The CVT in the forester has an overheat problem if stressed.? In the owners manual, they say that the max tow limit drops to 1000 lbs for towing up long hills in hot weather.? This is the same limitation that they have in other Subarus with CVT transmissions.? That makes planning complicated because you have to consult the weather forecast and a topo map to see where you can go.
I've also seen comments that the scout lite really weighs 1300 lbs, not 1180.? ?So you have 200 lbs for your load.? Note that it doesn't matter if you put an item in the vehicle or the trailer.? The weight of the item counts against your tow max regardless of where its stored.? Even the weight of people in the vehicle count against the tow max.? So even if you pack super light, you're going to be several hundred lbs over your tow limit.
The other thing to be aware of is the weight of stuff you take with you adds up quicker than you can blink.? The way the human brain works is we all think the amount of stuff we take is much lighter than it really is.? You want to have a tow limit that's 800 lbs or so over the dry weight.? 300 lbs of people and 500 lbs of stuff is pretty common.
