Does the 17B have enough cargo capacity?

I'm a lone traveler and love my 17B. I travel with a full tank and cargo bin in front with most of my heavier gear. I opted out of the AC as with the trailer being smaller, I felt I'd get too cold in the trailer. I haven't regretted my decision. I tow with a 1500 Dodge Ram and have no issues at all. (Touch wood) LOL What are you towing with?
 
2021 17B with permanent bed and storage box

Our 17B has enough storage space for the two of us and our dog. I've weighed our trailer many times using CAT scales and it's never exceeded 3500 lbs. Our truck payload has been more of an issue as it's easy to overload the rear axle if I don't monitor the trucks payload on longer trips. Our tongue weight is usually around 500 lbs., which is about a third of our payload.
 
You get a 17B and you get a 17B and you too

My 17B weighed 2910 lbs at the axel. That was really full, for a ten day trip. I have since removed a lot of duplicate items and blocks of wood and stuff out of the cargo box up front. I have tried to concentrate on moving the weight to the back to lighten the tongue weight. I tow with a Toyota Highlander and the chairs, ladder, cooler, propane fireplace and bbq and bottles of water are in the back of it. The Toyota sits level so I don’t worry about it. I don’t use the weight distribution hatch anymore. I think it is overkill and very heavy. I have dual 6 volt batteries on the back bumper and dual propane tanks and ac on the roof.

Back years ago I came across this and put it into my OneNote so I am pasteing it here for your enjoyment.



http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f51/trailer-weights-in-the-real-world-43010.html

NOTE - Shared in the Event Column indicates user supplied weights

LENGTH MAKE MODEL AXLE TONGUE TOTAL EVENT YEAR WEIGHED
17' Escape 17B 2670 340 3010 Shared 2012
17' Escape 17B 2820 300 3120 Shared 2013
17' Escape 17B 2560 320 2880 Oregon 2011
17' Escape 17B 2560 380 2940 Oregon 2010
17' Escape 17B 3020 320 3340 Oregon 2010
17' Escape 17B 2340 320 2660 Oregon 2009
17' Escape 17B 2500 340 2840 Oregon 2010
17' Escape 17B 2500 500 3000 Oregon 2008
 
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As a single traveler, how do you use the gaucho bunk system? Is it handy for storage? Or? Thanks!

Love my 17B!
More than enough space and storage for me and my dog. Easy to bring more than I am likely to use with any regularity, and enjoy having pleasures and entertainments, I would never have considered in my backpacking, tent camping days. Years later, still haven't felt motivated to weed out the redundancies and inefficiencies. Sorry - I don't know what the wight of my load is. I've been towing with a Highlander with 5000# rated payload, with no reason to believe I've been pushing the limits. The one time I was packed to the gills (cross-country trip during height of COVID precautions). I forget what load(s) (trailer/tongue/tow vehicle) weighed in at, beyond that it was still reasonable... though I DID have to take advantage of space in tow vehicle for extra groceries to avoid dealing with heated COVID issues, of the time.

I even invite one or another friend along, now and then. I DID find out the hard way about a friend's claustrophobia. They ended up basically staying outside, and getting their own lager trailer a month after we got back home. Now we caravan.

I AM also contented that I opted for the 4cu.ft fridge, gaucho bunkbed and front storage box. Additionally I switched to two 100Ah lithium batteries from the 6V lead acid.

Best wishes, with whatever you choose!
 
If it's just me and my dog, the top bunk DOES come in handy for stashing and shuffling supplies/clothing, AND my dog leaves the stuff alone.
If I'm more frequently in transit than staying put for a few days, the bottom bunk is very handy for quickly/last minute securing things I use frequently, tucked in behind to BR on one side, and closet on the other. (I don't have to pack up so tightly as a more organized person might.)
The bottom bunk uses the dinette cushions, thus is firm foam, and less firm than the top bunk. That being said, friends and I have slept on each, comfortably. (If I correctly recall, each bunk is 70"x30" ...maybe a smidge longer.)
 
Thanks everyone!

Thank you all for your detailed replies. This community is fantastic. It looks like the answer to my original question is yes, the 17B has enough cargo capacity for a solo traveler like me. I’ll be towing with a Tacoma with 6500 lb capacity so towing should not be a problem.
 
Thank you! It sounds like the Gaucho bunk system can come in handy in multiple ways. I hadn't thought about getting it originally, but now I'm leaning that way. Cheers!
 

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