I wanted to share this guide to help you find the right trailer for you! Its all things we found that helped us pick our perfect trailer! The biggest thing we found is it helps to keep an open mind and visualize yourself in the trailer and get creative of where to put everything! Make it your own!
Finding your trailer
There are so many brands, styles and variations out there it can seem really overwhelming. Heres some tips to help you narrow it down!
For us, since we were going to be living in our trailer full time, we knew we wanted a fifth wheel because we like the extra space it gave us in living area. We went and looked at several different brands and floorplans of trailers before deciding on our Grand Design Reflection 303 RLS.
When we were looking at trailers we would sit in the trailer and talk about how life would look in there. Since we would be living it in full time, we would talk about where we could put Josh's desk, where all our kitchen and pantry items could go, the litter box, size of the fridge and freezer, extra storage space, etc.
Make a List
The best advice I can give is to first figure out the max length of trailer you want because that will narrow down alot of options. I know that can be hard for new people to figure out but for us, we wanted it big enough to not feel cramped but small enough we could still fit in state parks. The average for most state and national park campgrounds for rv length is anywhere from 25 ft - 35 ft. That said we knew to keep it below 35 feet.
Make a list of what you want to bring with you while traveling. For example do you have kids, animals, desks, bikes, motorcycles, car, four wheeler, dirt bikes, etc. This will really make a difference on what trailer you should start looking at. If you can, it helps to get measurements of whatever you are bringing so you can make sure it will fit in the space you want to! You dont have to do this but it can help!
Toyhaulers are great because they can be very spacious but also gives you a garage if you want to bring dirt bikes, motorcylces or any toys like that.
Going to look at trailers
Once you make a list of what you want to bring, I would recommend going to a rv dealer near you and just look at a bunch of different brands and floor layouts of trailers and make a list of what you like or dont like and what you hope to have in a trailer. Dont let the salesmen pressure you into buying that day!
What worked for us was we went to a rv show, looked at a bunch and found one that we loved and went home and talked about it, reviewed our finances and decided to get it! We went back the next day and sealed the deal.
Slide Outs
Slide outs are great because they can provide so much more space in your trailer. Our trailer has three slide outs, one in the bedroom, two in the main living area. Ours really make our trailer feel open and spacious.
Slide outs have come a long way in the last few years and now feature rack and pinion steel rails, in grand design trailers. This will help with logevity and to reduce the likelyhood of failures over time.
Fridge/ Freezer
Believe it or not fridge and freezer space is a game changer! Ours is a 16 cubic foot fridge and freezer. Its amazing to have so much freezer space because I like to premake alot of stuff and freeze it. We also like to stock up on lunch meat, steaks and chicken so great to have room to put everything! We really appreciate that we dont have a tiny freezer, it would make it alot harder and we would have alot more trips to the grocery store!
Animals
Keep in mind how your animals are and what would work best for them. Trailers are smaller inside so think of how your pet would do inside. As we have our dog Oopsy and cat Shadow we knew we needed room for them to be able to have their own space and not be on top of each other. When we were in our apartment, Oopsy would try to eat Shadows food if it was on the ground, so it was important to us that we could put her food out of reach of Oopsy. Our trailer is great for this because it has a slide out in the bedroom and has a window sill that we were able to put Shadows food on and Oopsy wouldnt be able to get it. For Shadows litter box, we first put it in the shower but it was a big pain to make sure the drain was covered so no litter gets down there, also to clean the shower floor and take it out everytime we wanted to shower.
We ended up closing our main bedroom door and putting Shadows litter box behind the door, near the bottom of the bed and it works great there! Its out of the way and easy to clean around and get to!
Kids
If your have kids, something to consider is where their own space will be and where they will be sleeping.
Some trailers have mid bunks or lofts for kids to have their own room and privacy so that can effect which trailer you choose.
Ive seen some people use a toyhauler and have the garage part of it be their room as they have drop down beds.
Finances
This is a big one! Set a budget and try to stick as close as you can to it! When you go to the rv dealer make sure you tell them your price range and if your firm or if you can go a little above!
I know it can be hard when there's so many trailers that have amazing features it can be hard to pass up but you can still get a cheaper trailer thats just as nice and works for you!
Overall, there is alot to consider and can be overwhelming but I hope this guide will help you find the perfect trailer for your needs!
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