Choosing the Perfect Camper

We were so excited to buy our very first camper in early 2019.  We chose the Forest River Wolfpup 16FQ travel trailer. It was small, nice, and just the right price for us to start camping and figure out if we would enjoy getting out and camping together.  TRUTH = Matt was going to enjoy these adventures; the big question was me.  As it turns out, I love it as much as he does. We are spending more time together, exploring state parks, finding new adventures, hiking, cooking, and having a great time!  Did you know that wine drinking while sitting outside of the camper is a perfect way to end a day? THE PROBLEM = We underestimated the amount of time we would spend in the camper.  We were a bit too cautious and quickly realized that we needed so much more.  Of course, we had never owned a camper and did not know what we did not know, so this is not a huge surprise.  We decided to start looking and “just see” if we could find something that met our needs.

This time we did have ideas of what we really wanted, thoughts of what we would like to see in floor plans, and of course we learned a bit more about the brands we like.  The top five things that we were looking for in an upgrade:  larger floorspace, better seating, windows, larger holding tanks, and overall size must still fit into State and National Parks.  We were thinking we needed something about 21 feet with a slide.  Here is how we started our search:

FIRST thing we did was upgrade our jeep to a RAM truck that could tow 10,000 lbs.  We were limited by weight with our first camper because our jeep could only tow 4500 lbs.  This time around we knew we needed to upgrade before making our final selection.  Our advice to everyone, ensure that you have the specific tow capacity for your vehicle as every truck model has a wide range of set ups and therefore a wide range of towing capacity.

SHOP EVERYTHING

We absolutely had very specific ideas of what we wanted to see, so of course we went to see those models, but we also wanted to look at similar sizes and brands.  We shopped online, we watched RV shows, and we went out to multiple retailers.  We also “shopped” as we walked through campgrounds and following fellow campers on Instagram.  We would go into a retailer asking to look at a specific model, and then would ask them to show us similar models on their lots.  At one dealer we went to go look at a Grand Design 2150RB and the dealer introduced us to the 2250RK, of which we completely fell in love with the model.  At another dealer we went to look at the North Trail 22CRB and the dealer showed us the Forest River Flagstaff 21FBKS and the Keystone 225MK.  In some ways, this made the choice more difficult, but opened our eyes to so many possibilities.  It also helped us find good retailers.  Since we were shopping for a new camper so quickly after our first purchase, we really wanted to ensure that we made the right choice this time.

FLOOR PLANS

The floor plan of a camper has a tremendous impact.  We looked at so many different models that had very similar features yet seemed totally different because of the set up.  I found that while shopping online for this gave us ideas, I had to see every floor plan in person to decide what I liked best.  We bought a small camper, so use of the space is really important.  In the camper we selected these are the items that stood out the most to us:

• Kitchen against the back wall of the camper – The placement gives us a huge kitchen area and almost separates it from the living area in our relatively small travel trailer.

• Window placement – We are out adventuring to enjoy the outdoors, so we want to be able to see our surroundings. Also, we wanted the window looking out on our campsite so we could see anything going on right outside of our camping space.

• Floor space in the living area – We needed to be able to walk around and not feel super cramped, especially if we were trapped indoors on a rainy day. Also, the dogs needed floor space to stretch out.

• Placement of bedroom, bathroom, and living space – At first I thought it was odd to have the bathroom in the middle between the living space and the bedroom, but now I love that I can close off the bathroom and bedroom from the living space while I get ready to go for the day.

• We expect to use this as a two-person camper, but there is room in the living area for others to be inside if necessary. In our old camper, we realized how important a little extra space is when we were forced inside due to a rain shower when Matt’s family had joined us for a cookout.

• Doors well placed, so the dogs can look out at the campsite. They like to see, but really prefer not to sit on the ground. In our world, it is all about the dogs.

FEATURES

There are so many features available.  Honestly, it was a bit overwhelming as we shopped the different styles.   Here are some of the features that were most important to us.

• Electric Jack

• Duel axels

• Larger holding tanks

• Residential Queen Bed

• Quiet Air Conditioning

• Recliner Chairs

• Extra Storage – Lots of cabinets & drawers

• Weight of the travel trailer dry and loaded

BRAND

When we started shopping, brand reputation was really important to us.  To be honest, Grand Design was at the top of our list because of quality and reputation.  When we started looking, we decided that we would look at multiple brands to ensure that we found exactly what we needed in a camper.  Although there are many truly great brands out there, the Grand Design just spoke to everything that we wanted and needed in a camper.  After we toured the 2250RK, we could never get it out of our minds or find another option that we felt so strongly about.  Even better, I thought it was going to be to expensive for us, but we were able to find the perfect deal.

DEALERSHIPS

The nature of shopping around means you go to good and bad dealerships.  You meet sales teams you want to work with and some that you would rather not give your business.  We were pretty lucky this time and did not run into any “bad” dealerships.  At the end of the day, we chose Lazy Days because they provided the best customer service, the RV that we wanted, and a fantastic deal on price.  Sometimes when you choose a dealership, the actual delivery process can be a bit rough.  We were lucky and had some great people helping us.  One suggestion I would give – Lazy Days offers an overnight stay to give you time to look through vehicle, spend the night, and use all the features.  They really set up their whole process around the customer so that all service items can be addressed while you are still on property.  We did not take advantage of this because we did not understand their process. Looking back I would have stayed the night and taken advantage of walking through the camper more slowly.  In our case, mostly just to ask questions and understand how everything worked.

It has been six months since we chose the Grand Design Imagine 2250RK. I think this time around our process worked really well because we LOVE our camper.