How to Choose the Right Camping Trailer
Camping trailers allow you to bring more of the comforts of home with you into the wilderness---or the trailer park. Camping trailers come in a variety of shapes, sizes and styles, from 40-foot fifth-wheel trailers with multiple-slide-outs---sections that slide out to expand the living space in the trailer---to compact pop-up tent trailers. Whether you're the occasional weekend adventurer or a full-time RVer, you can find the camping trailing to suit your needs.
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Instructions
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Determine the towing capacity of your vehicle. You can find this information in your owner's manual. Many cars can tow a light tent trailer or small teardrop camping trailer, but you'll need a truck to tow a larger pull-behind trailer or fifth-wheel trailer. Remember that the weight listed in the specifications for a camper is usually the empty weight, so you'll need to add an additional 500 to 1,000 pounds for the weight of water and gear.
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Consider the type of camping you want to do. If you plan to stick to RV parks and developed campgrounds, almost any camping trailer will do. But if you like to take your camper to wilderness areas or undeveloped campsites, you'll need something small and maneuverable. If you want to take extended trips or live in your trailer for months at a time, you'll appreciate a larger trailer.
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Consider how many people will be camping with you. A tiny teardrop camper might sleep two people, and a large fifth-wheel trailer might have room for eight or more. A family with children will need a larger trailer than a single person or a couple.
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Take into account how much room you'll have to store your trailer. Decide where you'll keep the trailer when you're not using it. You can park a small camping trailer in your garage, but a larger trailer requires more room. Some homeowner's associations have regulations prohibiting parking RVs in driveways. If you live in an apartment or don't have room at your home, you might have to rent RV parking space somewhere else.
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Determine your budget. Camping trailers can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars for a small, used trailer to tens of thousands of dollars for large, luxurious new models. Dealers can often arrange financing, but only you know how much debt you can afford to carry.
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Tips & Warnings
Before you buy a trailer, rent a model similar to the one you're interested in and take it on a trial run. You might find you need a different model.
