We have spent a long time on the road to moving up from a
tent in our camping lifestyle – several years, in fact! As a family and as a couple, we spent
countless hours at the fabulous MARVAC Camper and RV show every time it came to our area,
combed RV dealerships large and small, and read the classifieds on RVtrader.com
incessantly (did you know there’s an app for that?!) – all with the hopes of
finding our new vacation “home” on wheels.
We have had advice from friends, neighbors, family, and even our fellow
campers throughout various campgrounds. The decision to make the leap from tent to
something with wheels was, indeed, a very big step for us and we wanted to be
as informed as possible.
The best place to “try before you buy” was definitely the
MARVAC (Michigan Association of Recreational Vehicles and Campgrounds) Camper and RV show – if you can get to a local RV show you will find a huge
assortment of trailers and driveable RVs all there for your viewing
pleasure! They are often crowded, and
you definitely have to bring your patience as you will need to wait while
others get in and out of units ahead of you, but generally the salespeople
representing the dealerships are great at answering questions. They are knowledgeable and helpful and
friendly – they do work hard for your business.
This was, by far, the best introduction to trailers and motorcoaches
that we had. We were able to get in and
out of everything we were interested in without the pressure of a sales
pitch. The kids got to stand up, lie
down, horse around, basically whatever they would normally do while camping,
all in the name of finding the best fit for our family.
MARVAC 2011
Trying to get them all to hold still is impossible!
You can fit five kids inside the pass-through storage of this trailer!
Superman approves of this Class B luxury van!
Trying to cram into a popup - but we're missing a couple bodies...
We went to several shows, with
and without the kids, because we knew this was going to be a big decision –
plus I’m an over-thinker and over-researcher and my super hubby patiently
indulged my Type A brain all along the way!
After each show visit, we came home armed with more information,
brochures, and business cards from helpful salespeople, along with our pictures
and notes from the visit. We even
collected information about campgrounds, resorts, and RV add-ons such as
trailering components, generators – basically anything and everything that
could be purchased aftermarket for your trailer or coach. There were giveaways and games for the kids,
places to purchase food and drink of all sorts, and even strolling beer
waitresses should you need adult beverages while browsing the huge selection of
vehicles.
We learned so much at these shows – and highly recommend a visit or
several if you are in the market for a new trailer or RV.
Kid #3 thinks bunks are great!
This was during the big "planking" craze - this one could plank anywhere!
All kinds of unusual trailers - this one collapses like a popup!
Always have to make sure there's enough head room for the tall ones!
Go check out your local RV show - you will be glad you did!
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