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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 11:36 am to bayoudude
OP, FYI. Do not buy anything pre 2006. Most of those were used for people to live in after Katrina.
Posted on 7/21/14 at 12:27 pm to fishfighter
Fish told me the other day that he has one for free, but you gotta go get it.
Posted on 7/21/14 at 12:40 pm to eng08
quote:
Fish told me the other day that he has one for free, but you gotta go get it.
Gone now.
BIL came and got it after 8 years. 
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 1:10 pm to bayoudude
quote:
bayoudude
I have heard that the slide outs tend to leak alot. Again I have never had a camper so this is all hearsay. I am trying to keep length to a minimum because I have never pulled a camper before. I really don't want to go new for my first camper but am open to any suggestions.
Posted on 7/21/14 at 1:12 pm to AlxTgr
quote:
AlxTgr
Bunkhouse? Is that a brand? I was looking at Puma brand. Again never had a camper before so any suggestions are great. My only frame of reference is my dad's Shasta 30 years ago when I was a young un.
Posted on 7/21/14 at 1:15 pm to ThatsAFactJack
quote:It's the floorplan. It allows you to put your kids to bed in a space of it's own so they are not sleeping right in the middle of the living room. We only have one kid, but having a bunkhouse is way better than the rear living(again, floorplan) we had before. Do an eBay search for bunkhouse and you can see how they are laid out. Many of the listings will have a diagram of the camper.
Bunkhouse? Is that a brand?
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 1:44 pm to bayoudude
I've have a few leaks over the years, and none of them were due to the slides.
Posted on 7/21/14 at 1:47 pm to AlxTgr
Biggest issue i have had with a camper is a bearing failure due to a manufacturer defect. Luckily it happened right as i pulled into the camp ground. Was a huge pain in the arse to get fixed but extended warranty paid the labor and lippert kicked in two new axles. Never trust anything that says lifetime and sealed when it comes to an axle
Posted on 7/21/14 at 1:53 pm to bayoudude
I had the skin peel off the front of mine at 60 mph in the Saline WMA. That sucked large
Posted on 7/21/14 at 2:19 pm to TigerFred
quote:
TigerFred
Thanks for the link. I have the app RV Trader on my phone but it is all dealerships.
Posted on 7/21/14 at 2:20 pm to bayoudude
quote:
bayoudude
I really like the Pumas I have seen online so far. Again, not really wanting to buy new. Id rather get something 3-5 yrs old and pay cash for now.
Stupid question:
With my truck Chevy 1500HD Crew Cab (2003) what size weight wise can I look at in regards to campers? What is the max I can handle.
Posted on 7/21/14 at 2:26 pm to ThatsAFactJack
quote:rv.net has subforums with lots of information on this.
Stupid question:
With my truck Chevy 1500HD Crew Cab (2003) what size weight wise can I look at in regards to campers? What is the max I can handle.
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