Are you an RV person? Are you any type of camping person? My husband has always been a camper. Being in the outdoors is a common thing we both like. When I was younger, I loved to tent camp. I didn't and still don't like outdoor bathrooming. As I have aged, I realized that I also don't like sleeping on the ground. Reuben asked early in our marriage: "What would it take for you to go camping?" I said that it would take not sleeping on the ground and there would have to be bathrooms nearby camp to get me out.
I wanted to go and do and I started looking for an affordable camper. The kids were still tiny so I thought having two beds and possibly a bunk would be right up our alley. We found our first camper:
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| This is what they call a "tin can" camper. These were popular in the 1950s-1960s |
We went two years without camper people, due to a botched car purchase and only being able to afford one car. This took a toll on my soul. I hinted to Reuben at the end of those two years that we probably could afford payments on a new camper. I also reminded him that our children are growing fast and I really wanted to get them out camping before they were too busy and didn't think we were cool. While searching, I found a nice value breed of campers: Go Play by Wayfinder. Here is a pic of it from last camping season:
Here are the things we absolutely love about our 19-foot bunkhouse:
1. It is lightweight and easy to tow. This makes it a little more economical to pull with our truck.
2. It matches our truck perfectly: 
4. Sturdy Steps: If you look at the pic of our tin can camper, you can see the rugged wood step, the one I fell off of on one of our last trips in that camper. Below is a much better set of stairs, which are adjustable and fold easily into the camper during transport:
3. It has enough beds for all of us to have one:
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| Excuse the mess: The queen in the front. The table can be turned into a bed, the bunks in the back, |
4. Sturdy Steps: If you look at the pic of our tin can camper, you can see the rugged wood step, the one I fell off of on one of our last trips in that camper. Below is a much better set of stairs, which are adjustable and fold easily into the camper during transport:
5. The Screen Door: We always had bugs in our last camper because we wanted airflow but didn't have a screen door. Now, we have a nice bug-free breeze:
6. Full Bathroom with shower: Now we can go literally anywhere and not need to find a toilet. We can basically go off the grid for a while:
8. A great kitchen: We can cook on a gas stovetop, use a full-size sink and refrigerate our food.
10. Awning: This mechanical masterpiece creates a wonderful cover to keep us in the shade. We have also recently purchased an outdoor rug that added to the awning gives us a great porch-like area outside our camper.
11. Gas heater. We have been able to camp on some pretty chilly nights. In fact, our first camping trip of this season was in April and the high during the day wasn't even to 50. It was so cold, but being outdoors with the right clothes is still great for your soul, and sleeping warmly makes it even more bearable.
There are a few things that are tiny pet peeves we do have about our camper. First, it didn't come with a ladder for the top bunk so we use a step ladder that sometimes gets in the way of the bathroom door. Also, there is a weird space between the dinette and the queen bed, but we have stored drinks there lately. We also don't like how the storage under the big bed can only be accessed through the top, meaning you have to raise both the mattress and the wood beneath to access it.
Overall, we are so very glad we made this purchase. We get family time away from screens and we can see so much of pretty Utah. It is amazing how just one-night camping can feel like you have been away for a week.
I look forward to many more adventures this summer/fall!
