Making the decision to buy a camper is an exciting one, but it can quickly become overwhelming, especially if it is your first. There are several things to consider before choosing which camper you want to purchase.
1.) HOW DO YOU INTEND TO USE YOUR CAMPER?
You’ll want to think about how you want to use your camper and your needs. Are you going to be weekenders/occasional vacationers (like we are)? Do you plan on traveling full time or for longer lengths of time? Will you be camping locally, or will you be taking trips across the country? What is your family size? What kind of amenities do you want in your camper? Understanding how you intend to use your camper will help you narrow down which type of camper you want.
2.) WHICH TYPE OF CAMPER DO YOU WANT?
There are several different types of campers. There is no right or wrong type of camper, just what works best for your travel needs! Here are the different types of campers to consider:
Towable RVs
Travel Trailer: Travel trailers pull behind your vehicle.
5th Wheel: 5th Wheels connect to a hitch in the bed of a truck.
Toy Hauler: Toy haulers have the ability to haul your outdoor toys like motorcycles, golf carts, bicycles, kayaks, etc.
Pop-Up: Pop-up campers collapse to a compact size for easy storage and towing.
Truck Camper: Truck campers are loaded into and attached to the bed of a pickup truck.
Drivable RVs
Class A: Class As are what you typically think of as a motorhome. They’re the largest type of RV, built on either a bus or commercial truck chassis.
Class B: Class Bs are van style RVs and are the smallest type of drivable RVs.
Class C: Class Cs are smaller than a Class A, but bigger than a class B. They are built on either a van or truck chassis, unless it is a super C, which is built on a semi-truck chassis.
Both the towable and drivable RVs come in various sizes and layouts. They each meet different needs, so with a little research, you can find exactly what would work best for your camping needs!
3.) VEHICLE TOW RATING
If you’re looking to purchase a towable RV, you want to look at the specifications of the vehicle you will be towing with. Not all trucks are the same. Payload, Gross Vehicle Weight Rating, Axel Ratios…there is so much to consider. For us, when we went to purchase our pickup truck, we knew we intended to get a camper in the future. One of our biggest concerns was to make sure we were getting a truck that would pull a camper that could fit our large family. Eric focused on towing capacity and payload when looking for our truck. It’s easy to get lost in features and amenities of a truck that make no difference when towing your camper. For us, it was important to find a truck with an appropriate axel ratio. The truck we were looking to buy was a 2016 GMC Sierra 1500. A truck could look identical on the outside, but depending on the axel ratio, may mean the difference between a truck that has a max towing capacity of 6,100 lbs. (3.08 gears) compared to the one that we purchased with a max towing capacity of 10,700 lbs. (3.42 gears). This information could most times be confirmed with a vin decoder or, if you are able, check the RPO Codes on the inside of the glovebox. Something to consider when looking at maximum tow rating, isn’t what’s the most that you can tow, but what you can stop. A good rule of thumb when matching the travel trailer you want with the truck you have is a rule of 80%. Your camper’s max weight should be no more than 80% of your tow vehicles max capacity. For example, if your tow vehicle has a max tow rating of 10,000 lbs., the camper you are looking for should have a max weight of no more than 8,000 lbs.
Secondly, we wanted to make sure we weren’t over the payload capacity of our truck. The payload rating is the total weight you intend to put on or inside of your tow vehicle. This needs to include the weight of all your passengers, cargo in the bed or trunk, the tongue weight of your camper, etc. Pretty much, if it wasn’t included in or on your vehicle when it rolled off the assembly line, it is added toward your total payload.
4.) WHAT IS YOUR BUDGET?
It’s always important to determine your budget before you start shopping for your camper. What is the top dollar you’re willing to spend? Are you wanting to pay in cash, or will you be financing? This will help you set parameters when doing your RV search. This will also help you decide if you want to buy new or used. Purchasing a camper can be expensive, so you want to be sure you are making a financially smart decision to start your camping adventures.
5.) DON’T BE AFRAID TO WALK AWAY!
Lastly, something you want to do is be ok walking away if needed. You may get lucky and find the perfect RV for you with the first one you go look at, but you may also find that what you see in person is very different than what you saw online. Trust your instincts. Even if you’ve negotiated a price beforehand, you can walk away in the moment if you’re not comfortable going through with the deal. It is frustrating and sad in the moment, but in the end, you will not regret it
BUYING OUR FIRST RV
We had dreamed for years of buying an RV and used the considerations mentioned above to help us through the process. We love to travel! We are also a big family, so we don’t fit in typical hotel rooms, which can get expensive trying to find suites or getting two adjoining rooms! An RV would allow us to travel more affordably, making it possible for us to travel a little more often. We also love camping and hiking, so a camper seemed like the perfect solution. We knew that we would be mostly weekend warriors, occasionally taking longer trips of a few weeks to a month long. We needed a camper that would comfortably sleep 6 people. Eric did the research on our truck’s towing capacities, so we knew that because we wanted a towable camper, a travel trailer would be the best option for us. To try and get a better idea of size and layout, we actually rented a camper for a weekend. This helped us decide that we did want some sort of bunkhouse, but the travel trailer we rented was very small. If we could find one in the budget, we wanted something with at least one slide and while a bunkhouse was a must, a bonus would be finding one with a bunkroom. We had recently worked for just over two years to pay off our debt, so financing wasn’t an option. We decided to buy used to find a camper that we could pay for in cash.
Once we set our budget, we looked on Facebook Marketplace, RV Trader, RV dealerships, and everywhere in between. We found one on Facebook Marketplace that was within our budget, size/weight parameters, and had a layout that we thought could work. It was 5 hours away from home, so we did some price negotiating before we scheduled a day to look at it. To say we were excited was an understatement! We surprised the kids and took them along with us. When we got there and looked at the camper we didn’t have a great feeling about it. The inside was ok, but didn’t look as clean as it was presented online. When Eric got on the roof, he saw what could be rotted wood in one of the back corners along with concerning areas on the roof itself. He told me he didn’t feel comfortable going through with the deal and I trusted him. It was a huge disappointment!
For months, we still looked, but with a lot more caution and hesitancy, almost to the point of putting off buying a camper altogether. That is, until my Popaw passed away somewhat unexpectedly. It really put into perspective that we don’t know what tomorrow will bring, so we were determined to make buying a camper work so that we could make the most of the time we have with our kids as they grow up. Whether that meant finding a smaller camper or increasing our budget a little, it was going to happen! So, we set out on another search. After many contacts with sellers, we found another camper on Facebook Marketplace, this time much closer to home. While our first experience was a huge let down, we’re so glad it happened because what we ended up with is such a better fit for us! Eric & I (& for now, Trevor) have our own room and the kids have a nice bunkroom in the back! It has two slides, one in the living area and one in the bunkroom. It has a U-shaped dinette, so if we need to eat inside, we have plenty of room. We have taken several short trips and one two-week trip so far and can’t wait to make more memories in our first camper, Penny!