Camping Without A Camper

DH and I are such a trip. We went from looking for a cheap pop-up, to actually purchasing a mid-range trailer, to changing our minds and realizing we could have a much nicer trailer for the same monthly payment to deciding tent camping is just fine.

We have come full circle. This weekend we got to talking and decided we'd just pull out the tent and make sure it works fine.

We decided to use the money we might have used toward a trailer to buy nice camping equipment. A quality blow-up mattress, a net canopy to create an extra room, storage bins, outdoor strength extension cord and so on and so forth.

We figured we are fair weather campers anyway. So a tent should work just fine.

Now just wait until next week, we'll probably change our minds again.

As Quickly As It Comes, It Goes

After much thought and discussion, which we should have done before we agreed to buy the trailer, Marshall and I decided this little trailer wasn't the trailer for us. I called first thing this morning to let them know. McClains RV was so nice about the deal. When it is time, I'm sure we will start looking there.

We definitely want a camper, but we really want to be able to have room for people go with us.

We Took the Plunge

Our intent, or maybe it was just my intent, was to go to the RV show yesterday and scope out the different trailers that are available. It worked great. We met some people, got business cards, heard about deals back at the lot and just generally enjoyed looking.

We knew that we wanted to start small. My budget was $10K or less and really I would have liked $5K or less. I would have been happy to buy used. But then we saw this little baby and this one. They call these "back to the basics" campers. If a pop-up is a step up from a tent, this is a step up from a pop-up.

We chose the one with more counter and storage space, but no shower. I really don't care about a shower. We stay at state parks and I have flip flops.

I guess we'll start escaping reality in a couple of weeks.

Camper Shopping

We had so much fun camping this spring, I started stalking campers on Craig's List. Just checking to see what's there. How the prices run, what options are available on all the different trailers. Finally yesterday we went to a dealership to actually get inside some campers. We plan to go to the RV show in September, but that seems forever away right now.

United Camper had three models on the floor that fit our criteria. Which pretty much is small and cheap.


The Surveyor Model SV-320 I don't know if this is the exact model we were in, but the floor plan is generally the same. What I like is the queen bed is accessible from both sides. What I don't like is there is no couch. And the model we saw is 7' wide so the dinette will only hold two grown people. For the money ($15K) It was a tad tight.



This was my least favorite. The bed is a double and 80% closed in with a bunk on the top. Can you say claustraphobic? What I did like is the couch. But neither the couch or the dinette make into a bed big enough for both DH and I. I might be able to justify it, if it didn't cost and arm and a leg, but for the price, I think we can find a better fit.



This is our dream camper. Oh, while we're looking I'm sure we'll find many "dream" campers, but we fell in love with this one yesterday. We decided that maybe in two years, if we are still into camping, we'll upgrade and go on vacations.

For now we plan to buy a "weekend" camper. What that means is we don't buy a trailer that's nicer than our house.

I can't find the floor plan we really liked. It's simialr to the first with queen bed accessible on both sides and a full size dinette. Still small, but workable.

We'll keep looking, planning and narrowing down what's important to us.

Camping in April

After the first, highly successful camping trip, we decided to give it a go again.

This time it was cold and we were not adequately prepared for the chill. Sleeping was very difficult. The trip was good except for the cold.

I think we are hooked.

Camping at Joe Pool Lake

DH and I camped at Joe Pool Lake this weekend. Even though we didn't go until Saturday morning, the 30 or so hours we were there were fantastic. DH fished, I knit and the dogs played.
DH fished at other places around the lake most of the day, but after dinner he fished at sunset by the camper. We had a great camping spot very close to the lake. When camp settled down we could hear the waves. It was almost like being at the ocean.

This bluebonnet was on the dry lake bed. I thought it was really pretty in the sunset.
If you're in Texas, you take pictures of your kids in the Bluebonnets, since these dogs are my kids, they got their picture taken in the bluebonnets. We snapped these on one of our walks. We took several walks throughout our stay.
The dogs were a handful at first, but they soon settled in and by Saturday night, they were exhausted. When we went to bed, they were horizontal and snoring before I could even lay my head down. They were so good.

On another note, these pictures were taken with my camera phone. I emailed them home because I have little to no memory. I thought the little camera did pretty good. I wished I'd had my regular camera, but this worked in a pinch.