Thoughts on Trailer in Park vs Camper?

[Turn_the_Page]

I just retired Sept 1 . Still feels like vacation at this point. Talking about options for camping/travel with the DW. We're not big travelers, mostly regional and we prefer trips where we can haul the dogs with us.

We've camped off and on for years and love it, but of course, there's the trailer storage hassle and the hauling.

I should add that my DW is a nervous (and verbal) car-rider, even more so when we're towing and being passed aggressively. Frankly, it can be hard to listen to for more than an hour or so.

I have a 12 year old Tundra with less than 80k miles on it. Perfectly good for around town, especially now that I don't need to commute.

Option1 - Buy a camper, probably less than $25k. Replace the pickup (maybe), probably a Tacoma, another $25k. Monthly storage ~$150.

Option2 - DW has been looking at trailers (mobile home) in parks in the TX Hill Country. I have family in Kerrville/Frederickburg. With the trailer, we can take the dogs. Cost $50k - 100k. Probably $200 mo for utilities. We'd hope that we'd make friends in the park that could look after the place when we're not there. Of course, this limits us to day trips from that area.

With the camper, we can go anywhere, if we can stand the towing/car time. With the trailer, we get a less stressful drive and a 'second home' to get to.

It's not an investment decision. Obviously, the camper will depreciate. Probably the trailer also.

Any thoughts or advice.

 

[NW-Bound]

Depends on whether you want to be a camper (fixed base) or a traveler (towing). Looks like your wife already wants to be the 1st. That settles it.

I bought an RV to travel, not to camp. I already have a 2nd home in the boondocks.

 

[travelover]

I'd look at renting. Some places will take dogs. No storage, no maintenance, no trailer towing stress, no obligation to go to the same place all the time. Cheaper in the long run.

 

[Blackwoodt]

Check out the RV forums on Facebook. Many people have asked the exact same question. Join a couple of the groups, ask questions, ask cost, and browse! Several I suggest are Living the RV Dream, and Average Joe Camping. RV/Trailer sale groups are also on Facebook so you can get an idea of cost.

 

[Big_Hitter]

easy decision - get a camper and get out of Texas a few months a year

DW will get used to the road, if not they have prescriptions for that type of anxiety

 

[Sunset]

For Option 2 - consider park model type trailer parks, in Nev and FL they easily exist that cost 10-20K for the trailer, and $600/mo for fees (swimming pool, community building, etc). The ones I saw in FL had very active members.

However, all you would have is a 2nd home, and would then want to travel from there.
Instead really I think you need to travel more, perhaps trips broken out into shorter stints, like find places to camp overnight or stop to tour for hours every 2 hours of driving.

 

[Teacher Terry]

It could be the driving that is scaring his wife. We have that issue too and no matter how bad the weather is and what I say he drives to fast with an RV. It is scary to feel yourself getting blown around. It is negatively impacting the trips we are taking or not taking. His son who is 25 drives much better and slower.

 

[REWahoo]

Be very cautious about mobile home parks in the Hill County. Most of them aren't a place to reside without concerns about leaving the house unoccupied. There are exceptions but they are not the norm.

 

[NW-Bound]

It could be the driving that is scaring his wife. We have that issue too and no matter how bad the weather is and what I say he drives to fast with an RV. It is scary to feel yourself getting blown around. It is negatively impacting the trips we are taking or not taking. His son who is 25 drives much better and slower.

I have seen some RV'ers driving like maniac. And I have seen overturned RVs. It is not pretty.

I used to look at yellow caution signs on highways, advising "Curve ahead, 35 mph", and thought why it was that big a deal when I could easily go 50 mph with one eye close. But that was when I was driving a car. With an RV, I realized that those signs were meant for semi-trailer trucks, and my RV's handling is worse than a semi when I pull a car behind it.

Never a semi-truck driver, but I think the handling is better than mine because with strong crosswinds, they don't get blown around as bad as mine does. The semi-trailers have axles at the two ends, instead of motorhomes that have the rear axle more forward, causing a big overhang. The short wheelbase allows tight turning, but causes poor stability.

I have seen travel trailers come snaking down the highway (they zigzag like a sidewinder), and they pass me while moving like a dog wagging its tail. Or is it the tail wagging the dog? Just accidents waiting to happen.

 

[haha]

Be very cautious about mobile home parks in the Hill County. Most of them aren't a place to reside without concerns about leaving the house unoccupied. There are exceptions but they are not the norm.

This is one of the very useful things about this forum. On the ground reports about what a situation really is. Things that would be hard to discover by people who are not right there over time.

Ha

 

[Sunset]

It could be the driving that is scaring his wife. We have that issue too and no matter how bad the weather is and what I say he drives to fast with an RV. It is scary to feel yourself getting blown around. It is negatively impacting the trips we are taking or not taking. His son who is 25 drives much better and slower.

+1

I was thinking the same thing. Something is making her nervous.

 

[Sunset]

Be very cautious about mobile home parks in the Hill County. Most of them aren't a place to reside without concerns about leaving the house unoccupied. There are exceptions but they are not the norm.

Subtle, very subtle.
Compare that to when I was talking to a cop about the theft/break-ins of cabins near a small town and what could we do.
The cop said "Nothing as 50% of the town folks were criminals"

But maybe you were talking about the weather ?

 

[travelover]

+1

I was thinking the same thing. Something is making her nervous.

Not necessarily. My DW is a very nervous passenger and I am a very careful driver that obeys the speed limit - no at fault accidents ever and have only been lightly rear ended a couple of times while stopped, by inattentive drivers. When I pull a trailer at 60 -65 mph, she is really nervous. Some people are just not good co-pilots.

 

[MRG]

easy decision - get a camper and get out of Texas a few months a year

DW will get used to the road, if not they have prescriptions for that type of anxiety

Seriously?

You've obviously never had to take that garbage. I'd rather live with crippling anxiety than have to take meds, till it get the best of you. Mine as well be nap time and wake up feeling like a cat crapped in your mouth.

 

[REWahoo]

But maybe you were talking about the weather ?

Nope.

 

[Bamaman]

We have a deeded membership in a large campground in the North Georgia Mountains. For $425 per year dues, we can stay 14 days monthly for free.
For $32 per month, they keep my fifth wheel trailer in storage. Any time we're going to use our trailer, they move it onto a campsite for $15.
The campground has 20 rental RV's for owners without RV's.
Any time we want, we can take our RV out of the park for extended trips. There are a number of lakes in the area with campgrounds. We're about 120 miles from the Smokies.
The area is very mountainous, and a number of waterfalls are close by. And we're only 65 minutes from the edge of Atlanta--if I had any desire to visit ball games, etc.

 

[tps7742]

As stated above "sort of" some of the mobile home parks in Texas be careful where you buy. This comment is not to be taken negative for the majority of hard working folks that live in trailer parks but I think you get the drift. I was born and raised in Texas. On swapping trucks from a Tundra to a Tacoma, I am not sure the Tacoma is one I would chose to pull a camper depending on the size of your camper. I have a Tundra and Tacoma as you know the smaller one will have its limits. I would go the renting route as mentioned and there are plenty of pet friendly rentals available.
Congrats on your retirement and good luck!

 

[Turn_the_Page]

Thanks for the replies. The advice to rent is spot on. Personally, I don't think my driving is the cause of the anxiety, but I've been wrong before

Sent from my RCT6103W46 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

 

[Sunset]

Not necessarily. My DW is a very nervous passenger and I am a very careful driver that obeys the speed limit - no at fault accidents ever and have only been lightly rear ended a couple of times while stopped, by inattentive drivers. When I pull a trailer at 60 -65 mph, she is really nervous. Some people are just not good co-pilots.

Could be...true or not.

Why We're All Better Than Average

"
Drivers consistently rate themselves as better than average — even when a test of their hazard perception reveals them to be below par, said Mark Horswill, a psychologist at the University of Queensland in Australia.
"You find it across all ages, you find it among novice drivers, and you find it among drivers over age 65," Horswill told LiveScience."

 

[travelover]

Could be...true or not.

I never said I was better that average, only that I can competent and my DW acts like her life is in danger if I don't slam on the brakes when a car slows down a 1/4 mile ahead. You'd have to see it to believe it

 

[Fermion]

Now that I have found our rig gets 10mpg at 53mph and 8mpg at 60mph, I go 53mph. Let them pass me, IDGAS I am retired. I make about $26 an hour on fuel saving. How fast do you drive that makes your DW nervous?

 

[Turn_the_Page]

... my DW acts like her life is in danger if I don't slam on the brakes when a car slows down a 1/4 mile ahead...

WOW, can I relate to this. We've argued about it a million times. I brake when I see the vehicle slowing, not necessarily when his brake lights come on.

My speed, which is somewhere around the speed limit isn't the issue. It's the idiots taking crazy chances to pass us. If I drive slower, then they're worse. If I can keep my speed up, maybe fewer of them will try to pass.

We've talked more about the camper/trailer yesterday. My concern is that we really won't be going anywhere more than once a month, maybe twice on a rare occasion. Leaving property unattended repeatedly for that length of time is a non-starter. She agrees and we're looking at our rental options.

Both dogs have never been camping, so there's the concern about how they may behave. This may sway the decision.

Thanks again for the info.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Both seem rather unappealing to DW & I. We have discussed it many times but the negatives always outweigh the positives.

 

[walkinwood]

Increasingly, hotels allow dogs too. See if you and your spouse (and the dogs) like traveling before sinking all that cash into it.

 

[1vertical]

Turn the page, OP, I retired on the same day as you. Still only feels like a vacation.
I am trying to get ready to hit the road and leave the snow belt for an extended travel journey south easterly from here. We have a 1999 x 28' travel trailer and an f250 gasoline 6.2l with tow package. DW is getting medically treated for pain management to try to make the sojourn. So much to do, house winterization, plant and pet sitters, valuable good storage, Mail forwarding, retirement income jelled
to some type of deposit at el-banko...eyes roll. If I have learned anything by all this
it is that our stuff holds us captive!
Reason we went with the tt, is because of the tip out room and the ability to use the
tow vehicle to portage an ATV, cargo, or what have you. 5th wheel takes up the bed of the truck.
The reason we went with the gasoline is the diesel cost a lot just to change the motor oil, fuel filters,
urea tank, higher upkeep and consumable costs. Besides I do not like the noise or smell of a
diesel. Yeah you may get more power but that is not enough to offset the minuses IMO.