Requesting feedback on the Passport GT 3220BH

[5arnolds]

We anticipate moving forward on a 2011 Passport GT 3220BH for our family of 5. The features that really catch our eye is the spacious rear bunkhouse, the 2 extra deep slides, outside kitchen, electric stabilizing and tongue jacks and the overall weight of it.

We hadn't planned on going with a TT quite this long. We were planning on purchasing a Jayco Jay Feather 29L until we saw this one. Despite the little higher price tag on this one, we feel that we won't regret the extra space it will give us.

I am interested in hearing feedback from those that own this (or similar) model and your overall satisfaction with the quality/comfort/tow handling of it.

Thanks in advance.
Dave

[Festus2]

You will most likely be asked about your tow vehicle so if you have one, could you please let the members know what it is. If you don't, then let us know what TV you are planning to purchase. Regarding the towing comments you are looking for, it would also help if you were to provide us with all of the necessary weights and capacity of this TT and the truck you have or are planning to tow it with.
Without knowing these figures, it is difficult to say whether the Passport and your TV are a good and safe match. You can find these figures on the sticker in your truck door and in the TT ( or go online to the Keystone website and get them there) - pin weight, GVWR, dry weight, etc. It just saves our members from having to look up this information themselves before commenting on your request. You can help us out by getting those numbers for them.
You might also try doing a search on the forum by using the Search feature. There are lots of Passport owners of various models here and you should be able to find numerous posts and threads with comments already here for you to browse through.
Thanks and welcome to the forum.

[f6bits]

I have the junior model of that one and we *really* like it. When I compare ours to higher end models, I don’t get envious until I start looking at fifth-wheels. If you’ve got enough tow vehicle for it, you should get a lot of enjoyment out of it.

If there was anything I wish could be different, I’d have to get a fifth-wheel: Due to the low ceiling, the shower feels a bit cramped, even at my 5’8”. I also wish it had bigger holding tanks. 30 gallons each on mine goes pretty quickly for fresh and grey water. Black tank takes a while to fill up. Anything else I perceive as an issue can be upgraded through typical home-improvement.

[5arnolds]

You will most likely be asked about your tow vehicle so if you have one, could you please let the members know what it is. If you don't, then let us know what TV you are planning to purchase. Regarding the towing comments you are looking for, it would also help if you were to provide us with all of the necessary weights and capacity of this TT and the truck you have or are planning to tow it with.

I have a 2005 Ford F-150 4x4 5.7L Super Crew with 3.55 Axle. The GVWR of the truck is 8,200 pounds. I will be purchasing a Reese Dual Cam hitch. With options, the TT weighs 6,340#. I don't deny that an F-250 would be more ideal, but 90% of our trips will be level highways and not more than 2 hours from our home. Our living style has always been simple in nature (won't take the bathroom sink with us) so I'm confident we'll be within the truck/TT specifications so I feel comfortable pulling this amount of weight, especially with a good hitch.

[f6bits]

It looks like your max trailer weight is 8200 lbs, so that looks ok. That gives you about 1,000 lbs to load into the trailer with 1,000 lbs of headroom.

Lengthwise, it’s pushing it. 27’ would be comfortable, but the Reese should extend that a bit, but the 3220 is probably close to 35’ long.

[GidKel]

Hi!

We bought a 3220bh in May and we absolutely love it! We used to have a Coachmen 2990bh. I saw the 3220bh at the Hershey RV show in September 2011 and fell in love with it as soon as I walked through. What sold me on this trailer was the slideout bunkhouse for the kids, the outdoor kitchen, and the separate entrance to the bathroom. We have plenty of room for our family of 6 plus our Golden; the kids have their own space to play on those rainy days. There's no interest to look at anything else because the Passport fits our family perfectly and there's plenty of room to grow.

I hope this helps. Good luck on your decision; I don't think you will be disappointed if you decide to go for it! :)

[Mij]

We a Passport 3050 and luv it. I pull it with an 06 Yukon with 4.11 gears. The length did take a bit to get used to don't regret the length at all. The trailer is on the top of the Yukons weight limits for my comfort but pulls great and that is without sway control. I does get a bit hairy above 72-75 mph but rarely get there. Again luv the trailer and am satisfied with the towablilty of the unit. A+

[CampDestinations.com]

You can't beat the space in the 3220BH. We frequently camp with 4 adults, 2 kids under 10 and our mangy old dog. It's great. We manage fine, although at the limits of our TV which has 700 lbs less pull capacity than yours. Be conscious of the weights and get the best hitch you can afford, then have fun.

Watch that one bunk in the back over the sofa. It has a weight limit of 150lbs. And the support pole mounted to the swing-up "leaf" of the sofa when it folds out isn't secured well to start with, and then can sometimes get kicked by the kids or dog.

You'll probably also want to install some towel bars in the bathroom, and upgrade the shower-head to an Oxygenics.

Carry an extension for the cable tv line and 30-amp power. The extra length of this trailer sometimes puts them a little out of reach of the hookups at some campgrounds (had this problem at Harper's Ferry KOA last summer).

[millard]

We got our 3220bh in nov and love it its great for my boys 8 and 6 plus my crazy lab/boxer mix. we started towing it with a quad cab dodge ram 1500 4.7 and everyone said it wont tow it, well it did just fine! i changed the gears to 4.10 and d load rated tires. so don't worry about the tv just yet! with that being said this weekend will be the first time towing with the new tv a f-250 diesel....the only reason we upgraded to a 3/4 was the gas!! i would get 6 to 7 mpg towing on flat roads! but i think everyone i talk to about there passport loves it !!

[ls1mike]

Oh man love this thread. I just picked up a 2012 yesterday. I will be getting it from the dealer next Saturday.
I see a lot of 1/2 tons towing it. I should be good to go with a Crew Cab long bed Chevy 6.0 gasser 3/4 ton.
It has so many features and tons of room! I was at first concerned about the length after coming out of a 25 foot 5er. Reading this has calmed me a bit.

[EcoboostKev]

I have a 2005 Ford F-150 4x4 5.7L Super Crew with 3.55 Axle. The GVWR of the truck is 8,200 pounds. I will be purchasing a Reese Dual Cam hitch. With options, the TT weighs 6,340#. I don't deny that an F-250 would be more ideal, but 90% of our trips will be level highways and not more than 2 hours from our home. Our living style has always been simple in nature (won't take the bathroom sink with us) so I'm confident we'll be within the truck/TT specifications so I feel comfortable pulling this amount of weight, especially with a good hitch. I will admit that you are going to struggle up the steep inclines. My old truck was a 2007 F150 with the 5.4L and 3.55 gears. My old camper was 5600lbs loaded and the truck pulled it good but i burned through the first transmission at 35,000 miles and the second transmission was pushing over 230 degrees on the steep hills. Your talking about adding 1000+lbs and 14.5 feet of trailer to basically the same truck.. I think the 3.55 gears with a 4 spd transmission are going to be your down fall with that size trailer.. If you plan on staying close to home you should be ok just make sure you lock out overdrive. I find it hard to believe that your truck has a GVWR of 8200lbs with 3.55 gears?? You sure they are not 3.73?? Just keep in mind that the camper has a dry weight of 6109lbs and a GVWR of 7500lbs.They say the average family packs about 1000lbs of stuff ready to camp plus the dry weight does not include your propane tanks and battery. So you will be close to the 7500lbs when ready to camp. What is your payload # on your driver door sticker? The tongue weight will probably be around 900Lbs+/- so subtract that from your payload # then subtract about 200lbs for fuel. The number you have left is for passengers and what you want in the bed of the truck. Good luck, Kevin

[ls1mike]

You mentioned burning up the tranny, why not get a nice big aux cooler. My Silverado had one from the factory in additon to the radiator, but it was small so I put a big one on there. It took like 2 hours and cost 60 bucks.

Original
http://img828.imageshack.us/img828/9255/coolerd.jpg
By ls1moparturbo (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/ls1moparturbo) at 2012-03-04

The aftermarket one.

http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/3773/cooler3.jpg
By ls1moparturbo (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/ls1moparturbo) at 2012-03-04