Buying a Travel Tailer (Camper)- possibly from the US

[ken0042]

I have come to the point where I find what stops me from going camping as much is the packing, unpacking, set-up and tear down. So we are looking at travel trailers. I have also started looking at American companies as it seems the market is softer down there; which means savings.

I have been looking at smaller trailers, partially due to storage (less than 20 feet and I can store it in my back yard); and partially to keep the weight down to allow better flexibility in tow vehicles. I have also taken tent trailers out of the mix; I had one and didn't like it.

I'm wondering if anybody else has gone this route recently, and has some experiences to share. Specifically:

- Any "must have" items for the trailer? What about things you find are annoying about your current trailer?
- Has anybody bought one from the US and brought it back? How much of a hassle was it?

Of course the site I've been looking at for American Trailers (link) talks about questions to ask; like why is a dealer charging so much more. Then one dealer here cautioned me about trailers not being CSA approved.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Edit- and the trailer I am looking at is this one for just under $10K: http://www.rvwholesalers.com/design/...floorplan=15BH

[Berger_4_]

Couple things that I'd look for:

Look for a trailer with the fridge and kitchen area right next to the door. It's way more convenient for getting stuff out for meals and such.

Try and find one with a roll-out storage thing...my parent's trailer has this and it's absolutely awesome. You can keep way, way more stuff in them than if you just had doors.

If you can, a bedroom you can stand up in is pretty nice. Way better than crawling around on your hands and knees.

Slide outs, while a bit more money, add a huge amount of space to your trailer. Just make sure they seal well, otherwise you'll get a whole bunch of dust in there.

Dunno if those last two are a possibility in a trailer under 20 feet, but it's worth a look.

Oh and if you can get a fifth wheel...do it. Way easier to pull, and you can hook your boat on behind too (as long as you aren't over a certain length).

[Ironhorse]

Agree with the kitchen near the door. Easy for the BBQ.

Slide-outs are nice, but add weight in a big hurry -- before you know it, you're over your realistic towing capacity. Speaking of towing capacity, take the rating for your truck and multiply by about 70% to get a towing capacity that will be realistic to tow in Alberta.

For something under 20', you can also look for a 'hybrid', which has fabric bed slideouts in the front and/or back.

It is true that you can pull a dingy with a 5th wheel, but that is only true for Alberta and not in BC.

[GrrlGoalie33]

I personall would recommend against storing it in your back yard. It can be a flashing neon light that you're not home when it's gone.

Our current TT utilizes the area over the hitch as part of the bathroom - it's amazing how much more room this adds.

Look for linoleum flooring - way easier to keep clean than carpet.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Frankster

I personall would recommend against storing it in your back yard. It can be a flashing neon light that you're not home when it's gone.

I thought of that, and now just tried to see if I could find any stats about it. I couldn't find anything.

I guess I also see many neighbours with them stored in their yard. The other thing is that I will be buying one with a friend; so at least 1/2 the time its gone I will still be home. Plus I think it would just mean I would need to be careful about making sure the house looks like there is somebody home; which I already do.

[GrrlGoalie33]

As long as you're thinking about it. Our new trailer, though 4' shorter than the old one, is way harder to park in our back yard too, so we just park it at a storage lot instead.

Oh, and though they may seem like a gimmick, get a set of those Lynx leveling blocks. We're using them for the first time this year and they're awesome!

[Titan]

What are you towing with?

How many people will be sleeping in it regularly? If 2 any chance of kids in near future?

Folding down a table each night to set up the bed is something that would drive me nuts, from experience, and I would try to avoid that.

Make sure the price quoted includes the "extras" like jack supports, propane tanks, batteries, etc.

Also, when looking at lenght make sure it is from the hitch to the bumper and not just the living space.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Titan

What are you towing with?

I am literally putting the cart before the horse on this one. I don't have a towing vehicle yet. The plan is a few friends have offered use of trucks in exchange for borrowing it on occasion. We will see how that works out.

Originally Posted by Titan

How many people will be sleeping in it regularly? If 2 any chance of kids in near future?

Folding down a table each night to set up the bed is something that would drive me nuts, from experience, and I would try to avoid that.

Right now it's 2, but will have my fiancee's son joining us next year. The reason for this trailer linked above is that it will allow for a place for everybody to sleep (plus room for 1 more too.) But it does involve taking the table up and down. But my other option is to get a bigger one that would require me to store it somewhere else. I think I'd rather park it at home than have to go get it any time we want to go out.

One more question for you guys- what do you have to do for insurance on one of these things? Can I just use my "lifetime" trailer plate from my old tent trailer, or does this need to be inspected every so often?

Also, let's say I get the American company to deliver it- is there anything to stop somebody from not taking it for the Canadian inspection? (Not that I would- it just looks like a big hole in the system from what I can see.)

[Ducay]

In that size range, unless the misses is particular about cleanliness, I'd opt for a floorplan without a washroom. Its quite amazing how much room those take up.

Just make sure you've got an outdoor shower and you're golden.

[ken0042]

Yeah, "no washroom" really isn't an option. However it should be interesting to see what happens on the first camping trip. On our last trip her friends all said how great it would be for somebody to have a trailer so there is a washroom, but I've tried to explain the math and how a trailer wasroom doesn't have the capacity for 12-15 people.

[Nufy]

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=61802

Just a suggestion......

[Nufy]

Originally Posted by ken0042

One more question for you guys- what do you have to do for insurance on one of these things? Can I just use my "lifetime" trailer plate from my old tent trailer, or does this need to be inspected every so often?

I added mine on to my house insurance.

You can use the plate from your old Trailer....

[oilboy2]

I know it sounds like a great and more economical idea to share it with a friend but...
I did that last year with a really good friend and haven't been able to use it as much as i like. it is a 20 000 trailer and i cant justify the payments so trying to get him to buy me out or sell it is proving to be a very big task right now.

Just make sure that you are comfortable with sharing something of that price cause even the littlest thing like insurance to filling propane to repairs can cause you grief. Does your friend keep things as clean as you want them and vice versa?

Just some food for thought when you think about the purchase. And not having a tow vehicle can come back to get you. As much as people say you can borrow a truck down the road will they same when the time comes? Not to mention sharing it with even more people.

on a 25000 trailer i am paying 400 a year insurance and the license is forever

I only write this as i have lived this experience and have some good info to give

[ShaolinFlame]

[Antithesis]

My advice isn't so much geared towards the specifics of the trailer but more the arrangement you are talking about making. It always seems like a great idea to do stuff like this with friends, but no matter how you slice it, you'd be sharing a huge investment with them and the situation could be really negative in lots of different ways:

- what if you want it at the same time?
- what if the friends who say you can use their trucks don't come through?
- what if they aren't as mindful of maintenance/cleanliness as you are?

I'm sure there's plenty other concerns but for the sake of brevity those are what I'll post. I'd be really wary of entering this type of situation with a friend.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Ducay

Just make sure you've got an outdoor shower and you're golden.

Haha.

[Titan]

I think what you are looking at would become too small real fast. The pain you are trying to get away from, taking down and setting up, is continued with lack of actual beds.

Also, the sharing thing would not be a super idea, in my opinion. Good in concept, not so much in practice.

[ken0042]

For the towing vehicle- it is definitely a "short term" plan in that regard to borrow vehicles. We will likely buy something by next year.

And I have considered the logistics of buying this with a friend. This same friend and I currently share a truck (too old to be worth installing a hitch on) and that was worked out fine for 4 years. He's also in my season ticket pool; and we are both the kind of person to put the other's needs ahead of our own.

Titan- your comment about the lack of actual beds.... did you find that once you had a trailer you spent more of your camping time inside it?

[Titan]

Not that we spend more time inside but when it is bed time, having to go in an set up the beds feels like the first night all over again. We are currently in a tent trailer but borrow my mom's travel trailer often. It had one bed and a couch that folded. I found it was a real pain in the ass. For the price of a trailer I want it to be ready to go. We are actually looking at a trailer as well right now and the only concession we are making is to look at the ones with a hard slide that pulls out which would put us under the 28 foot total length to fit in my driveway. Beyond that I would not want to set anything up. Maybe its just me.

We are also looking at the states and it seems much cheaper. My friend just brought a boat back and it seemed a pretty painless process. I think a trailer would be more so.

[ken0042]

So, does anybody know how much it costs to store a trailer? Even out of town would be OK; like Okotoks or something.