Considering a TM

We're thinking about getting a TM. Several questions:
-How long does it actually (honestly) take to put one up and/or take it down?
-Is it a hassle stowing everything each time you move to a new site? Is it practical if you're traveling to a new site every day?
-Can you leave the beds made?

If you really rush, and work as a team, you can put one up in less than 5 mins.  Working very leasurely and making sure that everything is as it should be, 10 minutes is very easy.  It's not that big a job after you have the unit leveled.  You can put it up in a rain and still keep it (if not you!) dry inside.  Neat rig!  We have an older version of the 2720 (m0del 23) and love it.

kpalm's questins with answers embedded:

How long does it actually (honestly) take to put one up and/or take it down? The honest answer is, "that depends". Maybe as little as 5 min and as long as say 20 min. It depends on what you consider "put up " and how much stuff you need to "set up" after you "put it up" :P :P. i.e. TV, awning, shore power & water hose, sewer connection, outdoor carpet, etc. For us, both the slide out model we had and our current 3023 could be "put up" in 5 min. Then there are the other things we include to ready the TM for livability. So, considering everything it can take us up to 20 min to "set up" a TM for livability. Your mileage will likely vary. Go to a dealer and try one yourself, then consider everything else you might want to stage.

-Is it a hassle stowing everything each time you move to a new site? Not for us as you would need to store everything (to some degree) even with a class A motorhome. Storing stuff is inherent with having a house on wheels. We get the kids to help so it becomes a family effort, which makes it a lot easier to do. Again, it depends on how much stuff you have. If you camp bare bones then effort will be minimal. If you like to boondock as we do, it takes more effort to set up generators, etc. We really try to look at setup and takedown as a small price to pay to get out and away from the rat race.

Is it practical if you're traveling to a new site every day? Sure, but again this depends on how much stuff you have. Whenever we can we prefer 2 nights minimum at a campground if we are heading to an ultimate destination. However, sometimes we drive longer days in order to do this. If we drive shorter distances to get to our ultimate destination then we know we may have a few more "one nighters".

-Can you leave the beds made? Yes, we leave a foam pad, covered by a matress pad, then bottom and top sheet on the beds. During setup, we throw on the pillows and a comforter, which are stored in the wardrobe. You could likely keep an open sleeping back on the beds as well as there are a couple of inches of clearance to work with.

Hope this helps. Wade

Wade,
I concur with the above comments and would add this:
Yes it is a bit more hassle to move every day with a TM than with, say, a motorhome or a standard travel trailer. However it is much easier to set up and take down a TM than a canvas style pop up trailer.
Also, at least with our 3124 slide out model, we can leave it hitched to the tow vehicle if the site is level. This is handy if you are doing an overnighter as it cuts about 5 Minutes off your set up time and  10  minutes off your take down time. If you find after parking that the trailer is too high in front you can just let off the weight distribution bars and this will lower it a few inches.
When we had a Coleman popup we had to unhitch in order to open up the queen size front bed.

Bruce

I have to agree with Wade, what do you consider setup? It takes about 5-10 mintues tops to setup the unit, and put up the walls.  But for me we always wet camp, so I have water, power, usually sewer.  most everything I have is stored the same place opened or closed.  Except for the TV.  Also, I use an oustside carpet, and awning often.  And I have to remove my weight Distrobution Hitch to fully open my slide out. With all this and leveling It honestly takes me upto 30 mintues. about 20 minutes last time.

Keep in mind, I have only used my TM 3 times, and each time I learn a better faster way to do something.

For example, I always had a fight lining up the door frame with the front shell. But last time I accidently stood on the step when doing this, and it lined right up.

I have thought about a fullsize TT, just so I have access all the time, but then I remember how easy it is to tow.

Dave

Good points all around.  I once timed my set up and it took me four minutes alone.  This was after I had leveled the unit and unhitched it.  Basically, I was timing this to see what additional set up there was for the TM versus other units.  This four minutes was just the internal set up time, such as the beds, bathroom, flaps,. etc, and did not incluce setting up the water and electric.   All in all, it is not much more time consuming than a full size TT.  You certainly can get yourself set when setting it up, though.  

Our beds are made up all the time with sheets and a comforter.  I put the pillows in the middle of the bed when folding.  

When we are traveling a long distance and stop at a campground for a single night, we don't unhitch at all, and that makes setting up pretty easy.  Also, if you have one person inside the unit when you are setting up who is handing out the folding chaiis, scooters, and other stuff stored on the floor, it can take only a minute to clear out the unit.  It's really quite easy.

[BOB_STRONG]

TO THE POSSIBLE TM OWNERS:

WE have owned 3 Trailmanors since 1992. We had a 1993 (23M=2720 today), 1994 3326King, and now a 2002 3326 King. Everyone talks about storing things, but I think it comes down to what size Trailmanor you want to purchase. With the 3326King, you have all kinds of stoage room. The only things that we have to move off the floor is the 13" TV and the hanging cabinet that goes in the kitchen. We have the huge storage inside and outside under the rear bed. With the side dinette in the kitchen, you have all the area under the seats. Also we have the storage under the front couch that pulls out to give you the extra living area in the living room. The kitchen galley has all kinds of storage, and along the bathroom there are plenty of drawers, and cabinet space. For clothes, you can hang them in the wardrobe. I have a Durango,and the fold up chairs,ice chest, water jugs and extra suit cases go in the SUV.

We went to Florida in April and there were 3 adults, a 4 year old, and our little dog. I did not mind setting the trailer up for 2 different nights while we were on the road. I left the trailer hooked to the Durango each night.

As other people have stated, you have the flaps, and the bathroom walls to put up. The toilet was already charged so that was no bother. We have sleeping bags on the back bed, and the couch pulls out into a bed very easily.

With any type of RV, you have to hook up water, electric,and sewer. Every RV has to be leveled. If you have an awning, you have to put it out. The Fiama rolls out very easily. If you want to run your furnace or stove, you have to turn on the propane.

All the other extras that you may do are not just because you own a Trailmanor. Most likely, you would do them if you owned another type of travel trailer.

So when the Trailmanor movie says 2 minutes, they are talking about raising the top sections, setting up the bathroom walls, closing the insulating flaps, and pulling out your beds or bed and a couch depending on your model.

So you trade off the above things for an easy towing camper, good gas mileage, and low maintenance expense, and also you can have a smaller tow vehicle which might be a lot cheaper to purchase. Everything in life has a trade off!!

If the tradeoff was not worth it, I would not have purchased 3 Trailmanors since Sept 1992.

So before you invest the money, make sure you buy a Trailmanor that will be large enough so you do not have the trailer floor full off all kinds of "STUFF". It's a big investment so you want to do it right the first time around.

If you have any questions, let me know.!!

A Happy Trailmanor Owner

BOB STRONG