Wannabe camper

[rriley25]

Hi all...

I'd love to try the whole camping thing. It seems like my style. Is there a good website(s) I can visit because I've got a million questions. Like, how much does a typical campsite cost? Are the plumbing & electrical hook-ups difficult? How much fuel economy is lost when pulling a pop-up, a medium sized trailer, a large trailer? Will my gasoline Expedition do the job? Etc.....

TIA

 

[AuburnJen92]

we can pretty much answer what you want here...we just cut up more than we answer questions!

 

[ftwildernessguy]

If you can plug in a lamp, you can hook up the electric.

If you can attach a hose to a water faucet, you can hook up the water.

An expedition will pull a good sized trailer, especially with today's light weight models.

Gas mileage varies depending on the trailer and tow vehicle. My F150 gets 18mpg without the trailer, about 11-13mpg with it. I tow a 21ft hybrid.

Kungaloosh recipe : 1/4 cup Capt Morgan's spiced rum
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup strawberry daiquiri mix
1/4 cup blackberry or raspberry brandy or liquer

put in magic bullet with enough ice to make slushy. serves one.

That is pretty much everything you need to know about camping.

 

[2goofycampers]

1. site costs---$15.00 - $100.00

2. plumbing and elec. are very easy. a water hose and a plug. that's it.

3. all I can speak for is a 30 ft. TT, you loose about half your fuel mileage with it.
4. we can help with your questions here. and another site is. http://www.rvusa.org/dev/forum/

 

[Gatordad]

I get all my camping information from www.rvusa.org

 

[RvUsa]

I bow before the pwetty pwincess!


Sorry dude, couldn't resist, at least its better than a picture of dirty harry pointing a gun at me!

 

[rriley25]

Okay...I think I've got it. The scene from RV with Robin Williams trying to hook up the "discharge" is bogus. Should've known.

Would you recommend renting a rig first, before buying? Not many places to do that, I imagine?

Does size matter? It's me, my wife and my 7 yo daughter. Any recommendations on the make or model of trailer?

I'm sure I'll think of more.

 

[Gatordad]

Okay...I think I've got it. The scene from RV with Robin Williams trying to hook up the "discharge" is bogus. Should've known.

Would you recommend renting a rig first, before buying? Not many places to do that, I imagine?

Does size matter? It's me, my wife and my 7 yo daughter. Any recommendations on the make or model of trailer?

I'm sure I'll think of more.

some women will tell you that size does matter.

 

[AuburnJen92]

You need to think about what you want to take with you as to what trailer you would like to buy. I would look at the different plans on the internet...would you like something like a hybrid? We started out with a popup, then hybrid and now MH. Are you going to bring a atv, golf cart? If so, you might want to look at a toy hauler. They now have trailers for every need. Good Luck!

 

[BigDaddyRog]

Hi all...

I'd love to try the whole camping thing. It seems like my style.

TIA

The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem!!! You're well on your way

 

[BigCheese_MainSqueez]

We are poor, we still just use a tent and still love it

 

[2goofycampers]

Okay...I think I've got it. The scene from RV with Robin Williams trying to hook up the "discharge" is bogus. Should've known.

Would you recommend renting a rig first, before buying? Not many places to do that, I imagine?

Does size matter? It's me, my wife and my 7 yo daughter. Any recommendations on the make or model of trailer?

I'm sure I'll think of more.

step 1. see what the tow capacity of your vehicle is, then look for something that with it, contents and people will weigh 75 percent or less of tow capacity.

we are Jayco fans. you can look here for specs and price some campers

http://www.jayco.com/

 

[Gillian]

You just wanna have cool tags like us.

With gas prices being what they are, you may want to look at the lower weight trailers. We are a family of 4 with a popup, but would like to upgrade to an expandable (hybrid) camper someday. The popups these days are really nice, very easy to tow, lots of room inside for the weight, big beds. A hybrid has full height walls so you can have a larger fridge and a real bathroom.

 

[auntie]

If you are interested in purchasing a camper, you may want to consider renting one first. Before we purchased ours we looked into several RV resorts, and rented their "on-site" units. This gave us a good idea of what we liked and didn't like in a camper. Also gives you a good feel for the camping experience.

 

[YellowXterra]

This is gonna sound crazy but I know cuz I have been there and done that and paid the stupid tax.

Buy your second camper first! It will save you a ton of money in the long run. I have a pop up and get about 15 mpg towing with a V6 Nissan frontier truck. My camper weights in at 3500lbs loaded. Only get 18 on the highway alone.

 

[bama_ed]

Bob,

Don't try to do too much too soon. You know yourself better than we do so you know the rate that you will crawl-walk-run when it comes to camping. Between Boy Scouts and my pop-up I have hundreds of nights camping (although I hesitate to call nights in my pop-up "camping").

Go down to Target or Academy Sports or some outdoors store and pick up a tent and sleeping bag and go some place close to home on nice fall weekend with good weather and see if you like it. Don't try to do too much too soon - like tent camping for two weeks in August at Disney for the first time.

You can rent pop-ups (not too common) or travel trailers (if your vehicle can pull it) and again, stay close to home, practice backing it in and setting it up, etc. Or ask someone who has a camper to show you.

There is a poster here on the disboards who will rent their 5th wheel camper to you; they set it up at the Fort and take it down when you're done - although by the time you pay for the site and the rental its a little pricy but still better than the cost of cabin at the Fort. Might be a good learning experience though if you are headed to Disney.

Also, attend RV shows in your area. Fellow RV'ers and campers love to talk about their lesson-learned, plus you get to see some nice rigs. However much money you have you'll find ways to spend on this wonderful way of life.

I have a pop-up and love the fact that I can "grab-it-and-go", it's not heavy, it's smaller than a TT, and it still feels like camping because I have the canvas over my head. It's paid for itself for the money we've saved by using it instead of a condo at the beach or a cabin in the mountains.

Keep us updated and come on down to the Fort someday!

Bama ED

 

[ffpm63]

My cousin has a coleman caravan hybrid that he pulls with a Navagator which is the same as an expedition with no problem. He camps with 3 teens and his wife. they seam to like it. Jayco's are very nicely built that is what I started with. Now have a MH. You might be surprised what you can get a MH for these days Lots of sales. Check campingworld.com Lightly used ones are cheap.

 

[rriley25]

Bob,

Don't try to do too much too soon. You know yourself better than we do so you know the rate that you will crawl-walk-run when it comes to camping.

Bama ED

Thanks for this info Ed. Everyone here has been very helpful.

I did look at the Jayco site and found several models that piqued my interest. I'll be doing more homework on the various options available.

How about some ideas of what NOT to do? Maybe some campsites that you would recommend? Maybe in the Mid-Atlantic area?

 

[2goofycampers]

Don't buy more camper then your truck can pull well, it's irritating and the repair bills are . don't believe the sales guy when he says " sure your truck can pull this no problem". Been there done that.


Also be sure to look at the roof and underneath.

 

[WeCampDisney]

the gang has giving you a lot of good stuff to think about. If you are budget minded and hate paying these sky high gas prices, you may be happiest with a light weight, low profile camper like a pop-up or a Hi-Lo. Know this fact: any tall rv catches a lot of wind resistance which kills gas milage. I have pulled my light weight (4760 lbs dry) 30 ft Trail-Lite with an Expedition. It pulled it fine but I got 8.5 to 9 mpg on interstate hw at 60-65mph. Yea the large indoor space is nice but man its tuff to afford to pull it very much. Kind of wish I had a Hi-Lo, the top half drops down for low profile towing. Its all hard sided and has a real bathroom. I think a lot of folks get caught up in the excitement of the big fancy rigs and get more than they need (like us) Remember its camping, not living quarters. Also, check out the cute little super lite Cassita ( cassitatraveltrailers.com). Its a 2 piece molded fiberglass shell, largest model is 17 ft., weighs about 2400 lbs, perfect for you three. With your Expedition pulling a pop-up, a Hi-Lo, or a Cassita, you should get 12 to 14 mpg at 60mph. Any tall conventional trailer expect 8 to 9 mpg.