by DJ Davis » Tue Mar 21, 2023 2:17 pm
jplee3,
The first question I'd have you ask yourself is how many people are going on said camping trips regularly? If you're certain it will always be "th' whole famn damily," then you want to go with something big enough to allow a little elbow room, but not so big and comfy that it's something y'all won't set foot out of once you get to your camping destination. Once you know how many to expect to go each time, go to as many RV dealers as you can find and tour what's on the lot in the size range (length/sleeps how many) that suits your family. Also, watch for used RVs near you. Most of the time those are from folks that decided they didn't like the Great Outdoors as much as they thought they would. For any used RV, take a good sniff when you first step into it. If it smells new, keep looking at it. If it smells musty, nasty, and/or you see obvious water damage inside (or collision damage outside), walk away! However...if you're confident taking on a fixer-upper, go for it! It might save you some bucks in the long run.
Second, storage of the RV when not in use. Can you park it where you live? How far away and how much per month for a storage lot if an HOA says "No" to an RV by your house. Wherever you end up parking it, check it often. You'll hear a LOT of folks complain about rodents (mainly mice) taking up residency in their parked RVs and doing severe damage to bedding, chewing on wiring, etc.
Third, sounds like either vehicle is OK. As for the hitch, check out eTrailer for a selection of hitches to choose from if you think you can do a DIY install. You'll find install videos on their site for the particular hitch you might be interested in and there's always YouTube. Just keep in mind what your tow vehicle can safely pull. Look into other videos or testimonials as to what folks who own the same vehicles have to say about their towing experiences.
If you're handy with tools and have a garage/workshop for construction, do a homebuild camper. It doesn't have to be a teardrop. If you haven't done so already, dive into the build logs and start making notes of features you like, materials used, and shapes. A lot of us start with the Harbor Freight 4' x 8' trailer and go from there; it's a blank canvas - let your imagination run free. Get the wife and kids in on the design for ideas. Mine came in for around $5K for the build and weighs around 1100 lbs dry weight (no gear, just the camper). There are some models out there you can buy for about the same amount as what it cost to build mine, so poke around and see what floats yer boat!
I can't figure out how to make pics smaller for my build to post on tnttt, so you can view my build log on the Instructables website. Just type in "Instructables;" "DJ Davis;" and "Home built teardrop camper" into your favorite search engine and the link should pop up. Others are smarter than me and have their build logs on this site. Another site for build logs is "Tear Jerkers." It doesn't have the wealth of info that tnttt has, but every source will give you something new. Warn the wife and family before you start reviewing stuff, because the build logs are a DEEP, LONG rabbit hole!!! I personally researched build logs for a year before I put pencil to paper for a design, so take your time in "sponge mode." And in closing, you're never finished building a teardrop. You'll find yourself making tweaks and modifications along the way. As I said in another post, building plans are like a battle plan - they're only good until first contact with the enemy. The enemy in our case is reality and how well your design works in application.
If you like what you saw of mine and want to establish a link for more personal advice, send me a private message and we can exchange contact info. I'm retired and have plenty of time (as is evidenced by this post!) to mentor a newbie to the camping world.
Git 'er dun!
DJ
They say "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." I've noted that if it doesn't kill you, it waits patiently for another opportunity.
