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

Seraphim · Mar 6, 2015

Pete99004 said:
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?"

Pete

Sorry, but I'm going to disagree. The big question is whether you want to live IN the RV, or live OUT of it. I could never figure out why someone, sorry Pete, would want a huge motor home. If that were my idea of camping, I'd stay home. We live out of our camper. We are retired and don't quite full time, but we're traveling at least as much as we are home in the sticks and bricks. Neither need or want 'longer'. Each of us is different, and only you can decide for yourself.

photobiker · Mar 6, 2015

Well, I'm on the outside looking in since I don't own one yet. But I'm not sure the word “camping” is the correct term any more. A campground was known as a place to spend the night that was not in a motel and generally involved using a tent. The campground of today is not what it was 25 or 30 years ago. The terminology just hasn't kept up with the technology. 30 years ago a pop up camper was a big deal.
We want a camper/RV, which ever term you choose, to stay in national or state parks close to the next days adventure. I don't camp any more which means to me sleeping on the ground and eating beans out of a can and carrying a round a 30 lb pack. State parks have lots to offer in terms of outdoor activities but there are few motels close to state parks. Ever stayed in one of the cabins on the south rim of Grand Canyon? 2 people can almost turn around at the same time and I hang off both ends of the bed and pay $140 a night. I hiked and slept on the ground in a tent 30 years ago. I can’t do that any more and technology has advanced so much that I don’t have to and I’m going to take advantage of it.

THE PILGRIM · Mar 6, 2015

There are Motor Homes, towed trailers and pickup campers. As I already posted I have owned all and used others which belonged to friends of mine.
They all have advantages and disadvantages. The cost range is wide.
Many are so large they cannot be taken into the National Parks.
Considering that you apparently have never used one, I absolutely recommend that you borrow-rent several before you buy one.
Just one short war story before I go-
A good friend of mine was selling RVs in Albuqurque. He sold a trailer to a guy from CO.
Giving a towing lesson to the new owner Was a standard thing he did.
This buyer turned him down and headed for CO. He wrecked that new trailer before he got to the stateline.

photobiker · Mar 6, 2015

No doubt rent before buying and one of each, pull behind and drivable. As mentioned before I was originally looking for one with a steering wheel but not as sure right now. You can upgrade your pull behind a lot cheaper than upgrading the drivable unit. My problem is I don't have anything to pull one with. Looking at numbers you can get a new, not that I would get new, pull behind and truck/SUV for maybe $50k and have a new everyday vehicle or a drivable one for $75k that sits a lot. We still have a year or so but we are getting educated.

loknload · Mar 6, 2015

Pete99004, I'm with you but I'm only at 38ft. And mine is a gasser!

I am a traveler, not a camper! I and my wife travel around and stay in our Motorhome in lieu of Hotels and Motels!
Camping is as photobiker put it, staying in a tent, eating beans out of a can , sitting around the campfire and so forth. I'm too old for that and I'm not interested.
What I'm interested in is loading up the MH, heading south to Myrtle Beach for some golf and the wife can hit the beach, we come back and shower go out for some good seafood and back to the coach for the evening. Maybe build a fire for a bit, have a drink and maybe a good cigar and enjoy the rest of the evening.
If not go inside enjoy a flick on the tube and then go to bed in my bed!
Do the same the next day and the next unless you decide to move on?
I can't wait to take my granddaughter to Disney in mine!

It's all about what you want to do!

Pete99004 · Mar 7, 2015

Seraphim said:
Sorry, but I'm going to disagree. The big question is whether you want to live IN the RV, or live OUT of it. I could never figure out why someone, sorry Pete, would want a huge motor home. If that were my idea of camping, I'd stay home. We live out of our camper. We are retired and don't quite full time, but we're traveling at least as much as we are home in the sticks and bricks. Neither need or want 'longer'. Each of us is different, and only you can decide for yourself.

I don't disagree with you on that at all. The point I was trying to make is that your first rig isn't going to be the catch all - so think about what you're buying and why. Over time your mind and your needs will change. As to my rig, we travel a lot since we show our dogs and we pack 6 dogs along on our trips, sometimes as many as eight. "You can never have enough room or comfort!" is our motto!

Pete

Pete99004 · Mar 7, 2015

A typical trip for us:

And a good time was had by all.....

Pete

LostintheOzone · Mar 7, 2015

Motor homes are for the motor homeless. That being folks that don't have a home and move around a lot. Those baby's are expensive to own AND maintain. They are a one purpose rig that can only do one thing, replace the comforts of a house that you no longer live in or hardly ever live in. Most of the people that I talk to that have motor coaches or homes as they call them don't have a permanent residence.

Trailers and fifth wheels are very popular. They probably make up the majority of RV's. A tow vehicle can do double duty as a daily driver. If you only want a 1/2 ton pick-up you can still find light trailers/5er's that can be towed with a 1/2 ton pick-up. You just have to be careful how you match them up.

Campers are cramped but give you the option of towing toys like a quad, boat, snow machines or dirt bikes.

For me a trailer/5er works the best. I don't spend a lot of time outside anymore so I want more room inside. I use my pick-up as a daily driver when my trailer isn't on the road. I've hiked with a tent, car camped with a tent, had a pop-up, and a small hard sided trailer. Everyone was good at the time in my life that I used them. I'm now retired and I want a shower, range, toilet and heat. Now if you talk to a woman about it, well they may need more stuff. Don't forget that you have to live with that also.

A teardrop trailer would be in the same category as a camper. Better than a tent but not much.

yaktamer · Mar 7, 2015

Fishinfool said:
I have done a lot of camping on extended hunting and fishing trips, so I'll post a few thoughts.

Cute little bullet camp trailer. You will go nuts in there on an extended trip, especially in bad weather, which you WILL HAVE.

NO camper is bear proof. Its all about smart food storage when in bear country.

Your half ton PU can easily carry a light slide in pop up camper, like the one pictured on my 1/2 ton GMC. Even lighter and shorter models then mine are available, without the shower / bathroom. A set of air support springs (under $400) will level it and provide a good ride if needed.

A tow along pop up is also a good choice. Light weight, low air resistance, and great for carrying a small boat or kayak on the roof. They set up in minutes, and are fine in cold weather as long as they have a heater. I used mine for years hunting northern Maine in November.

I cant stress enough the importance of what others have said about having adequate stand up room in a camper on a long trip. New campers loose their value quickly. You can purchase either of the type I mentioned, used in great shape for less then the new bullet model you are looking at. Same with a light weight 16 or so foot hard side model.

Larry

I vote you get both. That way when the spouse becomes unbearable one can stay in the camper and one in the trailer.

yaktamer · Mar 7, 2015

THE PILGRIM said:
There are Motor Homes, towed trailers and pickup campers. As I already posted I have owned all and used others which belonged to friends of mine.
They all have advantages and disadvantages. The cost range is wide.
Many are so large they cannot be taken into the National Parks.
Considering that you apparently have never used one, I absolutely recommend that you borrow-rent several before you buy one.
Just one short war story before I go-
A good friend of mine was selling RVs in Albuqurque. He sold a trailer to a guy from CO.
Giving a towing lesson to the new owner Was a standard thing he did.
This buyer turned him down and headed for CO. He wrecked that new trailer before he got to the stateline.

I was sitting at a stoplight in the #1 lane when a guy pulls out of the RV dealership about 500 feet behind me. He's driving his brand new, $100k motorhome. Pulls into the left turn bay next to me, where he has a green arrow.

Unfortunately, it was a really narrow pocket with a traffic signal on the island that actually stuck out into the lane. He didn't hit the signal, but my driver side mirror put a four inch high, thirty foot long gash down the right side of his rig. When the guy got out and saw the damage he tuned fifty-one shades of grey.

loknload · Mar 7, 2015

Well it got etched in stone tonight with our 4 year old granddaughter, our Motorhome of course with her aboard, will be traveling to Disney World, Fort Wilderness this fall! She would like to see Mickey's house with Nanny and Pop !
And I'm more than willing to oblige !

Will start making reservations tomorrow!

Seraphim · Mar 8, 2015

photobiker said:
Well, I'm on the outside looking in since I don't own one yet. But I'm not sure the word “camping” is the correct term any more. A campground was known as a place to spend the night that was not in a motel and generally involved using a tent. The campground of today is not what it was 25 or 30 years ago. The terminology just hasn't kept up with the technology. 30 years ago a pop up camper was a big deal.
We want a camper/RV, which ever term you choose, to stay in national or state parks close to the next days adventure. I don't camp any more which means to me sleeping on the ground and eating beans out of a can and carrying a round a 30 lb pack. State parks have lots to offer in terms of outdoor activities but there are few motels close to state parks. Ever stayed in one of the cabins on the south rim of Grand Canyon? 2 people can almost turn around at the same time and I hang off both ends of the bed and pay $140 a night. I hiked and slept on the ground in a tent 30 years ago. I can’t do that any more and technology has advanced so much that I don’t have to and I’m going to take advantage of it.

We treat our truck camper as a hard shelled tent. Nor does one have to stay at a campground. Especially on BLM land, one can drive and park for up to two weeks at a time, move several miles, and park again. Can't use the AC or microwave, we don't use a TV, the bathroom and small shower are nice, as is the gas stove and refrigerator, though I prefer cooking over a fire. We use very little DC power, so the 400 watt of solar and 210ah of batteries lasts us a long time. Don't have a generator.

But I agree, there are different definitions of 'camping'. Sitting in a small driveway 10 feet away from the next campsite is not our idea of camping. But at our age, we dont do the two week hiking and camping as we did on our honeymoon. Old bones appreciate the mattress, and when you have to get up four or five times during the night to pee, it's nice not having to crawl out of the sleeping bag and two person tent into below freezing weather...*grin*

Maddog 521 · Mar 8, 2015

I should of mentioned this earlier. I have owned several truck campers and 2 toy hauler travel trailers. The toy haulers were 24' and 31' and served there purpose. I guess I'm not willing to drag the whole house down the road with me right now. The teardrop idea came up because it's light, small and should be easy to pull. I am thinking just a place to sleep and cook if necessary. Sixty-plus days on the road is going to be expensive no matter how I do it. I don't want to get back and only have a envelope full of motel receipts. Hopefully I'll use it many times and then sell it and get some of the initial investment back. I guess my wife is correct when she says "your just cheap".

Farmer17 · Mar 8, 2015

My father in law bought a 32 foot Pace Arrow with slide out. He didn't know anything about RVs, camping, or pulling a trailer. He then bought a Ford Expedition with big V8 to tow it, and it wouldn't even pull it across the street. So, he then bought a F250 diesel crew cab and it was amazing how easily that pulled the trailer. We stayed in it a few times and as big as that trailer was, it seemed really SMALL after a couple of days, especially with kids in it with us. Its under 300 sf so even a low budget one bedroom apartment is enormous compared to that. My FIL also thought he would zip around to different places with that rig every weekend. He learned quickly that towing that rig and setting it up was a lot more of a hassle than he realized, and it was barely used for several years until he finally sold it and the truck.

Seraphim · Mar 8, 2015

photobiker said:
No doubt rent before buying and one of each, pull behind and drivable. As mentioned before I was originally looking for one with a steering wheel but not as sure right now. You can upgrade your pull behind a lot cheaper than upgrading the drivable unit. My problem is I don't have anything to pull one with. Looking at numbers you can get a new, not that I would get new, pull behind and truck/SUV for maybe $50k and have a new everyday vehicle or a drivable one for $75k that sits a lot. We still have a year or so but we are getting educated.

Our 2012 diesel 3500 cost about $44k new (basic truck model, no frills) and the 2013 TC about $18k. Could tow a toy trailer or small vehicle, in addition, but have no need. The longer we get, the fewer places we can get to. We can load or unload the camper on about 15 minutes if we need a vehicle, or we can ride our bikes into town in some places. We rarely unload the camper. We do all errands before hitting a camping site.. When we go, the caper comes along. I can park in a standard parking lot, and back up well if I need to. Something which can't always be done with a larger unit. Canoe folds up into back seat of truck.

Do NOT get a truck, no matter what type of unit, which is not rated for more than weight than you intend to pull or carry. Better to buy too much truck than not enough, or even to max out the capacity of what you have.

THE PILGRIM · Mar 8, 2015

My brother sold a new trailer to a guy who was the smartest guy in the room.
He was a Denver based air line pilot.
He had a new SUV that he purchased from a Denver dealer.
The SUV had a towing package and the salesman told him something like ' you got everything you need to tow a trailer.
Towing packages are often larger battery, bigger alternator, bigger radiator and tranny cooler.
Probably the tranny cooler Is the most crucial.
Out west, the mountains eat up a lot of auto trannies!
So when my brother tells the buyer you need a brake controller, the response is no I don't!
After all, the salesman told him that he had everything he needed.
And when a car saleman tells you something, take it to the bank, Frank!
So they drove off pulling a trailer with no brakes.
About a month later, the Wife brings the trailer in for some service.
So they ask her, did you ever get a brake controller?
She said yes, we did. After we almost killed ourselves on a mountain out west of Denver.
When we went to a Denver RV shop, that guy says 'I can't believe that dealer didn't tell you that you needed a brake controller.
He should be run out of business and put in jail.'

BearBio · Mar 8, 2015

We had a Low-Liner 16" that we bought for $1500 used. Left it out at a friends ranch and used it as a hard-side tent. Had a stove but we did our cooking outside except in really bad weather. Had a 12' pic-nic table set up outside (school district surplus) and set up a 5 gal propane tank with a post/lantern and a flexible hose to a stove. Permanent fire-ring and we had it made for a hunting camp. Lasted 10 years until our friend died and his wife sold the ranch.

jarhead1178 · Mar 8, 2015

Had travel trailers, 5th wheels and motor homes. Found for my use a 30 foot 5th wheel was the best for touring. Shorter weelbase and easier use of the pickup for sightseeing. A couple of years ago got the bug again but wanted something smaller for weekend camping. Bought a 5 foot wide basic teardrop, installed a small color tv and window air conditioner and was comfortable using it for shot trips. I think for a 2 month trip it would be ok as long as you are outside type people that enjoy the outdoors. If you decide to go that way do not get a 4 foot wide unless you are a very thin couple. A 5 or 6 foot wide is much more comfortable as you can get a gueen size mattress in it. Also doors on both sides so you dont have to crawl over each other to get out. If you look around there are a lot of people that build them for sale for around 4 to 5 thousand for a good basic unit. Good luck and enjoy your trip. PS, bought mine from a woman in Texas that built 5 or 6 a year and did a great job.

Maddog 521 · Mar 8, 2015

jarhead1178-- do you remember who that "woman in Texas that built 5 or 6 a year and did a great job" is?

Seraphim · Mar 8, 2015

Probably should mention that, no matter how you go, overall weight of vehicle, trailer and cargo is an important factor. I'm not qualified to discuss things like grass vehicle weight, etc, but you can find a tutorial online. Just because your SUV can tow x number of pounds, you still have to be concerned about the weight of cargo in the vehicle - including the passengers - which will affect how much the vehicle can ACTUALLY tow. Just one more thing to research to help your decision. You don't want to overload your vehicle.

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