A new hobby of mine has been to bike or walk around the campgrounds and observe the great variety of tents, trailers, and motor homes. If it wouldn't look so creepy, I could take many photos of interesting setups.
Tents
I've spotted a few similar to the old canvas tent with the exterior pole skeleton than people had when I was a kid. Now, there are a million varieties. There is the small backpacker tent, the medium-sized tent, and some really large tents and even portable screened patio setups. There are a fair number of tents mounted on vehicle roofs or truck beds as well - with little collapsible ladders to access them. The odd one that we've seen are these small vertical structures - like a wire frame Porta Potty. We had to do a Google search and found many of these pop up tents. They advertise many functions, but I'm not sure what people are actually using them for. They cost around $100 and look like a little campsite guard shack.
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| The pop up Porta Potty, Shower, Changing Room, Waffle Maker, . . . |
Trailers
The variety of pull behind trailers is immense. Some of them look like a two-story house. When they add the pop out sides, the look like a condo complex. Others are super compact and aerodynamic. We've even seen a few of the old pop up trailer type. And generally, the bigger the trailer, the more massive the vehicle is that's towing them. Some of those super max trucks and SUVs probably cost as much as our entire camper van - trailer not included.
The best part about the trailers is watching them try to back into sites. Some people are exceptionally skilled at it. Then there is everyone else. Bebop and I were walking a couple of nights ago and watching a guy try for over 30 minutes to back into his site. He had helpers behind and on the side, all waving in random hand gestures and commands, and he still couldn't figure it out. Having a big audience of other campers watching just adds to the fun. That was two nights ago, and he still may be trying to get into the site.
Motor Homes
For campers with their own engine, there are three classes: A, B, C.
The class A are the big boxy motor homes. And some of them are big. With the advent of the pop out sides, they are bigger than many residences. New York apartment dwellers would love that much space. Many of them tow a smaller vehicle behind, so they insure low single digit MPG.
The Class C are the units that have a front end like a van or truck, but have the boxy cab built onto them. They often have a stub that overhangs the front of the vehicle (usually a sleeping space).
We have a Class B, which is commonly called a Camper Van. It's built on a van chassis - often a Mercedes Sprinter, RAM Promaster, or Ford Transit. They are the smallest and most nimble. Ours is on the RAM Promaster 3500 chassis with a 6-cylinder engine. At under 21' long it can get around in town and park in a regular parking space.
Our Winnebago Travato (2022 KL model) feels very spacious inside, and has all the modern conveniences. We have a toilet (with bidet), shower, microwave, convection oven, induction cook top, sink, refrigerator/freezer, two single beds with a connector that makes them larger than a queen bed. For entertainment, we have a TV and Bluetooth soundbar, but we haven't turned it on much. We have double pane windows, which insulate well and cut down on noise. We have an 18 gallon fresh water tank, and a black and gray tank that are both 12 gallons. The 12.8kW battery pack will run us for days and charges quickly while driving (and tops off with solar on the roof). The water and space heater can work on various combinations of propane and electric. We've been disconnected for days with no issues. We're averaging over 16 MPG, even with all the mountainous terrain we've driven. I'm posting my data at https://enerjazz.com/travato.
For two people and a dog, it's a perfect travel vehicle.
- Paul
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