Confessions of a First Time RV Buyer

We were longtime tent campers. I think I bought my first tent as an adult around 2000 or so. At that time, I was a single dad and getting my kids away from it all was the most important thing to me at the time. The weekends were fast and furious and it was only two of them a month so I was looking for quality time. We had the basics really, the tent, tarps, coolers, sleeping bags, chairs, cooking stuff. It all fit nicely in my 1995 Chevy Blazer. It was me, my two kids (now we have a 3rd) and our black Labrador retriever named Lady. We would usually head up to some of mountain camp grounds in western North Carolina like Bear Den or Spruce Pine which is only for long term campers these days, no tents allowed.

So fast forward a bunch of years, my wife Suzi and I have a child together and we start camping with him. We upgrade a bunch of our gear and we're really glamping at this point but it's still a tent. We had air mattresses, would usually tarp the whole site in case of rain and even had power running into the tent for charging our devices. It was a nice tent with a high interior so changing clothes was easy, we had a really good air mattress and lots of fluffy pillows and blankets. The biggest complaint was that when it would rain inevitably everything would just be damp, and subsequently we'd usually be not as happy as we could be. Don't get me wrong, we loved being out there but it was just time to figure out our next move.

For about two years we looked at all of the camper information we could. We settled on what we thought we needed, I mean the real wants. Bunks for the kid and a friend, no slideouts because we had heard that they could cause trouble, a nice big awning because we like to be outside, and a relatively low weight so our trusty GMC Envoy with a V6 could tow it. The Envoy had about a 6300 pound maximum towing capacity so this limited our selection. After looking at A frames, pop-ups, pods, travel trailers, class c's and even a couple class a's (a man can dream right?) we decided that a travel trailer was our best bet. We went to a few RV shows in Charlotte which were great in allowing us to go through a lot of models and see a lot of different manufacturers in one day. We went to many different lots and talked to a lot of sales people. Firmly I believed we had done our homework and were knowledgeable about travel trailers.

We fairly quickly decided that we didn't like the customer service at Camping World. The place just seemed too big and we felt rushed and pushed quite a few times while there. We found a smaller dealer about 40 miles outside of Charlotte, NC called Country Camping Corner. It was here that we met our salesman and began to really consider the actual purchase. We had a decent idea of the layout we wanted and our weight limitations made quick work of a label scan to weed out bad ideas. We eventually settled on two models, both Wildwood X-lite models. One the 201BHXL and the other the 261BHXL

201BHXL

261BHXL

As you can see they are both bunk houses. Oh, a quick note, I learned that usually you can tell by the lettering of the trailer (model name) what some of its interior features are. BH almost always means BunkHouse. RB usually mean Rear Bath. RL usually means Rear Living, etc. Anyway, if you look at the above two models, first know that we settled on the 201BHXL. There were a few big reasons. One was the size of the outdoor awning, 14' over 12', this was a big deal as we spend a lot of time outdoors under the awning. The second was the location of the bathroom sink, if you notice in the larger model the sink is outside the bathroom, this was something my wife just did not like so that was really the big differentiation. It's interesting to note that we now wish we had the bigger bunks and the full time couch but we'll get to that later. The final thing was for me was length of the trailer. This was my first ever travel trailer and I did not want something so huge it was going to scare me every time I pulled it. So, for me the smaller size was a no brainer. Now that I've towed for a couple of years I would feel comfortable moving up to a slightly longer model. Two things that are an absolute must in my opinion for trailering, a good weight distribution hitch and a good trailer brake system, we went with both and had them installed by the dealer. I'm sure they made good money off  the accessories we purchased as we walked away with probably $500 worth of stuff from the camp store that we "needed", but that's another post for another day.

So, things that we know now that we wish we knew then.

• The length of the parental bed is important for tall people like me. I'm 6'1 and unless I put my head all the way to the top of the bed almost touching the wall, my feet hang off. 
• Lesson - My next trailer will have a full size queen bed, probably full time, not murphy bed type.
• The length/width of the bunk beds should be longer and wider. Our kid has aged 2.5 years since we bought the camper and he's probably a foot taller.
• Lesson - Get the wider and longer bunks and make sure your kid has room to grow.
• The layout of the bathroom is tantamount to comfort and ability to do your business.
• Our bathroom is SMALL. This is probably the one thing about our camper that I hate. I simply will not settle on the next trailer.
• We probably should have opted for the oven.
• Sure we can live without it but it sure would be nice to bake cookies every now and again.

Really, it's not a lot, but it is the little things that add up. We did over 30 nights last year in our travel trailer. We've learned a lot more than just this but hey, it's a blog and I have to keep you wanting more right? We will probably use this trailer for at least another 1-2 years then we will upgrade. I still look all the time online and occasionally go check them out at dealerships. Sometimes I even think about getting a class C but then I don't want to pull a car and I like to be able to disconnect so we can go explore. I hope this helps you with your decision making process and please feel free to ask me any questions about buying your next, or first, travel trailer.

Camping in Cedar Mountain, NC over Memorial Day

Camping is in our blood, we look forward to it each and every time that we can get away. This past weekend was our annual memorial day camping trip to Cedar Mountain, NC. There's a great campground called Black Forest Family Camping Resort that has been a favorite stop for us for a little over 13 years. It's one of those places that we sort of "found". A friend had told us about the area and one weekend all those years ago we decided to stop in. The resort is wonderful with a beautiful welcome house, a swimming pool, large open yard with playground, a yurt and other amenities. We fell in love with it from the first time we stayed and although some things have changed over the years, the general charm and friendliness is still there which is what keeps us coming back.

Our most recent trip over the Memorial Day Weekend of 2018 was another great trip but it wasn't without its ups and downs as all of our camping trips seem to have. We arrived on Friday around 5:30 pm after leaving a little after lunch time. Our early arrival ensured that we would be able to set up in daylight. Unfortunately the clear skies did not hold out and we were forced to setup in the rain. The nice thing about having an RV is how quickly you can deploy the awning. This gave us a place to stage stuff and not have everything soaked. We also carry one of our most favorite accessories, the Clam! The Clam is the Taj Majal of easy up shelters. Can be carried and setup by one person, provides ample space for picnic table or 4 or 5 camping chairs and has accessory walls that can be added to provide additional protection from wind, sun and rain. When deployed correctly, we have the entrance just under our RV awning and can walk from it into the Clam and have an extra room to eat, relax, play games, whatever!

After a few interesting setup challenges, one with leveling and one with the city water connection we were in place and ready to relax. Our leveling issue was really my fault, I had the parking brake engaged on the truck when we we raised the hitch and the chocks weren't in place correctly so the trailer moved when it came off the ball, always scares the crap out of me when this happens but it only took additional time to re-hitch the trailer to the truck, re-level it and repeat. Just remember that you should not have the parking brake enabled (this allows the truck to move a little bit when the ball comes off) and make sure to correctly chock your wheels before raising the hitch. I plan on investing in the x-chocks as soon as possible which will help greatly with chocking and stabilizing the rig! My other issue was with the city water connection, really the inlet on my RV. When I hooked up the water line and turned it on water was spewing out of the connection. After trying a few things I used teflon tape on the hose elbow that we use and it reduced it to a trickle. I may have to replace the water inlet soon, unfortunately it is plastic and seems to be failing.

Friday night was relaxing after setup, the rain continued. We grilled hot dogs and ate chips. It's always nice to have an easy meal on arrival day. Saturday was our big day in Brevard. The White Squirrel Festival is held every year on the downtown streets and is a great treat for everyone. Entertainment, vendors, food trucks, even a soap box derby! It's truly a small town favorite. Here's how we spent the day. After finding parking, which can be challenging, we walk all the streets and visited our favorite vendors. There are several artisans that Suzi loves to see including a wrought iron vendor and a painter. We also have to stop and see the actual white squirrel which is held right on the square in a a booth will lots of squirrel stuff to buy. After that the boys will hit OP Taylors, the biggest, coolest, toy shop that we've ever seen! The lego wall simply has to be seen to be appeciated.

We made a stop into Wine Down, a favorite bistro of ours then stops by the Gem Mine where the boys panned for "gold" :-) and this year our new favorite was a stop by Silly Willy's Caricature Booth, he drew the boys in all their glory and it is a great picture that we will cherish for years. Finally was our annual stop into Big Mike's Pizza Shop. Last year Jake won a $10 gift card in one of their arcade machines so we had to use it or it would expire. When we walked in we were a little sad to see that the arcade machines were gone but the food was just as good and we enjoyed ourselves. Afterwards we headed back to the campground to relax and play a little bingo in the yurt.

Sunday was our hiking day. This time we chose to stay closer and visit the Dupont National Forest trails. Our trip was around 1.5 hours and took us to see High Falls and Triple Falls. Saber, our trusty Labradoodle, made the trip with us and had a blast as well. Once we finished our hike the rain settled in and really didn't stop until we got back to Charlotte. A couple of other mentions, we had some really good steaks on Sunday night, grilled to perfection on our portable propane grill. We played a couple of new games that our family really enjoyed (having a good selection of games on the coach is key to getting through the rain). One was called Exploding Kittens , it's basically an UNO variant with cool cards and some interesting rules that make each round unique and fun. The other one is a variant on Yahtzee which we've always loved, it's called World Series of Yahtzee and man is it a blast! It's a speed version where you race to get the combinations that are settled on the board then buzz in after you get it, the other players have 5 seconds to buzz in their combos, you play until all the cards are gone and tally up your scores. We really had fun with this one.

Packing up in the rain is never fun, even with an RV. I'm sure if we had a giant RV with lots of room inside it would be easy as we wouldn't really have much outside stuff to pack but we don't. Our pack up was wet and took some time but we got through it, made a safe trip home and unpacked with some time to shower and unwind before our work week began. Our memorial day was one to remember for sure but let's not forget the real reason that we have this holiday, remembering our fallen veterans over the years. Thank you for your service and for keeping us free and protected, god bless!