Home Sweet (Camper) Home
Since we’re all friends here, I should let you in on a little secret: I did not always want to be a camper. Years ago, Chad and I did back packing and tent camping in a TINY two man tent (with our beagle tucked in with us). This is a true testament that we were in love and exactly 24 years old. Now, with two kids, demanding jobs and homeowner responsibilities, my weekend dreams were a little more Ritz Carlton than sleeping (or not sleeping) on the ground.
But, I did miss being out in nature and it was harder and harder to get our family to truly unplug on the weekends. Plus, traveling with a family is expensive! We started talking ourselves out of road trips simply because of the cost of hotels. Then, our dear friends purchased their “second home” – a travel trailer. That was it, Chad officially caught the bug. I wasn’t so sure at first, but agreed that if we started with something simple, I’d give it a try.
We took the Goldilocks approach to finding the right camper for our family. It took some trial and error, but on camper number three we found our best fit yet!
The Starter: Pop Up Camper
We started with an inexpensive pop up (purchased on Craigslist). Pop up campers are light weight so there’s a good chance your current vehicle can tow it easily.
Pros: I realized I liked sleeping in a bed vs. a tent and I liked having a mini kitchen.
Cons: It was difficult to pack up because you couldn’t walk in to the camper to organize things. And, managing young kids without a bathroom is kind of a drag.
The Mid-Size: Hybrid Camper
A few months later, Chad sold the pop up for the same amount as we purchased it (to another young, first-time camper couple!) and we purchased a hybrid camper from a dealer. With a hybrid, the body is hard sided, but the beds fold out like a pop up camper. And, it has one slide to expand the living area.
Pros: The bathroom #micdrop. It’s a lightweight, smaller trailer, but since the trailer body is fully extended at all times, you can easily walk in to pack. Plus, the beds still allow you to feel like you are camping outside.
Cons: It still takes a while to set up the hybrid because of the beds. And, the sleeping temperature inside can be harder to maintain. For example, when it’s hot outside the beds are REALLY hot, even if the living space is a pleasant temp.
Overall, I really did love this camper!
The Upgrade: Travel Trailer
About a year later, we upgraded to our current camper–and it was a complete surprise to me. Pro tip: Don’t let your husband go to a camper lot solo. Chad and our then 5 year old went to the lot to “look around” and in a few hours they made the trade. My son excitedly broke the news to me when they arrived home. Although technically sight unseen to me, we had already talked about what we wanted in our next camper…thank goodness!
This camper is a fully hard sided travel trailer with two slides and two doors. The kids have their own bunks. And, we enjoy a king bed! I can truly get an amazing night sleep in our travel trailer. We also have lots of storage for food and clothing. Overall, I feel a little more like I’m on vacation, rather than just getting through the night.
Bottom line: It’s just right…for now. I mean, have you seen those outdoor camper kitchens?
The Grand Tour
Come on in and get the tour around our current camper…
Keep in mind, this is a 2013 model so there isn’t really a need to do a lot of DIY projects. However, I’ve seen some truly adorable camper upgrades, like vintage curtains, painted cabinets and coordinating fabrics. Maybe these will be my BEFORE photos because I seriously dig those vintage camper looks.
We have two doors, but we tend to use the one closest to the kids bunks and bath the most. This keeps traffic away from our master bed area. The bath door is straight ahead, bunks are to your right and the kitchen/eat in area is to your left.
Our camper has two slides–one for the master bed and another for the eat in area. When you walk in, you pretty much see everything. This is a key difference from a 5th wheel or a larger trailer, which often has a separate master bedroom with additional walls.
You can close the curtains on the master bed for privacy. The bed has a heated mattress feature – a fun luxury during winter camping! I love the cubbies on either side of the bed. They are perfect for storing your books, water and reading light.
This camper can actually sleep more people than you think — the couch and the kitchen table both fold out into double beds.
From the bed, you can see a sitting area, kitchen and TV. The kids’ bunk beds are straight ahead, on the opposite side of the camper.
I love all the storage around the kitchen area. We like to cook outside as much as possible, but this little kitchen can do a lot. You can also fold down the cook top and use it as a prep area for cutting and serving.
The eating area is surrounded by windows. And, it can be folded down completely into a bed if needed.
I recently started adding a little decor into the camper. I made this simple clip frame to highlight family photos from other camping trips. Use command hangers to make it super easy to add storage hooks and pictures to your camper walls.
Our little bathroom works great. I love having the tub wall around the shower. Our previous camper’s shower was open down to the floor and the floor constantly got wet. If you have young kids, this is a MUST feature!
The kids love having their own bunk beds. No more complaining about someone rolling over and kicking them in the middle of the night. There’s also a curtain to close off the bunks. We have a plastic storage unit next to the bed for the boys’ clothes. And, as a bonus, they can use the top of the unit as a little night stand.
If you’re looking for a camper, shop around, but know that it may just take some time being out in the camper to figure out what works best. I’m so glad we started off simple and inexpensive. It helped confirm that we enjoyed this type of travel and allowed us to narrow down our must haves and nice to haves.
Are you considering buying a camper? What questions do you have?
Stick around and I’ll give you a tour of our friends’ campers too.
Happy Camping!
— Tracey