Have been camping my whole life, with gear ranging from tents, pop-ups, hybrids, travel trailers (TT) and Class C motorhomes. Currently have a 26 foot TT towed with a Ford Expedition. I’m approaching capacity ratings when fully loaded. Got myself a Hensley Hitch that makes towing a breeze as there is NO sway can do 70 mph on highways. Have used it in Midwest and East Coast going over Allegany and Appalachian mountains (at a slower speed). Will probably get a 3/4 ton pickup in a few years to take it out West over the Rockies.
Beyond tow capacity considerations, think about the type of trips you want to take and type of destinations. Campsites for longer trailers are more limited, under 25’ is good, under 20’ even better. Pop-ups are great for single destinations or longer stays but not the best option if touring when you are moving around a lot. They also don’t typically have showers, thus not best for boondocking or National Parks. Beyond setup, you also can’t pull off the road and have a meal very easy with a pop-up. Smaller Hybrids are fairly light (4000 pounds), great for touring, but harder to cool in high heat destinations and harder to heat in colder destinations (high elevations) as tent ends have no insulation. The larger teardrops look interesting as they are lightweight, yet fairly well equipped.
Take your time and look around at various options. RV shows in the winter are a great place to check out the variety of options. Also, DISREGARD list prices as they are highly inflated - up to 50%. Do your homework and use sites like RV Trader to find best deals. You can save quite a bit if willing to shop around - even consider a 1-2 year old used trailer (I saved 10k, a third of the best new price buying a 1 year old barely used model). If a deal is too far away for you to pick up, consider hiring a RV transporter - they are not that expensive.
Hoping to retire at the end of this year at 55.
