September 18, 2023
Twenty plus years ago a friend and I bought some land in upper east Tennessee to hunt deer and turkey. I would get up early in the morning and drive the 1 ½ hours to get in the tree stand before sunrise. After hunting I would drive back home and then repeat. My other half said “Why don’t you buy a small camper so you don’t have to keep going back and forth.” I did. I went to an RV show and one of the salesmen there had actually sold me my Status bass boat several years before in Perry, GA. Both of us had moved to Knoxville. Small world. I bought a 17 foot travel trailer, put it on the land and had electricity run to it. I now had a hunting lodge where I could go, take my dogs, and relax after a day’s hunting. That started my love of campers.
We both loathed sleeping in hotels – and this was before COVID. Yet enjoyed going to baseball games in Cincinnati and in Tampa Bay. We also had friends near Asheville and in Florida. We also loved to go to motorcycle rallies. So I bought my first toyhauler, an XLR Viper. It was 38 feet long with a garage. It was perfect. We could take our house with us, take the dogs, take the motorcycles. It was perfect for us at the time. We could sleep in our own bed and when we took the bike out, the garage became the room for the dogs. We went to Colorado, to South Dakota, to Wisconsin, to Asheville and to Florida. Several years later while at Bike Week in Daytona we saw a 41 footer with 1 ½ baths. We bought it but only kept it for a couple of years. It proved to be too big. It was a challenge finding a diesel pump at gas stations that allowed us to easily maneuver the trailer into position. Also we had to camp at KOAs because it was too long for most state and national parks. So we sold it and got a 36 foot toyhauler instead. We now could go into the state and national campgrounds. Then when we turned 70, I sold the motorcycles and bought a 36 foot fifth wheel. We still had plenty of room for the dogs and more room for us. It meant that we had to unhitch the truck because we no longer had the bikes. But we adapted and were happy. I did buy a Can Am Spyder for Knoxville and a Can Am Ryker for the farm. Three wheels – my concession to old age.
Recently, we talked about downsizing campers once more and looked at shorter fifth wheels. We negotiated buying one in Byron, GA and back in Knoxville but could not reach agreement on a deal at either place. The internet told us the value of our camper and the price actually charged for the new one. We were $10,000 off in Bryon and $4,000 off in Knoxville. Later we found what we thought was the perfect camper and perfect deal at another dealership in Knoxville. However, again the internet saved us. The reviews on the new camper were awful. One hundred percent of the reviews were among the most negative I had ever seen. We canceled the purchase and have decided to keep our current fifth wheel. We are only going to do this for about another 3 years at most and can’t spend all our time and resources trying to deal with shoddy workmanship. So a word of caution: it is not enough to do research on pricing. It is also incumbent to see how owners of the same camper feel about theirs. Also another word of caution: the dealers all push extended warranties – much like the auto dealers. Don’t buy one because they love to take your money but don’t want to give it back. They claim that everything that goes wrong is “maintenance” and is not covered. They did replace a faulty microwave but every other claim was rejected. Caveat emptor.
I know we will miss the freedom that the fifth wheels have given us and it is doubtful that we will travel as much. We still hate hotels and we hate boarding the dogs (now dog since Izzy is no longer alive). We won’t get another dog. We have had a steady steam of German Shorthaired Pointers and a couple of Scotties. So for the first time we only have one dog, Lili – a nine year old GSP. I love dogs. I love their companionship but neither of us wants to bury another one. We have a pet cemetery at the farm in Georgia. I visit them every morning when I am there and tear up each time.
haroldblackphd.com 