2018 Pacifica 3500lb Towing Capacity, Recommendations

[rob.mwpropane]

Good day all... I've tried my hand at searching but it's so hard with all the features, the rated weight, the actual weight (do all manf. have to stretch the truth about specs?), etc. I've looked at floorplans and features. I've looked at older and newer. I looked at 100's if not 1000's of pup online.

I think I've gauged what we want, but can't seem to find it. We own a 2018 Pacifica with max rated towing capacity of 3500lbs. Which means we can really tow about 2900 (see, they all do it).

Wife wants bathroom / shower and I really like the idea of a slide out dinette. I don't care about age as much as longevity. I'm handy with stuff. I can replace / upgrade as needed. I just can't seem to find the right fit with the right weight. I love the Fleetwood Niagara highwall campers, but they're too heavy. The layout is perfect.

So I'm stuck, asking for some recommendations. Maybe I'm asking too much and what I want doesn't exist and I need to scale back some? Maybe you own a Pacifica and can give me some real world experience?

I appreciate everyone's time, have a great day!!

 

[Sjm9911]

Well, a slide out will add a lot of weight to a pup. And you dont have a lot of capacity to tow. So i would scrap that idea. Look for something smaller. With just a cassett tolet. The showers are a bit over-rated, as you still need to collect the greay water somewhere.

 

[jmkay1]

Unfortunately I think you are going to have to modify your want list a tad. Slideouts are Heavy and add a ton of weight to a camper. I have the Fleetwood Utah a sister unit to the Niagra and even before my gear I was upwards of 3000+ pounds. I have the slideout and the cassette toilet with my unit.
You can perhaps look into the Fleetwood Westlake. It doesn’t have a slideout but does have a bump out for the galley and still has the shower. Unfortunately I don’t have the specs for it in front of me.
Just so you know the dry weights on units under the year 2010 are big fat lies so anything older best to add the carry capacity weight to the dry weight number. Newer units are a little closer to true but you still have to add in some weight for the true weight. Good luck with your search.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

I agree with both of you about probably having to ditch some features. The bathroom (even if just a cassette) is a must for the wife. She hates using public bathrooms. The kids are all boys and thankfully are quite comfortable peeing in the woods. It would really just be her bathroom.

I would love the pullout dinette , but I'd rather have a highwall than the pullout for the counters (if that's a possibility).

Fleetwood Westlake looks nice. Still unsure what the weight actually is (I find it so confusing). The specs I see for 2008 say 805 lbs cargo, 3000lbs GVWR and 2720lbs GAWR.

We're really just getting into camping, what do most people add for gear, weight wise? Obviously everyone is a little different, but a roundabout # would suffice.

 

[popup-flyer]

Good day all... I've tried my hand at searching but it's so hard with all the features, the rated weight, the actual weight (do all manf. have to stretch the truth about specs?), etc. I've looked at floorplans and features. I've looked at older and newer. I looked at 100's if not 1000's of pup online.

I think I've gauged what we want, but can't seem to find it. We own a 2018 Pacifica with max rated towing capacity of 3500lbs. Which means we can really tow about 2900 (see, they all do it).

Wife wants bathroom / shower and I really like the idea of a slide out dinette. I don't care about age as much as longevity. I'm handy with stuff. I can replace / upgrade as needed. I just can't seem to find the right fit with the right weight. I love the Fleetwood Niagara highwall campers, but they're too heavy. The layout is perfect.

So I'm stuck, asking for some recommendations. Maybe I'm asking too much and what I want doesn't exist and I need to scale back some? Maybe you own a Pacifica and can give me some real world experience?

I appreciate everyone's time, have a great day!!

No confusion at all. I feel like every week I google someone's owners manual.

Don't shave a percentage off. So long as your within the following specs don't worry about it.

Do you have a FACTORY INSTALLED tow package? This does not mean you threw an aftermarket tow hitch on from UHaul or wherever but that it came from the factory that way. If not your max tow is 1500lbs. See the photo:

 

[tfischer]

We tow with a 2017 Pacifica. As FR228D mentions, you need to make sure you have a factory tow package (we do) to tow up to 3500 pounds.

 

[Sjm9911]

The westlake is heavy, mine was 3200 if i remembered correctly loaded up. It was a 2000.

 

[firepit]

On a side note it is refreshing to see someone asking advice before they actually purchase something vs after they
made the purchase and are in a bind....Above replies are seem to be on the money.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

No confusion at all. I feel like every week I google someone's owners manual.

Don't shave a percentage off. So long as your within the following specs don't worry about it.

Do you have a FACTORY INSTALLED tow package? This does not mean you threw an aftermarket tow hitch on from UHaul or wherever but that it came from the factory that way. If not your max tow is 1500lbs. See the photo:
View attachment 77808

Yes it does.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

We tow with a 2017 Pacifica. As FR228D mentions, you need to make sure you have a factory tow package (we do) to tow up to 3500 pounds.

That's refreshing. I have been over at the Pacifica forums and I've seen a few people mention no issues with the rated 3500. It's not like I'm trying to win a race when driving with a trailer either... slow and steady works for me. What kind of mileage do you get when towing?


EDIT: How can I make my font bigger on every post?!?
Edit 2: Seems to have fixed itself, Idk

 

[rob.mwpropane]

What about a 2008 Forest River Flagstaff Classic 625D? That seems to check all the boxes. A little light in the payload area...dry weight 2539, payload 345

 

[tfischer]

That's refreshing. I have been over at the Pacifica forums and I've seen a few people mention no issues with the rated 3500. It's not like I'm trying to win a race when driving with a trailer either... slow and steady works for me. What kind of mileage do you get when towing?

Well we're not towing anywhere close to 3500... my camper is just under 1500 dry, and loaded up we're probably not to 2000. Bought it when we had a Grand Caravan with no factory package... and frankly was overtaxing it-I put in a transmission cooler and we never towed further than about 2 hours from home. But with the Pacifica we've taken multiple cross-country trips, including just getting back from Glacier NP from the Minneapolis area.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

Well we're not towing anywhere close to 3500... my camper is just under 1500 dry, and loaded up we're probably not to 2000. Bought it when we had a Grand Caravan with no factory package... and frankly was overtaxing it-I put in a transmission cooler and we never towed further than about 2 hours from home. But with the Pacifica we've taken multiple cross-country trips, including just getting back from Glacier NP from the Minneapolis area.

MPG?

 

[tfischer]

MPG?

Towing, it varies greatly based on terrain and the wind. If you have a tailwind I can get 21mpg. A strong headwind cuts it down below 18.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

Towing, it varies greatly based on terrain and the wind. If you have a tailwind I can get 21mpg. A strong headwind cuts it down below 18.

That's pretty good, not as bad as I thought it would be. Anything above 15 and I think I'd be happy.

We had a full size RV as a kid, but that thing got 8mpg going downhill. I can't imagine going cross country in that in today's world @ $4/ gallon.

 

[jmkay1]

We're really just getting into camping, what do most people add for gear, weight wise?

. There are too many factors here especially when you got wife and kids. I myself try and follow the keep it simple method so the heaviest items is the coolers, toolbox and camp chair. So if it was just me not much more than about 250-300 for a long weekend trip in the summer 4 nights. However, If your significant other decides to bring everything but the kitchen sink well that adds up VERY fast. Adding bikes, kayaks well you get the point. I was a kayak camper before and had a very strick weight I had to stick to. I will tell you even your lightest item adds weight fast. Camping with my family unfortunately breaks the payload limit on even my SUV..., this picture describes it better. YIKES! Never did weigh my setup with all this added.

 

[popup-flyer]

Depends

That's pretty good, not as bad as I thought it would be. Anything above 15 and I think I'd be happy.

We had a full size RV as a kid, but that thing got 8mpg going downhill. I can't imagine going cross country in that in today's world @ $4/ gallon.

Depends on your total Gross combine weight...... Car, trailer(and tongue weight) + passengers + cargo.

1 or 2 passengers is a few hundred pounds less than 4 or 5 + their additional cargo for clothes etc....

If you get a 3K camper and your 4 or 5 passengers expect your MPG to be significantly less than tfishcer.


Another point I should have made about towing is you can't just look at max trailer weight and call it good. There is more to tow weight ratings than tongue, trailer weight and the above spec image I posted.

Your car has a decal on it that tells you what the max weight you can put on each axle, front and rear. You could when you consider passengers, cargo and tongue weight overload that back axle and still be under GCVWR and your trailer is within spec.

The worst part is the only way to know axle weights is go to scales fully loaded with passengers.

 

[tfischer]

. There are too many factors here especially when you got wife and kids. I myself try and follow the keep it simple method so the heaviest items is the coolers, toolbox and camp chair. So if it was just me not much more than about 250-300 for a long weekend trip in the summer 4 nights. However, If your significant other decides to bring everything but the kitchen sink well that adds up VERY fast. Adding bikes, kayaks well you get the point. I was a kayak camper before and had a very strick weight I had to stick to. I will tell you even your lightest item adds weight fast. Camping with my family unfortunately breaks the payload limit on even my SUV..., this picture describes it better. YIKES! Never did weigh my setup with all this added. View attachment 77809

I have a rule when I'm towing... I have to be able to use my rear view mirror and see out the back window, so I won't allow the wife to pile things in like that. I want to be able to keep an eye on the trailer as I tow, and with a PUP you can see traffic over the top of it as well.

Also be careful with stuff just piled up like that... a minor accident can cause one of those things to become a flying projectile and kill you.

 

[Sjm9911]

As long as you dont have an ac. Lol otherwise you will not see over it.

 

[jmkay1]

Yep can't see over my popup with the AC sitting right dead center of the popup. I've learned to use my side mirrors when towing. If I had a TT you wouldn't see anything but a brick wall anyway. I agree through I do not normally like the car packed so full as I want to see out of my blind spots but this is only a once a year thing. I camp by myself more times than not.