Warby
Well-Known Member
Howdy folks,
As per the thread title, I am considering purchasing my first camper trailer some time in the near-ish future (let's say some time in the next 12 months). I'll be using it for family camping with my better half and 4 kids ranging in age from ~1 to ~13 (by the time we get it). Sometimes we will all go, sometimes just me/the mrs/the baby, sometimes just me and a couple of the older kids. I doubt I'll ever take the trailer anywhere just for myself as then I'll just be swagging it. I'll mostly be using it in fairly easy to get to places - I have no interest in trying to tow a trailer through gnarly tracks and am unlikely to be doing any trips longer than a week or so at absolute most in the near term.
As it will be my first ever foray in to camper trailers I am looking at purchasing second hand and wanting to work with a rather limited budget (ideally up to ~$5k, potentially up to ~$10k if necessary). I dont mind having to upgrade/modify/add things (within reason) after the initial purchase, as long as the initial purchase price is low.
I have never really looked at camper trailers at all. Never owned one. Never even slept in one. From what I understand/have googled so far, I believe I will be limited to soft floor campers. That is fine by me, I don't mind if I have to spend a bit of extra time setting up if it means that we will all be comfortable. That being said though, most of my camping is only weekend trips so I don't want to have to spend 3 hours setting it up/packing it down (although 30-60 minutes really doesn't bother me as long as it's not too much hassle... I don't mind pottering along with it for an hour with a beer in hand while the mrs and kids get themselves sorted).
With all that being said.. when I hit google, FB marketplace, Gumtree etc I see trailers from $1500 to $70k, many of which look to be very similar. I really don't know what I should be looking for and/or looking out for. Would really appreciate some points from you fine earthians!
A few questions off the top of my head (although feel free to ignore these and just tell me what you think I need to hear...)..
- Are there any brands which I should stay away from at all costs?
- Is there a maximum age that I should consider, beyond which they're exceedingly likely to be moldy/clapped out/severely outdated/dangerous/etc
- Are there any makes/models which are awesome value/keepers which I should keep my eye out for?
- Are there any "must have" features that I should be aware of given my use?
Cheers in advance!
As per the thread title, I am considering purchasing my first camper trailer some time in the near-ish future (let's say some time in the next 12 months). I'll be using it for family camping with my better half and 4 kids ranging in age from ~1 to ~13 (by the time we get it). Sometimes we will all go, sometimes just me/the mrs/the baby, sometimes just me and a couple of the older kids. I doubt I'll ever take the trailer anywhere just for myself as then I'll just be swagging it. I'll mostly be using it in fairly easy to get to places - I have no interest in trying to tow a trailer through gnarly tracks and am unlikely to be doing any trips longer than a week or so at absolute most in the near term.
As it will be my first ever foray in to camper trailers I am looking at purchasing second hand and wanting to work with a rather limited budget (ideally up to ~$5k, potentially up to ~$10k if necessary). I dont mind having to upgrade/modify/add things (within reason) after the initial purchase, as long as the initial purchase price is low.
I have never really looked at camper trailers at all. Never owned one. Never even slept in one. From what I understand/have googled so far, I believe I will be limited to soft floor campers. That is fine by me, I don't mind if I have to spend a bit of extra time setting up if it means that we will all be comfortable. That being said though, most of my camping is only weekend trips so I don't want to have to spend 3 hours setting it up/packing it down (although 30-60 minutes really doesn't bother me as long as it's not too much hassle... I don't mind pottering along with it for an hour with a beer in hand while the mrs and kids get themselves sorted).
With all that being said.. when I hit google, FB marketplace, Gumtree etc I see trailers from $1500 to $70k, many of which look to be very similar. I really don't know what I should be looking for and/or looking out for. Would really appreciate some points from you fine earthians!
A few questions off the top of my head (although feel free to ignore these and just tell me what you think I need to hear...)..
- Are there any brands which I should stay away from at all costs?
- Is there a maximum age that I should consider, beyond which they're exceedingly likely to be moldy/clapped out/severely outdated/dangerous/etc
- Are there any makes/models which are awesome value/keepers which I should keep my eye out for?
- Are there any "must have" features that I should be aware of given my use?
Cheers in advance!