A couple years ago, we purchased a hard-sided pop-up camper. It made camping so much more comfortable: no sleeping on an air mattress, no cooking in the rain…you get the idea. Some of us are getting old and like creature comforts, like heat and not having to trudge through the darkness to use the bathroom, hoping not to run into a bear on the way! It was super nice to have last year when it either rained or snowed, at least part of the time, for every single camping trip we took. We even towed it up to Canada on our tour of Alberta!

In fact, it was that Canadian excursion that really got us thinking about how nice it would be to have a camper that does not require folding and unfolding. Well, that was Noah’s main complaint since he was the on that had to do the set-up/take-down daily. I on the other hand wondered over the marvels of having a bathroom on wheels when driving through the middle of Alberta farm country. It was that or packing some she-wees.

That said, I keep a wondering eye, looking for a nice and affordable travel trailer. After months of quasi-searching we found one! Meet our new camper! It doesn’t have a name, which could have made that introduction more exciting. Should it have a name? If you have any suggestions, leave them in the comments.

The inside of the camper is very spacious with the slide out extended. No more cramped quarters trying not to trip over dogs (or small children). The galley area is much larger than in the TrailManor, which is cozy. A person could easily live in this camper, what with its large shower, and queen-sized bed. We’ve made a few modifications since we acquired the trailer. First off, the previous owner’s wife didn’t like the 90s furniture so they threw it out instead of refinishing/reupholstering. So, in the meantime, we have a futon and a card table set. Works fine for us, it is a camper after all, not a 5-star hotel! We also purchased a new mattress. Guaranteed clean. We also updated the microwave (now that’s roughing it!) and stereo system. Did I mention this camper came with a built in stereo and ceiling speakers? No? Well, I probably didn’t mention that the kicking stereo system also featured a cassette deck! Since we long since donated all our random cassettes, we modernized the stereo to one that uses Bluetooth and can play DVDs. Now, for the record, we don’t go camping to watch movies, but we do use our campers to stay on our mountain property. Which, if we had a cabin, movies would be involved there, so it’s justifiable. Yet, there are those occasions where it’s snowing and cold and no one wants to actually be outside, and you can only play so many games of Go Fish… 🙂

The other modifications we made were the addition of the stickers on the back. “Happy Camper” and “The Mountains Are Calling And I Must Go” bumper stickers were added, as well as the US and CA sticker map. Don’t you love how not to scale Alaska is? The states and provinces marked are ones we have been to since we started campering. I (Casey) have been to a lot more states, but it doesn’t seem right to count those.

Now, we just need a reliable buyer for the TrailManor…and warmer weather. I’m anxious for summer camping!