People who love the great outdoors tend to purchase items that enhance their enjoyment of time spent outside. ATVs, Seedoos, jet skis, and boats all fall into this category, but getting them to a person’s favorite outdoor location requires a trailer. Read on to learn how to choose the best trailer for your hauling needs.
Utility Trailer Shopping
Start by determining how you will use your trailer. Do you want to haul behind a car, truck, SUV, van, or RV? Will you need an enclosed trailer or would one of the many open trailers available work better for you? Trailers with ramp attachments make loading and unloading wheeled items much easier. What will you be hauling with this trailer? This consideration is important to your final purchase decision.
Once you decide what you need, start shopping online. This process lets you view the variety in utility trailers prices. According to the San Antonio Express-News, small utility trailers measuring 4’ x 7’ or 5’ x 8’ cost between $200 and $600. A single-axle trailer costs between $700 and $1,500, but larger, feature-rich trailers can cost up to $4,000. Conversely, in many areas, you can rent a utility trailer for about $15 a day.
Recreational Vehicle (RV) Shopping
Camping has always been a popular vacation option for most Americans, with many options available on where to stay out at the camp grounds. Since most people average 14.9 days camping no matter where they sleep, be it a tent, yurt, RV or cabin, many campers choose the option that will be the most comfortable. If they also consider portability, the option they choose is often an RV or camper trailer. Here are some points to consider before shopping for new or used camper trailers or RVs.
- Budget: This is true for any major purchase, but before heading out to buy your RV or travel trailer you need to know the maximum amount you can spend. It will influence every other related decision, so it should be done first.
- New or Used: The first area where the budget is a major concern is the decision between new or used camper trailers and RVs. Obviously, new would be the choice many consumers would ideally make, with all the additional features they can possibly afford built in. However, that is not an option available to many or, for some, they find they can afford a better vehicle if they buy used instead of new.
- RV or Travel Trailer: There are a number of factors to this decision, all of them important. First, as with the previous issue, budget plays a large part in this decision, with RVs demanding a much higher monetary investment than does either a new or used camper trailer. Also, there are usage differences involved that might not cross the minds of consumers staring at the diverse options at an RV superstore. For example, are you someone who will want a smaller vehicle to tour an area? To manage that with an RV, that vehicle must also be driven to the final destination, or towed behind. Many find both options to be unappealing, making either new or used camper trailers the better choice.
- Brand: This is more optional than the previous items, and many people will never consider the relative merits of London Aire or Jayco Eagle Premier. However, there are differences in functionality and styling in the various brands, so individuals planning to spend extended lengths of time in their recreational vehicles should at least consider it.
As long as whatever option you choose functions as it should and has structural integrity, most will prove a benefit on a camping trip. Perform all necessary research thoroughly and make your decisions carefully and you will have years of happy camping to follow.
