Pro's and Con's of OWNING a camper trailer?

[quackaholic1]

If you have a three quarter ton or one ton truck you call haul both at one time. I had a receiver hitch put on my 32” fifth wheel and I pull my 22” bay boat behind it. It kind of intimidating at first but the boat tracks exactly the same as the trailer so no problem.

[AgHntr10]

I hope my wife never wins this argument! We lived in one for 4-5 months from the time we got married until we finished building our house. I thought that would deter her but she still brings it up every once in a while.

[Brazos Hunter]

We have owned a few RV’s and are in the process of upgrading our current bumper pull to a 5er. If you are on the fence consider how the unit will be stored, how often you will use it, and probably most important is what value do you put on sleeping in your own bed and quiet simply owning a second home.

For us it is a no brainer because we live and travel in it a week and a half per month almost every month. The comfort of sleeping in my own bed, having the pup with us, and being able to just pull over anywhere to use the restroom or have a meal is priceless!


Michael


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Brute Killer]

I don't know a con. Just store it covered, out of direct sunlight and keep the vermin out.
Blow the water out of the lines during winter storage.
A busted water line is a con, I guess.

[DaveC]

Our best family vacation so far was dragging our 5th wheel around the Grand Canyon and back again seeing many sights along the way.
I doubt that trip will ever be beat unless I win the lottery and soon (son growing up fast).

Btw, you can double tow if you keep the overall length below 65’.
I’ve done it a few times-




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JustinJ]

A tent is way cheaper and it actually counts as "camping"

I don't know how your can justify one financially when compared to cabins or hotels unless you use the heck out of it. Consider lower MPGs, campsite fees, maintenance, storage, hassle, etc.

[gatorgrizz27]

I’ve wanted an off road teardrop for awhile, but realized it wasn’t worth the $, storage, etc, for how often it would get used.

After seeing a bunch of cargo trailer conversions, I decided to set up my 6x12 that I bought for my construction business to be easily convertible. Everything is mounted on E-track and I can have it emptied out in 10 minutes.

I added a 12v system with lights, ARB awning with drop down room, and am working on screen doors for it now, and a portable AC will be added in the future.

Throw in water containers, a cooler, chuck box, folding table, chairs, and cots, and head out. I have a 12v shower and portable toilet that can be set up in a separate pop up tent if we aren’t in a campground.

I don’t need oak cabinets and satellite TV when I’m camping, but it gives you a dry, warm or cool place to sleep and can haul kayaks, mountain bikes, dirt bikes, a SXS, etc.

You can pick up a brand new 7x16 tandem axle for $3k and spend $1-2k outfitting it. They tend to hold up much better over time than a camper also.

[Uncle_Milty]

It all depends on the size of your family and age of kiddos. How often you "think" you will use it, do you have somewhere to keep it, what type of destinations you want to visit. DO NOT BUY BRAND NEW!!!! Let someone else take the BiG depreciation hit. Find one that is a 2-4yr old and bring cash to the table if at all possible....I have found that with campers people will come down thousands once it has been listed for a little while.

We have a large family (large enough that we have to get 2 hotel rooms) with several under the age of 4 so tents are not a good option for us. We love it and would be gone somewhere atleast once a month if work would allow it. Ours doubles as a deer camp also so it is used year round even if its not being hauled somewhere.

Most important thing is roof maintenance. There are alot of new products out that can be used to coat the roof instead of replacing it ($$$$$) Dad just re-did his entire roof for around $200.

[Katch66]

It all depends on the size of your family and age of kiddos. How often you "think" you will use it, do you have somewhere to keep it, what type of destinations you want to visit. DO NOT BUY BRAND NEW!!!! Let someone else take the BiG depreciation hit. Find one that is a 2-4yr old and bring cash to the table if at all possible....I have found that with campers people will come down thousands once it has been listed for a little while.

We have a large family (large enough that we have to get 2 hotel rooms) with several under the age of 4 so tents are not a good option for us. We love it and would be gone somewhere atleast once a month if work would allow it. Ours doubles as a deer camp also so it is used year round even if its not being hauled somewhere.

Most important thing is roof maintenance. There are alot of new products out that can be used to coat the roof instead of replacing it ($$$$$) Dad just re-did his entire roof for around $200.

What did he coat the roof with?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

[HDWRENCH]

hengs is a very popular product for EDPM roofs each rood type needs its own product . Many people will reseal the rubber roof after 2 years or so , JUST to do it and not have a leak the rubber roofs are what they are and a mobile hose moving is touch for sure

[Sika]

For us it is a no brainer because we live and travel in it a week and a half per month almost every month. The comfort of sleeping in my own bed, having the pup with us, and being able to just pull over anywhere to use the restroom or have a meal is priceless!

Agree completely with this.

We travelled all over the country in a bumper pull, then later, a 5th wheel.
Visited many state and national parks. It sure beats having to stay in hotels, especially if you travel with pets.
It’s fun to rent a cabin or stay at a resort if you only vacation once a year or less, but if you’re wanting to spend more weekends getting away with the fam, an RV is the way to go. You know who slept in the bed last and you don't have to unload the car every night.
I will say that RV showers and toilets are not like your home. RV showers are cramped, plastic, and it’s easy to run out of hot water.

[yaqui]

We had a pop up when the kids were smaller, enjoyed that okay.
Did not use it much when the kids got older since they were in sports and weekends were too busy.
Renting an RV when you want is then way to go, unless you want to stay in a cabin and VBRO.

[lyssarene]

We have a trailer but keep it within a building on our property- no outside elements to damage it. Texas heat kills the seals very quickly and you will have leaks.

I would rent one a few times and see if you really like pulling it around - I don't care for pulling it at all and probably would never do it over 100 miles.

[wsteffen]

I've gone from a tent to a popup and then a class a. After that we had two travel trailers and now a class c, 26 foot that we bought used. We travel a lot, but go to the Adirondacks in NY every year for the summer along with trips to Florida, Wisconsin and Missouri. We've been making the NY trip for 29 years and I will say that we save money even with the 7 1/2 mpg our RV gets. The thing with the class c is that it drives like a truck and my wife drives it as much as I do even when we were pulling a car behind it. It sure is nice to pull into a RV park, plug in and have a beer. No more unpacking, going out for food or worrying about the party in the room above you. We love it. The maintenance on the roof and seams is the only thing different than a truck.

[toaster]

Just make sure you buy from a dealer, to insure that a salesman makes a commission on the sale.

^^^^^^^^^^
True Salesman!