Buying a New Travel Trailer?

If this is your first time buying a new Travel Trailer you will certainly want to have a good idea of what you want in a camper before you hit the dealership. With so many brands and options it’s a good idea to have a “deal breaker” list before you walk on to the sales lot. Better yet, find out if there is an RV show coming to your area and spend a good part of the day walking through various models, then determine what you can and can’t live without. While pricing may be important to you, it should not drive your entire decision-making process.

It is unwise for first time buyers to make a “spur of the moment” purchasing decision before they really know what they need or want in a travel trailer. Keep in mind, if you purchase a Travel Trailer that doesn’t meet your current needs, you will just be going through this all over again at a later date. Don’t forget to talk to the dealer about the specific warranty for the unit you are considering. Find out how the company is rated from a service perspective.

These are some of the things Tammy and I have found important each time we have gone shopping.

Overall Construction

Don’t assume that all travel trailers are constructed the same way. Research the models you are interested in and understand how they differ from each other in their construction. For example, is the floor framed or metal construction. How is the roof constructed; and how much weight can in support? Most manufacturers will have a page on their website that talks about their construction process. Don’t forget to research their warranty and find out what others are saying about their product(s).

Sleeping Quarters

Bed – Bed’s come in many different sizes in RV’s, don’t assume that a Queen size is always a Queen size; there are standard (like in your house) and then there are Short Queens which are not as long. Take time to lay down on the bed and make sure it will work for you. Also make sure the mattress is a decent quality; so you wont be forced to replace it after a few nights of painful sleep.
Windows – Is cross ventilation important to you? Will you spend nights with the windows open? Then you need to make sure that there is adequate cross ventilation. Don’t assume that all the windows you see throughout your trailer open. Some windows are emergency exits and may not function like a regular window.
Accessibility – Can you move around in the bedroom easily (plenty of room around the bed). Can you make the bed without being a contortionist? Is there enough space that you can easily reach into the back of cabinets and closets? If there is storage under the bed can you easily open and remove items without hitting the walls?
Closets – Is there enough space for your clothes, and do the clothes hang easily in the closet without folding over on the compartment floor?
Nightstand – Is there enough room on the nightstand for your phone, books, computer, a fan? Are there enough electrical plugs on or near the nightstand so you can charge your personal electronics as you sleep?
Outlets – Does the room have enough outlets for all your needs? If you wanted to put a nightlight on the floor, would you have any options for where it would go? If you wanted to plug-in a fan, would that be possible?
Lighting – Are the lights easy enough to turn off when you go to bed? Are any reading lights over the bed going to prevent your partner from sleeping if you want to read?
Television – Does the unit come with a TV or would you need to have one installed? Some RV’s can share a TV with the living area (It swivels). If you need to add a TV to the bedroom, then determine if that has an impact on your ability to move about freely.

Living Quarters

Overall Space Requirements – How many people will be sleeping in the trailer? Are there enough sofa sleepers or tables that drop down into sleepers to accommodate your family. When all the beds are extended can you still move around in the trailer? Is the table/booth large enough to accommodate your family during meals? Can you get into the bumped out areas without hitting your head? Is it comfortable to move around in the trailer when everyone is inside, or is it cramped? Does the seating in the living area make sense (i.e. can you watch tv and/or talk to others without sitting on a strange angle or twisting your head)?
Floor Space – Is there enough floor space in the trailer? You will probably never say that you would be happy to have less space so make sure it meets your needs. We travel with our two shepherds so we are always taking their needs into account. For example, can they each find a place to lay down and be out of the way. Is there enough space so they can both eat without being crowded; and we can still move around? Keep in mind that a full slide-out could give you up to 18″ more floor space than a partial slide-out.
Layout – Does the overall flow of the floor plan make sense? Does the location of the bathroom make sense if you have visitors? When you enter the trailer, you may want to come into the main living area. If you enter the trailer and you enter the kitchen, is that an issue? We had a trailer where you entered into a narrow kitchen area. This design was very inconvenient. If someone came in while you were cooking you had to get out of the way; just so the person could pass by. Just keep these things in mind as you walk through the travel trailer.
Heating and Air Conditioning – Look where your vents are located and make sure the layout of the vents make sense. As an example, if you have dogs you may want to make sure the floor vents are located in spots that don’t present a paw hazard.

Kitchen

Storage – Where the storage is located is as important as how much you have. You will most likely be carrying dishes, pots and pans, and glasses. In order to cook or set your table they must be easily accessed . Make sure you are going to be able to easily reach items without reaching over tables, sofas, or people. Make sure that you are able to get to your kitchen storage and refrigerator with all of your slide-outs pulled in. When you are traveling down the road and want to quickly jump in the trailer to grab something you will be happy you didn’t need to extend your slide room to make that possible.
Pantry – I think a Pantry is necessary or at the very least a good number of well located cabinets in which you can store all your dry goods and canned goods. If you feel you can get by with cabinets then make sure that all your dishes, pots and pans, and glassware still have a home somewhere. Our Coachmen Travel Trailer did not have a Pantry but it had a U-shaped kitchen that had so many cabinets that it really wasn’t an issue at all.
Counter Space – Oddly, most travel trailers today don’t seem to have much counter space. Think about food prep areas and what you need for appliances like a toaster, or coffee maker. It’s a pain to pull out appliances and put them back after you use them to save on space. You will never tell yourself that you should have LESS counter space.
Outlets – Are the outlets available in areas that make sense? Is there an outlet located in a spot that makes sense for your toaster or coffee maker. We had a trailer that had the outlet located on the bottom of a over head cabinet. This was the only one available for the coffee maker. Unfortunately the coffee make cord wasn’t long enough to reach the outlet.
Trash Cabinet – Again, you don’t see trailers designed with these much anymore. We have had these in the past and loved it. Our last two Trailers have not had a trash cabinet so we have a pedal trash can that works fine. If you don’t have a trash cabinet, look at the layout of your kitchen and make sure a trash can will work for you.
Appliances – Make sure the refrigerator and freezer is large enough for the type of travel you are going to do. This doesn’t mean that you should jump to thinking you need a residential size. We have always been impressed with how much food we could pack in a standard RV refrigerator. If you feel you absolutely need to have a residential refrigerator, there are pro’s and con’s so make sure you understand what the power requirements are, and that you probably wont be able to run the refrigerator on propane. If you like baking, then make sure your model has an oven, some do not. Make sure the microwave and cook top is big enough for the type and quantity of food you will prepare. Also make sure that the microwave is not mounted so high that you cannot easily access it.

Bathroom

Toilet – Make sure that you can sit down comfortably without having your knees on the wall or door. Make sure that you can move easily around in the bathroom.
Sink – You probably want to make sure that there is enough counter space that you have a place to set things down (like a curling iron for instance).
Mirror – Make sure the mirror placement makes sense, and that it is big enough.
Outlets – Are there enough outlets and does their location make sense?
Shower – Make sure you have room to shower without banging into the walls. Is the shower head high enough that you don’t need to crouch down to wash your hair? Does the shower head turn off (without closing the hot and cold water taps) so you can save water while you shower? You may want to have shelves inside the shower to set body wash, shampoo, and conditioner. We have had showers with both shower curtains and glass doors…personally we are not going back to shower curtains.
Storage – If you happen to have a closet in the bathroom, that’s great! Having a closet allows you to actually shower and change in the bathroom versus dragging your clothes down to the bathroom with you. If you don’t have a closet but you have ample cabinet space for towels and toiletries you may decide that is good enough. Not having enough space for towels at a minimum is a problem.

Outside

Power Tongue Jack – We have had both hand crank and power tongue jacks. With a power jack you won’t be cranking up and down for ten minutes to get your hitch set up. I am guessing most rigs today are already equipped with power jacks, if not you may want to upgrade.
Power/Manual Stabilizing Jacks – Stabilizing jacks can be manual crank down (by hand) or electric powered; we have had both. This is not a deal breaker issue for us. If we really liked a travel trailer model that didn’t have power jacks we wouldn’t hesitate to buy it.
Storage – Make sure you have enough space to store everything you need to support the trailers systems. The travel trailer should have enough storage for your power cords, water hoses, sewer connections, tools, lawn chairs, grass mats, grill, jack stands if needed, portable dump station….you get the idea. Having decent storage outside is just as important as inside.
Outdoor Kitchen – We never felt this was a “must have” item, but now having had one on the last two trailers; we like having it. Having an outdoor kitchen allows you to cook outside and keep cooking smells outside, and not heat up the inside of the trailer.
Outdoor Shower – We have had travel trailers with and without an external shower, and we prefer to have it for washing the kids feet off, washing the dogs, and rinsing off your shoes if you happen to have a bad experience at the dog park.
TV/Entertainment – Is having a TV outside important to you? If you enjoy watching football or other sports games this may be something you want to pay a little more for.
RV Mounted Grill – Your travel trailer probably comes with this; if it doesn’t you may want to find out how much that option costs. They are convenient because they plug into your existing propane line and are easy to store with a lot less mess than conventional grills. They typically mount on either the bumper or the side wall of the trailer
Ladder – We love having a ladder attached to the Travel Trailer. It makes getting on the RV so much easier. An alternative to this will not be safe or convenient.
Dump Valves – Understand where your grey and black water valves are located and how many there are. If the dump valve is located under a slide-out, that may be a problem.

In addition to just buying your RV, there are some very important steps that you will need to consider before you can tow it off the lot.

Tow Vehicle – Can your vehicle handle the weight of the trailer, more importantly can it handle the trailer fully loaded? You want a vehicle that can easily tow your load without struggling up hills. Please do not rely on the RV dealership to tell you what you can tow with your vehicle. It is your job to know the towing capacity of your vehicle. The dealership is only interested in selling you an RV.

Insurance – Don’t forget to have your travel trailer included on your insurance policy. Nothing will ruin a trip faster than having a damaged trailer and no insurance.

Storage – Determine where you will put your trailer when it is not in use. Don’t assume that you can just park it in your driveway, many home owners associations (aka Neighborhood Associations) will not allow this. Sometimes you may have a neighborhood where it is acceptable to park an RV and later the home owners association may change the rules (it happened to us). Just make sure you factor in the monthly storage fees up front if necessary.

Parking Matters!

Hitch Set up – Unless you tow a very, very light trailer; you will need a weight distributing hitch. This is not just for your safety; it is for everyone on the road. Make sure you have your hitch set up professionally and that you understand how to set it up, and remove it, before you roll off the lot. Set up of the hitch should be second nature, if it isn’t then you are flirting with danger. Read your owners manual and make sure you follow all the appropriate maintenance as required.

Electronic Brake Controller – This isn’t a nice to have, it’s a necessity. This component applies the trailers brakes when you step on your tow vehicles brake pedal. Make sure you understand how to set your brake controller for travel. Always make sure it is in working condition before you leave on a trip.

Connectivity – If you have a job that allows you to travel or you just like to spend your time on the internet then think ahead for what you need in order to stay connected. Many campgrounds do not have WiFi, or their WiFi is substandard. So think about all your options for keeping connected on the road. In addition you may or may not have cable TV at the campground. When cable is available we have found that it is a very abbreviated version of what we have at home. If you need something more than what you can get at a campground you have options. There are portable satellite dishes and packages you can buy to make your entertainment experience on the road the same as at home.

In conclusion, no travel trailer is going to be perfect. They are like houses, once you move into them you realize certain things that might have been nicer to have, or things you would do differently in the future. The goal is to get something that you can feel comfortable living in for a few weeks at a time (or longer) without feeling like you have to modify the way you live.