Your Essential RV Buyer's Guide
Getting an RV is a fantastic way to make your next camping trip more comfortable and help your family create lasting memories together. Plus, now’s the perfect time of year to find the right camper before things get crazy with the camping season. The trick is to find the right one. That’s why The Outpost RV has provided a guide to narrowing down your RV options. That way, when you stop by our location in Middlebury, Indiana, you can let us know exactly where you’d like to start your search. We also serve those from Kalamazoo, Michigan, so visit us today!
Size
We’ll start somewhere easy: size. Having an idea of the RV size that’ll be right for your camping party can help eliminate a good chunk of options. Figuring this out will likely be a balance between your needs and your wants. At the very least, you’ll want to have enough sleeping spaces for all members of your camping party. You also want something you’re actually going to enjoy traveling in. Even if you don’t need the space, you might just like the additional elbow room.
Your Camping Style
The kind of camping you enjoy might also play a factor in what you choose. The more remote your campsites are, the more inclined you might be to get something more manageable. In fact, some campsites—especially those in national and state parks—have RV size limits. Then again, you might prefer something grander if you enjoy staying in manicured resorts. Remember that RVing is primarily about having a good time, so don’t invest in something you won’t actually enjoy traveling in.
Set a Budget
Even though it’s fun to imagine picking out your ideal RV, you want to make sure your ideal RV falls in your ideal price range. Set a budget to help keep your shopping under control. This should involve balancing what’s realistic for the market with what’s realistic for your wallet.
Check out some of the more common price points for a variety of RV options that fit your needs, and figure out what you can afford to buy. Odds are, this will be in the form of monthly financing payments. Don’t forget, budgeting also needs to include other expenses outside the initial price, including registration, fuel, maintenance, and any other additional purchases you’ll need to make.
Factor in Future Goals
Keep in mind that the camping needs you have this year might not match the ones you have next year. A classic example is a growing family. If you buy an RV for two and then decide to have children, your family might quickly outgrow your camper. Prevent yourself from uncomfortable camping experiences or from needing to buy a new model too soon by factoring in your future goals to your current search.
RV Options
A basic understanding of different RV options can help make navigating the market a lot easier. For example, when it comes to towable RVs, you’ll probably be looking at a handful of primary options:
Fifth Wheels
Fifth wheels are going to be among the largest towable RVs with specialized fifth wheels hitches that swoop up and into the open bed of the tow vehicle to connect to the receiver. They’re also often the most luxurious, but they can be expensive and will have more restrictions on the type of tow vehicle you can use.
Travel Trailers
Travel trailers will offer one of the widest selections, varying in size, shape, and level of luxury. You’ll spot them by their bumper pull hitch, and they are often more affordable than other RVs of comparable size.
Truck Campers
Truck campers aren’t really towable RVs, as they attach directly to the bed of your pickup or other open-bed truck. This means they’ll be among some of the most compact RVs, but you’ll be able to travel anywhere your truck can go.
Toy Haulers
If you like to bring along powersports vehicles to your camping destination, you’ll want a toy hauler. These come with a large empty space, known as the garage or bay, or they’ll have a convertible living space designed specifically to hold powersports vehicles.
At this point, you might have an idea of which RVs are going to be right for you. To start looking at campers up close and in person, stop by The Outpost RV and let our friendly staff know where you’d like to start the tour. We proudly serve those in Middlebury, Indiana, and in Kalamazoo, Michigan.