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Old 07-23-2013, 01:20 PM   #21
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Yes we do. Our youngest is 5 and loves to camp whenever he can...the older kids (wife had 3 when we got married) are 14, 16, and 17 and the oldest has pretty much moved on from wanting to go camping.
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Old 07-23-2013, 01:22 PM   #22
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Keep it and camp more!
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Old 07-23-2013, 01:49 PM   #23
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I think you have already made up your mind. Best to do what works for you and your entire family.

For us, its not about the cost or whether someone might consider it a "luxury". It's in our blood. Its what we do. Its part of a lifestyle. Its how we vacation. We hike, we bike. We play tourist. Sometimes we just relax. But more important we camp. The notion of sitting in a motel room at the end of the day just doesn't work for us. We've been camping for nearly 30 years. I personally was on several back country fishing trips in Canada and was bit by the camping bug way back then. We tented because we loved being outdoors and had very little money in our early 20s. Later we had 2 PUPs over an 11 year period (one purchased new). Then a 17ft hybrid for 10 years, and now our new X20E hybrid. We towed the 17 ft from WI to California and back. We took it to Yellowstone. Never regretted a minute of any of it.

I suspect that buying your trailer seemed like the thing to do at the time. That you weren't real die-hard campers before buying that trailer. I can tell you from experience that there is nothing better to bring a family together than camping and involving the kids in all the decisions on where to go and what to do. To this day, our daughter still camps with us.

If its expense you are concerned about, how much would you spend going on non-camping vacations? I know people who pop $5k every year to sit on a beach and sip mojitos. Talk about boring. To each his own though, if it works for them, who am I to question it. I can go hiking or biking or play tourist during the day. And have a relaxing campfire and still have a mojito.
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Old 07-23-2013, 02:04 PM   #24
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I couldn't have said it better Crabby! I have made a conscious effort to get out more this year with the trailer and have found a couple of gems for campgrounds...all because the new TV allowed me to feel more confident in how far I travelled with the trailer.

DocBrown...I know what you're saying. I bought the trailer thinking it would do just that...bring the family a little closer...of course as the older kids grow up they have their own ideas about what they like to do with their spare time including working, hanging out with buddies, etc. But I can tell you that our 5 year old loves going camping so much that he never wants to come back home at the end.
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Old 07-23-2013, 02:39 PM   #25
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I have done a couple of things to help reduce my costs of ownership. First, I do not have a tow vehicle. Thus no extra payment there. Instead, I store mine at a campground that the whole family enjoys camping at. The cost is only $600 a year. If I kept my TT in storage nearby, it would still cost me $600 a year. My homeowners assoc does not allow RV's to be kept at our homes. By storing mine at the campground, I got permission from my bank to drop collision insurance on the TT. That saves me another $300 or so a year. No payment for a big truck, reduced insurance costs, and reasonable storage fees are all savings. If I towed my TT to the campground(275 miles away)at 10 mpg I would use 55 gallons of fuel for one camping trip. Instead I drive my car which gets about 34 mpg. There are ways to reduce the cost of ownership. You just have to look for them and decide if its for you.
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Old 07-23-2013, 07:35 PM   #26
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^ Good planning.
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Old 07-24-2013, 04:10 AM   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by norty1 View Post
Camping is what we do. I have never taken a cruise or slept in a motel bed anywhere that gave me the opportunity to do what we love all the time. It is not a financial decision for us. Just the only way to get away.
That pretty much sums it up for my family too.
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Old 07-24-2013, 09:34 AM   #28
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Your Input Requested...Do I or Don't I?

Well doc brown just saved me a bunch of typing. What he said. The only thing I will add is we moved to FL from upstate NY 10 years ago where we where avid campers. When we got to FL we decided to sell the TT because of all of the other things going on associated with a big move. Regretted it ever since. Just jumped back in a month ago and couldn't be happier.,.
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Old 07-24-2013, 06:30 PM   #29
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Camping for us is our sanity, fortunately we are in a good position since everything is paid off other than our mortgage. I guess the real question is whether you are truly enjoying owning the trailer and can afford both the TV and trailer. I am sure we can all think of better ways to spend our money.....but the way I look at it is that you only live once...get out and do what you love to do....I watched my parents work all their lives to insure that we were taken care of....the problem was, they never enjoyed or got to do anything for themselves and I really wished that they did. My kids are all grown up now and moved out, so we are now enjoying the fruits of our labour. Now we can take our grand kids camping with us.
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Old 07-28-2013, 12:21 PM   #30
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I know the cost of a TT and TV is expensive but I prefer to burden those expenses because the camping experiences outweigh those expenses.
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Old 07-28-2013, 03:23 PM   #31
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I've always treated RVing (camping) as a hobby. In some respects, I consider it no different a hobby than those who enjoy collecting coins or folks who are fans of sports teams. While many hobbies can be actively persued year 'round, RVing is one that, for the majority of people, can't.

A coin collector purchases coins as an investment, with the hopes it will increase in value over time and, like RVing, the sports fan has a "season". But, when his team's not playing, he can always chat or find other activities with others that share his passion for the game, usually incurring little, if any, expense. Unfortunately, RVing falls into the "money pit" category. There is absolutely no monetary return on investment in this hobby except for the priceless experiences, memories and pleasure it provides.

It's hard to look out the window in January at your snow covered RV, just sitting there doing nothing while you're paying beaucoup bucks a month for its loan and upkeep. My TT's 13 years old now and has long since been paid off. Yet, it bothers me to shell out $600 a year, simply for the privilege of parking it at a storage lot because I can't keep it at my home.

To be in the hobby of RVing, one has to accept the fact that it can be expensive and you'll never recover all the money You've put into it. Surprisingly, though, you will always make a profit. But, it's in an intangible form that might not appear for some indefinite length of time. You'll realize it when one day someone says to you something like "Gee, remember the time we went camping and...We had such a great time".

If your heart is still in the hobby (I think it is, being you're indecisive), yet feel the expense might be overwhelming, Why not move to something more economical? I was in my middle 30's when I bought the first RV- a Coleman Laramie pop-up. We camped in it for 14 years before moving up to a TT. By that time, my sons were adults so the TT was just for me and the Mrs. We didn't even have A/C in the pop-up, much less a bathroom. But, I believe I had just as much camping in that pop-up (if not more) as the folks in their class A motorhomes.

One final thought: Remember, the camping part is the same, no matter whether it's in a tent or something more substantial.
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Old 07-28-2013, 03:59 PM   #32
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Your Input Requested...Do I or Don't I?

When reading your post, I was thinking that if I had these doubts in my mind, I would also find it difficult to substantiate the cost of financing RV and TV. On the contrary, my heart beat goes up and I get excited whenever I smell a campfire. Been that way since I was a kid and we didn't ever go camping as kids. We bought our first tent in our mid 30's and another then my partner could not stand sleeping on the ground anymore. Bummer. I wanted a pop up but she didn't. We waited years and I dreamed about owning an RV all that time.
Every time we go out, I feel so great! I don't know how to explain it.
We live on a one acre lot, in a beautiful 2000 sqf home with a screened in porch but I yearn to go rv'ing.
Also, when traveling in hotels, I was always in a big hurry to get out of there and do things and a dew days into the trip, finding myself ready to go back home to our three dogs.
Now, camping, we have never been a a hurry to go anywhere, relax, just take it easy. No rush to go home.
We have to go back home tomorrow and we are just not ready to leave yet but we are not yet retired and need to go back to work. We'll be back camping the end of August for another 3 weeks
If you are feeling 'mehhhh then maybe your don't have the bug.
Kinda like asking, what's it like to be in love?
or
how do you know you love her?
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Old 07-30-2013, 09:59 AM   #33
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My wife and I actually go through a similar thought process every year. My trailer is parked so we don't tow, but we are up there every weekend during the summer (we only live 1/2 hour away). But, as late September approaches I am ready to close it and be done with it for the year. Then comes spring, and we can't wait to get out there again! So, I think it's just a phase that RV owners go through. I do it every year!!
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Old 07-30-2013, 12:09 PM   #34
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Its no different with snowmobiling. Its an expensive hobby and there may even be seasons, like last year, that you don't get to ride at all. At least in my home area. But sell them? Never. When I do get to go riding I remember why I have them !! Now with the TT its different. We have 3 seasons to camp so we will always get use out of it.
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Old 07-30-2013, 06:31 PM   #35
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Try taking out just the little guy one time if that is possible, it seems like if the older ones aren't interested and may frustrate you to not want to go.
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Old 07-30-2013, 06:44 PM   #36
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Old 08-01-2013, 08:14 AM   #37
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Sounds like, to me, that the decision must be made by you and your family. Just like when you are ready to marry, you listen to all the other opinions and then do what you want to do.
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Old 08-01-2013, 10:01 AM   #38
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Some good advice on parking it on a seasonal site. You'll get your moneys worth. Don't go too far from home, you'll use it a lot more, probably every weekend you don't have to be home. No tow vehicle necessary and less maintenance on the trailer since it's not bouncing up and down the road every other weekend. It's our first year seasonal and we couldn't be happier. Made the most sense at this point in our lives.
30 nights so far this year and counting
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Old 08-01-2013, 05:54 PM   #39
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We have been camping for over 40 years. Twenty in a 10 x 12 Coleman cabin tent and 12 x 12 screenhouse. Then 20 years of no camping. Tent camping too much trouble at age 50, also bugs ate us up at Hunting Island SC. Wife was Music Director of 5000 member church, so for the next 20 years we were traveling to Europe with our adult choir and in the States with our children and handbell choirs. Lots of music conferences in the summer. Have owned a boat and motorcycles. We have been on several cruises and have a timeshare (which is a big waste of money) We had season tickets to Carolina Football for many years and went to some away games as well. Now at 70, with both of us retired, we are back to camping, at a much more luxurious level. As FPM III said, you can view these things as hobbies, which may come and go over time. With our investment (oops, investment is not an appropiate word for depreciating assets) in a nice TT and a good TV, I figure it has cost about $1000 per night so far. As we continue to camp the cost per night will come down.

Bottom Line: if your can afford it and enjoy it, why not keep on doing it?
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