Travel trailer
A trailer that hitches to a ball on the back of a truck or SUV — the widest choice of sizes and floorplans.
Travel trailers are the most common RV on the road, and the range is wide: compact models a mid-size SUV can pull, bunkhouse floorplans that sleep a family, rear-kitchen and rear-living layouts, and couples' models with a walk-around bed. Because the living space is separate from your vehicle, you set up once, unhitch, and keep the truck free for errands and day trips. That flexibility, and the choice of floorplans, is why so many owners start here.
Who it suits
Families and first-time owners who already drive, or plan to buy, a capable truck or SUV.
Towing it
It uses a bumper-pull ball hitch, and larger models add a weight-distribution hitch. Match your vehicle's towing rating to the trailer's GVWR — its fully loaded weight — not its dry weight.
Fifth wheel
A trailer with a raised front that extends over the bed of a pickup, where it connects to the hitch.
Fifth wheels put the hitch inside the truck bed rather than behind the bumper, which makes them steady to tow and lets the front section rise over the truck. That raised section usually holds the bedroom, so the main floor can be open living space with tall ceilings, and many floorplans add several slide-outs. The result is the most residential feel you can tow — a favourite for long stays, seasonal sites and full-time living.
Who it suits
Full-timers, snowbirds and anyone planning long stays who owns, or will buy, a pickup.
Towing it
It needs a pickup with a fifth-wheel hitch mounted in the bed. The pin weight rests on the truck, so its payload rating matters as much as its towing rating.
Toy hauler
An RV with a rear ramp door and a garage for motorcycles, ATVs, bikes or gear.
A toy hauler brings the equipment along. The back wall folds down into a ramp, and behind it is a garage with tie-downs for motorcycles, side-by-sides, bikes or kayaks. At camp the garage becomes living space, with fold-down sofas or a drop-down bed, and on many models the open ramp becomes a patio. Toy haulers come as travel trailers and fifth wheels, and a few motorhomes carry a garage too.
Who it suits
Riders, paddlers and families who travel with their equipment, or who want a flexible room at camp.
Towing it
It tows like a travel trailer or a fifth wheel, depending on the model. Weigh it with the toys on board — the garage load adds to what your vehicle pulls.
Pop-up & hybrid campers
Lightweight trailers with fold-out canvas sections: a pop-up folds down completely, a hybrid has hard sides and tent-style bed ends.
A pop-up camper travels as a low box and opens at camp into a tent-sided room with beds at each end. A hybrid is a hard-sided travel trailer whose bed ends slide out as canvas bunks, so you get a kitchen and often a bathroom with the airy feel of a tent. Both are light for the sleeping space they give you, easy to store at home, and a natural step up for families who have been tent camping.
Who it suits
Tent campers stepping up, young families, and owners of smaller vehicles.
Towing it
They are among the lightest RVs to tow, and many suit smaller vehicles. Check your vehicle's towing rating against the camper's GVWR before you choose.
Destination trailer
A large trailer designed to be set up at one site for a season or longer, and moved rarely.
Destination trailers are built for staying, not travelling. They are set up on a seasonal site, at a campground or on your own land, and left there — with large windows, residential furniture, full-size appliances and wide, open floorplans that feel closer to a cottage than a camper. Because they are rarely moved, they trade some towing features for space and comfort, which makes them a popular choice for a lake lot or family property.
Who it suits
Seasonal campers, cottage-country families and anyone with a site they return to every year.
Towing it
It isn't designed for frequent towing. Most are moved to the site once, usually by a professional hauler — ask us how yours would get there.