What Camper Should I Buy

We enjoy visiting RV shows. It’s fun browsing all the latest camper models. We often get asked ‘what camper should I buy?’ or ‘what is the best RV?’. After camping for over 15 years, we decided to create this guide to help you pick the right RV camper for you.

You might dream of camping in that perfect spot. You know, the one right next to the lake with the mountain view. Before you pick a camper, you have to get a bit more detailed about that dream. Here are some questions to help you select the perfect camper.

Be sure to read all the way to the end to find out what we are looking for in our next camper.

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Who is camping?

Are you going on this adventure solo? As a couple or a family? Are you bringing any canine family members?

The perfect camper for you will depend in part on how many people will be traveling. You need enough seat belts and bunks for everyone. Don’t forget that your dog needs a place to sleep, too.

A common travel trailer for families is a BH or bunkhouse model. Our first camper was a Jayco 26BH which had a queen bed plus two bunk beds. It was a great fit for a family of four.

Similarly, class C RVs have a bunk space located over the driver’s seat. And some camper vans have a pop-top the opens to create sleeping space.

Even if a camper doesn’t appear to have enough beds, they offer the ability to transform living space into sleeping space. Couches and dinettes can be made into beds. Our current Transcend 28MKS offers both a couch and dinette that double as beds, enabling up to four people to share the space comfortably.

Keep in mind that if you plan to use those options, you’ll need to make beds every night. If someone wants to eat breakfast early in the morning, the dining table might not be available. Of course, you can always head outside. It is camping after all.

Where will you camp?

There are many options for where to camp. It helps to think about what your dream camping destination looks like.

Are you planning to be in one of those scenes where you are the only camper for miles around? Maybe parked next to a lake in a beautiful national forest? Or would you rather be in a camping resort with fun activities, a swimming pool, and a game room?

Where you camp plays an important part in selecting the right camper. While a camping resort provides electricity, water hookups, and cable TV, boondocking (camping in the wild) means you need to be more self-sufficient.

At the RV show, you’ll likely see features like a solar package. If you camp in resorts, you may never need it. If you are boondocking, many of the common solar packages won’t have what you need to power the things you may be expecting to use.

Just like electricity, the size of the tanks included will play a big part in your camping experience. How long you can stay in the wild will depend on things like how much fresh water you can bring.

Maybe you’ll find that you enjoy something in between like state park camping. At many state parks, you have electric and water hookups. You can use a public bath house to take showers.

And if you fill your gray tank (water from showers and dishes), you can always use a blue tote to extend your stay.

How Long Will You Stay in Place

There are many ways to travel. For camping, two common styles are Hub & Spoke or Point to Point. When we camp in our travel trailer, we tend to stay in one location for several days at a time. We enjoy hiking, biking, and kayaking. And we enjoy cooking at our campsite using our grill and cast-iron cookware.

Some days, we’ll explore nearby attractions. For example, when we stayed at the Cave Country RV Campground, we took day trips to explore Mammoth Cave, Kentucky distilleries, and even Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace.

On our recent trip to Delaware, we explored the area on our bikes and took a day trip to Assateague National Park. A travel trailer and pickup works well for this style of camping.

Some people prefer to travel to a new location each night, stopping along the way to see things as they go. To camp this way is much easier if you have a smaller RV rather than a big rig. You’ll want to bring less camping gear and have the ability to park in any parking lot.

Why the Size of Your RV Matters

Large RVs and travel trailers offer a comfortable experience while at the campsite. However, everything comes with tradeoffs. In the sailing world, they use the term three-foot-it is. A boat that is three feet longer always seems better. However, there are tradeoffs in terms of cost, handling, and convenience. The large campers at the RV show always look so tempting.

With a larger RV, you’ll need to ensure you have a place to store it when not in use. Some homeowner’s associations may not allow a large camper to be parked at home but may allow a camper van. In our case, we can store it at home but getting it into the driveway can be pretty challenging.

On the road, we quickly discovered that we couldn’t stop at a regular gas station. The way the pumps are lined up can make it challenging. There are a few RV friendly fuel stops like Flying J. But many RV owners find themselves trying to use the big rig lanes at a truck stop.

Searching for a campsite? The longer the camper, the fewer options you’ll have compared to a smaller camper. A campground may have a few sites that can accommodate a 35-foot camper. But you are more likely to find space with a smaller RV.

Some campers come with larger tanks. Some even have two gray tanks. That can be a great way to extend you time at camp. However, when it comes time to dump, make sure you know how you’ll hook up the sewer hoses. And make sure that there is room to store those hoses.

One other thing we’ve learned. Larger or more deluxe campers often have 50-amp connections. Even when they don’t actually need them. For example, a camper may be wired to support an optional second air conditioner in case you want to install one later. But it doesn’t actually come with the second AC. Try lifting a 50-amp power cord compared to a 30-amp cord. They are way heavier. And then try searching for a campsite with 50-amp service. Many campgrounds only have 30-amp power. Unless you need it, consider looking for a camper that only needs 30-amp.

What do you want to do when camping?

We love being active in the outdoors. Hiking, biking, and kayaking – yes, yes, and yes. Cooking at the campsite – sure. What kinds of activities do you enjoy? Will you need to bring gear to do them?

Our combination of a pickup with a kayak rack and a travel trailer with a bike rack means we can bring along what we need to do the things we like. There is room in the bed of the truck for a Weber grill and a storage bin of cooking tools.

In a camper van, you’d be very limited with what you can bring. The idea is to travel light. But, you’d still likely be able to bring a few fun things like bikes.

Class A and Class C RVs often have large storage bays. These are sometimes called basements.

Keep in mind that your limits aren’t just with storage space. Your towing and cargo capacity need to be kept within safe limits. Which means, you may not be able to bring everything you like. Be sure to check the manufacturer’s label that shows how much cargo you can carry.

Be sure to think about gear storage when looking at a camper. Where will you put the things you’d like to have on your camping adventure. And be sure to check out a guide to safe towing to learn more about factors like gross vehicle weight, towing capacity, and payload.

If you are planning to buy a smaller camper, like a teardrop, you’ll likely be able to tow it with anything.

However, if you want a bigger camper, be sure to check what your vehicle is capable of. If you have a pickup or SUV you are planning to use with a travel trailer, be sure to review its towing capabilities and stay within the safe limits. A shortcut some use is to look for the vehicle having at least a few towing-friendly features including mirrors that extend, a seven-pin power connection, and a trailer brake controller.

What do you need to bring camping?

You will probably need more gear than you think. And yet, you’ll likely not use many of the things you think you need.

When you first buy your new RV, you’ll need to budget for all of the accessories you need. Things like a freshwater hose and water filter, water pressure regulator, chocks, a power protection system (surge protector), and more.

Your new RV will likely come with an uncomfortable mattress that you’ll want to replace or add a topper on to make sleeping a bit better. You’ll need sheets, pillows, towels, kitchen supplies, and the list goes on.

Think of it kind of like furnishing an apartment. But don’t immediately buy things you may not need. Get the basics and try it out. You can keep a list of things you’d like to add to your holiday wish list. You can always add things over time.

Find a Good RV Dealer

For most RV brands, you can’t purchase directly from the manufacturer. Instead, you’ll buy it from an RV dealer. Many are good. Some have sales tactics that aren’t customer friendly.

One thing to be aware of is that some dealers add more fees than others. Be sure to ask for the out-the-door price before making your final decision.

Consider getting your financing in place before ever going to the dealer. While you may be able to get financing at the dealer, you may get a better deal if you line that up beforehand. Then, you can compare the offers to see what works best for you.

A Few Things to Watch Out For

We’ve looked at many campers over the years. Every once in a while, we find things that you probably want to steer clear of. For example, check out the date on the tires. Or, you may find yourself needing to buy a new site of tires sooner than you think.

We’ve seen new RVs with rusted parts, damaged underbellies, and other signs of poor manufacturing quality. Be sure to do a thorough inspection.

If you aren’t yet sure of what to look for, be sure to bring a friend or consider getting an RV inspector.

What We Are Looking For in Our Next Camper

You can probably tell, we put a lot of thought into what we want in a camper. We have been to many RV dealers and RV shows looking for just the right fit. Here is our list of the things we are looking for in our next RV camper.

We love the style of camping we do where we stay in one location has our hub. It enables us to relax and explore an area. As tempting as a camper van or Class A camper might be, a travel trailer suits our style of camping well. Having a pickup as a tow vehicle is useful for many things beyond camping.

We have learned that we want to keep it small. Our Jayco 26BH was 29 feet long. Our current Transcend 28MKS is 34 feet. They have both been great campers that suited us at the time. Now we are looking to travel a bit lighter and would like a camper that is 25 feet or less.

We like a good night’s sleep. For us, that means having a standard 60X80 Queen bed. To make it easy, we like a walk-around bed.

While it is often just the two of us camping, we occasionally need room for more. Having something like a dinette that can transform into a bed is helpful. As much as we love having recliners after a long day of hiking, we may need to compromise to get that additional sleeping space. We prefer a traditional dinette over a u-shaped dinette. However, if it is one of the lounge area dinettes at the front or rear of the camper, it may be a good option as they seem larger than other u-shaped dinettes.

We don’t mind using a bath house for showers. However, it can be nice to have your own bathroom. When we take a shower, it should be large enough to stand in. That takes most teardrops and small campers off the list as they have a small wet bath or no bathroom at all. The same is true for many camper vans. Though the rear-bathroom vans are still pretty attractive. In a travel trailer, having a hall bathroom or rear bath seem like the best options. We’d prefer not to walk through the bathroom to get to the bedroom.

We prefer to have only one entry door. While some like to have an entry into the bathroom so that people aren’t tracking into the camper, we’ll stick with the simplicity of a single door. And we actually prefer the traditional steps that fold under the camper rather than a set that fold into the inside of the camper. On a wet day, it seems like it would be better to leave the steps outside.

We like good ventilation in the camper. When you are making pancakes and bacon, you’ll appreciate having a strong fan and windows that open wide. Having caps over the roof vents is great so you can open the vents on a rainy day.

We like heating vents that aren’t in the floor. Many campers now duct heat from the cabinets rather than the floor. In our opinion, this is a much better approach.

We prefer a camper that doesn’t have an outside kitchen. We do a lot of cooking outside but prefer to bring along our own grill, griddle, and other cooking items. For us, having more storage is a better option than a large outdoor kitchen.

There are many campers that come close to meeting our criteria. So far, we haven’t found the perfect camper. Hopefully, we’ll find it soon. What camper would you recommend to us?

That’s our criteria. What are you looking for in a camper? We’d love to hear your thoughts on how you camp and what you have found that suits your needs.

Share Your Experience

We hope that helps get you started in your RV buying and camping experience. I’m sure we missed some questions and some of you experienced campers probably have more to share. Please leave a comment with your question or tip. Thanks.