In my first month of working at an RV dealership, I have learned a LOT about campers. I spent a couple of years camping in travel trailers as a kid and then seeing them nearly daily for years while working with various land management agencies, but I myself have been an avid tent/tarp/car/hammock camper for as long as I’ve been adventuring independently, going as far as camping in my car in the woods with my dog for several months while at one park. I have lived for years thinking of campers as not comfortable enough to be worth the hassle, too intimidating to be able to set up on my own, and as having far more space than a happily single person would ever need. In the last month, however, I have learned that there is such a variety in camping options that these ideas were not necessarily true in every case.
The first thing that I was really surprised by when starting my job was how fancy and comfortable some of the campers appear on the inside. It would not be an exaggeration to say that some of the 5th wheels that I’ve seen have been nicer than several of the homes and apartments that I lived in during my nomadic years. I’ve encountered units with enviable kitchen set-ups, ones with a washer and dryer, even some with built in dog kennels! Many of the newer models that I’ve encountered have even had small camp kitchens and entertainment systems in their exterior compartments (a trend that I’m hoping continues!).
Another thing that was an eye-opener to me when I started here was how easy it was to handle most of the essentials of campers. When I first began, I was nervous about having to wrangle campers with slide-outs or pop-ups, but it was an easy learning process, as most manufacturers make it quite intuitive to figure out. From an entire bathroom set-up that was collapsible down into an unobtrusive counter to a seemingly-normal king sized bed that converted easily to two twins with a nightstand, it has been surprisingly easy to figure out a lot of different, versatile campers, even without instructions. I was also impressed to learn that there was an orientation process when customers bought campers to help familiarize them with everything that they would need to know about the unit that they purchased.
A final thing that was a pleasant surprise was that there is such a wide range of makes and models that there is a unit for nearly every life circumstance. As a person who doesn’t intend to ever have more than myself and a dog or two to have to worry about providing housing for, I had always thought of campers as having altogether too much space and as being too large for my modestly-sized car to haul. However, I have now seen just how many compact/lightweight campers there are out on the market. Conversely, I have also seen campers that have more bunks/Murphy beds/Gaucho beds/convertible dinettes than I would have anticipated ever being able to fit into such a small space. There are some that I’ve encountered that would fit large families quite comfortably and still have space to spare! Additionally, toy-haulers add options that I had never even considered as part of having a camper.
With my life as a rambler temporarily on hold, it has been valuable to learn about all of these different options and the possibilities for the future that they present.
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Some campers are nicer than your average home
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The kitchens in some campers are incredibly spacious
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Some campers have unusual amenities (dog kennels/washer and dryer/multiple bedrooms)
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There’s a more recent trend towards having exterior features (entertainment systems/kitchens/etc)
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Campers are much less intimidating to operate/set-up than I had previously thought
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Most adjustments on campers are pretty intuitive (pop-ups/slides/etc)
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Orientation is an incredibly helpful option when one buys a camper!
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There are different models for nearly every size of family
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An incredible amount of creativity goes into designing versatile features (hidden amenities/convertible furniture/discrete storage spaces)
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Toy hauling spaces are designed to be pretty multi-functional, often with collapsible furniture, loft beds, and a degree of isolation from the rest of the unit
