Full-time RVer looking for new home-on-wheels

Hello everyone!

My story is kind of unusual. I've been full-timing in a 17' molded fiberglass trailer for two and a half years and I love this lifestyle. When I bought my trailer, everyone told me 17 feet wasn't enough room to live in, that I'd be trading up in less than a year.

The reality is I enjoy living small, and I want to go smaller. My Casita has a shower... and I've never used it. Not once in two and a half years, so why am I hauling it around? I started looking at teardrops last summer and focused on brands that had reputations for being durable, which were few and far between. Teardrops NW looked most likely, but they were all the way in Salem, OR and my travel route wasn't going to take me by there anytime soon.

Then a month ago when I was park hosting here at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area in Texas, a couple drove in with a 560. I think my jaw must have hit the ground. Now that thing looks built to last! I drove up in my little park UTV and pestered them for information which they graciously answered.

Now here's the really funny part. After finishing my volunteer stint in TX I had plans to drive back up to visit family and friends in Wisconsin, where I'm originally from. In fact I grew up (and my parents still live) in Wisconsin Rapids, which is only 45 minutes away from Necedah - it's like fate!

So when I'm up in Wisconsin next month I'm going to drop in and tour the factory, and I think I'm going to like what I see from what I've read on this forum. It would be a while before I'd have the funds to order one, but good things are worth the wait.

In the meantime, thank you all for sharing your experiences, it's been very helpful!

 

Welcome Becky. I have been following your blog since the start. Really enjoy it. Hopefully soon you will be posting about your travels in a Camp Inn.

 

Thanks Joan!

We'll see. I am looking forward to getting to see the factory next month, after that I should be able to decide if this is the thing for me or not. Thanks for reading IO.

 

The size of the trailer matters once you determine if you are going to sleep in it or you are going to live in it.

It appears you are pretty active, so you are probably spending a limited amount of time in the camper.

You will like a teardrop if you live outside and it is a place to sleep.

 

Welcome Becky. We just recently purchased a 550 ultra and while we have not yet had it out we just know we are going to love it. The quality and craftsmanship are fabulous, this is a lifetime trailer to us. We spent several years in a 17 casita FD then moved into a Scamp 19 5er and while we were always impressed with their quality of build --- the Campinn is BETTER. We also live outside when we camp and are convinced that we have more than enough room in the teardrop. This trailer makes amazing utilization of space. We considered a campinn years ago but could not rationalize the expense of a new unit but recently discovered that used Campinn's are not that rare anymore and we found a great one at a very fair price. This is a great forum, friendly and safe......hang around and you may find yourself in a Campinn teardrop faster than you think.

 

Although we don't have our 550 Special yet, what you said about living outdoors is what brought us to a teardrop. It is also good to hear your very positive comments about Camp-Inn!

Happy adventures to you!

 

RGupnorth - Very sound advice. I am the kind of person who lives out of my small RV and not in it, so I'm thinking a teardrop will work well. The biggest concern would be if I got stuck in a place with multiple days of bad weather in a row but hey, that's why it has wheels right?

Linda & Steve - Yes, that's why I went with Casita initially, because if you're going to be living in it, it needs to last, you know? I could have bought a more typical "stick house" trailer that was newer and larger for the money I paid for my Casita, but I knew it wouldn't hold up as well.

Congrats on your purchase! The 550 is the model I'm most interested in and I have poked at the Classifieds forum.

Diane and Michael - When I'm interested in something I research it to death, a facet of my personality that really helped me make good decisions when I was getting on the road. I haven't found anything else out there that looks as well built as a Camp-Inn.

I hope you enjoy the lifestyle! It's a roller coaster getting started but the hard work pays off. Like you I was thinking the 550 Special might be ideal - I prefer doing my dishes in tubs where there's more room and I always worry about bacterial growth in a water tank that you can't scrub out - I carry 1 gallon jugs with me for drinking water now. I already have a portable Coleman stove that I can cook on and set on a picnic table for more prep space and my current RV doesn't have a furnace nor have I felt like I've lacked for one.

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone!

Edit: Say, I've tried uploading an avatar picture to show up beside my name and although the file I choose on my computer is less than 80 x 80 pixels as the rules say it won't show up - although it shows up fine on other forums I post on. Any tips?

 

Becky, thanks...

 

The extra room you have with the 560 comes in handy on a rainy day. The couch with the windows is a nice feature.

When you visit Camp-Inn - just spend a little time sitting in the 550 vs. 560.

 

fpoole - Responded, thanks.

RGupnorth - I certainly will!

 

Becky, we purchased a tent from REI, ironically called the In-Camp! It is roomy enough for 4 chairs and a table, so that will be our living room. This is a pretty cool tent in that it has panels for each of the 4 sides that you can take off or leave on. Other folks like the REI Alcove, which also is tall enough to fit over the opened galley hatch, so you can cook and be dry. We bought our own stove so we can cook under our tent. Lots of options out there!

 

Woohoo, always good to hear from the Bear!

How is the property thing going in Pac N.West? Hope all is well, so glad you dropped in!


Welcome Becky...we have the 560 and love it. Just got back from Pedernales Falls State Park, not too far from Enchanted Rock.

 

Hi Bear, and so nice to see your post. We begin full-timing on April 1 when we pick up our 550 Special from Camp-Inn. I hope in our wanderings we will be able to meet up with you and Jenn to hear about and learn from your experiences!

The Mark Twain quote really resonates with me...I just shared it on my blog a few days ago!

 

Jenn - Everyone here says that the tour is amazing and the build quality is fantastic, it's so great to hear about a teardrop that is made to last.

I had to google Whidbey Island because I'd never heard about it before - it looks like a beautiful place! I haven't had a chance to explore the PNW yet but I'm looking forward to it someday. I'll keep the tent/canopy suggestions in mind, I read through that big thread about it on the forums and it sure gave me a lot to chew on.

I hope you enjoy IO! I keep trying to view your YouTube video but alas, the park WiFi here isn't good enough to stream so I'll have to try elsewhere. Enjoy your reunion with your teardrop!

Diane and Michael - I saw that big multi-page thread about various tents and canopies on these forums, luckily I'll have plenty of time to mull over which'll work best for me!

Bear - Thank you very much for the offer, I can't think of anything right now but it's possible I'll have questions after I get the tour next month. I hope you enjoy reading IO, I sure enjoy writing it. 10 years! That's amazing. I'll be at 3 years in September. It's a beautiful way to live.

Jay N Valerie - Thanks. PFalls isn't that far away at all! One of the other park host couples here volunteered there last year and really enjoyed it. I'm hoping I'll get a chance to go before leaving Texas but am unsure at this point - working a lot of hours with Spring Break.

 

I would highly recommend a quick trip there before you leave Texas...even if only a weekend trip. The falls are beautiful, great hiking trails and lots to see.

I am uploading a lot of pictures to our hosted site and will post them in the Parks and Campgrounds section of the forum soon. I already posted the write up of the park and just need to add the images.

 

Re: 150328 ODYSSEY: WHY A CAMP-INN TEARDROP

Not sure if you meant that to go in this topic Bear, but that sure is a well-written and thought provoking piece.

I'm with you on the whole "less is more" philosophy. When people ask me how I can manage to live in something 17' long, I tell them that I don't live in my small RV, I live out of it. It's a big distinction. Three(ish) weeks until I get to visit the factory!

 

Thanks for your very kind comments! "Excited" doesn't quite communicate how week feel tonight! Just can't wait for morning! Sending you our best wishes.

 

Have been following your blog - WI is a beautiful state - so when leave - watch the scenery while your looking at your trailer.

Enjoy your day tomorrow.

Bob

 

Bear - I received some very good advice when I started my blog that helped me a lot, and I'm always willing to share that advice with others. To get other people interested in your blog: it has to be more about your reader than it is about you. Teach others how to do what you're doing. And if you're going to write travelogues, write them in a way that your audience can put themselves in your shoes and imagine themselves having the adventure.

Diane and Michael - CONGRATS!

Bob - Being from Wisconsin originally, I'd have to agree with you. By the time I was 24 (when I moved away) I'd been there all my life and it seemed boring and ordinary. I enjoy it a lot more now that I'm not "stuck" there all the time.

 

Bear, Google has it all.. free..

It's what I use along with the Blog.
https://sites.google.com/site/poolesweb/home

and there are plenty of others if you do a search for
free websites for rv blogs

this one a lot of Full/part timers use:
http://www.mytripjournal.com/

Hope that helps??