Hi all, We are looking to buy our 1st camp and looking at options.

I know the 1st question is going to be budget and prefs so here they are. We plan to buy used for our 1st camper and will take those learning to buy new in 3 to 5 years if we like it as much as we think we will. We want a travel trailer, 26 feet, 5 to 6k empy weight, for mostly the 2 of us. Budget is 10 to 20K. Big range i know, but if we love something we can go to 20.

So the question is where is the best place to buy such a camper. Shows seam like a good option but making the choice in 1 day seams risky. Are there usually independent inspectors at shows? We are in central/north NJ so dealers are limited. Individual sellers have no backing or financing....

There is a show mid Oct and it would seam like a good time and place since campers are now a model year older and the season is mostly over.

All advice is welcome.

Thanks,

Current tent camper, future RV camper.

First time living in a camper. I’ve had it less than a week, and it’s SO MUCH BETTER than an apartment, and cheaper. I don’t think I could ever live in an apartment again. Plus, when it’s paid off, I’ll own it. Seems like an absolute no brainer.

There are a few disadvantages, like maintenance and repairs, but I’ll take that any day over having a neighbor above you, below you, on both sides and behind you lol.

So far I have 2 house rules. Shoes off when entering (gravel and grass lots), and pee sitting down. The shape of the toilet makes a lot of splash, so I tell people pee sitting down or clean the bathroom when you’re done haha.

Y’all have any advice for someone that’s new to camper life? Any tips and tricks are greatly appreciated.

I had to get a new car last year because mine broke down. I went to Carmax and got a loan for an affordable car. My life has taken a twist and I’m now finding that living in a class c camper better suits my future/goals. I want to buy it used from Facebook marketplace because this will not only be a project for me, but it’s designed to be temporary (2-3 years MAX) while I’m starting a business that will require me to live on the property. I also don’t want to pay for a car I’ll rarely use but I know I can’t just “give it back.”

What do??

TLDR: I want to return my car to Carmax to live in a used camper but idk how/what to do.

I am a complete newbie when it comes to campers! I have always tent camped, and lately I've been staying in park cottages/cabins, but lately I've been thinking about a very small camper--I'm getting to old to sleep on the ground, and the park cottages are so popular, you have to reserve them months in advance.

Anyway, I was recently at a campground where somebody had an A-frame trailer, and it really appealed to me. I liked how it looked, it seemed like it would be a manageable size to tow and store. They seem to show up on the secondhand market for very reasonable prices, and would be towable with a vehicle comparable to the one I have now.

So, what else should I know, about them?

I would be camping solo with a dog, so I don't need a whole lot of space. My tow vehicle will probably be a minivan--that's what I have now, but it's old enough to vote, so I think I'll probably need to car-shop before I can camper-shop, but I'm not looking to get a truck or anything too huge.

Does anyone tow small camper trailers with their current gen sienna?

We recently bought a very nice, used, Transport, 21' camper & will be towing it with a Ford F-150. It's just her & I & 2 smaller dogs. Would having a WDH be necessary, recommended or can we get along without one. We don't pack along much other than just necessities & our typical outings are all less than 200 miles.

I know the specs ask for 4 50 pounds of torque on the hitch ball. I tried tightening it his best I could, but the best I could do is 300 foot pounds. Is that enough? The lock washer is completely flat and I can’t turn it anymore, and I can’t tighten it anymore on the workbench. This is on a true track Curt weight distribution hitch. I heard I can put it on the receiver and tighten it on the car. Can I do that and not damage the assembly? I’m worn out. This would’ve been easier before I lost weight!

I just picked up a new Jayco SLX 130 and got his home. Actually backed up all the way into my driveway which was 100 feet long then I tried to unhitch. The hitch won’t come off the ball. I have the release lever up, but it’s lifting the car. I tried putting in a neutral with the E brake on no luck. I tried pushing forward and back and trying to get to release. It’s still not working. Do I use a crowbar or does someone else have another idea? It’s cool that I got a new camper. And it’s cool that I backed the trailer up all by myself. And I didn’t hit anything!

Over the last few years our family has each bought a bumper pull travel trailer to camp together. The last camping trip it was brought up how the guys always do the setting up and maintenance on the campers. This brought up the question of if the girls could do the setting up on their own without help. I wanted to have a little fun with this and make a quiz for “how well do you know your camper?” I’d like to give the quiz to everyone as I’m sure the guys myself included could learn some things. I’m looking for suggestions on questions I should use. I’m looking for things that you should know such as height/width of camper. But also tricky technical questions as well.

Hi all. Tent camper looking to upgrade to popup just for added sleep comfort and dry spot for meals when weather not cooperating. I think I understand the different weight specifications but would appreciate your expertise and comments.

Looking to purchase gas-powered 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander GT S-AWC as tow vehicle. I'm sure there are better vehicles but this fits budget and wife's wants. Vehicle specs:

Looking to purchase 2025 Rockwood 19OTG, specs:

If I plan to simply tow the empty popup (1,299 lbs) and have a SUV payload of 1,003 lbs (all passengers, driver, cargo and 183 lb trailer tongue/hitch weight) then I ought to be ok, correct? Under SUV towing capacity, tongue weight and payload capacity maximums; under popup's GVWR as no cargo loaded onto it.

Appreciate your guidance.

I grew up camping. My parents had a travel trailer and our whole family went everywhere and LOVED it. My husband and I wanted to give the same experience to our kids. We bought a camper. a keystone outback. We bought a really cool pickup truck. Our camper has been nothing but a nightmare ever since.

I can’t even name the list of things that have broken/ needed replaced while under warranty/ and not under warranty. My husband did not grow up camping and he is so frustrated. We have hardly been able to go camping because of the problems.

In addition to that, the pop out camper king size bed in the back is so uncomfortable. We can’t sleep on it, even after getting a new mattress. Since it pops out on a platform (a feature that I thought we loved, that I now worn against). And I am not a complainer, but have you ever tried camping with little kids after not sleeping all night? Honestly, I’m pretty tough. I can handle it, but my husband is just tortured to be around because he is so cranky…

Am I just unlucky? Or is this camping life? Is this what I should expect as a camper these days?

The icing on the cake came last weekend when after prepping for a trip while working full-time, we have arrived to hitch up the camper, and there was a giant wasp nest somewhere underneath, and the bees were swarming so bad we had to cancel our weekend trip. My husband got stung twice, my seven-year-old was crying, my two-year-old is still asking when we are leaving for the camping trip.

Anyways, what I want to ask— and I’m open to all suggestions from burn the camper to the ground and just stay at Airbnb‘s with the kids, to look at the specific type of camper that has very little problems,

Edit: thank you everybody for reading my rant. After talking to my husband, we realized the majority of the problems happened when we first got the camper and this year. The time in between we have been having a lot of fun. I guess what I was hoping to get was any recommendations on a good brand of camper. One that might not break as often. We love the truck. Our family is young (infants and stuff) and it can be a hard time in life to try to squeeze in camping trips. Those who were kind and encouraging I appreciate it. I did feel like a few comments weren’t very nice. Sorry for whatever I said that caused your anger.

I recently bought a 2012 Keystone Cougar 27RBSWE and I’m trying to figure out the waste tank plumbing. Previous owner wasn’t much help, so I’ve been figuring everything out myself.
I noticed that whenever I run water in the shower, it comes straight out of the main sewer connection instead of staying in the gray tank.
I crawled underneath and found a rod/valve directly underneath a label that says BLACK TANK. I tested it, and when I opened it, a bunch of green degreaser/cleaning solution that had been sitting in the tank came pouring out. When I close it, that liquid stops, so I’m pretty confident the black tank valve is working correctly.
However, with the black valve completely closed, water from the shower still comes out of the sewer connection.
That makes me think the gray tank valve is currently open, but I cannot find another pull handle or rod anywhere.
Does anyone know where Keystone typically located the gray tank dump valve/rod on these Cougars? Could it be hidden above the underbelly or farther upstream near the gray tank?
I’m especially interested in hearing from anyone who has owned or worked on a similar Cougar 27RBS/27RBSWE from around 2011–2013.
I have pictures of the underside and the valve I found and can post a link to them.

Hello! I tried searching for the rules but the link didn't seems to show them, delete if not allowed.

I am hoping to get some pointers on reliable brands/years for a camper. We have a 2023 Chevy Silverado 150 and are considering a camper to be able to go on trips more easily with our 2 dogs (we've stayed at a couple of pet friend hotels but they aren't always available or reasonably priced). It could also work as extra guest space when we are home.

I see people talking about Jayco COVID-era builds being ones to avoid, so I thought I would ask opinions on what people think are decent quality to look for. I am thinking $7k-15k tops, expect to keep it until it until it needs to be hauled away for junk. Don't need all kinds of fancy stuff, just general amenities - pretty much a Q/K bed (K would be best since our dogs like to sleep on the bed with us), A/C and Heat. Thanks!