There has to be a disclaimer at the very beginning! I never thought that I would ever try the "camper camping experience" because we have been camping in tents for almost 15 years and there isn't anything wrong or unpleasant with what we are presently doing. Like most things, when you have been doing it so many times, you have it down to a science. Nevertheless, here we were borrowing a camper for 3 days to check it out. I have to admit right off the bat, my fears were confirmed, we liked it a lot!
This isn't an advertisement for a camper but we have some great friends who trusted us with theirs for a few days. Special thanks to the Pashchuk family! I had to go through some training and I even took notes on the order of things and details of setting up camp. It all made sense but there is still the fear of messing up and breaking something. Thank God it all worked out well!
On the day that we drove out to camp, we packed the camper with all of the gear and most importantly, the food. If you have your own camper, food is the only thing that you will need to replenish, along with clothing. But for the most part, all of the camping gear stays in place.
First time driving with a 26 foot trailer that weighs 5000 lbs is definitely a new experience because there are a few additional factors to consider such as wide turns, braking in advance, keeping lights on, changing lanes on the highway, etc. But the ultimate test comes when you have to back it up. Thankfully I have a 8 ft trailer and have backed up many times so it wasn't a new experience.
Once at a our campsite at Green Lakes State Park, I was happy to see a fairly level and open site. After the initial pull in, I recognized we will need 2 planks under the right tires to level the camper from side to side. And the front to back leveling was a easy.
After about 30 minutes, the camper was level, the awning rolled out, the pop-out was out and the foldout bed in the back was made. This was a lot easier then a 2-3 hour set up with a tent. This camper was bigger then what our family needs and so the front foldout bed wasn't used. In another 30 minutes, the entire place was situated and made comfy for the entire weekend.
The campsite had plenty of shade during the day and for that we were grateful. We had the AC on for a couple hours in the evening to cool the camper. But the nights were on the cooler side and a open window allowed for a nice breeze inside the sleeping quarters.
One night, the moon was full and very bright. It was nice to enjoy some quite evenings sitting by a crackling fire with my lovely wife.
Overall assessment: definitely a great experience in a camper. Its nice to have one as an alternative to camping in a tent. And at this point we dream of owning one in the future. But until then we will resort to the good ol' faithful Coleman tent that has served us so well.
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