I’ve done some casual shopping for something that hits that minimalist-but-not-too-minimalist sweet spot I think the VW camper vans used to hit just perfectly. It seems like a small slide-in camper would be ideal, but the ones I could find seemed like they’re either really minimal (like not much to recommend them over just tossing a mattress in the back) or are really expensive, big, and probably require a 3/4 ton truck. I think part of it is just the reality that most pickup trucks don’t have long beds anymore, so they sort of have to be big to get enough usable space.
I did really like the T@b trailers which are fairly light teardrop-style travel trailers. They’re generally light enough to pull with a car and, yes, some of them do have bathrooms!
Since this is a routine drive, you really can’t find one or two reasonably-priced motels along the route - maybe a few miles off the highway - that are acceptable? Even at $100 a night, that’s $400 per trip. How far does easier driving at higher speeds with better fuel economy go against that cost? How much is a real bed, shower and toilet worth for two nights in a row, vs. sketchy camping out (and probably paying something for the privilege, even $20-30) after driving all day?
Not saying you haven’t thought it completely through. I’ve just had this kind of conversation a number of times with people who haven’t - haven’t really thought about how much cost, hassle and burden it is to drag a “free” hotel room with you.
Oh, and we moved cross-country, six nights’ worth of motels, with dogs. Two. 300 pounds’ worth. Luxuriously. Just sayin’.
Most manufacturers now make ultra-light trailers (such as Jayco) that only have a gross weight of about 3500 pounds, which means you can tow with something besides a huge hulk of a truck. They probably are about 16-18 feet long. You’ll still need to learn to back the thing up, however.
As for campers, as far as I know there are still no US manufacturers that make a camper for a 1/2 ton pickup. To get a camper big enough to have its own toilet, you’re probably looking at an 11-12 footer and at least a 3/4 ton truck with beefed up suspension and a large engine.
Past Tense: That’s what I meant by inspecting it. Unless someone knows what to look for, they’re best off with a pro.
I’ve had good luck renting various size motorhomes from Cruise America. Pick 'em up, enjoy 'em for a while, bring 'em back. No storage, no maintenance, no repairs. You can pack bicycles for short trips to town.
And I recommend two-way radios for those times when you need to back up or maneuver in close quarters.
We rented a 10.2m (34’) one on a tour of New Zealand, driving from Christchurch to Auckland - a distance of around 1,700 km over the course of about 15 days.
We had a family of 5 staying inside (myself and wife, 8 year old, 18 month and MIL)
Before this, having one is always something I had thought about on and off.
Some thoughts from our experience…
Our gas mileage was about 12km to the litre - it was a diesel
It was slow on the hills, but not amazingly so, still well above a “crawl”
Really really easy to drive and manage - I did all the driving (insurance was named driver), but I don’t see wifey having a problem on normal roads
There we no issues accessing anywhere we wanted to go
Management of all the camping stuff was easy once you learnt how.
We overnighted in camp grounds, so never used the shower, toilet got occassional use
The sewage tank was easy to remove and empty, the grey water could be dumped at a lot of different places
Our biggest issue was luggage - we had quite a lot, and there was nowhere to put it while we were sleeping - so it all had to be transferred to the drivers cabin, which was a hassle, I suspect though this was largely a result of having flown from Singapore, and taking all our stuff with us.
We totally LOVED it - what I liked most was that while transiting from place to place the family has the whole back area to kickback (I wasn’t bothered about belting up, even though its the law) - they watched TV, read books, changed diapers - this was a HUGE plus for me compared to a car where there is always the hassle of space and comfort
I also loved that we could stop for lunch or whatever in a LOT of comfort - buy some takeways and sit on the beach, have glasses, condiments et al all right there with us. Or whip up a packet soup or whatever else. This was fantastic and something that a car can never approach
Although we stayed in camp grounds, I liked that we could stop anywhere if the situation demanded
Visiting relatives - even if you use their facilities, it is really great just to be able to leave everything inside the Camper and its also a set of beds if the house you’re visiting is on the small side - you can sleep inside to ease the burden so to speak.
All in all, I still want to buy one when I return home to New Zealand. While the cost may not be that cheap, it is the convenience factor that I liked, and also that you weren’t tied to having to get a motel - especially during busy periods.
I also like that if you’re going to a nearby event it made a really comfortable way to get there, and a great base for a overnight concert, sports event or similar.
I would however recommend towing some form of vehicle - even if only a subcompact if this is at all an option for you. For us, it didn’t matter as everyday we were moving on, but I can see that packing up and moving in / out would be a hassle if you were staying someone for a while.
One last thing - my bedroom was a caravan from the age of 12 to 16, and back home in New Zealand a really common use of trailers / RVs is as “overflow accomodation” for when you get visitors.
Whether this factors into your decision or not I dunno.
To add…
Did I mention convenience?
If you are the just wing it type of traveller this is what I liked. Stop at the lake for a swim? You have somewhere to change and your swimsuit is easy to get to.
Kids wanna do a horse ride but mum doesn’t? She can sit inside and read a book with a coffee.
I can also imagine using for day trips to the kid’s sports or similar.
My parents had a big Bluebird for several years. But they were snowbirding and working on church projects. You see, many churches have these groups were people in RV’s will stay on a property and work on a project. Say building a new church or something. They can then write off their fuel driving to the location.
Friends of ours spent a year traveling all over North America in a huge (60’ ?) Runnamucca. Wall-to-Wall / Automatic / Dual / Power everything. The only thing it didn’t have was a Starbucks.
Two observations I remember them sharing with us:
5 mpg
Small repairs, adjustments, add-on accessories… “Everything costs $300.” They weren’t complaining about it- they expected and accepted this as nature of the beast.
Mrs. C and I prefer a small travel trailer, but to each their own. A lot of good advice in this thread.
I suspect we haven’t thoroughly thought it out, Amateur Barbarian.
Thanks for all the great information. I beginning to think that until there’s an economical VW-esque camper, we’d probably find the whole thing more trouble than it’s worth. OTOH, little tear-shaped thing is cute as pie! (Too bad you’d have to go outside to make yourself a cup of coffee, though.)
My parents had one and with it parked in the backyard when my brother, his wife and the kids came to visit it was great as extra beds.
My friends and I have been going to watch AMA Superbike races all over for 20+ years. When we were young and poor we tent camped in the one and only field with facilities waaaaaaaaay over there. Campers with indoor plumbing can park right up against the barriers at a great back section. What a huge difference. A total blast.
We are a subset but friends own a “gearbox” style. Has room in the back for 2 motorcycles. We can drive in comfort to the mountains or wherever and then blast around on the bikes.
I think the medium size T@bs (the ones with bathrooms!) actually have a little kitchenette on the inside.
One thing with the VW’s is that even though it’s absurd how expensive they are now, they do tend to be better than new. Part of why they went away is that the Vanagon era ones is that they were absurdly unreliable, but the community around them has come up with various fixes for most of the serious issues up to and including full engine swaps that make them pretty reliable.
So, yeah, it’s nuts that you’d be paying north of $10k for a 25 year old van (north of $20k for a 4wd Synchro one!), but if you shop around you can find a camper that’s way better than it was from the factory and (at least at the moment) is actually appreciating in value. If I were more seriously looking for a small RV I’d seriously consider one. I really think they are the closest thing to a good camper that’s also a decent daily driver we’ve ever had in this country anyways. (Although caveat: I am very much a “breakdowns are part of the adventure!” person.)
I never considered my Westfalia to be an RV. Thanks for the update.
The best advice I have seen here is for folks to rent one. They should rent one that is like the one that they think they would like. Just as folks should rent a car the same make & model as the one they are planning on buying. It save the renter the cash outlay of a purchase If they find that they do not like what they rented.
Heck, we really are talking about a lifestyle here, not just an RV.
My dad considered buying an RV when he had four daughters, aged 9-14. He reconsidered when my mother pointed out that his idea of a good vacation would likely not include sharing a small chemical toilet with five menstruating women.
That, plus the realization that just getting 2 hotel rooms forever was cheaper, turned him off the idea.
I’m posting a link to similar discussion in another forum; 11+ pages so far.
In this case the cost of California living is getting too high for a retired guy so he is planning to live full time in his first RV with a towed vehicle. Lots of interesting opinions and experience:
One thing I read a lot is to never buy a new, full price RV unless you’re experienced and know why you want a new RV. Early depreciation is huge and great bargains can be had on RVs a few years old.