Any telemetry on R1T efficiency with pop-up campers?

[JoelD]

My wife and I are considering small campers. We’ve tossed out teardrops and clamshells…as we were browsing an RV lot today, I wondered if anyone in the group had any experience with a popup. These are not “air movers” as they are about the same height as the truck bed. We’ve looked at several around 2,000 pounds…we still haven’t really decided if we’d use it enough to justify the cost…we’ve had a couple of soft side pop ups over the years, camping with kids. But now it’s primarily us, the dog, and maybe a grandkid…

Thoughts?

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[Yellow Buddy]

I don’t but I’ve been looking at the trailmanor myself for the very same reason, but I’ve got concerns about water intrusion

https://trailmanor.com/

 

[JoelD]

I don’t but I’ve been looking at the trailmanor myself for the very same reason, but I’ve got concerns about water intrusion

https://trailmanor.com/

Right now, we’re looking at the “A” style hard pop up, Rockwood, Alliner…

Hopefully someone has some expert to share!

 

[VSG]

These are not “air movers” as they are about the same height as the truck bed.

But they all tend to be wider than most vehicles, which is just as bad as higher than, from a drag perspective.

Most of the posts I've read indicate somewhere around 30% loss with a small trailer like this. You're never going to find an exact number because it depends on the exact model of trailer, what else you have mounted in the windstream, what kind of terrain and weather you're driving in, and most importantly how fast you drive. You're not going to be able to look this up in a table.

 

[JoelD]

But they all tend to be wider than most vehicles, which is just as bad as higher than, from a drag perspective.

Most of the posts I've read indicate somewhere around 30% loss with a small trailer like this. You're never going to find an exact number because it depends on the exact model of trailer, what else you have mounted in the windstream, what kind of terrain and weather you're driving in, and most importantly how fast you drive. You're not going to be able to look this up in a table.

Agreed, I’m just looking for anecdotal evidence. When I pull my 24’ Boston Whaler, a walkaround that blocks a lot of air ? (just took it in for winter service), I get about 1.2 m/kWh pulling a 5000 pound boat and motor on a 2000 pound trailer

 

[VSG]

There are a few posts in the forum that do give some numbers. Here's one thread that has numbers:
https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/towing-efficiency-please-post-your-experience.5602/
You will need to make a lot of extrapolations based on what's presented there, but at least it's a place to start bracketing your efficiency expectations.

I would also look for reports in other forums from people towing the exact trailer you're interested with ICE pickup trucks. They *may* have some idea of the efficiency hit for that trailer, but those guys tend to round the numbers in their favor and minimize the hit, if they pay attention to it at all. But if you can find some exact numbers for range loss then that will be in the same ballpark as you can expect to see with your R1T.

 

[Thedude]

I would also look for reports in other forums from people towing the exact trailer you're interested with ICE pickup trucks. They *may* have some idea of the efficiency hit for that trailer, but those guys tend to round the numbers in their favor and minimize the hit, if they pay attention to it at all. But if you can find some exact numbers for range loss then that will be in the same ballpark as you can expect to see with your R1T.

Efficiency loss when towing is pretty much the same for both ICE and EV. It still requires the same increase in energy required to move the additional load. For instance, my last truck would usually get about 13mpg and dropped to 8mpg towing, a 39% decrease. Towing the same trailer my R1T drops from 1.75mi/kWh to 1.05mi/kWh, a 40% decrease.

 

[jjswan33]

Maybe rent one one for a weekend with RV Share or other. Shouldn't cost much and after spending a weekend in one I think you'd have a pretty good idea.

 

[JoelD]

I seem to get similar numbers pulling a regular 20 ft camper trailer. I really think it does come down to the aerodynamics more than the weight of what you're pulling.

We had a Flagstaff tent trailer for many years and the best thing was it would fit in the garage and it really did not weigh that much. You will completely get tired of popping it up and setting it up. If you get a slide out, be careful because you just added to your labor. What was worse was there was no access to the refrigerator with the top down... I could go on and on.

Looked at the a-liner due to the ability to put it in the garage and the size and weight. You better have a plan about what you want to bring camping because there is literally no storage in those things. I suppose it could work if you have an r1t with a canopy or topper.

Looked at the trail Manor because of the size and the ability to put it in the garage. We were not impressed with the interior. It seemed to lack features compared to the price and although water intrusion did not seem to be an issue, dust and everything else seem to be a concern.

Given all that, we bought an Apex 194 bunkhouse 5 years ago. Having towed half a dozen times to camp with the rivian, it's quite okay, we can live with the range deduction. Sure, no longer going to be able to go on long trips without somebody really improving the charging infrastructure like we could with the ice vehicle.

I'm just ranting here. Make sure you do your homework and if you can rent for a weekend do that. I think it comes down to where you want to go, how much time you have to get there, and what kind of a camper trailer you want. You don't want to get stuck with something that only slightly impacts range but is a complete nightmare to set up and doesn't really give you what you need if you're glamping.

Thanks for the feedback. Yes, we are familiar with pop ups, having had two them historically. We pulled one from NC to the Grand Canyon a minivan ?, from NC to Newfoundland with that same minivan, and from NC to Yellowstone, but that was with a Yukon. That was with 2 boys. My wife and I travel light.

I’m hoping a popup would get maybe 1.75, 1.8, which would give you 200 miles, and it’s light enough to easily drop to get to a charging station.

-Joel

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