I spent the entire day today getting familiar with it and deciding where to place the items we use when RV'ing - dishes, utensils, cooking pots, prep bowls, bedding, games, cleaning supplies, outdoor seating, barbecue, portable firepit and large outdoor area rug. I found a place for everything, which means going forward we have only to pack our clothes before hitting the road. Food can either be brought from home, or picked up when we arrive, depending on how quickly we wish to make our getaway and how long we'll be gone.
We have an upcoming weekend scheduled at a nearby beach campground to give the new trailer a test run and make sure everything works as expected. The cost for this getaway weekend will be under $125, which includes the cost of our ocean front campsite for two nights plus the gas to get there. Our food costs will be exactly the same as they would be had we stayed home, and assuming good weather, our entertainment should all be free - hiking in a nearby canyon, walking along the beach, and enjoying ocean and wildlife views, sunsets and wine from our site.
Actually a rainy weekend wouldn't be a half bad way to spend our test run weekend either. Our Southern California coastline never gets too chilly, and the idea of sitting out under an awning, fire at our feet, wine glasses in hand while listening to the rain and gazing out at the ocean sounds pretty good too.
Our new rig all set up, 24 feet in length in total when opened fully.
Our primary living area - very comfortable dinette with an expandable table and a king size bed sleeping area with privacy curtains and portable nightstands.
Fully functioning kitchen galley on the left, and small bathroom with shower and toilet on the right.
Peeking inside the bathroom (yes, it has a privacy door!)
Our new trailer folded down and ready for storage inside our garage.
And here it is parked and ready for future usage, leaving plenty of room for my car as well. The advantage of being able to garage store is $0 out of pocket to store elsewhere, plus it stays protected and available for usage at any time.
I love that image of sitting under the awning watching the rain with a glass of wine, a fire, and the sounds of the ocean. How perfect!
ReplyDeleteWell, if you are ever in the Southern California area consider yourself so invited! We'll be the rather strange looking rig with the very happy people alongside.
DeleteDH and I are thinking of doing this and can't wait! Love the trailer can you tell me what brand/type it is? Looks kind of like a pop up but obviously much fancier!
ReplyDeleteTerry,
DeleteNot to sound like a paid spokesperson for TrailManor, the company that manufactured our trailer, but our rig, and the others in TrailManor's folding line, are truly one of a kind. There are nine total different sizes and models as of 2012, with ours being one of the smallest at 17 feet closed/24 feet open. You can view pricing at their website (www.trailmanor.com), but you can also find them used at excellent prices on CraigsList. Just keep your geographic search as wide as possible and enter the keyword "TrailManor."
My husband and I have been RV'ing for six years now, and are very sure we are in it for the long haul, hence why we decided to make in investment in this rig for our retirement years. See my post from January 23, 2012 for more information on these unique trailers. :-)
So is the inside accessible when the trailer is folded down? I had assumed it would be but looking at it folded down I'm not sure.
ReplyDeletePeter,
DeleteThe inside is not accessible when the trailer is collapsed. We would need to pull it out onto our driveway and set it up first. Setup takes less than five minutes, plus another five to get the inside set up. On the outside we unhook it at the four corners, pull and latch . . . that's it. On the inside we set up the upper bathroom walls and hang the one cupboard.
To a couple that spent six years setting up a canvas sided tent trailer, five minutes as compared to 30 minutes to set up our former trailer is a dream come true!
How much fun! I remember how excited you were when you ordered this trailer a few months ago. I assume you aren't pulling it with the car in the picture?
ReplyDeleteLots of posts and pictures in your future i would imagine.
No . . . we refer to the car in the photo as our little car! We'll be pulling with a Toyota Highlander.
Delete