When is enough to pay for a camper

[stacktester]

Back in May, I bought my 3rd camper in 3 years. It is a Cougar 310SRX Toy Hauler 5th Wheel. Although I love the camper and the room (2 bedrooms with the garage) and the superslide I'm not sure how much more I'm enjoying. I used to could go to FW under a tank of fuel on the other toy haulers and they were much smaller and easier to pull. Not to mention I used to could put 3 four wheelers in the camper and one in the truck bed and still sleep everybody we took along. Now I'm struggling to put 2 four wheelers in the small garage and my golf cart won't fit when I put the back seat on. I lost the truck bed to the hitch and triple towing is illiegal in Florida. Sounds like a good recipe for a soap opera lol.

I'm not trying to sound ungreatful, but one of the main reasons we bought a camper was to get the 4 wheelers to riding destinations. What I wouldn't give to have my 04 Tailgator back today. We usually only 4 wheel in the cooler months so this is a hard decision.

Diesel is NOT going to go down in price so I'm at a dilemma. Do I give up the comfort of the 5'er and go back to a hard sided toy hauler somewhere in the 25' range or get one of the pop up toy haulers that can haul 3-4 four wheelers on the trailer and one in the truck. These new pop up haulers are sweet and light weight. The Cougar is sitting most months for 24-26 days because the little weekend get-aways are too much to pack up for a night or 2. I know everybody else on here (except Gatordad, because he lives at FW and is getting a homestead exemption from WDW this year) has a camper sitting around collecting dust and costing a fortune to maintain, not to mention insurance and storage. I have property to keep mine on so at least that's covered.

One thing I'm wanting to know and one of the reasons I posted on here is because there are a lot of pop up campers on this forum. The Scorpion Hauler (pop up model) I'm looking at is basically a pop up on a flatbed trailer designed to haul golf carts, motorcycles and 4 wheelers and also has a screened in room option when the deck is cleared off. I'm pretty sure I could live with it because even though I have the big kitchen I cook outside. The only hold back is the bathroom. I like having a shower and toilet inside which this model does have but it's kinda like a tarp around the toilet. Some models have a hard wall and door that installs when the roof is extended up. What can anyone tell me about the casette toilets? Are they more headache than it's worth?

I do think that something easier to hook up and set up would be used more often. I've also thought about buying a cheap pop up and mounting it on a trailer and have 2 campers but that's more insurance and upkeep. I appreciate any suggestions from you experts.

 

[lawnspecialties]

With all the money you've spent, why not get a nice, used motorhome and pull a 16' trailer loaded down with 4 wheelers?

 

[terri01p]

Wow no real advice for you, but just wanted to add the price of gas has really taken away from camping for us, we also have thought about trading in our tt and going back to a pop-up.

It cost us a small mint to pull ours anywhere, let alone Florida. Also you never really know what you need in a camper until you really stay in it...I really wanted a big bathroom in our tt and I got that but now I wish I would have opted for a smaller bathroom and two bedrooms instead of one.

All of a sudden every vacation we go on my dd and sil want to go and there is just not enough sleeping room. I would go back to a pop-up in a heartbeat but the set up at our age is just to hard and time consuming.

With gas, insurance, property taxes and tt payments camping can just become to expensive.

That being said I would rather stay in my own tt than stay in a hotel room hundreds of people sleep in every year

 

[stacktester]

I hear ya on the expensive part. In just the past couple years fuel has doubled and the campsites have too. You can't completely blame campgrounds for going up. The price of power, water and labor to keep them going has gone sky high too.

It's ashame because things like camping that all walks of life enjoy is one of the last things a family can do together that wasn't so expensive. I'm not going to tangent on how the oil company's profits that are driving everything in the economy to inflate way faster than people can afford. I'll save that for another day.

I'm curious to see what Disney does when fuel gets more expensive and not so many rv's are rolling in the fort. I remember some of the other times when the economy was dragging and Disney was making some offers you couldn't refuse to get people coming in. As a matter of fact, a lot of the theme parks have done that.

 

[LONE-STAR]

I understand the problem while mine is not exactly the same I am kind of there with you. I have a 28' terry fifth wheel that we mainly bought to take to FW but we camp other places in Texas now. But after getting the trailer and taking it to FW a few times, I decided we needed a golf cart. We wanted a golf cart so we bought one and fixed it the way we wanted it. Just needed to weld on the tow hitch to the back of my 5er to pull my little trailer with the golf cart on the back or so I thought. Tx. La. Ms. Al. no triple tow law but good old Fl. has the triple tow law. So it wasn't long before it was time to go back to FW and I could not find a toy hauler I wanted to commit to for the next 12 years. So I found this thing they call a swivel wheel (it's a 5'x8' deck with a crazy wheel under it that hooks up to the back of a fifth wheel trailer) some call it a triple tow, some don't. So I bought one, welded the hitch assembly to the frame on the back of my trailer, and hooked it up. Loaded the golf cart on it and took it for a test tow down the highway. It made me whip all over the road- not fun. Called the place where I bought it and they told me I did not have enough pin weight which they could have told me before I gave them 2 grand. So they told me to add weight to the front of my trailer.
I was starting to get annoyed. So I welded a frame on the front of my 5er to hold a 55 gal. drum, filled it with water, and we were off. It worked ok but I really wasn't crazy about the way it towed. So now that we are back me and the DW are looking for a new trailer. We found one at camping world 32' long TT with a 8-10' deck on the front. Has a slide plus the front and the back have beds that come out like on a pop up. It was Kodiak.

P.S It was all worth it to have our golf cart there.

 

[seabee]

I'm not sure exactly what you are thinking you want. But we have 32' N'Tense Toy Hauler, and love it. You could fit your golf cart in, and your 4 wheelers when you need to. Plus you would gain your truck bed back. We have the 260 floor plan. Here is a link
www.ntense-rv.com

Hope it helps.

 

[big kahuna1]

Why did you buy a Toy Hauler with the seperate garage? Sounds like you would prefer and use more efficiently, one of the Fiver Toy Haulers where the garage becomes apart of the living area when not in use. You could open a 4 wheeler store with one of those. Just fold up the furniture and load em up. Storage galore!

 

[CaptKen]

I keep hearing about Florida's triple towing laws and have read them, but has anyone noticed all the triple towing on the interstates in Florida. I spoke to my neighbor that manages the local RV service center. He said they install hitches on 5er's all the time and never heard of anyone getting stopped for it. Then I've been told by law enforcement that it was legal as long as you was within a certain length. I wonder if anyone really knows or cares.

 

[Gatordad]

Why did you buy a Toy Hauler with the seperate garage? Sounds like you would prefer and use more efficiantly, one of the Fiver Toy Haulers where the garage becomes apart of the living area when not in use. You could open a 4 wheeler store with one of those. Just fold up the furniture and load em up. Storage galore!

I agree with Steve on this one. Our weekend warrior has storage pretty much up to the bedroom inside. We could probably fit 2 golf carts inside the size of ours. The RV Show in tampa is the weekend of the 18th. Take a drive and see what's out there.

 

[PolynesianPixie]

Ok, I can't give any insight on the pop-up toy haulers, but I can tell you about my own pop-up experiences. Ours is easy to pull. It cost us $350 in fuel to go approx 1450 miles in a loaded down truck pulling it. I have seen the ones with "real" bathrooms. Ours is the screened in type with the cassette. It isn't a hassel, but we also have rules about the potty (trying to give you the idea w/o going into too much detail) With 3 small kiddos we haven't used the indoor shower yet~I have visions of water everywhere!!!! It is spacious and is supposed to sleep 9 (small people). There are 2 king sized slide outs with interior curtains for privacy, so they make little rooms. Here are a couple of pics of the inside:

Good luck finding just the right one!

 

[tellnotails]

It gets harder and harder to appreciate FW these days.....

I don't believe that it is anything more than a money grab by supply/demand at the fort.....IMHO

That being said I still go once every year.........that's all I can budget....I want to stay more......I want to take my golf cart.....I want to take 4 bikes.....

But once I sleep on it i realize that my 24.5' 1999 5th wheel meets my needs nothing more.....and I am fine with that.....

Once I came to grips with the want/need of camping I found my trips more enjoyable than ever before........I chuckle at the " Keep up with the Jones " at the fort....I am there enjoying all of the Fort has to offer at a fraction of the cost of these poor chaps.......And the beauty of it I will be there again next year only because I abandoned my own jealousy.......all I gave up was a huge 5er and a golf cart........such a small price to pay.........

I find I talk more.....listen more .....smell more......love more.....when I walk with my family and enjoy every step of the way......


Looking forward to my annual trip in Feb........with out a golf cart....I'll live...

 

[BigDaddyRog]

It gets harder and harder to appreciate FW these days.....

I don't believe that it is anything more than a money grab by supply/demand at the fort.....IMHO

That being said I still go once every year.........that's all I can budget....I want to stay more......I want to take my golf cart.....I want to take 4 bikes.....

But once I sleep on it i realize that my 24.5' 1999 5th wheel meets my needs nothing more.....and I am fine with that.....

Once I came to grips with the want/need of camping I found my trips more enjoyable than ever before........I chuckle at the PrevoMadonna at the fort....I am there enjoying all of the Fort has to offer at a fraction of the cost of these poor chaps.......And the beauty of it I will be there again next year only because I abandoned my own jealousy.......all I gave up was a huge 5er and a golf cart........such a small price to pay.........

I find I talk more.....listen more .....smell more......love more.....when I walk with my family and enjoy every step of the way......


Looking forward to my annual trip in Feb........with out a golf cart....I'll live...

BRAVO!!!

 

[clkelley]

Well I bought a really tiny camper to begin with and have used a scooter (ECV) to get around the campground (Leave it parked in golf cart parking).

However, after this last trip, I've decided I'm not even bringing that unless hubby comes along and needs it in the parks. I found that I park hop so much, that the darn thing was parked at the opposite end of the campground that I arrived on that it was too much hassle to go get it and it sat parked in golf cart parking a lot of nights.

(Although that may change since MK is now the only park that leaves from Settlement).

So, unless you spend more time at the campground than you do in the parks, I really see no need for independent internal transportation.

 

[merryweather20]

I find I talk more.....listen more .....smell more......love more.....when I walk with my family and enjoy every step of the way......


Looking forward to my annual trip in Feb........with out a golf cart....I'll live...

But everythings smells better from a golf cart

 

[loveDmouse]

It gets harder and harder to appreciate FW these days.....

I don't believe that it is anything more than a money grab by supply/demand at the fort.....IMHO

That being said I still go once every year.........that's all I can budget....I want to stay more......I want to take my golf cart.....I want to take 4 bikes.....

But once I sleep on it i realize that my 24.5' 1999 5th wheel meets my needs nothing more.....and I am fine with that.....

Once I came to grips with the want/need of camping I found my trips more enjoyable than ever before........I chuckle at the PrevoMadonna at the fort....I am there enjoying all of the Fort has to offer at a fraction of the cost of these poor chaps.......And the beauty of it I will be there again next year only because I abandoned my own jealousy.......all I gave up was a huge 5er and a golf cart........such a small price to pay.........

I find I talk more.....listen more .....smell more......love more.....when I walk with my family and enjoy every step of the way......


Looking forward to my annual trip in Feb........with out a golf cart....I'll live...

 

[big kahuna1]

Originally Posted by tellnotails
It gets harder and harder to appreciate FW these days.....

I don't believe that it is anything more than a money grab by supply/demand at the fort.....IMHO

That being said I still go once every year.........that's all I can budget....I want to stay more......I want to take my golf cart.....I want to take 4 bikes.....

But once I sleep on it i realize that my 24.5' 1999 5th wheel meets my needs nothing more.....and I am fine with that.....

Once I came to grips with the want/need of camping I found my trips more enjoyable than ever before........I chuckle at the PrevoMadonna at the fort....I am there enjoying all of the Fort has to offer at a fraction of the cost of these poor chaps.......And the beauty of it I will be there again next year only because I abandoned my own jealousy.......all I gave up was a huge 5er and a golf cart........such a small price to pay.........

I find I talk more.....listen more .....smell more......love more.....when I walk with my family and enjoy every step of the way......


Looking forward to my annual trip in Feb........with out a golf cart....I'll live...

I love my massive 39' Toy Hauler Fiver with with a king bed and my Custom Golf Cart. Would not have it any other way...especially at the Fort.

 

[stacktester]

I installed a hitch on the back of my 5'er today. It is plenty big enough to haul a golf cart on my little trailer or 2 four wheelers. I know it's triple towing but I don't care. I see it all the time. If I get a ticket I'll worry with it then. I also bought a rear camera that I'm installing tomorrow. That way I'll be able to see better when changing lanes and watch my load behind the camper.

I'll still have room for a 4 wheeler or 2 in my garage as well. BTW, my garage is also a bedroom. It has a double on bottom and single on top that fold down when the bikes are out.

 

[lawnspecialties]

I installed a hitch on the back of my 5'er today. It is plenty big enough to haul a golf cart on my little trailer or 2 four wheelers. I know it's triple towing but I don't care. I see it all the time. If I get a ticket I'll worry with it then. I also bought a rear camera that I'm installing tomorrow. That way I'll be able to see better when changing lanes and watch my load behind the camper.

I'll still have room for a 4 wheeler or 2 in my garage as well. BTW, my garage is also a bedroom. It has a double on bottom and single on top that fold down when the bikes are out.

Excellent Stack. Now we must have pics.

 

[JPG]

It gets harder and harder to appreciate FW these days.....

I don't believe that it is anything more than a money grab by supply/demand at the fort.....IMHO

That being said I still go once every year.........that's all I can budget....I want to stay more......I want to take my golf cart.....I want to take 4 bikes.....

But once I sleep on it i realize that my 24.5' 1999 5th wheel meets my needs nothing more.....and I am fine with that.....

Once I came to grips with the want/need of camping I found my trips more enjoyable than ever before........I chuckle at the PrevoMadonna at the fort....I am there enjoying all of the Fort has to offer at a fraction of the cost of these poor chaps.......And the beauty of it I will be there again next year only because I abandoned my own jealousy.......all I gave up was a huge 5er and a golf cart........such a small price to pay.........

I find I talk more.....listen more .....smell more......love more.....when I walk with my family and enjoy every step of the way......


Looking forward to my annual trip in Feb........with out a golf cart....I'll live...

 

[dtum]

Wouldn't trade our fiver for anything. Don't think we could ever go back to a pup...too used to having a bathroom/shower close at hand (as you get older those nightly walks to the shower house aren't fun ) Yes, diesel is expensive, but i guess that's something we have to budget for and, except for Disney, stay at CG closer to home.