Just how much towing capacity do you really need?

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This summer, when my daughter and I headed out on a few of our frequent cross-Canada road trips, we happened into a hilarious juxtaposition: in July, we towed a 19-foot Airstream single-axle trailer with a Chevrolet Colorado; and in August, we pulled a 16-foot toy-hauler with a Ram 1500.

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Both combinations looked like caricatures. The relatively diminutive Colorado made the Airstream look like a bus, while attaching a toy-hauler to a Ram 1500 makes it seem almost non-existent in comparison.

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Just how much towing capacity do you really need? Back to video

And yet both examples very well demonstrated when it comes to towing, there’s a world of possibilities out there people might not consider, involving whatever vehicle they might have on hand.

After all, we’ve all heard someone make the assumption out loud that, because they might want to buy a camping trailer one day, they might as well buy a half-ton truck now. In fact, there’s a much wider range of vehicles around that can work as more city-friendly runabouts during the week and yet meet your recreational needs surprisingly well on the weekends.

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Here’s a look at some of the lower thresholds you’ll most often find on vehicle spec sheets, the types of vehicles that offer them, and just how much stuff you can move around within those weight figures. Bear in mind the figures provided here are the maximum recommended tow ratings as supplied by vehicle manufacturers.

Some factors may translate to different real-world capability, such as which powertrain is equipped and whether components are factory- or dealer-installed. There’s a lot more to planning for safe and effective trailering than what’s outlined here; please consider this a starting point to kick off some research of your own.

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(And these are manufacturer recommendations, but your own pocketbook, ingenuity and tolerance for risk open up many more possibilities. I met someone this summer who towed a 32-foot trailer with a Dodge Charger for more than 20,000 km. In Europe, people tow campers with Golfs. Of course, neither we nor a vehicle manufacturer can expressly recommend such things. But it’s worth knowing they’re being done nonetheless.)

1,500 lb.

If you’re working with a small load, you might already have a vehicle in your driveway capable of doing the job. Most compact SUVs can pull 1,500 lb. in their base trim configurations, and there’s even a subset of mid-size sedans can be equipped from the factory to pull up to 1,000 lb.

A properly equipped Volvo S60 can tow up to 2,000 lb. on a braked trailer. If this is all you really need, it’s worth asking around to find out what you’d have to do to set up your current vehicle before you sink any money into an upgrade.

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What weighs 1,500 lbs.? A motorcycle, jet-ski or snowmobile, a couple of canoes or a light rowboat on a simple single-axle trailer can all fall within this limit if selected carefully. There are some small pop-up and/or lightweight camping trailers that do as well.

3,500 lb.

This is the advertised weight limit for your typical well-equipped compact or mid-size SUV. A Toyota RAV4 Trail, a Mitsubishi Outlander GT and most configurations of the Chevrolet Equinox are just a handful of examples. And all minivans on the market that are available new can manage this as well, at least in some trims.

What weighs 3,500 lbs.? Lots. That little toy-hauler I pulled this summer is roughly 2,000 lb. loaded. If you want to pull a pair of motorbikes or snowmobiles and need a trailer large enough to accommodate both, you’ll be edging closer to this number. There’s a wide selection of camping trailers that come in under this weight, which might work for you as long as you can live without complicated (and heavy) plumbing and kitchen equipment.

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5,000 lb.

Staying within the smaller SUVs, you can get close to this threshold with a properly equipped Jeep Cherokee, which tops out at 4,500 lb. To cross this figure, though, we’re moving into larger SUVs such as a Kia Sorento with the V6 engine and all-wheel drive, a Volkswagen Atlas V6 and plenty of other similarly sized vehicles.

What weighs 5,000 lbs.? A bunch of the more thoroughly equipped single-axle camping trailers that sleep up to four people weigh in below this figure fully loaded, and will have amenities such as on-board plumbing and kitchen appliances. You might even find the odd one with restroom facilities.

But do be careful not to push too close too close to the tow vehicle’s maximum rating in selecting one of these, especially if you’re not sure how to properly calibrate tongue weights or if you’ll be going into the mountains and your engine will be gasping for air. In those cases, you’ll be better off pushing up a category.

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7,500 lb.

At this threshold we’re starting to find the mid-size trucks such as the Ford Ranger (7,500 lb.), and the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon (7,700 lb. each with the diesel). The Jeep Gladiator comes in a little lower at 7,000 lb.

In the SUV department, the Jeep Grand Cherokee pulls just below this weight at a max of 7,200 lb., and full-size SUVs such as the Ford Expedition or Chevrolet Tahoe consistently come well clear of this mark at a max of at least 8,000 lb.

What weighs 7,500 lbs.? You’ll want a vehicle with this capacity or more if you’re looking at towing a larger boat such as a ski boat. This weight allowance also opens up a world of possibilities for much longer, fully equipped camping trailers that sleep as many as eight people.