Advice for 1st timers - we are looking to buy

Thanks so much for your advice! We really appreciate your time in sharing your thoughts and experiences.

Visited 2 smallish RV dealers today and came away with much to ponder. There are so many choices out there! Holy smoke, our heads were spinning - but in a good way :)

We were unexpectedly smitten by something we weren't looking for - a slightly used Forest River R-Pod, model RP178. Seems to be just the right size for two adult campers and a dog. The dinette area was super comfortable, not squashed like some of the units we tried out today. The R-Pod does have a toilet/shower combo with hard walls but we were thinking the shower may be handy for a quick wash-up before bedtime. We like that the bed can be left made-up and ready for an afternoon nap.

We didn't get to see any Aliners and only 3 Jayco folding trailers today but are going out again tomorrow morning to a couple of larger dealerships.

I think one of the salespeople we talked to today was telling us stories (could it be?!) LOL! Nice guy, but he claimed that the Aliner is dangerous to use in windy situations, that they typically topple over and/or the roof can cave in (??!) He also said that gray water from a folding tent trailer can be drained anywhere. Hmmm?

I'm glad we aren't in a super hurry to find "the one". Fun journey though!

We will keep you updated :)
Linda

It's easy to have our pup setup in 15 minutes after unhitching, especially if the kids are helping. We often have them crank down the stab jacks (we have 3 handles). They pretend to be doing a NASCAR pit stop and see who can get theirs done first!

We also opted out of the shower/toilet for a couple of reasons, even with young kids. First, I didn't like the thought of those "activities" going on with a few feet of cooking dinner, and second, they take up a lot of floor & storage space. We upgraded from tent camping so the CG showers/toilets were already in the picture. I don't have any issues with vault toilets, and have tought my kids the same.

If you have time, I recommend renting a time or two. It will really help you figure out what you want. It was well worth it to us. By renting, we identified the following:
Must haves:
Fridge
Furnace
Water tank & electric pump

Nice to haves:
Hot water heater
OUTSIDE shower

Don't want:
Inside shower
Inside toilet

We don't often camp where there's lots of heat & humidity so the air conditioner wasn't considered. We did pick up a couple of battery powered fans with AC adapters to help keep air moving inside. Even if it's 90-degrees outside (as long as humidity isn't high), we can keep the inside comfortable.

My wife and I have discussed getting one of the A-liners or similar for our next/retirement trailer. We're in our late 30's so we're going to have this one for a long, long time.

BigBaron wrote:
Welcome from Korea! (formerly Torrance)

A soft sided popup takes at least 30 minutes to erect. Not recommended.

Baron

:h

after I have the stabs down which,would take the same time as any trailer, it only takes me 10 minutes tops to completely set up my pup.
And that is sipping a beer as well.

I may have missed you on your trip out to the dealers, but it does sound like a hard-sided folder would be a great setup for you guys.

The challenge is to find one with a bathroom.

But based on your list of activities, maybe one with a cargo deck on the front to haul all of your outside gear and still leave room for the poochie inside the 4Runner (which is quite a capable tow vehicle). Look at the Rockwood hard side series and maybe specifically the A127TH



and turn the rear sofa/bed into a full time bed with a memory foam topper for comfort.

Without a cargo deck, but with a bathroom is the A194HW high wall

That's a pretty nifty floorplan. Again, it does not have a full time bed. They have about 8 different floor plans.

Good luck and let us know what you find out.

Welcome from Korea! (formerly Torrance)
An Aliner or TrailManor would be fantastic, and with the hard sides you don't have as many security issues.
Go to a bunch of dealers and flop down in a bunch of trailers.
A soft sided popup takes at least 30 minutes to erect. Not recommended.
A hard-sided popup takes a minute or so, especially the Aliner. Get one with a dormer if you can. They are fantastic.
The TrailManors are awesome, too. They are only 6'4" high inside, so they are a no-go for me and my giraffe-like son. LOL
An HTT or TT (travel trailer) are the easiest, but the weight and wind drag often cut your normal MPG in half!
A porta-potti/cassette potti is better than a built-in potti, as you can empty it in any restroom. Most I have read about use their shower because they have a full hook up. A lot of those that camp all over never use their shower.
Enjoy the hunt!
Baron

There's a lot to be said for having your own shower. We had a pup for seven years, and it was absolutely luxurious when we upgraded from a tent to real beds (installed 2" memory foam toppers on mattresses) and AC. However, the kids got bigger, and the pup didn't. Therefore, we had to go with something roomier. I always hated the bath house showers. No matter how clean they seemed, I always wondered what was on the floor, and I got tired of wearing flip flops while I was showering and looking into the corners and seeing spiders and spider webs.

Don't forget to consider a Casita or other egg unit. If I was definitely going with a PUP, I would really look at the biggest A-Liner. These are so easy to put up. Nope, wouldn't go with the bathroom. I would go with a portapotty but no shower.

We have a lot to consider, thanks for your replies! We really like the idea of hard sides for security, durability, easy setup & take-down and heating/cooling. The Aliner seems perfect for two people and the Trailmanor looks great too, very comfy. Can't wait to see them in person.

Thanks again! Hope to join the ranks of 'happy campers' soon.

Also in so cal, and empty nesters a little younger than you.We are on our 3rd PUP, and this time we wanted something easier to set up and a bit better made. We ended up with a Trailmanor-a 2417, which is the smallest one they make. We love it. It is much easier to set up than our old Coleman.

We opted to not have the shower/potty combo in this unit. Our last PUP did have one. We never used the shower, but the toilet cassette was very easy to handle.

If you are not handy, make sure you get a real good feeling about the dealer, because you will be dealing with them a lot, and you probably wont have a lot of options - another reason we ended up with a trailmanor - it was a great dealership - and just up the 15 in Ontario. Custom RV