Hellobee Boards

We will buy one someday, but not quite there yet. From what we have looked into so far, even the pop-up cost is significant and we hope to stretch to make a hard top work from the get-go financially.

Will you go new or used? We will likely go new, unless we had a connection to a used sale. Practical space is #1. So tight to begin with, but I need kitchen space that makes sense, and either a side or rear entrance/exit we can combo with a screened tent for seamless outdoor space.

We purchased a small trailer last year so that we could keep camping with our kids, and I'm so glad we did. We have a Riverside Retro 155 - the red and silver one Lightweight & short, and has all the essentials. http://www.riversidervs.net/Model-155--Retro-w-wetbath-.html

When the kids get older and we need more room, we will probably end up with a Passport 238, which is still relatively light and 24 ft-ish.

As far as what to look for?
-Weight: what are you going to tow with? Ideally you want your trailer to be 75% or less of your vehicles towing capacity, so that your vehicle is always in control. Even though our trailer is light and we have a big truck, we also still have trailer brakes so we are as safe as possible.
-Storage: can you keep it on your property? will you cover it? Ours actually has a low enough ceiling that it fits in our garage, which is nice since we bought it new, and our HOA won't let us park it outside. Even though they are meant to be outside, trailers can weather quickly when exposed all the time.
-Popups, etc: Think about the process of raising and lowering panels - potentially doing it all in the rain, are they going to get covered in debris, and extra maintenance of the folded parts when you get home. We really wanted a full hard shell trailer since we live in the PNW where we have a lot of moisture and tree needles.
-Bathroom: do you want a full shower/tub or just a toilet? A shower is nice, but we really only camp 2 nights with the kids, so it's not a big deal for us not to have one. When we get a bigger trailer, we will want one with a tub for the kids vs. just a shower. Some of the popups just have little porta pottys or cassette toilets vs. a true flush toilet, and you may or may not get real bathroom walls for privacy - think about how important that is to you, or not. Personally, I really like having a door and a real toilet!
-Sleeping: How many do you want to be able to sleep? Do you want to convert a dinette or a couch all the time or not? We convert our dinette every night so that we get 2 beds (one full and one twin) to sleep 2 toddlers and 2 adults. When we upgrade, we would like a queen and bunks, but this works best for us right now while cosleeping with the kids. We've discovered that if you do convert the dinette on a regular basis, it's so much easier to use a sleeping bag vs. sheets and blankets. And I find the dinette beds to be way more comfortable than the couch conversions, fwiw.
-Appliances: random note that most trailer fridges are crazy expensive ($2k+!)because they are made to run on propane or electric. And fridges are on pretty much all the time that a trailer is plugged in, so it can be one of the first things to go if you're looking at a used trailer.

So that turned into a crazy long list, I'm sorry. We've spent a lot of time researching trailers recently, so it's all fresh I'd recommend going to a dealer and walking through a bunch to help figure out what features and layout you like best, even if you buy private party. Have fun!

@MrsScottish: You're welcome! Congrats on the pregnancy

I'm totally biased by the craziness of camping with twin infants, but I will encourage you to factor in conveniences where possible that will make your life easier with young ones. We didn't even own a campstove and always cooked over the fire when we tented, but having a micro is awesome now. Having a small fridge is so much easier than a cooler. And so on. Whatever you can do to make the essential logistics like eating, sleeping, and set up as easy as possible. Because adding a screaming/hungry/squirmy infant or toddler to the mix can add an element of stress and you want it to be as fun as possible We've had such a great time camping with our kids, I hope you do too!

I'm not a fan of tent campers/pop up campers. We have a travel trailer that we bought used...so I would save and wait to buy your dream trailer! We are selling ours now even though we just bought a year ago because we got pregnant with our second sooner than expected and we just couldn't imagine two kids and two dogs for any extended period of time in there. I wish we would have waited and just bought a bigger one to begin with.

@MrsScottish: That sounds awesome! Congratulations!!!