Trailer Philosophy... Brian and I both find ourselves oscillating wildly between many competing desires when it comes to trailers and the experience we're looking for.. We have to figure out what it is, exactly, that we want.
Originally we wanted something small that would allow us to leave Hank in a comfortable (temperature controlled) environment so that we could go out and explore without him on occasion. He doesn't ride a bike well and wineries don't tend to be dog friendly, so we have to leave him from time to time. Leaving him in the truck is not a good option because it can get too hot or cold; and frankly, he doesn't like it. So... our first idea: the T@b!
Cute, right?! Yeah. Except, Brian cant stand up inside of it. So, we started to look for alternatives. We've been looking for over a year now so we've seen lot's of options. We almost bought one a little over a year ago, but we realized (thankfully, at the last minute) that we were overreaching financially. After the "near miss" our hunt reduced itself to a low boil. However, now I've graduated, we got married, we LIVE IN THE SAME CITY and it's time to renew the search! Today we hit a few lots and our philosophical questions came into sharp focus. A summary:
Do we want something similar to the T@b (pictured above), but without the things we don't like about it (as in... Brian can stand in it AND it would have a shower and toilet). If so, then we found the perfect little trailer. Let me introduce you to the Riverside RV White Water 150:
Pros: Only 15' long & meets our original requirements. It's small enough that we can keep camping in the places we like to camp without worrying about the size of the trailer. Also, it's really freaking cute and I could decorate the hell out of it. Then, of course, there's the fact that this little trailer makes my heart pitter patter.
Cons: We've done more research and thought more about what we really need and so a long list of cons has emerged. It only holds 10gallons of fresh water; this means we can't easily "dry camp" with it (that's camping in places that don't have hook ups). The bed is quite small, and, since neither Brian or I are petite people... that could get old. The "refrigerator" is tiny and little more than a glorified ice chest. There is ZERO counter space so food prep would have to be done outside on our camping table. It's probably too small for Brian's beer shenanigans (to be explained more fully later). Oh yeah, and there's the fact that the bathroom is TINY!
This brings us to the Travel Lite Idea i16:
This is the "Cadillac" of the small "ultralight" trailers... or we were told by two different sales people.
Pros: It's still small, we can still fit into all the campsites we like. The water tanks are large so we can dry camp. The bathroom is roomy and easily usable. It's light-weight so we can keep Brian's current truck. It has a decent amount of counter space. The bed is the fold-out/tent type so we would have the vibe of sleeping outdoors.
Cons: Expensive. Unless we can find it used... which I am not confident about. The bed being the fold-out/tent type means that we would have to implement special security measures before leaving Hank in it alone. Also, small refrigerator :(
Next The Keystone Bullet Premier 19FBPR:
Pros: Freaking LUXURY! This is some serious relaxation potential! Has everything we need... water tanks, big bathroom, counter space, storage, comfy bed with cute little bedside tables etc.
Cons: Expensive... again, unless we can find it used. We would have to upgrade Brian's truck due to the weight. This last con is a bigger deal for me more than for Brian... but it feels HUGE from the outside. I have to climb three steps to get into it. The thing feels like a freaking beast!
Philosophically speaking... this is not the experience we originally set out to have. This is a much more luxurious good time. That doesn't mean it's bad... just not what we originally signed up for. But, if we could find it used for an affordable price, would this be the experience we actually want? I have to admit, design wise, I don't feel inspired by this trailer and that's a draw-back for me. I want something that I'm going to want to decorate and make into a second home for us. This trailer doesn't make my heart pitter patter and it doesn't make me want to decorate it. On the other hand, Brian and I could have some really fun trips in a rig like this. Hmmm....
So then, at the very end of the hot and exhausting day, we stumbled on this: The Dutchman Four Winds 18 f:
At 18', is this the compromise we've been looking for? You may not be able to tell from the photos, but the floor plan on this one is perfect. You walk straight into the party lounge. It would be a ton of fun to decorate.
Pros: It has all the amenities we've decided that we want... without feeling like a mammoth. Brian's been toying with the idea of touring his beer at various festivals and this lounge feel layout would be perfect. The price is right (or at least close to right).
Cons: It's a rare floor plan... we might need to jump on this used gem now even though we weren't planning to purchase anything quite yet. It's also quite long and pushes the limits of what we'll be able to pull into our current favorite camp sites. It's also older, which means it's heavy, which means we'd have to upgrade Brian's truck before we attempted any extreme trips (like Yosemite).
Decisions, Decisions, Decisions...
Stay tuned!
