How to Find the Right Travel Trailer for You

Chelsea Day looking at a map with her children in front of her Highland Ridge RV

When it comes to taking exciting adventures with the whole family, a travel trailer is the perfect companion. So, if you’re shopping for your perfect RV, here are some things our family considered to help us find the perfect travel trailer for our family of five. 

Size and Layout 

Your RV’s size will dictate its maneuverability and how quickly you can pack up and hit the road. Layout, on the other hand, is determined by the needs of your travelers. 

  • Size: We opted for a large travel trailer because we knew we would primarily be boondocking and didn’t need to be confined to size-restricted campsites.
  • Layout: I work remotely so I wanted my own space away from kids, so we found a floor plan that could accommodate. 

Weight 

You’ll also need to consider the weight of your future travel trailer and whether your current vehicle can safely tow it. Be sure to check your vehicle’s tow capacity and see if it can accommodate your Cargo Carrying Capacity (CCC): The maximum amount of weight you can load onto your RV, including all of your gear, water, gas, and waste. 

Amenities 

Determine which amenities are most important to you. Consider kitchen set up, bathroom facilities and features that will impact the duration of your travels such as solar and high capacity tanks. 

When we were shopping for a travel trailer, we knew we wanted two slides to maximize our indoor space, as well as a patio to enjoy the outdoors. 

Having sufficient storage space is an essential amenity for an organized trip. Consider the gear you’ll need for your favorite activities and where you will be storing clothes, workout equipment and seasonal items. We have a toy hauler travel trailer, which means we have an extra, versatile living space in the garage of our trailer. However, we use the garage of our toy hauler as sleep space for our boys, so we made sure to buy an RV that had additional storage space for their belongings in the living room.  

Setting a realistic budget 

Determine how much you're willing to spend on a travel trailer and consider the long-term cost of ownership, including maintenance insurance and campground fees. While affordability is important, compromising on features may lead to regret. Our advice is to strike a balance between your budget and the value you expect.

Chelsea Day standing in front of her boondocking camping location

Choosing the right travel trailer is an exciting part of the journey. Remember, the perfect travel trailer is one that meets your specific needs, provides comfort on the road and creates unforgettable memories as you explore new destinations. 

Toy Hauler

Available as Class A, Class C, travel trailers, or fifth wheels, toy haulers give you a place to live and a place for your toys, including dirt bikes, motorcycles, ATVs, kayaks, and more. Many people think of toy haulers as the wild-child of the RV world. While the toy haulers originated as a mobile man-cave, complete with diamond-plated walls, this popular RV type has evolved into much more. Today, you might want to think of toy haulers as open-concept living spaces with multi-purpose utility.

Find Your Perfect RV

Whether you're new to the world of RVing or you're ready to narrow your search, we're here to help you sort through it all and find the RV that's right for you. Explore RVs based off of your lifestyle and the features important to you.

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An travel trailer RV parked in a green field.