[threesunsbrewin]

Well, we took our NTU 99 Coleman Santee up to Bar Harbor for 5 days for its maiden voyage.
The trailer is 1700 empty, and was appx 2000 with our gear packed in.
Towing with a 2005 Odyssey with trans cooler, and have a Tekonsha Primus for a break controller.
I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised with our first trip of 310 miles each way.
The Honda towed nicely, and I kept the mph to 65 or so.
Starting out you can really feel the trailer behind the vehicle, but once up to speed I think I almost forgot I was towing a couple times.
Overall mpg was appx 19mpg, and we get normally 23-24 on the highway at the same speed.
Since the Honda hitch is relatively low to the ground, I used a 4" rise and that kept the trailer and TV nice and level.
Only issue I have to figure out is the brakes on the trailer. I set the controller to 6 with no brake lockup....increased it to 7.2 and they still didn't want to lock up. I could feel the brakes working when applying the brakes, so I am guessing that I either need to just increase the brake controller setting, or have the brakes looked at for some adjustment or repair.
I did not bring the large propane tank up to the campsite to save some weight on the tounge, but after looking at it on the trailer I think I am in for some stronger shocks in the rear of the van.
Overall, very happy with our trip with the Odyssey and our Popup

 

[jms336]

What you really want is not the shocks or airbags but a weight distributing hitch (WDH). This will make your towing even better and safer. You can feel better with the load restored to the driving and steering wheels, headlights aimed, etc.. The benefits are endless. I tow a heavier pup than yours. Without the wdh, it was not good. With it, I would take that rig anywhere.

My trailer brakes don;t lock up on dry pavement either. But you definitely can fell them apply. I use a Tekonsha prodigy controller. From what I can tell, most puppers say their brakes will not lock up on dry pavement.

John

 

[threesunsbrewin]

Thanks for the info John.
Actually, since my original post I have already determined that a WDS is the way to go.
Right now, I am in between the Reese 350 and just a single bar WDS (no sway control)
From reading all the reviews, I am looking at just the single bar as I have read that the Reese 350 is a pain to hook up as you really have to jack the rear of the vehicle up. Can I ask what you use?
This is the one that I am looking at getting:

http://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Distribution/Draw-Tite/3205.html

 

[jms336]

Mine is an equal-i-zer with 600 lb bars. A bit of overkill, but works great. I had very specific dimensional requirements due to location of winch, lp tanks, and jack on my trailer's tongue. E-qual-i-zer was the only one I was sure would work, and I lucked out and found one on craigslist for half the price of new. The one you link to is nice but doesn't have integrated sway control. Try to find one that does.

John