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My husband and I are thinking of buying a camper trailer. We don't know much about them. Does anyone have any recommendations on brands? Which ones are good, which ones not so good? We do have a diesel F250 truck so can pull just about any weight trailer.
Also, is traveling and staying at campgrounds much cheaper than hotels? How much are average campgrounds per night?
I really know very little so any advice or information would be helpful.
Would need to know more about what you intend to do with the camper, how many in your family, price range, etc., before anyone can recommend a brand or even a size of a camper.
As for staying in campgrounds, mostly I would say you won't save any money by using a trailer. First you have to figure in the price of the unit, then the gas you will use (between 11-15 mpg for the diesel) and then the price of the campground (from free to $80/night in very popular campgrounds such as Fort Wilderness at Disneyworld)
Where you will save money is you can cook for yourself instead of eating out each meal, assuming you don't mind cooking. And you won't have to worry about bedbugs in your bedding. You can watch any movie your heart desires, and you may be able to bring pets with you (assuming they are good natured and behave well).
My husband and I are thinking of buying a camper trailer. We don't know much about them. Does anyone have any recommendations on brands? Which ones are good, which ones not so good?
Honestly, which ones would be better depends on how often you'll be using it. If you only intend for you and your husband to sleep in it 10-15 nights per year in the summer, which is probably typical, the cheaper campers are plenty good. If you don't know, you and hubby need to make some tentative plans now, before you buy. You can always change your minds, but an inexpensive camper isn't likely to be a good pick for spending seasons in it -- cabinetry won't be very pleasant and may break, carpets, chairs and sofas will show wear quickly.
Our last camper was of the bargain brand variety. We bought it new and used it for about 10 years, but over the full ownership period we probably averaged fewer that 10 nights per year in it. We treated it very well, keeping it clean and maintained, but not under cover. It was in two hail storms, one from the NW and the other from the SE, so it had hail on all four sides. Insurance paid us 70-75% of it's value for the two storms, but I only repaired the plastic parts that were broken and chose to live with dents in the siding. When we sold it we got the other 25-30% of its cost back, so it didn't cost us anything other than insurance, tags and maintenance. It was a nice little camper for us -- a 27' 5th wheel with a small slide-out. The carpet was worn out -- not with holes, but just worn flat. Everything else was still like new inside, but the exterior was a little rough from the hail and 10 years of baking under the sun.
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We do have a diesel F250 truck so can pull just about any weight trailer.
You're still pretty restricted with an F250. The camper above was the weight limit for my F250 PSD at 10,000 lbs., but mine was a pretty old one -- a 2000. We wanted a bigger one but needed a bigger truck first. The newer ones do carry quite a bit more, but you'd be overloaded with a big, expensive 5er. (5th wheels place more of their weight on the truck than do "traditional" trailers. They tow better but require a bigger truck for the same sized trailer.)
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Also, is traveling and staying at campgrounds much cheaper than hotels? How much are average campgrounds per night?
I really know very little so any advice or information would be helpful.
I don't think we ever spent more than $50-$60 per night -- maybe a time or two. Average private campground for us was probably $40. But most of our camping was in federal or state campgrounds, generally USFS, which for us old people was maybe $6 per night? (half price) However, we didn't camp to save money. We most often camped next to a mountain stream and cooked over a campfire, then would sit around the fire telling lies until bedtime. For us, that beats most any hotel we've ever stayed in.
Price per night varies greatly depending on where and when and how you'll be camping. You gotta help us out a little!
This would just be for me and my husband. Maybe our 2 dogs, but probably wouldn't travel with them much. I'd like to spend less than 20K. We have flexibility with our jobs and we picture traveling a bit to see the country and visit national or state parks. Maybe a couple of 2 week trips per year.
As was said earlier, we'd need to know your camping plans to do a recommendation. We spend 4-5 months at a time in ours, so we were interested in more of a "home-like" atmosphere. We're on our 9th year in our fifth wheel. We've stayed in national parks, state parks, county parks, fancy rv parks, ratty rv parks, and even a truck stop if necessary. There is an RV for every taste: pickup campers, pop-ups, pull-behinds, fifth wheels, and Class C's, B's, B+'s, and A's motor homes. And there's a price for every budget.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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We bought a 20’ Springdale 202QBWE and love it. RV parks around here average $40-50/night with 30 amp hookups. Some things to look for:
Room to walk on both sides of a full queen bed, so you don’t have to climb over the other person
Avoid wet bath, where the toilet gets hit by the shower
Ovens are not included on all of them, and also look for 3 burner stove
Lots of light from big windows. Ours has a huge back window and rear sides so U-shaped dinette is well lit
Separate refrigerator and freezer doors
Ours was $23,000 regular price but we found the from $16,000 and up depending on the dealer. When the 2018s came out the 2017 was discounted to $14,995 so we bought it.
Our dealer offered a lifetime warranty free, we just have to take it in once a year for a checkup for $99.
For weekends and very short trips where a destination is known a travel trailer can be a nice experience but for major trips i prefer motels as with a motel you dont have to start looking for a campsite before sundown in unfamiliar territory, you also dont have to spend time setting up your camp site, with a motel you just walk in to your air conditioned room open a beer and turn on the tv while ordering a pizza.
This would just be for me and my husband. Maybe our 2 dogs, but probably wouldn't travel with them much. I'd like to spend less than 20K. We have flexibility with our jobs and we picture traveling a bit to see the country and visit national or state parks. Maybe a couple of 2 week trips per year.
Well, the best built brand-new campers are definitely out of that price range. But buying used can put some great campers in your price range. The suggestion of an Arctic Fox camper above is a good one and you could probably find a good used one for under 20k. If you decide on a used camper, be sure to get someone knowledgeable to inspect it before you purchase, leak problems can end up costing more than you are saving in buying used.
Airstreams are arguably the best campers out there, but most balk at the price they want for them.
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