Buying Your First Camper
There are several things you need to think about when buying your first camper, and we will go over most of them in this post. If you’re serious about buying a camper you should already have your price limit set, and I wouldn’t stray from that. You will find that you need to buy more things for the camper after you buy it. The rest of the points I’m about to go over are things you should have an idea of before you start shopping.
Basics:
What type of camper do you want?
Do you want to buy new or used? Do you want a fifth wheel, travel trailer, truck camper, pop-up, or motorhome? Not everyone has the same needs and wants, there are pros and cons to each type of camper. If you have a large family you really don’t want too small of a space. If you have dogs you don’t want them to be able to jump directly onto your bed after being outside on a rainy day right? Know your needs before you go shopping.
Do you have the correct towing vehicle and towing ability?
There are several numbers you need to take into consideration when calculating your tow rating on your vehicle. You need to pay attention to the gross vehicle weight rating and the gross combination weight rating. The gross combination weight rating may be the most important of the two. That is the maximum weight of the vehicle, passengers, trailer and cargo. This is important because you’d think that if your trailer is under the gross vehicle weight rating you’d be good right? Not necessarily. If you have a toy hauler that is normally empty and at your maximum gross vehicle weight rating, then you put an atv in the back, you are over your weight rating. Take this into consideration when picking out a camper for your current or projected vehicle.
The second aspect for matching your vehicle and camper is the hitch class and setup. Check the hitch rating of your vehicle if you are looking into getting a travel trailer with a normal hitch. You may need to upgrade or buy a sway bar. If you plan on getting a fifth wheel, look into the truck bed length and hitch placement on the trailer.
What are the technical needs of that camper?
Some things we wish we knew to look into when we picked out our first camper were the technical specs of our unit. We didn’t really know what it meant or what it would limit us to. Here are some questions you should know the answers to before you go:
- What size and power AC unit are you limited to?
- Does the fridge run off of electricity or propane?
- What runs the hot water heater?
- How long can you run the power off the battery? Is there solar?
- Is the stove propane or electric?
- What size generator would you need to power the lights, fridge, AC, etc?
- Would you need to camp with 20/30 or 50 AMP hookups?
- What size grey and black tanks would meet your needs?
- Is the floor plan actually useful/ergonomic? Where would you put a trash can, laundry basket, dog bowls, etc?
- Where will you store it in the winter?
- What is the yearly maintenance for this unit?
How much are you willing to spend?
Your experience will vary greatly depending on if you buy new or used as well as at a dealership or in a private sale. You need to remember that your budget for the camper needs to be slightly smaller than what you’re willing to spend. Once you’ve purchased the camper you are going to need other accessories for it. You may need to do maintenance or repairs on a used camper, buy a new hitch, install custom accessories, or buy your outdoor setup. Don’t forget the fees that come after you’ve bought it as well, sales tax, registration, and insurance.
At the Dealership or Private Sale:
RV Inspection
You can hire a third-party inspector, even though you might feel safe in buying a new unit. I would highly, highly suggest it if you are buying a used one. The main things you need to look for if you don’t, are water damage, cracks in the walls or ceiling, cracks or damage to the roof (outside), rust, water seals in the plumbing, and slide structural integrity. I found a few really nice checklists just by googling “RV inspection checklist” if you’d like to keep notes when you’re at a viewing. You can’t trust a dealership to know about all issues, so be sure to go over it even with new campers.
Financing
Know what type of financing you want before you go. You may be able to get better financing through your own bank than the financing the dealership offers. If you’re going with a private sale be sure to know if the person selling has the title in hand or if they need to get it from their bank.
Understand the Warranties
If you are buying from a dealership and they are offering you warranties, ask them to explain each of them. We ended up only keeping the one-year manufacturer warranty that came with the camper and forgoing the rest. The ones that we chose not to keep would not have applied to us, and mostly only covered the first few years and minor inconveniences. If we were to purchase a warranty I would want it to cover expensive items and damage rather than things I could fix myself.
General Tips
- If you have a specific camper model in mind, join a Facebook group or forum for that maker or model before you take the leap to buy. They often offer insightful tips on any common issues they have.
- If you have the option and finance to do so, try renting a camper for a weekend to see if it is truly right for you.
- Don’t wait too long after purchasing your camper to take your first trip. You may notice things you need to address with your seller or dealership.
- Don’t buy all your accessories all at one time, you might not need everything you think you do and space matters when you’re camping.
- Do a walk-through with your dealership to show you the RV’s systems.
- After Purchase: Make a maintenance binder where you keep all of your manuals, packets, and warranty information. Create a section where you record all maintenance you do to your camper. It will make life so much easier when you need it.
There are so many things to consider when you’re in the market for your first camper, and there is no such thing as too much research. Knowing what you do and don’t want is an excellent place to start. Make your checklists, check your budget, and be ok with passing up something that isn’t exactly what you want! Little things on paper such as gray and black tank size might end up being detrimental to your boondocking experience. Power supply also pushes your needs and might restrict you to campgrounds only. Knowing your needs and accepting that a camper might not be the one will help you in the long run.