- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
Purchasing A Camper
Posted on 7/21/14 at 9:49 am
Posted on 7/21/14 at 9:49 am
OB,
I am looking to purchase my first camper. The family (wife and 3 daughters) are tired of tent camping. What should I get as a starter camper. Definitly want a bumper pull. I drive a 2003 Chevy 1500HD CrewCab. Don't need slide outs. Definitly not looking for new. And prefer something shorter then 30 feet. Which dealers should I avoid (Berryland, etc).
Thanks.
ETA: The majority of our tent camping has been in state parks (Chicot and Palmetto) and expect the same once we get a camper.
I am looking to purchase my first camper. The family (wife and 3 daughters) are tired of tent camping. What should I get as a starter camper. Definitly want a bumper pull. I drive a 2003 Chevy 1500HD CrewCab. Don't need slide outs. Definitly not looking for new. And prefer something shorter then 30 feet. Which dealers should I avoid (Berryland, etc).
Thanks.
ETA: The majority of our tent camping has been in state parks (Chicot and Palmetto) and expect the same once we get a camper.
This post was edited on 7/21/14 at 2:22 pm
9
Posted on 7/21/14 at 9:51 am to ThatsAFactJack
frick a dealer, second hand is the way to go as many a motivated young family like yourself has purchased a new one only to let it set up in the barn after 2 uses in 5 years. Start looking around classifieds, craigslist, and just sitting on the side of the road on someones property. They are every where.
Posted on 7/21/14 at 9:52 am to ThatsAFactJack
The group "CajunSwapShop" on Facebook has them pop up all the time.
Posted on 7/21/14 at 10:04 am to ThatsAFactJack
Going to actually be harder than you think to find something without slide outs. Best brand i can think of without slides would be Airstream as they strictly make bumper pulls without slides. Most tow behinds in the 20-27' range will have a slide in the living area. Both of my campers have had slides and neither one gave me trouble. My first camper was a 29' spree by KZ that had one slide and was fairly light for its size at around 6k pounds. I now have a 32' Wildcat 5th wheel by Forrest River and have been pleased. Pretty much all of the trailers i have been around are hit/miss on quality and you will have little things to fix as long as you own it.
ETA: Both campers i bought new at Berryland and have no complaints.
ETA: Both campers i bought new at Berryland and have no complaints.
This post was edited on 7/21/14 at 10:05 am
Posted on 7/21/14 at 1:00 pm to ThatsAFactJack
quote:Bunkhouse.
The family (wife and 3 daughters)
quote:Yes you do. Just get a bunkhouse with the dinette and couch slide.
Don't need slide outs
Posted on 7/21/14 at 1:34 pm to ThatsAFactJack
airstream like another said, but you want a slide out. 8 feet wide is not wide at all. If I was going to do it all over again, I would get:
bunkhouse layout, lifetime floors, super-slide with roll-out canopy over it. If you can find one that has a better seal on the windows than just caulk, get that. the window are guaranteed forever but the caulk leaks after about 5 years.
bunkhouse layout, lifetime floors, super-slide with roll-out canopy over it. If you can find one that has a better seal on the windows than just caulk, get that. the window are guaranteed forever but the caulk leaks after about 5 years.
Posted on 7/21/14 at 1:35 pm to ThatsAFactJack
Check out PPL. Even if you use it to compare things. You can get some good deals on slightly used.
LINK
LINK
Posted on 7/21/14 at 1:42 pm to ThatsAFactJack
I haven't had problems with my slides leaking but i do keep it under a cover when not in use so that really helps the roof and seals stay in decent shape. Biggest drawback to the slides is getting around inside the camper when they are in. On my 5th wheel i can't get to the back bedroom when the slides are closed. My aunt had a 27' puma that had a set of bunks in the rear inset next to the bathroom and a queen bed up front it also had the dinette and sofa on a slide. Pretty nice layout. I think that trailer came in around 7k lbs. Haven't price campers in a few years since mine is a 2009 but you should be able to get into something decent for mid $20's new and with the financing they do your note should be sub $200/month. They typically do 15yr financing on anything over $20k.
Posted on 7/21/14 at 2:33 pm to ThatsAFactJack
Posted on 7/21/14 at 3:38 pm to ThatsAFactJack
We are looking as well, if you are picky about condition and floor plan new is the way to go, I have looked at some used but people just don't take care of stuff any more.
You will run out of payload capacity long before you run out of tow capacity. You can use they payload sticker in your driver door and it will tell you how much cargo not to exceed, subtract your family and yourself from that and you will have your left over payload. From this you can start looking at tongue or hitch weights, most of the time you can plan on it being 10-12% of the GVWR of the trailer. With a good weight distribution hitch, you can offset this a little, but you still need to watch the weight or you will be tearing up your axles.
We are looking at new trailers right now and have narrowed it down to 2, both Forest River, both Rock Wood Ultra Lites, model 2702SS (bunk house) and 2703WS (not a bunk house). We have 2 boys and we wanted more than a 27" wide bunk. The non bunkhouse version has lots of sleeping capacity just have to weigh converting the table and sofa each night.
Good luck - there are limitations with a 1/2T but there are also a lot of options to tow safely especially with a family.
ETA - I have a ram 1500 - so my trailer choices are mainly due to length and hitch weight due to payload capacity.
You will run out of payload capacity long before you run out of tow capacity. You can use they payload sticker in your driver door and it will tell you how much cargo not to exceed, subtract your family and yourself from that and you will have your left over payload. From this you can start looking at tongue or hitch weights, most of the time you can plan on it being 10-12% of the GVWR of the trailer. With a good weight distribution hitch, you can offset this a little, but you still need to watch the weight or you will be tearing up your axles.
We are looking at new trailers right now and have narrowed it down to 2, both Forest River, both Rock Wood Ultra Lites, model 2702SS (bunk house) and 2703WS (not a bunk house). We have 2 boys and we wanted more than a 27" wide bunk. The non bunkhouse version has lots of sleeping capacity just have to weigh converting the table and sofa each night.
Good luck - there are limitations with a 1/2T but there are also a lot of options to tow safely especially with a family.
ETA - I have a ram 1500 - so my trailer choices are mainly due to length and hitch weight due to payload capacity.
This post was edited on 7/21/14 at 3:49 pm
Page 1 of 1
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News