When Little Bird was born, the Wolf Pack outgrew their first rig and it prompted Dad and Mom to get Bandit. They found trailers they were looking for and specifically looked for tow vehicles that can tow them. Not long after having Bandit, they bought their home on wheels.
The TT
Some of the requirements Mom had was it had to sleep the whole family. That was 5 humans and a dog. That meant it needed
- A master bed (Full is fine)
- Bunk Beds
- A U Dinette for 5 and could make down to a bed
- Bathroom (upgrade from the Taos)
- Refrigerator (Another must upgrade)
Some of Dad’s specifications were it must be towable by Bandit (920lbs max tongue weight) and it should be less than 27 feet long to fit the average camp length. During Mom and Dad’s 13th anniversary, they went to a couple RV dealers and the 2022 Rockwood mini lite 2509S was, to quote Mom, the unicorn trailer.
This trailer did not miss a detail; Dad was ecstatic. It was short for having bunks yet it had a palatial interior. Each bed can sleep 2, totaling 8. The galley has all the appliances and since this was a 12v only fridge, Forest River maximized how much food can be carried plus no leveling or temperature sensitivity. There is a double sink which is nice to conserve water. The bathroom is well thought-out, functional and the shower tub looks well glued to the walls. There are plenty of seating around the u-dinette and two or three on the sofa. Every possible place there could be a cabinet, Forest River installed one. There are cabinets over the dinette and there’s a pantry and a wardrobe.
The exterior seemed to have no feature spared.
- Double axles
- Two outside kitchens
- Two outside showers
- A 180w solar panel was present (which meant the fridge can run while traveling)
- Electric rack and pinion slide mechanism, which are just beefy
- Slide topper, which means Dad doesn’t need to get on the trailer to sweep the slide before retracting
- Plenty of frameless windows, except for the side windows on the slide out, which could be left open with no concern of rain getting in. They have less maintenance to boot
- Electric stabilizers
- Two 30lb propane tanks
- Two 12v batteries
- Accessories hitch
- Full spare tire
- Backup camera
Don’t know if you can tell, but it just seemed to have copious amounts of features!
And we can’t even stop there, the interior colors are Newport Ash and Chocolate seating cushions. The lighter walls make the room more spacious and the darker seating gives it good contrast. Perhaps we’re still in the honeymoon stage but we hope to make an era of memories with it.
Trips
Santa Fe National Forest
Jack’s Creek Campground
Jemez Mountains
Modifications and Upgrades
Some boring details…
| Long | 25.92′ |
| Wide | 8′ |
| Tall | 10.92′ |
| Empty Weight | 5,440 lbs |
| Payload (ccc) | 1,493 lbs |
| Hitch Weight (advertised) | 773 lbs |
| Fresh Tank Capacity | 54 gal |
| Gray Tank Capacity | 30 gal |
| Black Tank Capacity | 30 gal |
| Refrigerator | GE GPV10FGNBB 9.8 Cu. Ft. 12vDC Top-Freezer |
| Frame Box Size | ?x5″ Box |
The TV
Bandit is the workhorse. A 2022 Silverado 1500 LT, this humble steed will… we’ll see. It’s not a kitted out truck, the only options installed was the 5.3L V8, assist steps, and some floor liners but all the towing numbers (9200lb conventional towing and 920lb tongue weight capacity) fit to pull the TT.
Bandit is a crew cab with a front bench for 6 passengers equipped with the short bed (just shy of 70″). This keeps the truck short which has allowed Dad to pack the truck into the garage if he needs to but still roomy enough when the Wolf Pack hits the road. The fuel tank is only 24 gallons and its fuel economy is an unfortunate 9 mpg when towing the TT, which leaves the Wolf Pack looking for fuel every 200 miles.
The OG
This Pop-up trailer was originally Dad’s parent’s but over time, it was ceased to be used. It’s a 1997 Coleman Taos and is still around today! Mom hated it at first, it looked like the 90’s and for a few years, Dad thought they were gonna get rid of it as well. But after a remodel, it has refreshed it and now it has a place in our hearts.
The trailer was a great starting RV. It gets you off the ground and has a furnace. Otherwise, it’s very rudimentary; manual roof lift, manual slide-outs, and manual stabilizers means nothing can really break to leave you stranded. The trailer is only 11 foot long and 4 foot tall traveling, which means you can really go traverse roads that requires your trailer to roll and pitch without issues.
