By Wes Gunther

My brother in law called me one day a few years ago to let me know that his boss’s business had grown quickly and now his boss did not have time to use his RV anymore and he wanted to get rid of it.  It had only been used a few times and was in great shape and he would be willing to sell it for a good price. 

The catch – kind of – was that it was a toy hauler travel trailer.  It was a little heavier than I was used to (7800 pounds dry).  Also, I didn’t really have any toys that I needed to haul.  The price was right though, so my wife and I went to look at it.  To make a short story even shorter – we bought it. 

We grew to really like the toy hauler.  For a short time we carted around an electric golf cart but that just made the weight all the more heavier.  We ended up just converting the garage area into a large living room area.  We put in a couch from Value City and a chair from Ikea.  We then installed a television and put in an area rug.  On days that the weather was nice we would open up that large garage door in the back and put down the screen door that was rolled up inside and enjoyed the weather.  We liked this toy hauler enough that when the time came to sell it – we bought another one.

As with any style of RV there were some things we liked about the toy hauler and things we didn’t.  Let’s begin with the things we really liked:

1. We liked that large door on the back.   When my wife and I go camping we like to enjoy the outdoors.  We try to cook outside and sit outside as much as possible.  That large door and screen on the back of the RV allowed the breeze and sunshine to come right inside.  That was probably what we loved the most about both of the toy haulers we owned.

• We could easily load things into the RV.  With that large door on the back – we could load all kinds of things even though we were not technically hauling any “toys” with it.  We could put our bikes and kayaks inside.  These were things we used to put on the back or roof of the Suburban, but now it was much easier to just throw them in the back of the RV. 

• More ceiling height.   This will of course depend on the exact model you get but both of the travel trailer toy haulers that we owned had higher ceilings in the rear of the RV to allow for a larger garage door.  This made the RV seem so much roomier inside.

• Off grid accessories.  This also will depend on the exact model that you get but most toy haulers are designed for extended, off grid living.  I found that both of my toy haulers (Dutchman and Jayco) had larger water tanks, holding tanks, generators (or generator ready hook ups), than any of my regular travel trailers. 

There were things we found that we did not care for when it came to toy haulers. 

1. There is very, very little storage.  Due to the fact that toy haulers are designed to carry a large “toy” like an ATV or Motorcycle, they have open garage areas in the rear.  Therefore, they do not have things like under dinette or under bunk storage areas.   I found that when I had a toy hauler, I had several totes that I would move in or out of the RV as needed for storage. 
2. Higher roof.  I mentioned earlier the advantage of a higher ceiling inside of many toy haulers.  The downside of this, of course, is you now have a higher roof on the outside.  This is something to be mindful of in some campgrounds or gas stations.  It was actually an obstacle for me in my own yard when I wanted to park it.  There was a large branch that the earlier travel trailers could pass under but the toy haulers could not 

• The weight.   Toy haulers have historically been heavier.  Today they are building lighter weight toy haulers but with the lighter weight comes a lighter payload.  I upgraded my Chevrolet Suburban from a 1500 to a 2500 but the weight was still an issue.  In the Northeast area where I live – I am usually fighting mountains when I travel.  The toy haulers were heavy compared to a travel trailer of the same size. 

• Sacrifice amenities.   Because you need the garage area to park a toy – a toy hauler is giving up some comforts you may normally find in an RV.  You may have no bedroom or a very cramped bedroom.  You will probably not have a dinette. Your sofa and table are probably very temporary and therefore not as stable or comfortable.  You will lose closet or panty space. 

• Dirt and smell.   If you are hauling a toy you are not parking that toy in your living area.  The gas and oil smells; the mud from your adventure; the leaking; the skid marks; all of these are now in an area that will be your home for the few days you are using it. 

• Not a full-time garage.   For a toy hauler to be used the way it was designed, I have heard from many toy hauler owners who are not frustrated because once they got to the campground, they had to park their $20,000 Harley Davidson outside in the rain because they were trying to live in the camper.  That garage space can only be one or the other. 

These were things that my wife and I realize that we like or disliked.  We now have another travel trailer and the storage and bunk area are perfect for what we need right now.  I love having a regular bedroom once again.  However, on almost every beautiful summer day one of us will reminisce about how much we miss being able to open that large garage door.