How to Choose a Camper

There are many things to consider in order to make sure that you choose the right camper or RV for your needs and your budget. There are several different types of campers, including luxury RVs, "toy haulers," pop-up campers and A-frame campers. Follow these steps to choose the best one for you.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Decide on your budget. Prices can range anywhere from $1,000 for a used pop-up camper all the way to a million dollars for a true luxury RV.

2. Consider the amount of space you need. If you have only one or two people who will be camping and you have a limited budget, a small A-frame camper such as the Aliner Alite may make sense. The Alite is solid yet minimal and works well for just one or two people. However, if you have a larger camping group but still have a limited budget, you might consider a Coleman pop-up as they are still less pricey (around $5,000 to $10,000 new) but has sleeping accommodations for larger groups.

3. Consider your automobile you will use for towing. If you will be towing the camper, you will want to look at the towing specifications of your vehicle and determine if it will work for the type of camper you want to tow.

4. Decide on the amenities you would like. Even some of the smaller campers now have amenities such as showers, toilets, stoves, and refrigerators, but this does drive the cost up quickly. You might decide that you are fine using the showers at the campground, but still require a stove and refrigerator. In that case, you might want to consider a Chalet brand camper.

5. Look at a fifth wheel. If your budget is a little larger and you have a large truck for towing, you might consider a fifth wheel camper. Ranging anywhere from minimal to luxury, these are a good choice if you like the security of towing with a truck and want something larger than an A-frame or pop-up camper. Fifth wheels usually come equipped with full amenities such as bathrooms and full kitchens. Luxury editions may even have flat screen TVs, outdoor grills, and extra space in the form of "sliders" that slide out from the camper to give you more space.

6. If you have a larger budget and desire the utmost in accommodations, consider a large luxury RV. These rigs are full houses on wheels, usually employing top quality technology and amenities. In a luxury RV, you might find leather seating, separate master suite, granite counter tops, full refrigerator, security system, outdoor entertainment center and extra space in the form of three or four sliders.

Tips & Warnings

• If your budget is limited, but you want a higher end camper, you might consider purchasing used. There are some good deals to be had when it comes to used campers and RVs.
• Never tow a camper that is over your vehicle's towing specifications. If you do so, you risk burning out your clutch and/or transmission and it can be extremely dangerous.
• You should install a braking system to your camper in order to ensure safety.

Resources

• Aliner website
• Chalet website
• Coleman website

[trailernut]

on 9/4/2009 A good rule of thumb for towing capacities is to subtract 1000 lbs from what the vehicle is tow rated for and keep your camper under that weight. It is also a good idea to have a transmission cooler intalled. Vehicles with tow packages should already have this but it still wouldn't hurt to double check.

Also take into consideration resale value. Vintage trailers that are original or even just well maintained tend to hold thier value. You could even buy a vintage trailer that needs work and fix it up a bit.

For example, my wife and I boght a 1965 12' trailer that was mostly original for $600 three years ago. We put less than $500 into yhe trailer and have used it many times. Since we did not ruin the original birch interior by painting it, and kept our trailer as original as possible, the value has gone up. I estimate that we could get $2500 now.

As long as you make an effort to ...