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TomAndJenn's avatar
TomAndJenn
Explorer
Mar 08, 2016

New, but not new....

I apologize for the confusion, but hey you're reading the thread! :B

I've been talking to my wife about getting into camping for awhile, and now we have the means to do it. When I was a kid/young adult, my family always had motorhomes, the most recent being a 2000 Coachman Catalina 34RQ that was a diesel pusher. I'm looking to get a toy hauler so I can take my motorcycle on trips and have my truck. Wife likes to tent camp, so I'm sure she will love the campground life.

After looking into a rental and asking on a Powerstroke diesel forum, the general consensus is to purchase an older but good shape unit (sometimes not the case), take a trip, then sell it after if she does not like it. Rental quotes were astronomical ($3k for 19 days) so that's sounding like the best option.

I've been searching RV Trader, Craigslist, Camping World, and other dealers for quality used units and have found a bunch for $19k and less. It would just be my wife, 97lb dog, and myself, unless we decide to expand our family (another reason I want to introduce RV'ing - don't want to take baby on a plane!)

So what do you all think would be my best option? Are there brands to stay away from? I personally wouldn't own a Coachman product, our Catalina literally fell apart as we were camping in it. I'm looking at Keystone trailers, Jayco, Holiday Rambler, Forest River, etc...

Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!
  • westend's avatar
    westend
    Explorer
    Mar 08, 2016
    Your budget could be way lower than $19K. FWIW, I took the twins to Hawaii when they were 6 mos old. They slept the whole way, almost.
  • TomAndJenn's avatar
    TomAndJenn
    Explorer
    Mar 08, 2016
    westend wrote:
    Your budget could be way lower than $19K. FWIW, I took the twins to Hawaii when they were 6 mos old. They slept the whole way, almost.


    I know, was just saying I've found trailers up to $19k. I found a nice 2006 5er (non-toy hauler) for $7700. Just exploring some options. Wife and I were in Disney last month and had screaming children on both flights.
  • russkerri's avatar
    russkerri
    Explorer
    Mar 08, 2016
    You should check out the RV Family Travel Atlas website and podcast. They have lots of great info about buying trailers and traveling with young children.

    We bought a cheap used 2012 Jayco 184BH and have been quite happy with it. If you're buying a new one, they have the best warranty. I haven't owned any other brands, so I don't have anything to compare it to.
  • Deleted_per_op's avatar
    Deleted_per_op
    Explorer
    Mar 09, 2016
    TomandJenn,

    You say she likes tent camping and you want to take motorcycles in a toy hauler. That may not be a good mix for her if you mean off-road motorcycles. Drive to some nearby campgrounds where you might find toy haulers and motor cycles. Spend some time walking around camp and see if it's what she has in mind for tent camping.

    You can rent a trailer for less than 19 days. Look for a 3-day weekend rental and try it. It's going to be a basic unit & maybe not a toy hauler, but will give you an idea of what it's like to camp in a trailer. If it costs $1000 for a weekend and she says "not my style", it will be a relatively inexpensive trial (compared to buying one & then reselling it).

    Long way of saying "happy wife, happy life".
  • TomAndJenn's avatar
    TomAndJenn
    Explorer
    Mar 09, 2016
    TooManyTents wrote:
    TomandJenn,

    You say she likes tent camping and you want to take motorcycles in a toy hauler. That may not be a good mix for her if you mean off-road motorcycles. Drive to some nearby campgrounds where you might find toy haulers and motor cycles. Spend some time walking around camp and see if it's what she has in mind for tent camping.

    You can rent a trailer for less than 19 days. Look for a 3-day weekend rental and try it. It's going to be a basic unit & maybe not a toy hauler, but will give you an idea of what it's like to camp in a trailer. If it costs $1000 for a weekend and she says "not my style", it will be a relatively inexpensive trial (compared to buying one & then reselling it).

    Long way of saying "happy wife, happy life".


    Hey thanks for the reply. By tents and motorcycles, I mean we tent camp once a year with the quad, but we're looking at a toy hauler to take my Harley on the road with us. We only have one quad, so taking that wouldn't work for us and it's not something we probably would do anyway. Our tenting experience comes once per year and is a family event for her.

    She wants to go to Nashville, I want to ride the Tail of the Dragon, etc.. so it's a happy medium. We can go to Florida for winter break (we're both teachers) and stay there pretty cheap since it's off-season. She loves riding on the back of the Harley too so it's a win-win. You are very right about a shorter rental, I'll have to look into that. I just figure a longer trip is a good way to allow her to get a chance to like it, not a quick trip you know. I think and she agrees that she will probably love it and be hooked.

    But, as you stated, happy wife, happy life which I agree with 100%.

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