Travel trailer/camper questions

4186 Views 6 Replies 4 Participants Last post by Selene, Sep 14, 2010

Selene

Discussion Starter · Sep 10, 2010

Hi guys! :10220:

I'm considering living (Full time) in a travel trailer of some size while I'm away studying.
From my calculations, about half a years rent would give me a pretty decent used travel trailer. And most I've seen have better space, better kitchens, better storage space than the studio thing I live in now!
Though for it to be a option I need to check if there is a place around here that allows long term rent with monthly fees, if they allow over winter etc.
I figure if I find a place I could live there during the school year and get a bit of travel in during the summer.
And when I'm done studying and return home, I could sell the trailer to get a wee bit of money back as well. :thumbup1:

Anyway, to get to the questions:
1. Fifth wheel trailers, what kind of pickup would I need to tow one of those?
I'm thinking they might be a wee bit big for me, but I figure if's good to know about them in case I come across a great deal.
For that matter, what car would be recommended to deal with towing for campers? Recommendations according to sizes (Or a web site with info if there is some) would be fantastic!

2. To buy a camper that keeps the warmth during the winter, do I need to worry about what region I get it from?
IE: If I find a steal in warmer states like say TX and bring it to SD and plan on living in it for the winter, will I freeze my butt off? Or does it just depend on the brand of camper? (If so: any recommended brands? I'm on the wrong side of the pond to recognize most camper names here!)

3. AC's in campers, do they keep running even when driving around if I want them to? I'd have a cat living in there with me, so obviously I wouldn't want her to get baked while driving from one place to another.

4. Campers that have toilets and showers, can I typically hook them up and the toilets will empty themselves or will I have to carry some container to empty it out?

Hmmm I can't think of any more questions, but if you have info that'd be useful for a relatively newbie to camper life (Went some with my family when I was younger, but that was a few years ago now) that'd be totally welcome :help:

Thanks so much to anybody who can help me with my questions

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bobrussell

· #2 · Sep 10, 2010

short answers:
1. a fifth wheel will generally take a larger truck, you'd get more living space with a travel trailer you could tow behind a half ton truck (most standard trucks are half ton). a car would need an untralight or pop-up.
2. you'd need one with an enclosed underbelly or 'artic package' to get much insulation underneath.
3. the a/c (among other things) runs off 120 volts, you only have that when you're plugged in. most all do have batteries but tha'll only run a few lights and stuff. larger/high-end campers can have generators but that just adds to the weight.
4. campers have tanks (black water tank for the toilet and grey water for other) that fill up then you empty them. a campground that has 'full hook-ups, will have a sewer conection that you dump the tanks into and stay hooked up to the entire time you're there. normally, you leave the grey water tank open (shower water) and only dump the black water as needed (weekly or biweekly?).

that may give you more questions then answers but ask more if needed. everyone here is pretty helpful. and welcome to the forum. bob

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Selene

Discussion Starter · #3 · Sep 10, 2010

Awesome, thank you so much Bob!

1. That sounds great, cause for most parts I'd looked at travel trailers instead of the fifth wheel ones. I've yet to buy a car, so makes it easier to plan I guess. Can look at how the car/suv/pickup or something would work with a trailer.

2. Ah, great to know! Is a enclosed underbelly as easy to spot like it might sound like, IE, just peak under there and see if it's a hard cover? Or is there a place on the camper I can check for that info?
Living in the Nordics I'm used to all campers being winter prepared, so new thing to get used to

3. Ah, okay. That'll be one of the things I need to figure out how to work then I guess.

4. Thanks, that makes sense. Weekly or biweekly sounds great too, so I don't have to drag them out to often.

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happiestcamper

· #4 · Sep 10, 2010

Regarding #4 - usually there is one hose that hooks up to one connection - but then you have two valves - one to empty the grey tanks (everything from the sinks and showers), one to empty from the black tank (the toilet), You want to leave the black one closed at all times until you empty - it needs to not dry out. Once you empty it, if you are going to use it again (not put away in storage), you need to add you chemicals and about 4 gallons of water to start with. The other, if you have full hookups, you want to leave open all the time - especially if you are using the shower. Close it up the day before you plan to empty the black one - then you let that rinse out the hose.

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Selene

Discussion Starter · #5 · Sep 11, 2010

happiestcamper said:
Regarding #4 - usually there is one hose that hooks up to one connection - but then you have two valves - one to empty the grey tanks (everything from the sinks and showers), one to empty from the black tank (the toilet), You want to leave the black one closed at all times until you empty - it needs to not dry out. Once you empty it, if you are going to use it again (not put away in storage), you need to add you chemicals and about 4 gallons of water to start with. The other, if you have full hookups, you want to leave open all the time - especially if you are using the shower. Close it up the day before you plan to empty the black one - then you let that rinse out the hose.

Great to know, thank you!

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juliet99

· #6 · Sep 13, 2010 (Edited)

Airstream trailer is what you need. Airstream trailers are very nice because they have no maintenance outer skin. But remember that there are also many other travel trailer makers to choose from. It just a matter of looking for the trailer that you want that meets your lifestyle and obviously your budget as well. Click Here

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Selene

Discussion Starter · #7 · Sep 14, 2010

juliet99 said:
Airstream trailer is what you need. Airstream trailers are very nice because they have a no maintenance outer skin. But remember that there are also many other travel trailer makers to choose from. It just a matter of looking for the trailer that you wants that meets your life style and obviously your budget as well.

The Airstreamers look kinda cool, but the ones I saw with a quick browse seemed either out of my budget (Or the ones in my budget where in very poor shape).
I wouldn't actually be buying until next fall though, so I guess I have plenty of time for research

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