Camping Trailers
Camping in a tent is great fun, but sooner or later you will finally say enough is enough. I remember when it happened to us. We had set up our tent in a pretty campground along the Missouri river. Unfortunately the owner had skimped on the size of the washroom. It was a long weekend and the park was full. We awoke in the morning and the washroom was our need. Sure enough, there was a line up of eight for the ladies and two for the gents. That was the morning we made the decision to buy our first RV.
It is a daunting task to begin the search. Anyone who knows travel trailers knows that units come in all different shapes and sizes. We soon realized we would need to buy a small one as we had an older car with a big 6 engine.
Mistake number one. We searched and found a small ten foot long fiberglass unit that must have been thirty years old. Now we had two old units. The car and trailer.
Mistake number two. We traded for a fifteen foot fiberglass. It was fifteen years old in nice condition. We hit the road for a trip cross country. It rode well pulling it with the old car. Second day out it rained as we drove. When we stopped the front window had leaked all over the upholstered seats. We tried our best but could never find how the water came in.
Mistake number three. We traded for a twelve year old twenty foot European model. Too heavy for the car. Traded for a van. That was a nice rig. Worked well. Then we decided to spend the winter in Arizona.
Mistake number four. Traded for a new twenty five footer and the van for a three quarter ton truck. Took it to Arizona for the winter. It worked fine for us but was a little small for six months of living.
Finally after enjoying the rig for two more years we realized our medical travel insurance was getting way out of hand for traveling in the USA from Canada so we sold everything and purchased a small car.
We realized that our biggest mistake was at the very beginning. We should have taken at least a few months and checked out all of the trailers and the vehicles that are required to tow them. We should have stopped by some campgrounds and asked people who were trailer owners what they thought about their rigs. After all there are so many types available. We should also looked at motor homes.
Hindsight now leads us to believe that we would have looked at how we were going to use the trailer. Short or ling trips. Short or long stays. Should we have purchased a big rig with the tow vehicle to match. Of that there is no doubt. It would have saved us a lot of headaches and probably a lot of money as well. Consider these points before you set out for a life in an RV trailer.
