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Big picture when purchasing/upgrading an RV.
So you’re considering buying or getting another Rv, Travel Trailer or Caravan. When we purchased our Travel Trailer, after extensive research, I thought we knew exactly what we needed and liked. While our purchase was a good one, that fit our budget and needs, it took a couple of trips to quickly understand that I could have done better.
All things equal.
First and foremost we made a list of the Travel Trailers we could safely tow with our truck. The most important criteria being all the weight considerations. Gross vehicle weight, Gross combined weight, tongue weight, trailer length and width. There were a bunch of options at varied prices….MY TAKE ON THIS!!!…More spent now means savings in the Long run.
Interior upgrades I wish we had.
We absolutely considered everything but in the moment our budget was our budget. Turns out that if we spent a little more we’d save ourselves a lot of money down the road. The first thing that we should have considered was a walk around bed. Our current trailer doesn’t have one which means that If one of us needs to “PEE” through the night, we are both awake because my wife would have to climb over me to answer natures call. This is certainly an inconvenience. Walk-Around beds also drastically improve the storage under the bed.
While the bathroom in our trailer is sufficient we quickly learned that there are a lot of extra bathroom storage, fixtures and fittings that we could easily change but once again would cost money and appear like a compromise.The shower curtain for example works as advertised but it is flimsy, hard to clean and restrictive compared to extended curtain rails or shower doors. The new models also come with installed electric thermostats that control both the AC and the furnace. The older thermostats honestly are not accurate enough and often control the furnace only. I should also mention that the air distribution is incomparable to the more expensive models.
Exterior upgrades I wish we had.
There are a bunch of exterior features which I now wish that I had. Our trailer doesn’t have a walk on roof or ladder. The walk on roof would allow me easier access to my AC, Antenna systems and regular roof maintenance sealing, cleaning and the like.
While easy to add on, a lot of newer trailers come with mounted BBQ stands, installed wiring for a rear view camera and updated compatible TV antennas. Other deficiencies include a single propane tank and hookup. While it is an easy fix, to update to a dual tank and hookup, we’d have to spend the money. Furthermore, all the exterior lights and bulbs were not LED but the more expensive models come with them. While The motorized awning works well, I regularly bump my head on the support arms. The more expensive systems extend from the roof laterally without arms that stick out. The steps into our trailer work as expected but are limited as we only have 2 steps. In certain situations the bottom step is still too high off the ground. I had to be buy an extra foldable step for those occasions.
A big consideration is that some more expensive models come with wiring/facility for double batteries. Some even store the batteries in their own pullout compartments protecting them not only from the elements, but theft as well. This level of RV’s come with built in standard solar controllers, all which I need to buy separately for my model come the time.
Trade up?
We really enjoy our travel trailer but you can rest assured we’ll be looking at our options over the next couple of years. I find myself second guessing every purchase for the trailer as the more expensive models come fully loaded. When we do upgrade I’ll make sure to include better media player options and wiring, better TV and pre-wiring for my Wifi extender and Cellular network antenna. The storage on the more expensive models are hands down better in every way, from the magnetic catches, size, better locks, bay lighting and pull-out drawers.
So, by the time we’ve bought everything that will possibly make our RV’ing experience better, you can rest assured that those costs would have made the option of buying a more expensive model a very real option. I also need to consider that once we upgrade I’ll have all this stuff that I don’t need and wasted money on. I can tell you that the above are but a few of the things that fall short of what a more expensive RV would bring to the table. I have included this link to view all the important products we’ve bought. This is an affiliate link an we’d appreciate your support through the link. I really hope this helps in some way!!
Safe Travels.
