We are a middle class southern family of four (with one on the way) living in eastern North Carolina. We married young, 18 years ago, but waited to have kids until we were well established in our carriers. We both grew up camping from a young age but really never camped as a married couple until a few years back.
In 2018 we ran across a good deal on a gently used 26′ Avenger ATI. The unit had only been slept in 4 nights and was just over a year old. It was very much an entry level camper but the price was very realistic so we jumped on it.
In our first year owning an RV we traveled around 4000 miles and visited 7 states. Our tow vehicle was our family car, a 2011 Ford Expedition, a very capable rig if you stay inside the tow rating. We fell in love with the ability to see places we wouldn’t have normally gone and the freedom that comes with RV travel.
We kept our first travel trailer about a year but soon realized that longer trips would test our ability to have an enjoyable experience in a smaller RV with no slides. Its overall length of 30′ would make this large in some respects but the lack of slides means that you are walking over each other down the small hallway. Having dedicated bunks has it’s advantages for sleeping but reduces the available living space. No slides means the weight is reduced around 1000 lbs. This was a big selling point to us initially but our style of travel was not conducive to a smaller rig. We find we enjoy more of a hotel experience over a rustic camping adventure. We sold our Avenger and upgraded to a 28′ Puma. This unit still retained the bunk configuration we had in the Avenger but added a large slide that greatly increased the living area of the trailer.
Our initial thought was to get one that could still be towed by our Expedition. The reality was that while it fell inside the tow rating of the vehicle the experience was less than desirable so a truck upgrade was inevitable.
One of our first trips was just a couple weeks after our second son was born. This was a learning experience as neither of us really had experience dry camping in the south in early fall. It was hot and miserable and my wife, while a trooper, laid down the law and we set out to find a park with electrical hook ups for our second night.
Going under the “happy wife, happy life” thought process I set out to better understand how to actually apply the comforts of home to a travel trailer in any season. We integrated an inverter, upgraded battery bank, generator, solar and eventually lithium into our camper and have achieved the ability to travel freely and off grid while enjoying a comfortable experience.
Having grown up around RV’s, I had a very good working knowledge of them prior to owning one. That said the popularity of RV full-time living and travel has grown in the last couple years and the number of “first time RV’ers” is unbelievable. We encourage people to get out and enjoy our great nation but also feel the you are putting your family and others at risk if you don’t know and understand how to travel safely. RV-upgrade.com was created to share what I’ve learned and the resources I’ve found with others. As a child I had the opportunity to travel and see much of the wester half of the US and I want to provide these same experiences to our children.