior to leaving the house we allow the dogs to pee and poop before loading them into the T/H . We insure they have cool temperatures (A/C) and water for the road (We use a travel style water bowel).

We travel for about an hour with the normal shaking and bumping down the highway (the same amount as if they were in the bed of the truck). We pull over, away from and out of traffic. We let the dogs out and they run, pee, poop, sniff and smell the new surroundings. We play ball with them to burn off energy.

We then load them back-up and off we go. The Lab lays on the sofa with his head looking out the window (the window open with the screen closed). The mixed breed dog sleeps on the front bed (again with the window open and the screen closed. They love the passing smells and especially when cattle and sheep trucks pass by. When we stop down the road in another hour or so it’s the same routine for them.

MY DOGS believe the T/H is some kind of magic carpet. They get in and bounce and shake for a while. They then get out in a whole new world. Get back in and shake and bump for an hour and it’s a whole new world again. Our dogs love RV travel and every time we open the door they're ready to go. The challenge is to keep them out of the T/H while packing.

We’re talking about dogs here. Some people let their dogs sit in their laps while driving, some buy grommet pet food while others feed from the table. Some people leave their dogs at home during the day while others carry their dog in a purse.

Treat your dog as you see fit and let others treat their dogs as they wish. Let all these opinions fall on deaf ears. Enjoy your T/H and the road ahead.

Hap

[nayther]

ReneeG wrote:
Ok. I'm not trying to side one way or the other, but if I recall correctly, it is legal (for people?)(in some states?) to ride in a TT or FW as long as there is radio communication with the driver of the TV.

Yes, in CA it is legal as long as there's communications. Even applies to truck campers

[ReneeG]

Ok. I'm not trying to side one way or the other, but if I recall correctly, it is legal (for people?)(in some states?) to ride in a TT or FW as long as there is radio communication with the driver of the TV.

[Y-Guy]

Our two dogs used to ride in our Raptor 5er all the time. I checked temps in there, never got that warm the couple times it was a bit warm I fired up the generator and ran the A/C, for them and so it would be cool at camp.

one trip I took an old camera with and SD card and recorded about 1/2 hour of the trip. They climbed up on the front bed and laid there the whole time.

Both of our dogs hated riding in the bed of a truck, they would crawl through the back window if we even tried.

[RoyBell]

If she complains, I will let you guys know. Who said she would put her head out the trailer window??

[nayther]

RoyBell wrote:
She does great in the back of the pickup. I keep both sliders open and she sticks her head inside the truck for the whole trip. I don't see the bedroom being too bouncy as it's the same location she hangs out anyways, just higher.

And yes, at the end of the day she is just a dog. She eats her own poop and kills the random animal in the backyard and licks her ass. She is well taken care of. I spent a small fortune last year to bring her back to life after her spleen ruptured. Shes been doing better than ever and is incredibly active for a 13 (around) year old pup.

In the back of the pick up is a whole different thing than the trailer. plus being able to stick head out window is not too safe in a trailer.

[RoyBell]

She does great in the back of the pickup. I keep both sliders open and she sticks her head inside the truck for the whole trip. I don't see the bedroom being too bouncy as it's the same location she hangs out anyways, just higher.

And yes, at the end of the day she is just a dog. She eats her own poop and kills the random animal in the backyard and licks her ass. She is well taken care of. I spent a small fortune last year to bring her back to life after her spleen ruptured. Shes been doing better than ever and is incredibly active for a 13 (around) year old pup.