Upgrade - which Elkmont? [moved]

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by Upstart

We just bought an Elkmont 24 bunkhouse model with sleeper sofa instead of the fixed bed. No kids involved so the bunks allow a tremendous amount of storage. The sleeper sofa is a breeze to set up and we like the adjustable firmness of the inflatable bed.

We tow with a 6 cyl. Mercedes (ML320) and average 12 mpg. Normal highway mileage w/o the Elkmont is around 24 mpg. But, we have towed a 3,500 lb., 26' boat for years and get only 13 mpg with it. The boat is fairly aerodynamic, so the issue for us is not the wind resistance of the of the Elkmont.

We love the Elkmont! We really like being able to pull off and eat lunch, rest and use the bathroom w/o having to "set up".

Most boats offer more wind resistance than modern travel trailers and are far from aerodynamic while on the trailer. The boats have very many different shapes and the air moving over the surface is very turbulent. The air moving between the hull of the boat and the surface of the highway becomes highly compressed and hard to move. The air under the hull is constantly trying to "Lift" the boat. The power for that "Lift" is generated from the TV. The modern TT (while big & bulky) moves the air over the surface with relatively little turbulence.