Best toy hauler for living

[Ancientink]

Hi, we currently own a 2005( maybe) outback luxury addition 31 foot. We do really like it, especially the double bunk kids room but....
We are planning on moving from our rural hobby farm and buying land more remote (just land).
As much as we have enjoyed our outback and have had to live in it for a few months, it is definitely not ideal.
My question is does anyone have any recommendations for what would be the best toy hauler(keystone or not) to have to live full time in for at least a couple years? We are looking on the bigger end(40 foot), with a proper enclosed garage(not just a curtain), washer dryer hook ups, 1/2 bath in garage, and a couch bigger than 3 seater,winterized, please no light interior , our outback is half carpeted in beige, we have dogs , its really a nightmare. Also going to be buying used so a model a few years old.
Its basically going to be parked in one spot so I'm not too concerned about how it does traveling but I need it to be livable (in BC interior or north)all year with minimal problems.
Any advice is much appreciated

[JRTJH]

If it's "stationary and not going to be moved" why a toy hauler? You could make excellent use of the larger accommodations in a conventional travel trailer/fifth wheel, or more appropriately, if you're going to live in it for at least 2 years, have you considered a manufactured home? Many with 1000+ square feet (double/triple any travel trailer) are available for the same or less money and are much more suitable for long term living, especially in northern climates.....

[travelin texans]

IMHO, John has given the best advice.
With most any TH with the amenities you want in the garage in turn will be lacking in the living area beyond the garage, smaller kitchen, living room & bedroom, just a longer rv. THs were built for a specific purpose, hauling your toys to the playground for the short term, not necessarily to live comfortably in for extended periods. Just my .02 cents!
A bigger bunkhouse RV would be a better choice.

[sourdough]

^^^^John and Danny are on point.

[Badbart56]

We have used our 405 full time for two years. It's roomy and has plenty of storage and the bed/couch combo in the garage are handy when some of the kids stop by.


https://www.keystonerv.com/media/104...ochure.pdf.pdf

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by Badbart56

We have used our 405 full time for two years. It's roomy and has plenty of storage and the bed/couch combo in the garage are handy when some of the kids stop by.


https://www.keystonerv.com/media/104...ochure.pdf.pdf

There's a lot of difference in spending a winter in a toyhauler in Tallahassee FL and Mission British Colombia (think 2010 Winter Olympics)...

[notanlines]

Maybe not as much as one would think, only daytime temps.
Mission:

January 41° / 32° 16 days rain
February 47° / 35° 14 days
March 52° / 37° 14 days

Tallahassee:

January 66° / 38° 7 days rain
February 70° / 41° 6 days
March 76° / 46° 6 days

Unless a couple has children, the garage ends up being nothing but storage. We lived in 40' of Raptor for four years and as nice as it is, only the bedroom/bathroom areas are roomy. The kitchen/living/dining become mighty cramped.
I'm telling you from experience, if you go toy-hauler, you better go BIG!

[AbHDToyHauler]

Originally Posted by notanlines

Maybe not as much as one would think, only

Unless a couple has children, the garage ends up being nothing but storage. We lived in 40' of Raptor for four years and as nice as it is, only the bedroom/bathroom areas are roomy. The kitchen/living/dining become mighty cramped.
I'm telling you from experience, if you go toy-hauler, you better go BIG!

My wife and I use the garage alot as our dining area and I am thinking of adding a bigger Television so we can use as our TV room too when we are out. Unless we have the bikes loaded which means we can't use the space at all. Ours has the large screen that pulls down when ramp door open so quite a nice living space. But to each their own. LOL

[flybouy]

I'd suggest the manufactured home as well. They can typically be acquired used at low cost, offer a lot more room with better appliances, better insulation, full bath tub, 100 Amp 220 V power, etc. If you're local code allows living in a camper then they should allow a manufactured home.
After a couple years if you get to build your "dream home" then convert the mfg home into a shed, guest house, rental, or sell it.

[mikz86ta]

On year 2.5 our Fuzion 420. 43ft. 12ft garage.
Residential fridge, option 4-seater recliner couch and you also face the TV direction.
2awnings plus rear awning.
Storm door between garage and living.... actually quiets the washer noise very well and the washer is right by the door. And the storm door is wider than the residential fridge in case you ever have to swap that out.
Top loft we use for storage totes.
Garage has the side jack motorized beds/couches and the upper bunk bed. So sleeps a few.
Half bath in back.
48" TV. Side patio is really cool but some don't like the large screen door.
3rd AC option ours does not have but wish it did.
Front bath is laid out well. No tripping over the toilet to get in shower. Shower is ample and has seat. We added a towel rack and still have room. And we have 2 doors to get into front bath.
Bed was a RV Queen but we fit a RV King. 2 good size closets and other storage room. No underbed storage due to slider bed frame but I fixed that....hehe. so much wasted space under the bed I made ours into a hidden bed storage.
2 30lb propane
2 30 gal fuel tanks
1 fuel pumping station.
2 batteries right now....stock has 1
Onan generator
Wish we had solar but will do that in the future.
Outside grill hookup
Propane stove, oven and furnace
Microwave and Convection Oven combo
2 patios...side and rear.
Rear pario we have the roll down screen and prior owner added a seasonal zipper door panel thing. But the best option ours didn't have is the 3season glass doors or whatever they call them.

Any questions please let me know. We enjoy the layout for FT living. Just 2 adults, 2 dogs and now 1 kitten that adopted us

[TYHLR]

Just my 2 cents here.


We have a 3602RL TH that has the U shaped lounge in the back (with TV) that can be raised to load a motorcycle. It is a 40 footer with 1 and a half baths, washer dryer and genset.



While we have never full timed in it, we have spent a few 30 day stints in it.


While the camper is very roomy, I think that for full timing the kitchen/living room area may become a bit cramped as the days wear on.


As others have already pointed out, if I were in your position I would go with as big a trailer as you can afford. A nice park trailer may be a better fit for what you are attempting to accomplish IMHO.

[LewisB]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

If it's "stationary and not going to be moved" why a toy hauler? You could make excellent use of the larger accommodations in a conventional travel trailer/fifth wheel, or more appropriately, if you're going to live in it for at least 2 years, have you considered a manufactured home? Many with 1000+ square feet (double/triple any travel trailer) are available for the same or less money and are much more suitable for long term living, especially in northern climates.....

At first blush, this sounds right...except...is the OP building a home? If so, what is the value of a used mobile home when he wants to get rid of it? The advantage of the toyhauler is that he has something of value (to either sell or use) 2 or 3 years down the road.

We have loved both of our toyhaulers because they have larger tanks, more water capacity, came with 5500W generators, etc. With a 2nd bath, 96" couch, 50" wide screen, center island, fireplace, king bed, etc. our toyhauler seems spacious to the 2 of us. When not travelling & hauling our toy, the "garage" is fully carpeted, has its own AC zone, TV, stereo channel, has a double couch dinette, washer dryer hookups, and a sliding glass divider door. The "garage" becomes our dining room, sewing room, computer room, and guest bed room (with 2 full king beds). If I were to get feeling closed in, I'd just open the sliding doors/screens and step out onto the "party deck" for my morning coffee and watch the sunrise or sunset.

Guess you've probably figured out we LOVE our toyhauler! Mostly for reasons that do NOT include hauling our toys. So if the OP is building a home, maybe a toyhauler might make more sense from a long-term benefit/cost perspective. Just a thought...

[mj5150]

We moved into our Raptor 412TS in May of 2017 when we bought it new. We love it.
The garage is my office, I work from home, and storage.
We shopped around for about a month. It came down to the Raptor and an equivalent Voltage. The salesman with the Voltage was sort of a jerk, so that made the Raptor decision easier.
I think we would have been happy with either. The Raptor is perfect for the wife, me, and our bloodhound Macy.

-Mike