January 31, 2014 Hunt for a Camper

After an on again off again search for a camper or travel trailer over the past five years, we are once again looking for one.  The camping bug has not faded.  Although, with our "elderly" years we have grown accustomed to wanting our coffee in the morning.  In a coffee pot.  That is plugged into a socket.  We also like water out of a faucet at our campsite. 

Jace and I have both done primitive camping in the past.  Now we are older and crankier.  We also have an 8 year old who can whine a lot.  Like, put a sock in it, a lot.  The sock I just wore for the 5 mile hike will do just fine.

We think we may have found one.  At least we're in the reasonable area.  I'm thinking of it as finding a starter home.  There's some things Jace just won't do.  One of those is buying a 1976  trailer that needs a complete remodel on the inside. 

There's some things I won't do.  I won't do teardrop campers, or any camper that small for 3 people.  I don't like pop-ups with the canvas sides.  There's no real sense of privacy and very minimal actual floor space.  We were standing in one and we could hear all the loud noises going on around outside.  Who could sleep through other noisy campers?

We have decided on a self-contained traveler trailer.  It has walls and provides a sense of privacy.  It also has a bathroom with a shower/bath combo.  This is important, too.  Nothing beats being thoroughly clean after a long day out in nature.

The next choice to be made was over towing weight.  We couldn't pick one that was too big to tow.  It still needed to be big enough to give a sense of having some space.   Those RV manufactures try really hard to accommodate all those concerns.

For today we ended up choosing a 17 foot model.  It has a queen size bed on one end.  At the other end is the eating area which converts to a full size bed.  The table is removable so it can function as a living area.  The bath has a toilet and sink.  There's also a full size shower with a semi tub.  It comes with a fridge and a microwave.  Also has kitchen sink and stove.  Most importantly, it has an electrical outlet for plugging in the coffee maker.

We started the process late in the day so we won't know about any of the approval or signing papers till tomorrow.  It gives us a chance to really think about our decision before signing on the dotted line.  If all works out, then we should be bringing it home on Wednesday.