Unlike Linda, we did not find the perfect RV on the first try. The trailer we bought recently is the second used camping trailer we’ve purchased through Craigslist and overall, if you have patience, it seems like a good way to go. In our search for both of our campers, we saw a lot of duds along the way. Each time we looked at something different, we got more of an idea of what we were looking for. In both cases, when we stepped into “our” trailer, we knew within a few minutes.
We started out both searches without a clear idea what exactly it was we wanted. We had an idea about the number of people we wanted to be able to sleep, some amenities we wanted to have and the weight our truck could pull. We kept ourselves open to folding trailers, pop-ups, pop-outs, fifth wheels and we even looked at a motorhome or two. We really covered the gamut of options.
A 33 foot trailer with a slideout was great but really pushing what the truck could handle. A tiny Toyota class C motorhome was interesting but the top speed was 55 mph and the ceiling was about half an inch over Robert’s head. We looked at something called a hi-lo which is the height of a pop-up when closed, but when you push a button the roof raises, giving you the feel of a more traditional travel trailer (interesting but not so useful if you want to stop and have a sandwich along the way). We looked at trailers with bunkhouses, trailers with only one bed, and pretty much everything in between.
There is so much to think about and look at it’s hard to stay focused and not just fall in love with a nice kitchen or pretty upholstery. These are some things we saw that were definite no’s in our book. Any sign of water damage. A camper that obviously had not been well cared for – stains, not cleaned before we saw it, dirty outsides are signs that maybe the owners aren’t so great at the regular maintenance stuff either. Campers with obvious broken stuff – sometimes we were told and other times we could see, but we wanted something road worthy, not something we had to take home and fix first.
Some things to make sure you do – have the owner or dealer plug the camper in so you can turn on anything electric and make sure it works. Ask if there is propane in the tanks. If there is, try out any propane appliances (oven, stovetop, water heater, fridge). If there is not propane, you can ask that they either fill at least one bottle up so you can try things out or give you a guarantee if things don’t work. Walk all over the floor, and even step in corners checking for soft spots. If you know you want to use the awning, you might have them open it up so you can see that it is in working order. Open drawers, unfold sofa beds, get in and try stuff out.
You can also look for things like if the closets are deep enough to actually use a regular, standard hanger if hanging clothes up is important to you. If you have a tall person in the family, have them see if they can stand up in the shower if you plan to use it instead of campground bathhouses. If there are no towel bars in the bathroom see if there is a place you can put some (again if you plan to use the shower). They are easy enough to add and not necessary for the first trip but if there’s no space, they can’t be added on. Make sure even if the layout is not perfect or the cabinets are not just what you hoped for that there are good bones. You can do a lot with good organization and some creativity but only if the space (and the price) are right.
And finally, if you have saved cash or gotten financing and you are buying a used trailer, try not to spend every penny on the purchase of the trailer. There may be maintenance that needs to be done right away, propane tanks to be filled, a few odds and ends to buy and many little costs for things you’ll want to have done before you go camping the very first time.
