trailers – Maps and Meanderings

Size Matters: Buying a Trailer Part 2

Published on November 10, 2020November 16, 2020 by Meaghan Elizabeth

Hello Friends! I am back with part 2 of the considerations for buying a trailer series. If you are new here today, welcome! I would recommend starting with the introduction post here, as it will provide some context for what we’re talking about today. Last week, I encouraged you to consider why you are looking to buy a trailer and how you are planning to use it. This week we are talking about some considerations related to trailer size.

Once you’ve determined why you’re buying a trailer and what you hope to use it for, size is the next important question to consider. This is one of the most important, if not the most important questions to consider, as it will affect and influence almost every other decision you make about the trailer. Before we get to the considerations, let’s define a couple terms.

Dry Weight: This is the weight of your trailer with nothing else in it. When you consider whether your vehicle can tow the trailer of your choice, the vehicle tow capacity must exceed the dry weight of your trailer. Remember that your supplies and equipment will add to this weight.

Tow Capacity: This is the weight of trailer that your vehicle can pull. This weight includes anything that you pack into your trailer, so make sure that the tow capacity includes a cushion for all your supplies.

Tongue Weight: This is the weight that your trailer will put on the tongue. It is equally important to make sure that your vehicle and your trailer tongue weight are in the proper range.

What is your vehicle situation?

VW Bug pulling a small trailer — Wouldn’t it be nice if all trailes could be pulled with a VW Bug?
Image by junki72 from Pixabay

Before we consider the size of trailer that will work for you, we need to talk about vehicles. I think that this is something people often overlook when thinking about buying a trailer, especially in the early stages, but it is extremely important.

Unless you plan to park your trailer and then never move it, you need a vehicle that can pull it. I recently helped my parents research a new vehicle that would work for them daily, and also be able to pull the trailer. We are getting an extremely light trailer. It is lighter than most, if not all, other trailers I researched in it’s size category. Because of this, my parents were able to get a smaller/mid sized SUV with a tow package and not a truck.

Some smaller trailers can be pulled with smaller vehicles and vehicles with a lower tow capacity. But don’t assume that because you are getting a small trailer that it will also be light – do your research! This is especially important if you are specifically in the market for a light trailer. I discovered that many small trailers are still very heavy. Just because a trailer is labelled as “ultra light,” it might not mean the same think you think it means.

We wanted a trailer that was as light as possible. We didn’t want a large SUV or a truck, and we wanted a trailer that was as light as possible for driving. To that end, I was often disappointed when I looked at the dry weights on the “ultra light” trailers only to discover that they were still over 3,500 pounds to start. Because I knew the weight that we were looking for, I was able to eliminate many trailers right off the bat. This can be helpful when you’re in those initial stages, but it can also become discouraging.

I would highly recommend you look into the specs of your vehicle before you start researching trailers. Once you have figured out what your current vehicle can pull, you can figure out if the size of trailer you want will require a new vehicle. Even if you already plan on getting a new vehicle prior to buying your trailer, you’ll still need to know your trailer weight to ensure you pick out a vehicle with sufficient tow capacity.

And remember – at the end of the day it is better to have “too much” tow capacity than not enough. Pulling a trailer that is too heavy for your vehicle is not only extremely unsafe, but it will also destroy your transmission over time. And if you break your transmission because you towed over capacity, you better believe your warranty is not going to cover that. You are going to have your trailer and your vehicle for many years so do yourself a favour and make sure you consider everything related to the size and weight.

Are you looking to park it or travel with it?

I’m not going to spend too much time here since we discussed it last week. You should already have an idea about whether you want to park the trailer or travel with it, and you should have already considered some of the size implications related to both options.

If you are looking to park your trailer and then leave it, you may be able to go for a bigger trailer than if you were planning on travelling around with it. You may also want to go slightly bigger if you are going to spend more time there, or treat it like your cottage.

One thing to consider is that if you plan to park the trailer, you may be able to go with a bigger trailer without needing a bigger vehicle. You will need to find a bigger vehicle to tow the trailer to the place where you are going to park it, but you may be able to find a friend to assist with this.

If you plan to travel with your trailer, smaller can be a better option. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go for a tiny trailer. This could mean that you do a bit of extra research and pick the 18’ trailer instead of the 25’ trailer. You may be able to find all the features you want in a slightly smaller trailer, and that might make all of the difference in your enjoyment of towing.

How many people will you be travelling with?

This may seem like an obvious consideration, but make sure that it is something you think about early on. How many people will you be travelling with regularly? You may have more or less people that you travel with depending on the circumstances, but as a general rule, how many people will be the norm?

You want to make sure that you have enough space for all of you. This doesn’t mean you need a huge space, but you should make sure that at the very least you have enough space to comfortably sleep everyone.

Most trailers have at least one table that can turn into a bed if necessary. But before you count that as your primary bed for one of your travellers, consider whether you need it to be a table. If you are only going to use that table in the event of rain or inclement weather, then you might not mind putting the bed away in that instance. But if you are going to use the table every day, or even most days, are going to want to put that bed away every morning? This may not bother you at all, but make sure you have thought it through.

If all of you go camping, will your trailer work? Is there someone willing and able to sleep in a tent if necessary? Or does that defeat the purpose of getting a trailer for you. It’s better to think through all of the scenarios and possibilities (or as many as you can) now, instead of realizing a year after you purchase your trailer that it’s not enough space, too much space, or you strongly dislike putting away a bed every day.

Bigger isn’t always Better.

You may have gathered by now that I prefer smaller trailers. I have nothing against bigger trailers, but I am just not drawn to them, and they just don’t feel like camping to me. But this point is not about my personal preference for small trailers.

I want you to consider that bigger isn’t always better. If you are newer to trailers, you may think that the bigger the trailer the more features, or the better the experience that you will get. But this is not necessarily true. I have seen many big trailers that are laid out so poorly that you can actually get more usable space in a slightly smaller, better planned out, trailer.

Before you just jump into a bigger trailer, think about whether you actually need all of that extra space. Sure you may have cabinets coming out of your ears, and that may seem great at first, but do you need to bring all of that stuff with you while travelling? And remember, more stuff means more weight for you to tow. You may find that a smaller trailer, with well thought out storage solutions, and thoughtfully laid out, actually provides you with more than enough storage space for your needs and wants along with providing the right amount of living space.

Will you be happy in that size of trailer (Smaller isn’t always better)

Happy Camper image — This is a Happy Camper. A more modern trailer based on the original boler design
Image by Michelle Churchman from Pixabay

For most of this post, I have stressed the benefits of a smaller trailer, but I don’t want to neglect the important consideration that smaller also isn’t always better. Though I prefer a smaller trailer, this is still something that I fully believe. We are getting a 16’ trailer. This is smaller than many of the trailers out there, but it’s also not a “small” trailer by the definition of some.

When I first started looking into trailers, I was fascinated with Bolers and Trilliums. If you are not familiar, these are older, compact, fiberglass trailers. And they are small. They are about 13’ in length, and they are not overly tall. I love the look of these trailers, and if I were to suddenly find myself with gobs of extra money, I would love to own one. But after fully considering our options, we decided that this type of trailer wasn’t going to be practical for us.

They are just that wee bit too small. We didn’t want to run into a situation where our trailer was too small, or too claustrophobic. There were also a number of features that we wanted in our new trailer that would not have worked in a Boler, even if we fully renovated the interior. There is such a thing as too small for you.

It can be tempting to look at the tiny trailers and see nothing but the advantages. But if you are going with something small, you need to be fully committed to that size of trailer. If you are thinking that you can learn to live with the disadvantages, take some extra time to consider whether you want to learn to live with them. Do the positives that you associate with a smaller trailer outweigh the negatives? Because if they don’t, or if even one of those negatives has the potential to turn into a deal breaker, then you won’t be happy in the long run. Don’t regret your trailer choice because you decided to go with something too small for you.

Our new trailer is small, but it is laid out well and it has enough space for all of the features that we want. Many people will look at our trailer and think that it is too small, and I’m sure there are many that think it’s too big. But because we knew exactly what we wanted, and had a good idea of the general size and weight we wanted, we were able to find something that I think is going to work perfectly for us.

It can seem like there are endless options when it comes to trailer size. It can feel overwhelming to figure out the size of trailer that you need, especially in a time where people are buying giant luxury trailers. These size options have expanded the trailer world to include more people. Even though they might not be for me, these big, apartment style trailers, have opened the doors to people who may not have been interested in smaller options.

Now that you have considered these questions related to the size of your new trailer, where do you see yourself? Are you looking at a small trailer to fit your needs, or do you lean towards something bigger? Do you have any considerations related to size that you would like to add to this list? Which of the items on this list did you find the most helpful in your considerations for a trailer? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Next week we are getting into some of the fun elements of researching trailers – the features!

Until Next Time,

How Are You Going to Use it? Buying a Trailer Series Part 1

Published on November 3, 2020November 16, 2020 by Meaghan Elizabeth

Hello and welcome back! If you missed last week’s post introducing this new series where I’m going to look at some of the things I think you should consider if you’re looking to purchase a trailer, you can check it out here. This week I want you to consider why you are buying a trailer and how you are going to use it. And I’m looking for more than “because I want one” or “to camp…” How you answer this question will greatly impact the type of trailer you decide to get, and many of the things we’re going to discuss in the next few weeks hinge on the answers you give to this question.

Question 1: What do you like and dislike about your current setup?

Woman enjoying a cup of coffee camping — Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

How you begin to answer this question will depend on whether or not you are currently a camper. Before you start looking into trailer options, I suggest that you think about the way you currently camp. If you haven’t camped for awhile then consider the way you have camped in the past. If you are not currently a camper, then I want you to think about why you would like to start camping, and why you want to start with trailer camping specifically.

If you are currently a camper, then I want you to think about and list the things that you love about your current setup and the way that you currently camp. Even if you want to change how you camp, you still want to pick out a trailer that fits your camping style. For example, if you love everything about tenting but are tired of sleeping in a tent, you may find that a 20’ luxury camper would be too drastic a change and would take all the joy out of camping. Your equipment shouldn’t take away from what you love about camping.

Once you have completed this list, think about all the things you don’t like about camping or your current setup. Is your current set up too big or too small for your needs or wants? Do you really wish that you didn’t need to walk to the washroom first thing every morning? Do you despise cooking in the rain? Write everything down.

In this stage you’re not considering features that you want in depth, that will come later. You just want to identify your likes and dislikes to give you a baseline for the type and size of trailer that you will be looking for. You don’t want your new trailer to ruin camping for you, but you also want to try and eliminate some of the things you don’t like about your current setup.

If you aren’t a camper, I still want you to go through this likes/dislikes exercise. I want you to consider what you think you will like and dislike about trailer camping. What are the things you look forward to and dream about when you picture yourself with your new trailer? What are the things that have kept you from camping up to this point?

There are many objections to camping that you can overcome by picking the right trailer. But there are many that you won’t be able to overcome. So pay attention to any of the “big things” that appear on this list. I don’t want to turn you away from camping, but I also don’t want you to buy a trailer on a whim and then regret it.

I don’t want to discourage you from taking up trailer camping, or suggest that you shouldn’t purchase a trailer. But I do want to make sure that you’ve thought it through. Trailer camping isn’t for everyone and it may be a good idea to dip your toes in the water of camping prior to making such a big purchase. Many parks have roofed accommodation options that fall somewhere between a tent or trailer and cabins, have you considered staying in one of these? Depending on where you go these accommodations provide more or less equipment, but there are options available to rent the necessary equipment so that you don’t need to purchase everything right away.

oTentik Picture — An oTentik at Thousand Islands National Park

These options aren’t going to give you the same experience as trailer camping, but I think they can help you get an idea of whether or not you will enjoy camping. Another option to consider would be renting a trailer for one or two trips, though I don’t know much about the logistics of this option.

Question 2: What is your time line?

This may seem like an odd consideration, but I have learned that it is a valuable one. Are you looking to purchase your new trailer immediately, or do you have some wiggle room? What would happen if you were told that you needed to wait 6 months? What about 1 year or 2 years? Would that turn you off the trailer completely?

You might be tempted to skip this question – because of course, you want the trailer as soon as possible. But I encourage you to take the time to think past that. I spent years thinking about and researching trailers to figure out what I wanted. I know that many people aren’t going to do this, but it’s important to note that I could take my time because I didn’t need the trailer right away.

We had a couple trips planned that we didn’t need a trailer for, so we could take things slow to get an idea of what we wanted. We also still owned our old trailer for most of that time so it was there if we needed it. Once we made the final decision to switch to a new trailer, we sold the old one in the spring, and then had picked out our new trailer by September of that same year.

And then we were told that there was a 2 year wait list for the trailer we wanted. Most trailers don’t have this length of wait list, but our trailer is being custom built at a small, family owned company and they can only produce so many trailers a year. We could have changed our minds and decided to look for something else similar, but we knew what we wanted, and we knew our time line. And because of that we were able to go ahead with it.

You may still think that this doesn’t apply to you because you aren’t looking to buy a custom trailer. But don’t brush it off. There are many smaller trailer companies that may also have waiting periods. Not to mention that many companies saw a surge in interest this year and sold through more inventory than in a typical year. In addition to high demand, there were closures that led to lumber and parts shortages. And these are sure to cause production schedule delays. If you find the perfect trailer but the supply is low and you need to wait for it, is that something you are willing to do? It’s okay if your answer is no, but you should know going in.

You should also know your time line if you are looking to buy used. The used trailer hunt can be short and sweet, or it can be tedious, time consuming and lengthy. There are often a lot of people selling trailers but they won’t necessarily meet your needs or you’ll find that the perfect ones seem to be scooped up before they even come across your screen. Even trailer companies that sell used trailers can only sell you what’s on the lot, and if none of those trailers match your needs, then you’ll need to keep looking, or change what you’re looking for.

Question 3: How do you plan to use it?

Yes, I know. You’re planning on using it for camping. What I mean is, in general, are you looking to park it our travel with it? Many trailers can be parked or traveled with, but there are some better suited to each type of use. This question will come up again next week when we talk about size, but it is useful to consider in this step as well. It also may not be something you have considered before this point.

There are many people who buy trailers to park and leave in one place. For people who can’t afford or don’t want the additional expenses and responsibilities of a cottage, a trailer in a nice park can be a great alternative. If this is how you intend to use your trailer, you might want to consider something a bit bigger and you also won’t need to be as concerned about the trailer weight. I’m not saying that you need to go crazy or that you can’t park a small trailer. But if you’re going to spend a lot of time at the trailer you may want a bit more space or a few more creature comforts. If this is your plan, it is also worth considering trailers that are already located at your chosen park.

On the other hand, it is easier to travel with a smaller trailer. It is possible to travel with a giant trailer, and I am sure you have seen any number of them traveling down the highway. But the bigger the trailer the more unwieldy it will become to drive and park. Not to mention you’ll use more gas, need a bigger vehicle, and put more wear and tear on that vehicle the bigger you go. I’m not saying that you need to buy one of those little tear drop trailers if you plan on taking road trips. But I am saying that you should take some time to think about what size of trailer will best meet your specific needs. Because, as we’re going to see next week, bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better.

I hope that you have found these considerations helpful. There are so many different styles and sizes of trailers available in the market that it can be overwhelming if you don’t have some idea of what you are looking for and what you need. The more you can know about your wants and needs going into the search, the better prepared you will be to quickly eliminate the ones that don’t meet those needs. Do you know your camping style? Let me know one thing that you can’t live without from your current setup in the comments below!

Until Next Time,

Dreaming of Fall Camping

Published on October 20, 2020November 16, 2020 by Meaghan Elizabeth

Hello Lovely Readers, and welcome back! It has been awhile.

If you’re someone who also reads my book posts, you may be thinking it hasn’t been all that long at all since my last post, and you would be correct. But I know there are some who come here primarily for the travel and adventure related posts. Even those of you who primarily read the book posts may be wondering where the travel posts have gone. Let me assure you, they have not gone away for good, they just went on a bit of a break.

I mentioned in my Summer Reading wrap up that I took an unplanned break from writing this summer. A number of life things came between me and writing over the summer months. Though I wish I could have continued without the break, I am learning to recognize and listen to my physical and emotional cues and take a break when needed. I’ve seen it said many times that it’s better to take a break, or rest than to quit. So that is what I did.

And then when I started back up again with writing in September I decided to spend a few weeks getting back in the swing of things by posting book-related posts only, thus limiting myself to one post a week. Not only did I want to ease back in, but I also didn’t want to burn out before I’d even really got started again. But I think I am ready now to jump back into the travel-related posts. I have the week off from work in an unprecedented fall vacation, and I am hoping to put together a few posts so that I can have the flexibility of working ahead instead of always running from week to week.

I had originally planned on jumping back in with a series about buying a trailer, but as I am sitting here today enjoying some beautifully crisp fall weather, I keep thinking about how much I’m looking forward to doing some fall camping next year, and so I decided to chat a bit about that. Don’t worry though, the trailer series is coming, so consider this a teaser for the upcoming weeks.

I have never gone fall camping. It’s just not something my family did when I was growing up. I don’t think it was something we ever considered since it’s more effort to heat a tent trailer than a fully enclosed trailer, and I just can’t imagine running to the washroom in the early hours of a fall morning. Now, I know that there are probably many out there telling me that they camp all the time in the fall or winter in tents without any heating. As much as I would love to try out that type of fall or winter camping someday, in general, we are wimps, and you are braver than us. So, other than the occasional youth group campout or a fall retreat in cabins, I have never really gone off-season camping.

As I have mentioned before (if you can remember that far back), we are buying a new trailer with a delivery date of June 2021. Our new trailer is a fully contained, aluminum travel trailer with a heater and an onboard washroom. As such, one of the things we are really looking forward to is the possibility of more offseason camping trips. It may sound strange, but a fall camping trip is one of the things that I am currently looking forward to the most in 2021.

Though October can be a hit or miss month in terms of the weather here in Southwestern Ontario, even cooler days can be beautiful and you can’t beat the changing leaves for scenery on fall walks. Sure, you’re not likely to have any beach days or sunbathing in October, but in my opinion, there’s so much to look forward to/dream about with regards to fall camping.

1. Long scenic walks in the woods

In some ways, the cooler fall days are nicer for long walks than hot summer days. When the days are hot and humid, it can quickly become “too hot” to enjoy a long walk. In the fall, the days are cooler so that you don’t overheat but aren’t typically cold enough that you need too many extra layers. Not to mention that the changing leaves make for a beautiful change to the scenery when walking in wooded areas. There is also something special and magical about walking over the soft padding of fallen leaves on the path. I am a big fan of fall walks, especially knowing there’s a cozy trailer and hot tea or chocolate waiting at the other end.

2. Coffee outdoors on Crisp Autumn mornings

Coffee enjoyed outdoors in nature is just better somehow. And it’s even better yet if the morning is just enough on the crisp side that you need a sweater or light jacket, but not too cold to keep you inside or make the coffee get cold too fast. I enjoy the odd day where I can enjoy a coffee, or tea, on my deck at this time of year, and I can’t wait to enjoy it outside of our trailer surrounded by the sounds of fall. When morning coffee is in charge of waking you up and warming you up, it is that much more lovely.

3. Cool morning lie-ins and slow starts

I don’t know about you, but I often find it more difficult to sleep in while camping in the summer, especially if I’m in a tent. The sun, combined with warmer temperatures, is just so insistent in saying that you should get up and start your day. Add to that the need to get up and walk to the washroom, and I just don’t find myself staying in bed too long. Now, I don’t actually know how it will be in practice waking up in our trailer on fall mornings, but I am envisioning the possibilities of lazier, more slow-moving mornings – especially since an on-board washroom and stove mean that we don’t actually need to leave the trailer first thing in the morning if the weather is less than pleasant or it’s raining. It will be so much easier to enjoy the rain on the aluminum roof if we’re not thinking about the upcoming mad dash to the washroom…

4. Cozy evening campfires

I love campfires in the evening while camping in the summer. Depending on the weather, however, summer nights can be too warm to fully enjoy a campfire. This is where fall campfires shine. And with fall you don’t even necessarily need to restrict the campfires to the evenings if the day is cooler. Fall campfires are something you can truly cozy up to, and they’re even better with hot beverages. Sure, depending on the evening, you might also need sweaters and blankets (and possibly hats), but that just adds to the mood and coziness. An added bonus is that, even if you have the temperature down low in the trailer, you won’t be leaving the coziness of the fire to go into a freezing cold tent.

5. The freedom to just relax and enjoy

Now, I try to do this on all of my camping trips, or at least on the ones that aren’t incorporated into other travels, but I think the options are a bit different on a fall camping trip. Sometimes, on summer trips, there can be more pressure to get out and do something to enjoy warm days we know won’t last. Whatever that looks like, it doesn’t always feel right to just hang around all day (though we have been incorporating more of this in our summer camping). Regardless of whether it’s the same activities or different, I think fall days lend themselves so much better to snuggling up and reading or writing all day, or spending the entire day listening to music and playing board games. I’m not sure I’m explaining this point all that well, but I am looking forward to the extra coziness that comes from a lazy fall day indoors surrounded by nature and peppered with the occasional trek outside for fresh air.

These are just some of the things I am dreaming about when I think of fall camping. I’m sure what I enjoy about it, and what I look forward to with regards to it, will change once I’ve actually gone fall camping, but for now these are the things I am picturing while sitting on my deck wishing I was elsewhere.

Have you ever been fall camping? Do you go in a tent or in a trailer? What is the thing you enjoy most about fall camping as opposed to summer camping? Leave me a comment below and don’t forget to like and subscribe if you enjoyed this post!

Until Next time,