We finally did it! We bought our first travel trailer, a 2019 Forest River Sonoma 1672RB.
Last year I wrote about how we were shifting our goal. The end goal of traveling full time is still there, but we decided to create a waypoint of finding a travel trailer we could use for weekend trips. We went to several RV shows, did lots of research, and found 2 different models that we really liked. Both are around 30 feet which is not huge. But it’s a lot for someone whose only towing experience is pulling a small (light) uhaul trailer across the country.
About a month ago I was on the first camping trip of the season, sitting around the campfire thinking about that. I wondered if maybe we were still trying to jump too far ahead. We had been focusing on a very specific size of travel trailers, with the goal of being comfortable on longer trips. But our current camping situation was a tent, so even a smaller trailer would be an upgrade.
When I got home I talked to Erin about it. After I assured her we would only consider options that had a bathroom and a heater, she was in. I started searching and found a 20 foot trailer that seemed perfect. And it was only 30 minutes from where we live! A few weeks later I was outside our bank hitching our new (to us) trailer up to the truck.
That’s when the adventure really began. Any new hobby comes with a learning curve, but holy moly there is SO much to learn about owning a travel trailer. While we were waiting for all the fun parts of the buying process like an inspection and the bank loan, I started making a list of all the accessories we would need. Some were obvious like wheel chocks, a water hose, and an outdoor rug. Other things I had no idea we would need like a surge protector, weight distribution hitch, and water pressure regulator.
The more I learn the more I’ve been thinking I should document this journey. Partially so I can reference things I forget along the way, but mainly so other beginners can benefit from what I’ve learned. So keep an eye out for those future posts.
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