Active families who are looking for a lighter recreation vehicle for better gas mileage and that can be towed with lighter-duty SUVs and trucks should take a look at the “hybrid” RV.
The hybrid travel trailer is also known as the expandable trailer. Hybrids look like a conventional travel trailer under tow. When parked at the campground, however, canvas-like ends fold out to make room for the beds.
A cross between a standard hard-sided travel trailer and a folding tent trailer, the hybrid’s ends expand out, adding sleeping space without the additional length and weight of traditional travel trailers. For many, the combination gives the best of both worlds.
These trailers appeal to empty nesters and young families who like to camp but don’t want the extra expense of buying a heavy-duty tow vehicle. The fabric-sided bunk ends give larger families the convenience of extra sleeping space without the inconvenience of a longer vehicle length.
For outdoor enthusiasts and avid tent campers who like to breathe fresh air at night, yet want to sleep off the ground, the hybrid offers more security than the pop-up folding camping trailer with its fabric walls and screened windows. It offers all the nice facilities of a travel trailer and at the same time maintains the outside sleeping experience so many tent campers desire. People can still hear the crickets at night and wake up to the sounds of birds.
More on one man’s hybrid trailer in Part # 2 — ‘An easy pull with half-ton pickup’
