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Thread: When you won't have flight benefits and want a new toy...


  1. #1
    Top Member spongebue's Avatar
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    Default When you won't have flight benefits and want a new toy...

    So, as I've mentioned elsewhere, I have left the airline industry and once summer hits, my severance flight benefits will have expired. I've been wanting to do more in Colorado anyway, so not the end of the world. But hold on! Hotels can still be expensive, and if you're trying to experience the great outdoors of Colorado, is that really the best way? So I figure camping could be a good option, but the amount of packing, unpacking, setup, takedown, repacking, and re-unpacking can be a pain in the butt. I remember seeing some show on the Travel Channel once (hey! I found it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4q3N-JCAPo) about these tiny little trailers. I always wanted one, and thought maybe, just maybe I could pull one of those off.

    Well, if you watched that video, you may have heard them say that a new one costs about $5,000. Maybe when that video was made you could get a barebones one at that price, but realistically? Probably about triple that. No way could I justify that to the wife. But a used one? Generally you can find them for about $7000 in good shape used. They're available even cheaper for a homemade one, but who knows if that's really put together properly. I talked with the wife, and convinced her to let me buy one IF (and only if) I could get an irresistible deal on one - something that we could easily get our money back on when we decide we've had our fun with it.

    Looking at our local craigslist, I saw one outside of nearby Colorado Springs. Asking price was pretty reasonable - not too high, not too low. But since winter is coming, I figured the owners may want it gone soon and may be having a hard time selling. So I asked if they would take a lower offer, with a promise that I wouldn't BS them like many craigslist people. Cashiers check in-hand, no renegotiation for petty issues, and flexibility in coming down to work with their schedule. I'm pretty sure I ended up in the perfect situation where their minimum selling price was my maximum buying price. A few days later, I took a look, fell in love as expected, and brought her home. Only 4 years old, still in excellent shape, and has some decent amenities (power, sink, stove). Maybe not as exciting as some of the ones in that TV show, but you know what? It will work just fine.

    Of course, this post would be boring (well, more boring ) without pictures, so here you go!

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    Well, it's bedtime. Even if the trailer is in the garage, I figure it's a good way to make sure this thing is actually comfortable when laying on its mattress for a while. So far, so good. Good night!
    Spongebue - NonRev Correspondent - U.S./Midwest Region



  • #2
    Winner! mrs767er's Avatar
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    WOW--I love it! My family is in the Springs and they bought a used trailer (not the little cutie like yours but they have a place outside the city--about an hour or so away from Woodland Hills) and they have a "homestead" of a few acres where they "camp out" most weekends. A bit too rustic for me, but sister likes the little house on the prairie kinda thing. Something about using a container of peat moss for a toilet makes me squirmy...
    You'll have great fun with that trailer--I've seen some that were really tricked-out. You can make this one your own. Smart move!
    mrs767er - NonRev Correspondent - Specialty Travel

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    spongebue (16-Nov-2016)

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    Administrator Migflanker's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mrs767er View Post
    Smart move!
    Smart move indeed. I never did see the "romance" in pitching a tent and sleeping on the rocky, wet, cold, ground.

    A Fridge? Bike Rack? You gotta have a bike rack in Colorado. *laughing*
    Keep'em Flying

    Migflanker - Senior NonRev Correspondent - Los Angeles

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    Top Member spongebue's Avatar
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    Well, the test night is done, and I think this should work just fine! I was originally thinking I may want a mattress pad on top, but it turns out it's pretty comfortable as-is! The one issue I came across was that at my height, plus the amount of pillow above my head, my feet were slightly pushing against a sliding door that covers up some of the utility stuff (battery, water pump). I'll just have to leave that open on my side, thankfully my wife is short enough that it won't be an issue for her.

    76'er, not to worry, I'll be starting us off at campgrounds with, at the very least, flush toilets. Maybe full electrical hookups, but if I can I'd like to live off the battery and probably a solar charging system. Not that I can't find a bush somewhere (I am male, after all ) but I don't want to scare the wife off after the first trip! I also loooove the idea of customizing the hell out of this, but realistically we may not keep it after a year or so. The wife wants a kid, and this thing only has room for two! So I want to keep this thing as original as I can, or at least easily reversible.

    Mig, as a matter of fact, I do have a bike rack and 2 bikes! I really should start biking more, though. I used to bike 4 miles to go to a friend's house about 10 years ago, then I started driving and now a 1.5 mile ride wipes me out! No fridge, though. A cooler will have to do!
    Spongebue - NonRev Correspondent - U.S./Midwest Region


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    Top Member spongebue's Avatar
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    Also, 76'er, shouldn't this be a wake-up call for you to come visit Colorado? If getting to COS is too much of a pain on DL, I'll give you a ride from DEN
    Spongebue - NonRev Correspondent - U.S./Midwest Region


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    Winner! mrs767er's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by spongebue View Post
    Also, 76'er, shouldn't this be a wake-up call for you to come visit Colorado? If getting to COS is too much of a pain on DL, I'll give you a ride from DEN
    Hehe--the last I went there, I had to go down to the Springs--the altitude in Woodland was too much for me! Aside from the general issue that my sister's family is somewhat ding-y!
    mrs767er - NonRev Correspondent - Specialty Travel

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  • #7
    Top Member spongebue's Avatar
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    Wait, you said Woodland Hills, which I thought was a neighborhood or something in COS. Did you mean Woodland Park, by any chance? That's where I bought my trailer!
    Spongebue - NonRev Correspondent - U.S./Midwest Region


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    Winner! mrs767er's Avatar
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    Yeah--it's Woodland Park. My mistake. I swear I'm not as flaky as my sister and her family...
    mrs767er - NonRev Correspondent - Specialty Travel

    Wherever you go, there you are

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