Everyone who buys a camper, whether it’s a 42-foot Class A bus or a tiny tow-behind has a list of requirements in their head as they are making their choice. Or sometimes they don’t… Some people go through 2, 3, or even 4 campers in the space of a half-dozen years, realizing that first one didn’t have X, the second didn’t have Y, and so on. So it does pay to think about what you’ll be doing with — and in — your camper before you shell out the big bucks to buy one.
Me, I’ve been really happy with my little trailer for the last six-plus years and I wouldn’t trade it for anything bigger or more full-featured, at least not this year. The size is good for one person and for smaller sites and campgrounds. It’s easy to tow, pretty easy to back, and it doesn’t kill my truck’s gas mileage. But those are all the “other” reasons I like my trailer. Why I really like it is because I spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted to do, how I live, how much space I could live in, and what that space should look like from a functional standpoint. (Having two years in a row spent 40% of my year in hotels for business gave me some strong opinions on space and a lot of experience in what was essential for my personal comfort!)
When I was thinking about becoming a full-time vagabond, I worked out five basic requirements for my living space:
- Being able to stand up inside the trailer
- Having a decent kitchen inside the trailer
- Access to a toilet and a shower
- A big bed to sleep in(I’m not a twin-bed sleeper!)
- A table that was available all the time.
Standing Room
I’m kind of a glamper when it comes to outdoor life. If it’s too hot, I’m inside with the A/C running. If there’s bugs, same. If it’s cold out, or rainy, I’m most likely inside, instead of huddled under the awning, wearing layers of clothing. I didn’t really think about all these eventualities when I was buying my trailer. But I did walk through a lot of smaller trailers and decided after the first few weekends of checking them out that I wanted a trailer where I could not only stand but take more than two steps at a time. I can actually do planks in my trailer or use my arm weights without hitting anything (and, yes, I’ve done both of those inside my Alto in bad weather!).
Inside Kitchen
Right up there in the glamper life is being able to cook inside, rather than have an outside (read: exposed to the weather) kitchen or need to cook over a campfire. I see people cooking breakfast outside when it’s 45F and I think, yeah, I’d never do that. I don’t even have an outdoor stove or grill, to be honest. I’m not much into cooking big meals, so my little two-burner propane stove inside has been enough for me. I don’t have an oven, but I do have a little toaster oven. I have a small fridge with an even smaller freezer. Given I’m just cooking for me, this setup works. Gourmet chefs would probably want more.
I have been thinking about getting a single-burner induction cooktop that I could plug in and use outside, rather than heat up the inside with the propane stove in hot weather. But I’ve also been thinking about that for more than two years and haven’t bought anything yet.
Bathroom with a Shower
I’m a female person, and I’m older than I used to be so I knew that I wanted to have a bathroom in my trailer. I know some people are fine not having one, they use the campground bathrooms. Not me. I use mine all the time. I don’t mind the dump process that empties the two tanks of grey water (shower water and dishwater, for example) and black water (the contributions from the toilet). I worked on a boat where that process was way worse, so trailer dumping seems really easy; it takes me maybe five minutes to do when I’m leaving a campground. Easy peasy. And for that, I get to just take two steps from bed to bathroom in the middle of a cold, rainy night. Yeah, indoor plumbing for the win.
I don’t use the shower as much, but it’s nice to have it when the campground bathrooms are disgustingly dirty or have low water pressure, or, worst of all, only work with a big supply of quarters. And when campgrounds closed their bathrooms during the 2020 pandemic-affected camping season, having my own shower (and that toilet) was essential.
Bed vs. Table
Some smaller trailers or RVs make the space for a bed do double-duty with a table, so you get one or the other, but not both at the same time. I wanted the ability to sit at a table and then go take a nap or lay flat without having to reconfigure the furniture. The bonus with the Alto is the bed area can be set up as a second seating area, which means in bad weather, I have another place to sit besides the front table and that makes the trailer feel bigger than it really is.
Some Alto owners never made the bed into a sitting area and I get that. Sometimes I just pull out the pillows and use them to make a little sitting area in one corner. Now that I have a three-inch thick topper, it’s even more comfortable to sit on bed and I’ve been converting the bed to a seating area only when I need to dig something out of the storage area under the bed. I pull out the pillows from under the bed, arrange them in that same corner you see above, and settle in; the upside of this is that it’s way easier to slip into horizontal position for a quick nap.
What About You?
If you’re thinking about a new trailer or RV, what are your requirements? Working those out by taking a realistic look at your camping style and travel style in general, what makes you feel comfortable and what drives you crazy, will help you get the rig that best fits you. And I hope it makes you as happy as my Alto has made me over the years.
Related Topics
- Buying the Right Trailer for You
- Why I Live in a Trailer (with apologies to Eudory Welty)
We’re waiting for our Alto 2114 any day now. I hope it meets all of our needs the first try! Primary goals were to not have so much to pack and unpack like tent camping, fridge, bathroom with flushing toilet and shower, enough sleeping room for 5, and light enough we didn’t need a big truck or SUV to tow it. I figure tank size will be the limiting factor on how long we stay somewhere without hookups or bathrooms, but we’re used to staying only a few days because that’s as long as we can tolerate living out of ice chests. We hope to meet you on our travels some time.
Sounds like you’ve got experience to know what will work for you. Tank size is usually my limiting factor, but I’ve learned how to stretch it out a few more days when I have to. Congratulations on your 2114, it’s a beautiful trailer (oh, that front table is something I would love to have!), safe travels and happy memory-making!
I have a 19′ high-roof Transit van for me and my cat. He’s got a litter box in the garage, as well as a hiding spot if he gets scared. There are also containers for extra clothes, more traditional camping equipment such as a propane stove, tent and air mattress, which I haven’t used, and emergency equipment. I have a bench for sitting with storage underneath, but it’s always got stuff on top, so I sit on my bed for reading, laptop use and eating. I have a lap TV tray, but don’t use it much and have been fine with my MacBook Pro or iPad on my lap. I have a fridge with small freezer, a good-sized sink and a two-burner induction stove-top. I don’t have a bathroom, just a porta-potty and a pee bottle and haven’t had to use the porta-potty since I either park in campgrounds or can find a bathroom somewhere. Were I to spec it again, I’d order taller kitchen cabinets, but otherwise, if fits my needs. I’ve just come off of two months driving from the west coast to the east coast and then back across Canada and wouldn’t want anything bigger (or smaller).
That’s great that you found the perfect rig for you, Bill! I love hearing why people chose what they did, we’re all so different in what we need/want in our living on the road. One small comment, I put a small tray on my lap when I use my MBP because it gets a bit hot sometimes (although not nearly as hot as my previous model did). I do envy van dwellers the ability to park easily when in transit; I’ve missed some great shot opportunities because I couldn’t pull over quickly enough or find room to pull over. Sigh…
Well, I did a long comment and hit post and it disappeared. Sigh. Probably me. Lap top in bed doesn’t always work so well.
Anyway….I have wanted, since I was about 12 years old (several decades ago) to live full time in an RV. Before I even knew it was a thing I wanted to be on the road forever. My mom told me I’d always want a home base and I didn’t disagree with her out loud, but inside I thought…no I don’t think so. Of course now I’m 66 and maybe I might want a home base. But we’ll see.
Problem is that husband wants no part of camping. So at this point I go camping with my tent on my own or with friends a few times a summer…but I still dream about sleeping in something higher from the ground. You know what I mean? 😉
At first I thought I wanted a class B because it would be easy to drive. Then I sat in a few of them at RV shows and realized they were way too small to spend any significant amount of time in them. So then I thought I’d do a class C for the same drivability factor. But then I realized that the reason I wanted to be on the road was to do photography and that would mean I’d be away from the campground and I didn’t want to have to pack up everything and drive my home around, plus there would be places I’d want to go that an RV shouldn’t be driven…so I’d have to tow a toad and if I was going to tow something…why not just tow the trailer? So that’s the conclusion I’ve come to. A small tow behind trailer with an inside kitchen, and air conditioning and a bathroom. And a bed that can stay a bed all the time, with somewhere else to sit. And windows. I want light inside. I recognize that the more windows there are the less storage there is, but I really want windows. I’m worried about backing up and hooking up. But so many women do it I know I can learn.
But…my husband is totally anti-trailer. “You can spend a lot of nights in a hotel for the amount of money you’d spend on a camper.”
DOUBE SIGH
Hi, Dawn, I saw this comment and then your follow-on one about not being able to post, so I deleted that one. Both were waiting for approval, which is why they didn’t show up immediately. Because of spammers, my wordpress settings sometimes hold a comment for approval even if you’ve submitted comments previously, don’t ask me why!
As for your desire to travel in a trailer, and your husband’s opposition, I don’t have any suggestions. I never got married because I hate to compromise 🙂
Hi Dawn,
It was inspiring to read your story of wanting to live on the road in an RV since you were 12! As I mentioned, I (and Laura) discovered camping in as empty nesters several years ago and we both absolutely love it. I also mentioned that we own a small Casita (egg camper) that is only 17 feet long and only weighs 2,900 lbs fully loaded. We attend 4 to 7 egg camper rallies per year. We have made many great friends camping, including lots of solo campers, including women camping alone. In fact, we have a friend that celebrated her 70th year of life by taking her Casita from Pensacola, FL to Alaska traveling over 20,000 miles in 111 days. She traveled some of the trip with her son and some with her girlfriend, but spent 6,700 miles traveling by herself.
There are great organizations out there to support “girl” campers, including Girl Camper and Sisters on the Fly. Laura, my wife, loves the Girl Camper Magazine. Also, these organizations have state and local chapters.
In terms of towing, backing up, etc., you can do it!!! I had never towed until we bought the Casita. I am a retired college professor with little common sense!!! 😉 If I can do it, you can do it.
In any case, I hope you keep chasing your dreams and find some balance in terms of your hubby and your desire to be that 12 y/o that is living on the road in her RV!!!
Take care,
Dean (and Laura)
Great read, Annie!
Spot on criteria, and the reasons why. Mirrors our thinking way back when. At this point, comfort and convenience is the name of the game. Rainy days matter little as we can fully function inside, yet feel like we are outside. In the middle of the night, that toilet is priceless. Why shun those conveniences just because that was what you did when you were young and had no other choice. Comfort enhances enjoyment.
Well said, Jim! It was raining most of the day today, and I was quite content to be inside, hanging out on the bed and writing my little blog post. Altos are not claustrophobic, there are so many windows and feels so light inside. I remember touring my first Alto when I was deciding whether or not to buy one and I saw it on a very cold and rainy day in Vancouver, BC. But inside the trailer, I almost forgot it was raining, it was so light. Amazing, and one of the big reasons I went with Safari Condo.
Ok, I love the command strip holding the shower head up on the ceiling! As you know we no longer have our F1743 and now have a van. But we wanted the same things as you and pretty much have them, except we do have to set up the Lagun table in the “bedroom” so mostly we eat on lap trays. The nice extra I have in the van is a microwave/convection oven. I really missed having an oven. Take care Annie.
Glad to hear your van is working out, Judy. Everyone has such a different set of needs/likes, and I enjoy hearing when people find the rig that fits them so well. Congrats!
Great post! I caught the RV bug in the Fall, 2014 as Laura and I were moving into the Empty Nest. We thought we would buy an RV when we retired in several years. Ha, in the Fall, 2015 after visiting an egg camper rally (for molded fiberglass campers), we purchased a new to us 2005 Casita 17 Freedom Deluxe in November, 2015 and started camping in 2016. Eleven states; 30,000 miles of towing; and over 300 nights in the Casita, it is still the perfect camper for us. BTW, I got the chance to retire early June 30, 2021! For us, here are the most critical must have features of a camper:
1. Permanent bed (our Casita has a 4 person dinette across the back, but almost everyone uses it as a permanent bed). We don’t even bring the hardware with us to convert it to a dinette. It is our permanent bed.
2. Bathroom. We have a wet bath that is just fine. Laura and I are both nearing 60, so we MUST have a bathroom. Laura also prefers showering in the Casita (assuming we have full hookups). I will shower in the bathhouses unless they are too nasty or too far away.
3. A place to sit independent of the bed. Our Casita also has a small 2 person dinette with two super comfy swivel chairs.
That is our Top 3! Air conditioning/heat and a small kitchen are vital as well.
It is still the perfect little egg camper!
Happy Camping,
Dean (and Laura)
Oh, A/C is on my must-have list *now* but since I was living in Seattle at the time, it didn’t really register that it might be very hot sometimes, especially in a trailer made of aluminum! I’ve camped with Casita owners, they are quite good trailers, quality and space, so good choice! Happy camping back at you, Dean (and Laura)
No desire for an air fryer? They are great for toasting, baking, grilling…
It’s a big thing to store in such a small kitchen. I’d have to clear out a square foot of space. And so far I’ve lived without it, just like I lived without the Instapot that was all the rage a few years ago 🙂