RV Highlight: What Does the Industry mean when they say lightweight towable and what does Bowlus® mean?

We had a good chuckle the other day when we saw an 8,000-pound travel trailer described by the manufacturer as “lightweight.” That’s just one of the problems in an industry that eschews standards – no one knows what weight really means. So let us give you a small introduction to weight and RVs.

First, let’s bust a myth that heavier is better. It’s not. A heavier RV won’t track better on the road, especially ones with flat sides or a toaster shape. In fact, you are just asking to work your arms and your concentration to exhaustion to keep a rig like this between the lines on a windy day. And while we’re at it, a double axle isn’t a safety feature either on these bigger rigs because a typical RV tire only holds 2,000 pounds. So for that 8,000-pound travel trailer, it requires four tires, so when one goes, it cannot be supported in any way by three tires. That same big rig will also restrict where you can go. You might be able to go off-grid for a short period of time, but attempting to go off-grid with some weather on the horizon? That should be a definite no unless you enjoy trying to pull a behemoth from the mud.

Of course, the weight of your travel trailer will dictate your tow vehicle, and as we say at Bowlus, if a big truck is part of your luxury land travel fantasy, please indulge yourself. However, if you’re looking to use an existing vehicle or are part of the EV trend, you definitely want something that can tow fully loaded 4,000 pounds, which is more or less the cut-off for most crossovers EVs. It just makes life easier and more fun to drive when you have a wider selection of tow vehicles.

The Endless Highways Performance Edition and Terra Firma have a dry weight of 3,200 pounds which means you have 800 pounds of cargo, water, and propane to fill before you reach your limit. That means you’ll never get near capacity, which directly translates into less stress on the tires, which is why our owners have never reported any issues.

There is much to consider when purchasing an RV. Isn’t it good to know that at Bowlus, we deeply consider each design and engineer decision? When you purchase a Bowlus, you know you are buying the very best in luxury and performance.