Which Camper?

[Twanger]

So if a man had $10K to spend on a used tag-along camper, what make & model would he pick?
I'd want A/C, shower, and furnace. Also want to be able to go primitive (i.e. camp in places with no water / electric hook up).

[freedomrules3]

thats a very tough question to answer. there are lots of good brands out there, generally the newer the better of coarse but not always. weight is a factor to look at also , the lighter ones are easier to tow and better on gas.

timing is always something involved in a purchase like this, best to not get in a hurry and look around at some different ones first. with gas so high there should be some great deals around , more than usual my guess. if you have kids look for one with a seperate master bedroom if possible , privacy is a good thing. i would steer away from dealers and look in the classifieds. i can keep an eye for a bargain around here and will let ya know if i see a real steal.

patience is the key here but you never know the first one you look at may be the ticket , but it may take you 10 to find the right one . look at retail prices for them and get an idea before you look. i'll post a site as soon as i find it, i've been on it before .

[Twanger]

Thanks Rick. I've got my wife interested, so I thought I'd better actually start to do something.
Is there a good on-line resource?

[Rock Chuck]

How primitive do you want? Are you talking about staying on pavement but avoiding campgrounds or are you talking about hauling it up a logging road?
Here are a few things to consider:

water tank: my 24 gal will run 3 guys for a week of hunting if we don't shower. It will run my wife and I about 3 days with showers daily (very stingy showers). I highly recommend at least a 40 gal tank.
In addition, if you go anywhere where it's possible to freeze, you want the tank inside under the bed or somewhere. My partner's tank is under the trailer. We can't take it in cold weather because it freezes.

battery: if the heater is forced air, in cool weather your battery will last less than half the time that it will with a convection heater of some kind. If you get 2 batteries (recommended), I'm told that 2 big 6V's in series will do better than 2 smaller 12v's in parallel.

plumbing: if the blackwater tank and dump valves are near the rear bumper, make sure they're high enough so they don't get dragged off over curbs & bumps. Many new trailers have them set forward where they much better protected.

heater: I have a catalytic heater. It does a great job but has one drawback. It's exhaust is mainly water. That causes moisture buildup in the air in the trailer. That keeps the matches damp and lighting stuff is a bugger with damp matches. Keeping the windows cracked is necessary for oxygen but it doesn't get rid of the moisture.

trailer size: if you're staying near pavement, length is up to you. If you're getting off the highway, I suggest keeping it to maybe 22' or shorter. Those long ones are a bugger to maneuver between trees, etc., plus the rear ends tend to drag worse over bumps.

interior: sit on the toilet. Then get up and make like you're pulling your pants up. I've used some bathrooms that don't give you room to bend over and grab your short. You literally have to pull them up above your knees before you get up. My partner has one with the stool so close to the wall in front that I have to sit slightly sideways because my legs hit the wall.
A full-time bed is very handy, but it uses up a lot of space. A foldup bed is roomier but it's a pain to put away every morning. This is your decision.

a/c: it's an electric hookup or a generator. No batteries will run one. I don't know how much generator it takes to run one so you'll have to read up on that.

Dick

[Twanger]

Rock Chuck - Wow. Those are some great tips! I'll print that one out.
I definately want to be able to take it down a dirt road, so I'll keep length in mind.
Will probably buy a portable generator. It would really only be necessary in the summer to run the A/C. I guess it could be used to run a microwave oven, but that's a much lower priority consideration.
Good thoughts about water tanks and freezing. I'd never even considered it.
As a bow-hunter, being able to shower for scent control is very important.

[ncboman]

Walt,

When I was hunting in Illinois I befriended a waterfowl hunter that had a camper you and your wife would love. It was nicer inside than my house, of course as I recall he paid around 18k for it but that was new.

I don't think I have any pics left (puter crash) but I'll look around and see if I can find some anyway. Very nice camper with all the amenities of home. It was home to him. ;D

Brings back memories thinking of that guy as he operated much like I'd like to. He is a paintless auto dent remover and chases hailstorms during the summer so he can hunt all winter. As I recall he said he made about 60k a yr working about 9 months. Not a bad lick for a guy operating solo. Man, you guys should see his Lab retrieve multiple targets. Now that dog was/is special. Those two could read each other's minds.

oh btw, I have an old 28' camper with a bath and shower in it I'd like to sell for only 1k but I'm quite sure you want newer and better. ;D

[Twanger]

ncboman said:

I recall he paid around 18k for it but that was new.

I've noticed that these things really lose their value quickly. You can pay alot of a new camper only to find it worth half after just a few years. As lightly used as they typically are I'd hope to find one in good shape that's only 4-5 years old and only pay half of new $$$. Sound reasonable?

Agree on not going to a dealer to actually buy, although it's probably good to do to see alot of different units & features in one trip.

[ncboman]

I think the best deals will be found with 'motivated sellers', ie, someone that really needs the cash now.

[Rock Chuck]

If a guy's careful, you can shower with only 3 or 4 gals. You need a handheld shower head with a shutoff. You use only enough water to get wet, then turn it off while you soap up. Then turn it on only long enough to rinse off.

Here's something else to consider. How far from the shower is the water heater? You can waste a lot of water waiting for the hot water to move from the heater to the shower.

Dick

[Twanger]

So we went to the Dealer up on Route 15 North of Frederick and hit their open house.
Wanted to see what the features were, and what these things cost new.
My wife really liked the Wilderness 260RLS by Fleetwood. (26-foot trailer)
fleetwoodrv.com/brandtomodel/floorplan.aspx?brand=wilderness/wi&m=260RLS



The salesman said the average buyer keeps it 4 years, and they loose alot of their 'value' in the first 3 years (about half) and level off. After 3 years you can still find units that are in very good shape.

So, I'm thinking the hot set-up would be this model, about 3 years old.

The furnace runs off the propane bottles and is vented to the water tank which is insulated. Should keep the tank from freezing is weather that's not too horrible... hoping that if it gets down in the 20's it'll still be OK if I keep the trailer heated all night.

Now to find a used one...hopefully about $10K or so...

[Rock Chuck]

If you buy one without leveling jacks mounted to the frame, add them. You won't be sorry. Those jacks will level a trailer faster than you can get wheel blocks out of the pickup. They really aren't all that expensive.

Dick