Have changed tow vehicle since I first posted. The old Durango wasn't the powerhouse I thought it was. I have pulled an equivalent weight to the CL, but on largely flat terrain and without the height of the CL.
In any case, upgraded to a '14 Ram 2500 Tradesman, 5.7L.
The transmission and the tow/haul mode really make a difference, and it pulled the 16 DBS up a significant mountain grade with ease. And with 4WD, good AT tires, and a limited slip differential, I'm looking forward to some mild off-road camping.
Have a couple of issues I want to mention on the CL, which I'll do in a separate post.
This post makes me glad of my TV decision. When we were looking at buying a 16 footer we needed a new TV but I didn't want a truck or full size SUV as a daily driver. My research found 3 mid-size SUVs capable of towing the 16 - Durango, Jeep GC and VW Touareg. Husband said def no Jeep and preferably no more Dodges, plus I didn't want 3 rows of seats. So I bought a Touareg V6 gas. I was nervous about it but the research showed a lot of people towing some pretty big trailers with them. This summer was the test - we towed 3200 miles from Illinois to Crested Butte, CO and back over 7 mountain passes and up to about 10,000 feet. The Egg with an Andersen W/D hitch did great!
Congrats on your new truck. Always nice to get a new ride!
I used to pull my 16DB with a Jeep Wrangler 4 door. It pulled the camper ok and I never had any problems.. Then I put BIG mud tires on the jeep (Which made it look really cool). We took the camper took the Talladega race, about 8 hours round trip, and man.. My wife and I were beat to death. The ride was a LOT worse.. the jeep still pulled the camper ok, just the ride was terrible.
I traded my jeep in for a 2015 GMC Sierra 1500 2wd, 4 door, leather, you know all the good stuff... (I needed a new truck anyway because the wife wanted a truck instead of the jeep) WOW!!! Tows that camper, and all my other stuff like its nothing.. love that truck
BUT... IF I can sell my house, I'm going to sell my truck and get an older truck that I can pay cash for and set off in my camper for an unknown amount of time with no debt or bills, so will see what happens there...
I have traveled to 56 countries and 46 states, I currently work about 9 months a year at sea. I'm Retired USCG, and have worked as a contractor in the middle east (Iraq, etc.) and currently work for a major cruise line. My wife have been married 29 years and are tired of always being separated. So I have decided to sell most of my possessions and just hit the road with her and just enjoy our time together.. we have decided to keep our Camplite and see how we like being on the road, and if it suits us, we will upgrade to an Airstream Classic, or perhaps see in Camplite can build us a custom model that is more suited for full timing
At about your age, mid 50s I would guess, my wife and I took off cross country from Annapolis. We had put all of our furniture in storage- Pods so it could be shipped to us later and headed for Oregon where we picked up a very light 5th wheeler. It was 25', maybe about the same effective size as the discontinued LL 26' and was quite comfortable for full timing. We camped in the western, northwestern states for about three months.
It was one of the best three months we ever spent. We always camped in NP, USFS and state campgrounds and saw some of the best that this country has to offer. We then settled down in SoCal, found jobs, bought a house and lived the normal home life.
So go for it, you won't be sorry.
David
Sounds like fun coming up! Check out the new CL23RKS for potential full timing. You may be amazed at how much difference a slide makes in livability. :)