We went to several RV shows with our kids. We struggled while looking at the drivable RVs that were almost the price of our home.
As I started looking at RVs, I began to learn to understand the different types of RVs available. If you are like me, you may have thought the word RV was only for a drivable motorhome called a Class A or Class C. I began to realize that the word RV could be used for either a drivable motorhome or a travel trailer that includes the living space for a kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping.
I talked with a friend who was buying a tiny travel trailer with a bunk bed for her family of four. She bought a used 20 foot R-pod 176 by Forest River with a bunk bed and a queen bed that turns into a dinette. We realized that it would be wise to start small with our dream as well. Brand new the R-pod travel trailer was at least $20,000. I searched Craiglist for a used R-pod. I stayed up many nights dreaming about how I could put our third son on a hammock inside. I realized that the hammock idea wasn’t realistic.
Neighbors from our weekend land told us about a dealership called Fun Town RV. There we found a travel trailer under $15,000 that had a bunk bed, queen bed, and a dining table that would turn into a bed for our youngest. We bought a 21 foot 5 inch Forest River Wolf Pup 16 BHS travel trailer. We were so excited!
It had the essentials. It had enough beds for everyone, a shower, a toilet, a mini-fridge, and a microwave. The open floorplan in the middle, without slide-outs coming in, made it easy to access the bathroom if you stopped while traveling.
The kitchen had two burners on the stovetop, but no oven. We planned to use a small toaster oven instead. It also had a shower separate from the toilet, while the R-pod only had a showerhead over the toilet. Having an actual shower was important to me.
It worked great for several trips to our weekend land and a cross country trip to Florida. It encouraged us to be outside exploring nature which we loved. The 21 foot 5 inch travel trailer was a great space to embrace minimalism and togetherness. After each trip, I was thankful that the Wolf Pup trailer was small enough to clean and wash the bedding the same day.
