never towed question's

scbwr wrote:
As you can tell, everyone has their own preferences and their own way of handling things. What works for me may not work for you...so after listening to what others have to say, you'll have to do what you think is best for you and your family.

Buying a really good used trailer is one way of minimizing financial loss if you buy a trailer and then find out you don't like it for a variety of reasons. This may be real important depending on how the DW likes it, and how she deals with making a situation work. You really won't know what kind of trailer is best for you until you have used one for awhile and for different trip lengths as it's one thing to go camping for a weekend, and another to go for a 2 week vacation.

Personally, our Sunline was 30' overall, and that's about as long as a travel trailer I would want to own due to the ability to find campsites just about everywhere and negotiating fuel stops. I know a lot of campers are now buying trailers 2-8 feet longer and are happy with them, but it wouldn't be my preference.

Kids can adapt to whatever size camper you buy. We did all our camping with two boys and only had pop-up tent campers. By having a awning and then a second dining fly, we had room to deal with light rain. If we hit a really rainy day, we'd take a ride in the car and go see a movie, or see some attraction that was indoors. We had so many great trips and campouts. Even now, I think a good hybrid is a great way to camp with kids...nothing like sleeping "under the canvas" and hearing all the sounds of night. The biggest downside is dealing with wet canvas if you have to pack up in the rain...you have to be able to open up the camper and let it dry out when you get home. A hybrid with three popout sleeping areas can create a lot of space in a shorter trailer and still allow for a decent galley and bathroom.

Once you get a trailer, take it to a large parking lot that is empty and practice backing up. Use a bunch of cones, saw horses or whatever to mark off a typical campsite. Also, get used to seeing what it looks like in the right hand side view mirror when you are clear of a vehicle when passing. Having a good set of tow mirrors really helps with this. Towing a trailer down the highway is the easy part. Driving through city streets is where you have to watch tight turns and know where your trailer tires are going. To me, this is another reason to keep the lenght to 30' or less.

Backing up our 30' Sunline was easier at times than our popup trailers...the smaller the trailer, the quicker they are to angle too sharply.

Last point...an outdoor kitchen is a great thing! Even when we had popups, we were able to move the stove outside, and we did most of our cooking that way. We always carried an extra cooler chest just for the cold drinks. When we downsized to the Minnie, the outdoor kitchen was a major factor in our decision to buy the 2201DS.

Good luck and I hope you get to enjoy some family camping soon!

"how the DW likes it".....i hope this means "Da Wife" not something else!

also i have been thinking about refueling and the complications i or anyone may have. ive been scoping gas stations around town trying imagine how would i do this or that on the roads. im thinking im going to be truck stop friendly til i gain experience