Need advice on our next camper...
I am hoping that I can get advice and input from the tremendous amount of experience on this site. I am going to describe what “I” think is the perfect camper for us (taking input that my wife has provided over the years)…..I’m sure that I will be overlooking some valuable details and would love to hear your feedback. I know that each person’s perfect camper is unique. But I have to start somewhere.
After 45 years of camping (started when I was 6 with my parents) in various forms, I now think that I know my likes and dislikes and style of camping well enough to set out to find the perfect next camper, for us.
I started as a kid with the gigantic Ted Williams Sears Canvas 10 man tent that must of weighed 100 lbs. but always keep our family dry. As I got older, I backpacked throughout the west as a boy scout, car camped in various set ups and then got married and started my own family. My wife and I moved to the Midwest to raise our family and started with a tent, then a pop up trailer, then to our present TT. We have loved every minute of our camping adventures. We’ve traveled 23 states as a family and have a thirst for more.
Now that my kids are nearing the age of independence (one in college, the next a couple years away) we are ready to get a camper that is better suited to our goal of spending a lot more time as a couple traveling this great country. At the same time, we want something that we could spend a few months in if we chose to snowbird somewhere. I know that it’s tough to get a unit that will do everything, but we understand that there will be sacrifices.
Off the top of my head, here is a list of our wants for our unit. We do not prefer to spend time in RV Parks….We would rather spend more time off the grid and in a boondock situation, or in state, COE, or national park settings. I am leaning towards a TT so that I can utilize the truck bed (with topper) to store a genny, canoes/kayaks, firewood, etc. Maybe something in the 25 foot range to make it maneuverable in the back country. I am planning on getting a ¾ ton full-size truck to pull it.
Wants…
• Enough ground clearance to boondock (axle flip?)
• Large holding tanks for boondocking….50+ fresh, 60+ grey, 50+black
• Comfortable seats to rest our bad backs at the end of the day (typical TT couches seem very uncomfortable…I would prefer some kind of recliners)
• Easily accessible low point drains
• Ease of winterizing
• Double pain windows
• True 4 season insulation..heated / insulated tanks
• Durable, high capacity tires and axles to handle the rigors of boondocking
• A toilet that I can sit on without having to stick one leg in the shower!
• A bathroom bigger than a 30 year old Boeing 707
• Serious solar capability (large roof space to add system)
• Outdoor shower
• A real queen-size bed with a comfortable mattress.
• LED lights throughout
• Fantastic fans
• Multiple 6V batteries
• Outdoor cook station? optional
• Enough CCC to carry stuff for being off the grid for a couple of weeks.
• A good TV/Radio/MP3 package for those rainy days.
• Cell signal booster antenna…
• Solid construction
•
•
Did I forget anything crucial? Please give me your input…..
Are there existing trailers out there that match this list?
Thank you-
Huck
After 45 years of camping (started when I was 6 with my parents) in various forms, I now think that I know my likes and dislikes and style of camping well enough to set out to find the perfect next camper, for us.
I started as a kid with the gigantic Ted Williams Sears Canvas 10 man tent that must of weighed 100 lbs. but always keep our family dry. As I got older, I backpacked throughout the west as a boy scout, car camped in various set ups and then got married and started my own family. My wife and I moved to the Midwest to raise our family and started with a tent, then a pop up trailer, then to our present TT. We have loved every minute of our camping adventures. We’ve traveled 23 states as a family and have a thirst for more.
Now that my kids are nearing the age of independence (one in college, the next a couple years away) we are ready to get a camper that is better suited to our goal of spending a lot more time as a couple traveling this great country. At the same time, we want something that we could spend a few months in if we chose to snowbird somewhere. I know that it’s tough to get a unit that will do everything, but we understand that there will be sacrifices.
Off the top of my head, here is a list of our wants for our unit. We do not prefer to spend time in RV Parks….We would rather spend more time off the grid and in a boondock situation, or in state, COE, or national park settings. I am leaning towards a TT so that I can utilize the truck bed (with topper) to store a genny, canoes/kayaks, firewood, etc. Maybe something in the 25 foot range to make it maneuverable in the back country. I am planning on getting a ¾ ton full-size truck to pull it.
Wants…
• Enough ground clearance to boondock (axle flip?)
• Large holding tanks for boondocking….50+ fresh, 60+ grey, 50+black
• Comfortable seats to rest our bad backs at the end of the day (typical TT couches seem very uncomfortable…I would prefer some kind of recliners)
• Easily accessible low point drains
• Ease of winterizing
• Double pain windows
• True 4 season insulation..heated / insulated tanks
• Durable, high capacity tires and axles to handle the rigors of boondocking
• A toilet that I can sit on without having to stick one leg in the shower!
• A bathroom bigger than a 30 year old Boeing 707
• Serious solar capability (large roof space to add system)
• Outdoor shower
• A real queen-size bed with a comfortable mattress.
• LED lights throughout
• Fantastic fans
• Multiple 6V batteries
• Outdoor cook station? optional
• Enough CCC to carry stuff for being off the grid for a couple of weeks.
• A good TV/Radio/MP3 package for those rainy days.
• Cell signal booster antenna…
• Solid construction
•
•
Did I forget anything crucial? Please give me your input…..
Are there existing trailers out there that match this list?
Thank you-
Huck
