Did you know that you can get a tent trailer with a microwave and an oven. They also have pop outs to give you more room. 2 king size beds some with heated mattresses. They also can come with heat and A/C, most have heaters but the A/C's are less common.
While the new ones were too expensive they did help us find some styles and companies we liked. Our fist choice was Starcraft. We liked their layouts and packages. We also liked Coleman and Rockwood. The Starcraft and Colemen were easier to find used. I don't know that we found any used Rockwoods. We decided on a specific model Starcraft that we liked. It had 3 beds, the table popped out, it had a microwave, oven and stove, plus a bathroom. While we don't want anyone to use the bathroom as we don't want to have to dump the cassette, it has a shower sprayer and a basin so we can wash muddy, dirty boys off if we need to. Because you know that camping equals muddy, dirty boys!
We shopped the classifieds and found just what we wanted in Browns Valley, CA. It is a several hour drive from us, but it was the closest one we found, for the price we wanted to pay. We drove down there and ended up looking at the trailer in a down pour. Since we stayed dry inside, it proved the trailer was still waterproof. So we decided to buy the trailer, but had to make another trip back to Browns Valley to get the trailer as our hitch wasn't set up for the right connections. We and we didn't bring money with us so we had to figure that out.
That was all last fall, we are now the proud owners of a Starcraft Tent trailer. It has been in storage for the last 6 months. We have lots of trips planned for the team this spring and summer. We just have to work out all the kinks in the trailer. We can't store it at our house because we don't have RV access to our backyard. We have good friends who let us store the trailer at their house, in exchange for using it themselves. Since we haven't really set up the trailer we decided to bring it to our house last week. We are completely in violation of our CC&R's that state we have 72 hours to put it away. But we couldn't get it set up and make sure everything worked in that time so it has been there over a week. It seems no sooner do we get it set up and we have to take it down. Last week it was high winds and the threat of snow. This weekend we set it up and had to take it down, because we had to take the trailer for a VIN verification so the DMV would register it.
While it was open we found the the filtered water tap had a crack and was leaking. Of course we didn't find the leak till the trailer was leaking water out of the bottom. At least that water line has it's own shut off so we were able to stop the leak without turning off the whole water system. Next the Coach tried the hot water heater. It fired up fine and we got a little warm water before the water stopped flowing out of the faucet. We found that the hot water tank has sediment in it and it clogs up the faucet when we run it. So one more thing to fix, better here in the driveway then in the middle of nowhere at a trailer park.
This weekend we are going to take our maiden voyage to work out the rest of the bugs. We were going to go to Burney Falls in CA. It is beautiful there and only about 3 hours away. It is also in the middle of nowhere and there is no Walmart or Home Depot in sight. So instead we are going south towards Merced, CA. My parents live down there and the team can see Nana and Papa. They were more excited by that than waterfalls anyway. We don't know exactly where we are going yet, but there are more options down there so we figure we can get in somewhere.
It will be an adventure no matter where we go I am sure. I am not sure how the well Sweet Baby will do. He still sleeps in a crib. We have thought we could put his porta-crib on the table (when it is made into a bed) without the cushions, but now that he can get out of the porta-crib that could be a long fall. So I am looking for a bed rail to see if that will work for him. It will probably be musical beds for the first few nights. Or every time we take the trailer out.
Blessings, Holly
No comments:
Post a Comment