Tiny trailer for camping--------

When my wife and decided to get into RV'ing we already had some experience with motorhomes via our parents. We both started out camping in tents as well! :rolleyes: No more tenting,too old for that business!:rolleyes:
Anyway our first Class A was a used coach and it served us well, sometimes I wish I would have kept it. Our current one is 38 ft. With 3 slides. living room, kitchen and bedroom slides. We have plenty of room and if need be can stay out of each other's way!;) This Motorhome was purchased used and was only 2 years old when we purchased it. :cool: There are a lot of good used deals out there. :) This is how we planned to travel the country in our retirement.
I like the idea of sleeping in my own queen bed every night, using my own full bathroom everyday!, Cooking and eating in our own kitchen and we can do all this and not worry about the weather!;)
Hope this little story helps! ;)
 
"I am just trying to figure out the best most economical way to enjoy this adventure."

I can't imagine a big RV as an economical way to go. The gas mileage, repairs, camping fees, dumping the toilet, insurance, etc. and it doesn't even sound that fun to me driving on skinny winding roads, holding up traffic and having people honk at you. Though you might be retired other people have to work and are in a hurry and delaying them might not make them happy. I like to travel light, and I might sleep in hotels a few nights, then stay in a tent a few nights or just sleep in the back of the SUV.
 
Farmer, You have to weigh the expenses one to the other and what you want to do? For instance a spot in a campground is cheaper than a motel,unless it's a fleabag motel. Cook your meals onboard, no eating out! There are no dumping fees when staying in a park and most state parks are usually free, if not fees are minimal. Driving a Motorhome is no big deal either ! Class C, no more than driving a pick up with a box on the back! Class A could take a little more practice! ;)
If I'm not going to travel with mine I can park it somewhere in a park and have a summer home to go to close by as a getaway.
All depends on what you want and what you like!:)
 
I have owned a pickup camper, a motor home and a towed trailer.
I have borrowed and gone with folks who had different versions of all the above.
One of the unique woods useful rigs I have been around is a cab high pickup camper slide into a homemade pickup camper trailer.
You can't beat it for going into the woods!
The aluminum skin on most trailers is about as thick as a beer can and just as fragile. When the bottom of your rig is an old Ford- Chevy pickup bed, you can drag that baby just about anywhere!
For an Alaska long haul? I vote for the largest trailer you want to pull.
One you can stand up in.
 
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I'm on the road right now in a travel trailer. I see Casitas in almost every campground so they are a popular rig. I think they are popular because they are light. Not really sure what's available in the new market right now.

We used a 14' trailer for about 5 years and moved up to a 24' last year. I think it depends on how much time you plan to spend in one. You could get by with a small trailer if you are only out a few weeks or maybe a month a year. Much more than that you will get the small rig blues. Full timers seem to like the motor coaches. Most of those don't have a house though. People that spend several months on the road usually have 22-30' rigs.

I had my purchase planned for many years of travel and extended periods. This year we will be on the road for 3 months and I tow with a diesel 3/4 ton pick-up. Our rig is set up to boon dock with solar panels and high clearance. I'm on BLM land about 75% of the time with NO fees or a few dollars a day. The SW is a great escape for people that live in the northern climes like me.

Start small and when you find out you like the open road, and you will, work into a bigger rig. That's usually what happens to most of us.
 
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This is really a good read for me. The wife and I went to an RV show last month to get our feet wet. Looking at footprints on web pages just isn't the same as walking in and touching everything. Going to the show was a real eye opener. We realized what we like and didn't like. One thing that really jumped out was the bed location. You don't want to have to climb over your spouce to at 2:00 am to go to the bathroom. We would go for a used unit so the RV show made us aware of what our options are and there are plenty.

I originally went to the show thinking about a unit that came with a steering wheel. A unit with a reasonable amount of space inside was at least 24' long. We really enjoy the national parks and many have length restrictions and some as short as 21'. For us a pull behind might be the way to go. but that means we would have to buy a truck. You need to determine your needs up front.
 
Salty RI said:
If you are in a protected area, I can't see why not, yet I see on one of those TV show's you see people camping in the wood's in a tent, maybe it's just in a campground, it must be a liability thing.
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Last up there a year and a half ago for several months in our truck camper; saw tents and popup campers in campgrounds both public and private. Don't remember seeing any at Denali specifically, but hikers go out into Denali carrying tents.

Define 'protected area'. People or bears protected? I don't remember ever seeing any fences around campgrounds. So I suspect while bears are protected, people are supposed to rely on their own common sense. Won't go there... *grin*
 
I really don't want to buy a PU truck. I have a SUV and it can tow 3500 with the tow package on it. I don't mind cooking outside but I don't want to sleep in a tent. I am thinking of cooking a little, like maybe breakfast and eating dinner out. I'm sure the gas prices will be at the $3 and up range this summer in most places. So a big rig would be expensive to operate. All though it would save in other areas. Decisions--decisions
 
photobiker said:
This is really a good read for me. The wife and I went to an RV show last month to get our feet wet. Looking at footprints on web pages just isn't the same as walking in and touching everything. Going to the show was a real eye opener. We realized what we like and didn't like. One thing that really jumped out was the bed location. You don't want to have to climb over your spouce to at 2:00 am to go to the bathroom. We would go for a used unit so the RV show made us aware of what our options are and there are plenty.

I originally went to the show thinking about a unit that came with a steering wheel. A unit with a reasonable amount of space inside was at least 24' long. We really enjoy the national parks and many have length restrictions and some as short as 21'. For us a pull behind might be the way to go. but that means we would have to buy a truck. You need to determine your needs up front.
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Good point.

We went with a 24' that had a walk around bed and a slider which is a sofa long enough to sleep on. I'm a minimalist and try to keep things small. I didn't even own a full size pick-up until a few years ago and I've had 4 or 5. My wife drives a Civic. I would still have a Tacoma but you just can't tow much with a small rig.

Corner beds are the pits and mfg's are all going to walk around. A friend of mine just paid $26000 for a new Arctic Fox. He decided to sell it last fall and didn't get a single offer. Reason, corner bed. Nobody wants them anymore when you get around 22'.
 
Don't forget to get your passport. Last I checked, you can't enter Canada without one. They tightened restrictions. It takes about three weeks so apply ahead of time.
 
CAJUNLAWYER said:
I've always wanted to buy one of those 6x12 utility trailers and then build my own camper on it.Mattress, portable toilet, generator little 6,000 btu ac....it can be done! :D
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I gave this one lots of thought. I was thinking man this will be cheap and great. My wife had one thought on this, NO!. We bought a small used one and traded up in a year.

We spent 20 some days in the little one, Missouri deer season 12 days and Kansas Deer season 13 days.

The 30' one with a slide out in the kitchen is beyond nice.
 
Maddog 521 said:
I've got a passport. I need to find out the process to carry a shotgun through Canada. Someone said I need a permit.
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They are tough, about 20 years ago I was going to Canada Salmon fishing, I had my NRA sticker on the window of my truck, they asked me if I had any firearms with me, I said no, a few minutes later he asked me again, again I said no, he said if you don't have any firearms on you, why do you have an NRA sticker on your truck, they ended up searching my truck and found nothing, they said I was OK to go, I said turn me around, I will go spend my money in NH instead, I haven't been back since.:mad::mad:
 
Maddog 521 said:
I really don't want to buy a PU truck. I have a SUV and it can tow 3500 with the tow package on it. I don't mind cooking outside but I don't want to sleep in a tent. I am thinking of cooking a little, like maybe breakfast and eating dinner out. I'm sure the gas prices will be at the $3 and up range this summer in most places. So a big rig would be expensive to operate. All though it would save in other areas. Decisions--decisions
Click to expand...

Expect much higher fuel prices in Canada, especially alone the Alcan highway. At one point, we paid $1.99 a liter for diesel - about $7.50 a gallon. IIRC. Diesel was normally cheaper than gas, at that time, though it was as more expensive than gas in the US
 
Just remember that like boats, the RV is always going to be 2ft. too short...so don't run out and buy one thinking "that's all we need" cause next year you will be wishing you had something a little bit bigger, or some other feature you didn't get on this one......so do yourself a favor - give it a lot of thought before buying. Research - read, talk to others before you buy and if possible, rent one for a trip to see if it really "fits you". We started out in tents, then a TD looked cute and "had it all - what more could we need?" Well, today mine is 42ft. long with a 400 Cummings and a tag axle cause "it's got it all - what more could we need?" :D

Pete
 
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