Beginners Guide to RV Trailers for First-Time RV Buyers

by Troy Assaly | Feb 2, 2023 | RV Resources

There’s nothing quite like the freedom that comes with owning an RV trailer. Beautiful mountain vistas, mesmerizing oceans, and exciting adventures are easily at your disposal when you can haul your accommodations behind your vehicle. An RV trailer is defined as a trailer that is outfitted with living quarters and is hauled behind a tow vehicle using a hitch. This is in comparison to a motorhome, which does not need to be towed because the RV, itself, is drivable.

Types of RV Trailers

There are many different types of RV trailers to fit the needs of a wide variety of travelers:

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Pop-up trailers – These look similar to a box and are only a few feet tall when being towed. At the campsite, the owner raises the “lid” by turning a crank or pressing an automatic crank button. Then, beds slide out on either side. The slide-out beds and middle living area are protected from the elements by canvas walls and clear, vinyl, zippered windows. The central part of the pop-up camper might be big enough for a small kitchen, table, and bench seats.
Truck campers – This kind of camper is the one exception to the “towed” part of the RV trailer definition. A truck camper doesn’t need to be towed because it sits in a truck bed and does not have wheels. Usually, the bed area extends over the cab of the truck.
Hybrid trailers – This kind of trailer is a cross between a pop-up camper and a travel trailer. They mostly have rigid exterior walls in addition to slide-outs with canvas walls.
Travel trailers – These are what most people think about when they hear “RV trailer.” They widely vary in size and often feature hard-wall slide-outs. Most of the time, they are big enough to have a full (albeit small) bathroom.
Fifth-wheel trailers – Fifth-wheel trailers are larger than most travel trailers. Instead of connecting to a bumper hitch, they attach to a large hitch that must be installed in the bed of your truck. Some 5th wheels are suitable for winter living with RV Skirting.
Sport-utility trailers – They come equipped with living space on the front end, as well as a garage and ramp on the back end. People who travel with motocross bikes, ATVs, or other sports-utility vehicles often use them because they can simply roll their “toys” into the back of the trailer and camp simultaneously.

Travel Trailer with 4 x 4 Van Tow Vehicle

Image by Gavin Seim from Pixabay

Benefits of Owning an RV Trailer

It’s not hard to see the numerous benefits of having your own hotel-on-wheels. Traveling with an RV trailer gives you more control over your vacation. Headaches over canceled flights and questioning the cleanliness of highly-used hotel mattresses will be no more. Additionally, you can forgo expensive restaurants by making your own food in your RV kitchen.

RV Trailer vs. MotorHome

When comparing a motorhome to an RV trailer, there are many reasons why people often opt for the latter. It’s all about flexibility when you’re traveling. Will you want to leave the state park or KOA and explore after making yourself at home? In a motorhome situation, you would have to pack everything up and take your home with you while you adventure beyond the front gates.

On the other hand, if you own an RV trailer, all you would have to do is unhitch your truck or SUV, and bam! You would be free to drive wherever you want, leaving your accommodations at the campground. Backcountry dirt roads or tight parking lots wouldn’t be an issue for you.

Here’s one more factor to consider: most motorhomes are not equipped with crash-tested car seat hookups in the passenger area. Therefore, if you have young children, your truck or SUV would be a safer place for them to ride.

Image by Siggy Nowak from Pixabay

Which RV Trailer is Right for You?

When you’ve been wishing for too long and are finally ready to purchase your own RV trailer, it’s vital to consider the following factors.

What Size Do I Need?

Of course, you’ll need to think about the number of people who will be using the RV trailer regularly. But it’s more than just looking at the number of people that can sleep in any given trailer. Sure, you might be able to fit seven occupants into a 23-foot-long trailer, but you might like more elbow room than that would allow for your seven-person family.

What kind of storage space will you need in your RV trailer? This depends on how many days you plan on spending away from home. Consider how much food and clothes you plan to bring, and ensure your trailer comes with all the cabinets and shelves you will need.

When deciding what size you need, consider where you plan to take your RV trailer. Do you want to drive on narrow, steep roads and sleep in the middle of the Rocky Mountains? In that case, a smaller pop-up camper might be more suitable than a large-and-in-charge fifth-wheel trailer.

Image by Mike Goad from Pixabay

What is My Vehicle Capable of Towing?

Deciding on an RV trailer type and size will only be relevant if your truck or SUV is capable of towing it. Check your vehicle manufacturer’s specifications for your tow rating. You’ll add the weight of the trailer to the weight of passengers and cargo to come up with a total towing weight.

Everything that goes into your vehicle and trailer, including gas, water, suitcases, mountain bikes, etc., must be calculated into the total towing weight. And just to be safe, make sure your vehicle’s tow rating is well above what you calculate the total weight to be.

What Amenities Do I Need?

RV trailers can come with an endless number of add-ons and amenities, so what are your priorities? Do you need a bathtub for your toddler? Private sleeping quarters? A full kitchen? As you look at different brands and models, your “must-have” features might change.

For example, you might start by looking for a four-bed travel trailer for your four-person family, but come to find out that two of the beds need to be converted from the kitchen table and bench seats. Knowing this, you may consider upgrading to a six-person trailer with two bunk beds. Converting the table and sofa into beds every night during your vacation really cuts into family fun time, so it’s no wonder why you would change your mind. This is just one instance of how priorities can change when looking at different amenities.

Image by Steve Adcock from Pixabay

How Much Can I Afford to Spend on an RV Trailer, and How Will I Pay for it?

The answer to this question might impact the number of amenities that can fit on your priority list. Consider how you’re going to pay for your new trailer. Are you going to pay cash or get an RV or personal loan? If you need to get a loan, how much can you afford to spend monthly to pay it back? Here are the differences between different types of RV loans and personal loans:

RV loan from a bank – Almost any bank can provide you with an RV loan just like they would a car loan (but they are not the same). You might do this before visiting the RV dealer to determine your budget ahead of time. Your lender may or may not require your RV to be inspected before they will approve the loan, which could cost a couple of hundred dollars.
RV loan from a dealer – After choosing your perfect RV trailer, the dealer will likely present you with many financing options. Sometimes, going through the dealer for RV financing can give you a certain amount of negotiating power on the asking price.
Personal loan – A personal loan might be the right decision if you need to borrow less than $10,000. After obtaining a lump sum payment from the lender, you can show up at the dealership with cash in-hand.

Image by Paul Brennan from Pixabay

How to Maintain Your RV Trailer

The best things in life require regular care and attention, and an RV trailer is no different. Proper maintenance will help your recreational investment to keep going strong after decades of use.

Regular Inspections and Tune-Ups

Depending on your state, you might be required to have your RV trailer inspected yearly, just like your regular vehicle. Most states require inspections for trailers that are over a specified weight.

Whether or not yearly inspections are required for you, you should regularly have an RV mechanic check your tires, brakes, and other mechanical components for any problems. You could avoid a major accident by doing so.

Don’t Replace Your Old Windows with Low-E Glass – Use Shade Screens

by Troy Assaly | Dec 13, 2018 | Exterior Window Shades, EZ Snap, News & Announcements, Save Energy

Window Shades

Skylight Shades

RV Skirting

RV Shades

Boat Shades

Imagine losing $1000 from your income every single year.

For most American households, that’s roughly how much it will cost to heat and cool their home for the year.

That adds up, especially when every dollar counts.

It’s no surprise that people are looking for ways to save on energy costs.

Typically, windows are the worst energy culprits on any given house.

Heat gain and heat loss through windows account for between 25%-30% of a home’s energy use for heating and cooling.

If a window has failing seals, it will perform even worse.

Even the type of the window frame can affect energy performance.

If the window frame is made from a material that is a poor insulator, such as aluminum, it can create what’s known as a thermal bridge and conduct heat from inside the house to outside.

One inefficient window can lose as much heat as 10 to 20 times what an insulated wall would lose.

Even if your window is new and well sealed, it could still be the cause for a lot of energy use in your home.

Solar energy is still able to pass through glass, so even an insulated window can heat up a room quickly if it gets a lot of sun.

In the dead heat of summer, having even just one window or skylight that gets a lot of sun exposure can mean the AC is running all day just to cool the room off.

So What Can Be Done?

The most common recommendation to make old windows more energy efficient is to replace them entirely with new, low-e windows.

Low-e windows are windows that have been treated with a film that reflects solar heat while still letting natural light pass through.

With less solar heat entering the home, the AC no longer has to work as hard to keep the house cool.

The less energy the AC uses, the more savings there are for the homeowner.

Is replacing old windows with new ones worth the cost?

There will be energy savings from replacing old windows with new, low-e glass windows but it comes with a substantial upfront cost.

The National Association of Realtors estimates the cost of replacing every window in a 2,450 square foot house to be around $19,000.

For a household trying to save money in energy bills, that’s a very large investment with a slow return.

What are some more cost effective alternatives to replacing an old window?

The most important thing to do with old windows is stop any exchange of air between the inside and outside of your house.

For drafty windows, using a product like rope caulk to seal up any holes can make a major improvement.

Plastic film insulation is another popular and effective solution for sealing up older windows.

Both options are inexpensive and simple enough for anyone to apply.

For windows that get a lot of sun exposure, a quick and easy way to make them more energy efficient is to mount exterior shade mesh on them (also called shade screen or solar screen/mesh/fabric).

There are a lot of different kinds of shade mesh available, but they all work by the same principle.

It’s a mesh fabric, and like low-e glass, it works by blocking solar heat and light, while still letting natural light through.

Unlike low-e glass, which is a film that’s been applied to the glass, solar mesh is installed on the exterior of the window.

Applying the shade screen to the outside of a window is key for it’s ability to keep a room cool.

If it’s applied to the inside of a window it will still work but not nearly as well.

If it’s mounted on the inside the screen will still provide shade from the sun, but the energy savings will be significantly less because the heat will be trapped inside the house.

If you are considering shade screens for your home and don’t know which one to choose, the easiest and best option is EZ Snap.

They sell do-it-yourself kits that let you mount and cut your mesh to your window, no matter it’s size or shape.

EZ Snap is also a fraction of the cost of what you would pay to buy and install new windows.

You save on the price of the product, and because you are able to install it yourself, you save on labor as well.

EZ Snap shade screen is also better at blocking solar heat than low-e glass.

The effectiveness of heat blocking applications for windows is measured by the Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC).

The SHGC is the amount of solar radiation (heat) that transmits through a window.

It’s measured between 0 and 1, and the less solar heat that transmits through a window, the lower a window’s SHGC number is going to be.

There are a lot of low-e glass makes and models, but the range of SHGC for most of them from varies between 0.60 – 0.25.

Shade mesh from EZ Snap has a SHGC of .18.

Something else to consider is that low-e windows are known to damage turf and siding.

In the right conditions, the solar heat that they reflect can focus into a hot spot creating a magnifying glass effect that melts anything in its path.

The problem is becoming so rampant with the rising popularity of low-e windows that one scientist is calling them, “the next asbestos.”

If you or your neighbor has a low-e window that is damaging property, EZ Snap is also the ideal solution.

Rather than replace the entire window, installing EZ Snap window shade over the problem window provides a fast and effective fix.

The solar heat is reflected off of the mesh before it ever reaches the window, preventing any chance of a hot spot forming.

The result is 100 percent effective and can be installed in as little as an afternoon.

An added benefit to an exterior shade product like EZ Snap is that it’s also removable. So, when the winter months come you can take it off and benefit from the natural heating you get with the sun.

It’s like getting free heat in the winter.

No matter which window option you choose to make your home more energy efficient, it’s important to do your research before making a final decision.

You want to make sure that you are going to be getting the maximum return for your investment.

Replacing your windows might be worth the cost, or it might make more sense to invest in solutions that are able to make your existing windows more energy efficient.