Choosing Your RV Rig: The Hybrid Travel Trailer
October 21st, 2009
To be honest, I didn't even know that these trailers existed until we became full time RVers. The hybrid is a mix between a hard-sided travel trailer and a pop up. It sounds weird, but I love this design. The lengths can vary anywhere from 18 feet on past 25 feet. At first glance it looks like your run-of-the-mill travel trailer. But a closer inspection will reveal hatches on the front, back end or both. These hatches fold down so that pop up fabric bed sections can slide out.
When the trailer is all opened up, it transforms what seems to be a small trailer into a big one with loads of living space.
Being that none of the main floor space is dedicated to a bed, the trailer has much more room for the kitchen, bathroom, and dining area. I was definitely surprised the first time I walked into one. I didn't think it would allow the appearance of much more room, but it does. And with my tendency to like fresh air, when the bed windows are open, it open, like my popup and lets the air travel through the trailer, a big plus!
Another perk to this style is how the beds retract into the trailer. On pop ups, the beds are on tracks and slide into the trailer taking up most, if not all, of the middle space. On hybrids, they fold up, leaving the floor space open. This definitely comes in handy when boondocking and pop ups aren't able to be opened or when you're in an area that doesn't allow soft-sided camping, like some parts of Yellowstone. "But where will I sleep?", you say. Most models have the option of converting the dinettes or sofas into beds which will have more than enough sleeping space.
Not too long ago, we were at an RV dealer just looking around and kicking tires. We eyed a 2004 19' hybrid and a regular 2008 19' travel trailer. Both were the same price, but I can say without hesitation that I would take the hybrid hands down. Walking into the regular travel trailer seemed so cramped and hard to move around compared to the hybrid. They were both the same size on paper, but when you opened it up it expanded to 26' and seemed so much more open.
The hybrid, in my opinion, is a great option. The smaller size makes for easy pulling and the ability to expand gives them a lot of good points that are hard to ignore. Check back soon when we complete our series on choosing your RV and discuss the slide-in truck camper.
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