To add to what Mike said, it is certainly true that the numbers can be confusing. The Elkmont 22 has a "base dry weight" of 2248 pounds. Both terms - "base" and "dry weight" - mean that the 2248 pounds does not include any options. I seem to recall (but you ought to confirm) that one such item is the Value Package - it is not included in the Base Price or the Base Weight. And if I recall my email to the factory, the weight of the Value Package was well above 400 pounds. So that is your starting point.
Now as Mike said, add in all the other stuff you will take on the road in the camper with you - water, propane, food, clothes, dishes, bedding, toolbox, TV, stereo, and toys of all kinds, and - well, you see where this heading. Dry weight doesn't mean much any more.
Now you go to the tow vehicle, and work in the opposite direction. Start with the Base Tow Rating - 3500 pounds, is it? Now start subtracting the weight of all the stuff you will have in the car when you camp. Wife? Kids? You, if you weigh more than 150 pounds. Cargo in the back (boxes of stuff that everyone carries)? Your "towing stuff" box (yes, you will have one)? Camp chairs and tables for outdoor meals? A grill, and some charcoal or an extra propane tank? It is hard to think of it all, but it will be there.
So with the weight of trailer going up from Base Weight, and the capability of the car going down from Base Towing Capacity, it is real easy to get on the wrong side of the equation.
I can't comment on the advisability of towing with a hybrid. I'm not sure anybody can - "big" hybrids haven't been out long enough for anyone to accumulate any meaningful experience. But your location, while beautiful, says that you will almost certainly get into some mountains, and maybe some big mountains. From Arroyo Grande, you really can't go anywhere without doing so. And while you might - MIGHT - think that 3500 pounds will get you by in Florida or the Great Plains of the midwest, I'd be real skeptical about full-size mountains.
As someone else suggested, your first step might be to ask your dealer to find an Elkmont equipped the way you will want it, hook it up behind one of his vehicles, and take it to a CAT scale so you can see the actual weight. CAT scales are everywhere, check their web site. He should be glad to do this, and it will cost you $9 for the weighing fee. The weight you see will still be only dry weight, and will not include all the stuff you will add later. But at least your stuff is under your control. The rest is not.
A tough decision. Good luck with it. And if you go forward - be absolutely sure to get the factory towing package.
Bill
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