Calculator
Trailer Weight Calculator
The brochure's “dry weight” is a trailer that's never been camped in. Water alone adds 8.34 lb per gallon. Estimate what your trailer weighs the way you actually tow it.
Enter the dry weight to begin.
Why dry weight understates reality
UVW (unloaded vehicle weight) is the trailer as shipped — before your gear, food, tools, water, propane, and often before dealer-installed options and batteries. A weekend's load easily adds 1,000 lb or more to a mid-size travel trailer. That's why every check on this site wants loaded weight, and why this estimator rounds up: when it comes to towing limits, overestimating your trailer is the safe direction.
The math we use
- Fresh water: 8.34 lb per gallon — a 40-gallon tank is 334 lb.
- Propane: enter pounds of gas — a full standard bottle is 20 lb of propane (the steel tank itself is usually already in UVW).
- Batteries: ~55 lb each, a typical deep-cycle estimate.
An estimate is a starting point, not a weigh-in. Before a long trip, put the loaded rig on a CAT scale — here's how to weigh your trailer — and compare the ticket against the trailer's own GVWR on its VIN label.
Got your loaded estimate? Feed it into the towing calculator to see if your truck handles it — and the tongue weight calculator for the target hitch load.
Estimate for planning. Actual weights vary — verify at a certified scale. See the disclaimer.