Impressive

Oh how I wish I had the time, know-how, skills, tools, and chutzpah to do this: http://imgur.com/a/5n3xI

A few teaser photos of the finished product...

Someday maybe?

Wisdom

So, a few weeks ago Brian and I stumbled on a 18' 1996 trailer that had been meticulously maintained by one owner and had only been used twice.  Ever.  Needless to say, we were very interested.  We were even working on finding a professional to take a look at it for us (we've read in several places that it's a good idea to have a professional evaluate a used trailer before you buy... especially if you're a novice).  But as we talked it over we finally concluded that it just wasn't the right time for us. 

Parking it on our current driveway would be tight.
We don't have the cash saved up yet and we'd rather not dip into savings.
This trailer would require Brian to upgrade his truck, something we're not totally sure we're prepared to do imediately.
etc etc etc

But, in the end, I'm glad we let this one go.  This near miss gave us a chance to have some serious conversations about doing this the right way.  Here are a few of our conclusions:

*We should wait until we find something we have the cash for.
*If we buy something now, while we live at this house, it should fit on our driveway (technically the 1996 trailer would have fit, but it would have hung over into the sidewalk.  In our neighborhood people actually park on the sidewalks, so a trailer hanging out wouldn't be a huge deal, but still, not ideal)
*We should probably rent a trailer for a few weekends before we buy.  What if, in the end, we don't even like camping with a trailer?!
*We may need to upgrade the truck, so we should wait to buy the trailer until we're prepared to do so.  Unless of course, we stumble on something light enough for the Tacoma to handle.  As many people have now told us... it's not pulling the trailer with the Tacoma that's the problem, it's stopping it.

Then... there is the size issue.  This is really more my issue than Brian's.  I just have this nagging worry in the pit of my stomach that if we get a 18'+ trailer then we're RVing, not camping.  I really want to be campers who have a trailer.  This concern peaked for me last night as I was trolling Craigslist... so I finally asked Brian, "would you be willing to give the small trailer a shot knowing that we can always upgrade later if we decide we need something larger".  To my surprise he seemed on board with the idea!  I'm starting to feel excited again, rather than weighed down by worry that we'll make a purchase we will regret.

So here's what I'm on the hunt for now:
*14'-16' including the tongue (for the right trailer I'd consider 18' including the tongue, but it would have to be something special)
*Something with a bathroom
*Water tanks large enough to allow us to dry camp for at least 5 days.
*Temperature control (mostly so we can leave Hank in it when we take the bikes out)
*I've accepted the fact that the dinette and the bed will be one in the same, but it would be a bonus to find something with at least one extra bed... perhaps a bunk?
*At least a medium sized refrigerator.  I know we won't get a full size fridge with a separate freezer, but I'd rather avoid the trailers that have the teeny-tiny dorm fridges.
*A reasonable amount of storage.  I'm not asking for a miracle, but a few cupboards would be nice.

Some nice to haves:
*Something light enough that we could keep the Tacoma, at least for now.
*As always, the ability to climb up and hang out on top of the trailer would be awesome.

I can't wait to find our gem and get out there!




And now... some eye candy (just for fun!)

Check out this 1977 13' Scamp listed on Ebay!  So cute!  I would give credit to the person who remodeled it, but I don't know who he/she is.  Props to whoever you are!!!  This one won't work for us for several reasons, but I couldn't resist posting pics because it's so inspirational.  Enjoy!