Camper Van travel trailer, anyone have thoughts?

[Goldy1]

Just wondering if anyone has one, or any thoughts on them.
We decided not to buy one. I wanted it to make financial sense but there was no way I could make it seem logical with two kids and using it only maybe 14 nights a year. We rent cabins instead (b4 covid anyway)

I like to look at them onlne, but I don't want one. I think they are neat until you realize how much work and expense they are. If you use it a lot, and love it, I think that's great!

I figured expenses would include
insurance??? I would think
buying it
it doesn't fall under lemon law protection
buying accessories needed
fees to park it year round
cleaning it
overnight site fees at campgrounds
needing big tow capacity vehicle
repairs and maintenance

and more

[Goldy1]

a girl can dream though right?? lol

[disneysteve]

I think you made a great decision not to buy.

A lot of people buy toys without thinking through how much owning that toy will actually cost beyond just the purchase price. Insurance, storage, transport, etc. All the stuff you listed. It is very often cheaper to just rent the toy you want for the handful of times you will use it.

[~bs]

you know what they say- if it flies, floats, or follows....

[james.hendrickson]

Campers are popular this year - especially now that fewer people are traveling internationally or between states.

[Drake3287]

My wife and I have been thinking about buying a new travel trailer but the one thing I can't get past is having to spend an additional $150. a month (Bay Area) on storage fee's at someplace where it might get broken into anyway. Unfortunately I have no space at home other than my driveway which I don't wish to lose. Add in the guaranteed maintenance/breakage issues and it's a tough sell for me as much as I'd love to have one.

[ua_guy]

I agree it doesn’t make sense if you’re only using it 14 nights a year. There are good sites which are like VRBO except for travel trailers and motor homes. It’s usually a better deal than outfits like Cruise America which charges for mileage, generator hours used, and you pay an extra fee for the unit to come stocked with basics like basic kitchenware. Private rentals look like a way better deal.

Storage and insurance are the killers on RV’s which don’t get used often. Besides that you have yearly maintenance on RV’s, and much more on motorhomes. Just put new tires on ours, which are only good for a max of 10 years. $2800 spent on those.

We’re up to 45 nights in our motor home this year already. We bought it with 34k miles end of 2018 and will roll over to 48k end of this trip. That’s pretty tame compared to some of the more enthusiastic RV people we encounter.

That said, it’s been ridiculously fun. More of a hobby than just a vacation for us.

My sister just went out and bought a travel trailer. Wish she would have talked to me first. Paid sticker, figured out storage is expensive, and I bet she uses it less than 2 weeks this year!

[bjl584]

One of the bigger issues is having a vehicle that can handle towing it.
RV's are hot right now.
But a lot of people are buying big RV's and trying to tow them with SUV's and half ton trucks.
You Tube "trailer towing idiots" and you'll see what I mean.

To do it right you'll need a rig that cost more than the camper just to haul it around safely.

Renting cabins sounds like the way to go if you are only going a handful of times per year

[riverwed070707]

I have a 22 foot '85 minnie winnie and I LOVE it. Snagged it on craigslist for $1000 and I've put maybe $2,500 into fixing it up. Insurance is like $120/year and I store it at home so no expense there, and it drives itself so while it is a gas guzzler itself, I don't have to have an expensive gas guzzling vehicle to haul it. It's not fancy but it suits us and costs a fraction of what the newer, larger trailers and RVs cost. Currently looking into options for a "permanent" camp spot on a lake where we could park her for an annual fee and not have to worry about actual driving maintenance any more. Found some spots for around $1500-2500/year that include electric, amenities like pools and playgrounds, and offer additional recreational rentals like boats or kayaks. Point being, it doesn't have to be expensive if you don't need the nicest, newest or biggest setup.