I have been looking for an alternative to my 9.5 Northstar Truck camper. Space is getting tight. My family recently went from 2 kids to 3 a few weeks ago and we have a 72 lb. Lab retriever now. I really do not want a fullsize trailer, due to access to our favorite fishing, hunting and camping spots.
We camp year round here in Colorado. We mostly spend our time boon docking off of forest roads as far in as we can get. We are minimalists as far as extras go. I would be towing with a modified Dodge Ram 2500 diesel. I have read all I can about the Trail manor it seems like a good choice for us. I want a low profile camper with a enough room for 3 kids, a dog, and 2 adults. My questions are:
1) With some cold weather mods and dry camping can a TM be used for camping during the winter?Around 0 degrees?
2) With a lift kit and some real tires can the TM take the abuse of dirt road travel, light 4 wheeling to get to camping spots? I have heard that they leak a lot of dust on bumpy roads?
3)We use our camper probably 40-60 days a year. Is the TM sturdy enough to be used that much with out any major issues or failures? With proper maintenance of course.
I need some real world advice from a TM owner who really uses their TM to the fullest extent. Thanks for the input.