Jeffro115
Greensburg PA
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Joined: 10/25/2009
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ATL wrote:This past weekend I was looking at various TT's, 5er's etc... as far as I am concerned in no way shape of form do those RV's represent camping in any way shape or form. They are hotel rooms on wheels.
If I want to go camping, like really camping, I go with the tent. I might bring a cot or an air mattress, but it's still camping, primitive style.
But camping to me is much more than that. It's getting the kids outdoors, getting away from the city and into the woods, where you can look out the window and not see any houses. It's hiking to to a fishing hole and cooking over a campfire.
I just use the TT to make it more convenient to go, so that I can camp more often, and I don't have to worry about things like the upcoming storm coming through, finding the perfect flat spot in the grass. . . stuff like that. Just because I'm not sleeping in a nylon cloth house doesn't necessarily make it not camping.
The greatest thing about having a trailer, is that I keep it ready to go always. If Friday comes and I feel like camping, there's no finding the tent, packing the car, etc. It's back up, hitch up, and go. With the exception of the food, I keep the trailer ready to go with absolutely everything, just as if I had been planning on leaving tomorrow.
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rrupert
NW PA (Oil Heritage Region)
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Joined: 02/26/2005
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You should look into a Hi-Lo trailer. www.hilotrailer.com There are a number of dealers with new 2008 and 2009 models in stock. They may be stored in the garage in that they are under 19 in length with spare tire. You can even get them with a detachable tongue to knock two feet off. We have had our 1705T for five years and have been very happy with it. Next spring it will be turning into a 2310H to give us a bit more room.
Joyce and Rich
2005 1705T HiLo turning into a
2010 HiLo 2310H when Spring Arrives
2007 Toyota Tacoma Crewcab
Amatuer Radio K3EXU
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Jeff10236
Annapolis, MD
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Joined: 12/20/2008
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Sorry I deserted my thread for a while. Work has been a bit busy lately (two staff members are out long-term- one for an injury, another for maternity leave- so our already small staff has been taking on a lot of extra work lately, then add in normal stuff like end of the quarter grades and IEPs and well, time to breathe, what's that?). Anyway, there have been a couple pages of posts since my last post so I won't address everyone directly.
When camping it is often going to be just me since I'm still single. However, sometimes friends or my brother will come on shorter trips (everyone else has "normal" jobs where they can't go for more than a few days to a week at a time), hopefully my next girlfriend will be into camping and hopefully whoever I marry will be into camping. So, it won't always be only me.
Right now I don't have any pets, I am more of a cat person so when I do get a pet it will probably be a cat which can be left home (with extra food and water for weekend trips, with my parents coming to take care of it daily for longer trips). If I get a dog I will then either have to give up longer trips or go with a hard side if I'm going to take the dog and ever go on any activities where I can't take the dog (I don't think even a HTT with soft sided bunks would be a good idea).
I do like the more outdoorsy feel of the pop-up (and maybe the fabric bunks on many HTTs will work as well). However, I do have a tent (soon to be tents again) for when I really want to go out and "rough it." Heck if I have the space between my truck and camper to bring a tent I could even do a tenting side trip or two during any long term-trips with a camper if I wanted to (take the tent with me on any of my trips that might go several weeks, leave the trailer for a day or two at the campground that serves as my "base" and go out somewhere with the tent). So, if I do go with more creature comforts from a TT or HTT I won't have to lose out on that real camping feeling (plus a lot of what I most like, 70-75% of it, I'll still have from the TT- campfires, sitting out under the stars, being out in nature, etc.).
Now, I have done a lot of thinking this past month and there have been some possible changes to my plan. I started out looking at vehicles because my car had been pretty unreliable the two years I owned it and the 2 year "Certified Pre-Owned" warranty was just about up. I had wanted a pop-up for years and decided that I shouldn't keep waiting until I have a family (at 39 who knows how much longer I'd have to wait) and I'd get a vehicle that could tow. Well, since late April or early May it has only been in the shop for basic maintenance and once (Aug) to have a mechanic look for any trouble he could find (he found nothing). It hasn't been this reliable (6 months without a problem) since I bought it (until its last visit the longest it went without a major problem was 3 months, the shortest, days, it averaged about 2 months between major issues). So, I'm probably going to give my car a little more time to see if this continues. If it turns out that everything that needed replaced has been replaced and it is now a decent car, I will still buy a tow vehicle. I got myself all "psyched up" to finally get into RVing that I'm not going to put that off again. However, if I keep my car I will buy an older tow vehicle since it won't be my only vehicle (say 3-6 years old and 40-75K miles if a car or car based SUV, 3-8 years old and up to 100K miles if a 1/2 ton or truck based SUV, something in between if a small or midsized pickup). Of course, if my car goes back to giving me trouble I'll just pick up my vehicle search where I left off (still haven't had time to test drive the Dodge Dakota or the Nissan Titan, and have another look at my other top contenders- the Chevy/GMC and Dodge 1/2 tons and the Nissan Frontier).
So, what does that mean for my camper search? I will be going used. If I buy a 2-6 year old pop-up I can sell it within a year or two for about the same I paid for it if need be. That way, I can give the pop-up that I've wanted for years a try (I know I would prefer them for shorter trips) and if it turns out that for my longer trips I need the HTT or TT I can sell the pop-up and "upgrade" without any (or at least without too much) penalty. I'll probably wait until late winter or early spring and buy the camper and the tow vehicle together (that way I'll match them up and keep vehicles from tow capable cars up through full-sized trucks on my list depending upon what vehicle I find that gives the best overall deal). Again, I'll be looking for the best overall deal so since I'm looking used I'll consider pop-ups with the toilet/shower combo (my first choice) but also those with only the toilet and even those with nothing (I can always buy a porta-pot separately if needed).
-BMW 325i
-Cheap 4-season tent
-Will buy a nice spring/summer weight tent this spring
-Starting to seriously shop pop-ups and tow vehicles (targeting for this next camping season)
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