Over the past 15 years, our camping experiences have definitely evolved.
We started out camping with our puppy in a tent for several years. We even had a little puppy crate tent that Lucy refused to sleep in.
The Little Guy
Then, Justin saw The Little Guy at a Farm Show. It had an adorable little sticker that said, “I go where I’m towed to,” and we knew we had to have one! It was a tear-drop camper and was literally big enough to hold a queen size mattress.
The end hatch opened too, and we had a little kitchenette set up there. The real beauty of the Little Guy was the tent that attached to it, easily doubling your living area. It was all of the fun of tent camping, without having to sleep on the ground. We purchased ours from Playthings Etc. , in Butler, PA. I’m not sure if they still sell them, but visiting this spaceship inspired toy store is worth a trip on its own.
EZ Up Tent
Once we had Claire, though, we know the Little Guy wasn’t a great option. So, back to tent camping we went…until we experienced severe thunderstorms and flash flooding in Cook Forest, PA. We decided it was time to upgrade.
R-Pod
Still loving the tear-drop design and wanting something lightweight that we
could tow with our SUV, we purchased a used 17 foot R-Pod. It also had a tent that you could attach to increase your living space.
The R-Pod was awesome, and we really enjoyed it on our first longer trips to Washington, D.C. and Ocean City, MD. There are a lot of fun “R-Pod Mods,” and it really taught us to be efficient. The down-side for us was the girls slept on the dinette. So that meant making and tearing apart a bed every day.
Coachman Apex
So, we finally bit the bullet and purchased a truck and our Coachman Apex. It is still a lightweight travel trailer, but at 32 feet, it provides the space we need while allowing us to travel to all the places we like.
I can’t say that this will be our last camper (a rear bunkhouse is calling to us), but we are very happy with it so far. What is your favorite type of camping and why?
