This past spring we took our tax refund and purchased an enclosed trailer. While this may not sound terribly exciting, we’re VERY excited about it! After going back and forth on buying a camper for the past few years, we’ve finally figured out the best route to make this work for our family — we’re flipping an enclosed trailer into a camper.
We’d been back and forth on this for a few years. We like camping and don’t mind tenting, but as a family with small children, it’s nice to have a camper to retreat to. We took the kids camping for the first time last summer at ages 2 & 5. It was a hit! They loved making pancakes on the camp grill, exploring new places, plants, and bugs, and relaxing on a hammock with Dad. Why flip a camper v. buy new to you prefab pull-behind or a motor home? There are a number of things that we considered from financial to functional.
We don’t need much
First of all, we don’t need much. We like to be outside, hike, and sit by the campfire. We don’t mind squatting in the woods, forgoing a daily shower, or going a weekend without screens. We like to prep our camp food ahead of time and don’t mind hauling coolers. I guess you could say that we appreciate a more authentic camping experience. While a camper may seem a bit luxurious, all we’re really looking for is a place to comfortably play cards as we shelter ourselves from the rain and a slightly better night’s sleep.
That said, we don’t need the bells and whistles (water and electric hookups). This also means that there’s less that can go wrong with it down the line.
It fits better in our space
One of the unspoken expenses of a camper is storage. I absolutely refuse to pay to store a camper through the winter. “There’s no storage expense for a tent,” has probably been my biggest argument against investing in a camper to date.
We also don’t want to clutter our driveway with a 5th wheel or motor home every summer. We like being able to park in our driveway and to let the kids use that space for bikes and scooters.
Our trailer camper measures 6 x12. It fits compactly on the side of our house and it can stay there all winter long. There is an expense with this — we need to build a gravel pad to park it on. But as always, we’ll do it right and we’ll do it on a budget.
Learn how to properly build a gravel pad here.
Budget-friendlier
COVID increased the costs of many things, and camping gear was one of the first to rise. That first summer in 2020, lots of people decided to take up more time outdoors. Supply shortages caused price hikes and the industry ran with it. Small, used campers are in short supply and what is available is EXPENSIVE!
Not only that, but small camper layouts don’t usually fit a family of four, including only 1-2 beds. Most also still have those unnecessary details mentioned above. By building it out ourselves, we can ensure that we have everything we want and we can keep it on a budget.
Bonus: We love to DIY and upcycle, so keeping it on budget is part of the challenge.
We can be confident in the quality
Buying a 15+ year old camper can be a questionable venture. Leaky roofs, rusty frames, and old tires can be just some of the lingering expenses. Purchasing an enclosed trailer allows us to buy something newer, so less wear and tear. By refinishing it on our own:
- We’re able to strip it down and touch it up. We know what our foundation looks like.
- We can weatherproof the frame and seal the interior. Mitigating any rust and ensuring no critters can sneak in through the winter.
- We have the ability to choose the products we trust and believe in based on research and recommendations from trusted individuals.
We hope to get a lot of use out of this, so we don’t plan to take any shortcuts on longevity items.
One last perk
There is one more perk, but I don’t know that it counts for everyone: we love a project and are very much looking forward to this one. We’d love it if you’d follow along as we take our trailer apart, give it a little TLC, make it our own, and hit the road!
Would you consider taking on a project like this? Why or why not? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
— Ryan & Melissa, The Joneses Four
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