Is Simple Better?

Our good teardropper friends, the Stargazers, recently moved up from their teardrop trailer to a Jayco Jay Flight 14 foot camper. While they still like their teardrop, they needed something that would protect them from the elements during longer trips in their retirement years.

I've never been a fan of manufactured, boxy campers, but I've got to say that the layout of the inside of their Jay Flight is ideal. They have more than enough room to store food and clothes for longer trips, a queen bed, a bathroom, heater, and a delightful kitchen that can be used in 60 mile an hour winds and sideways rain.

My husband and I have been in the discussion phase of what we would want to upgrade to when he retires. While we like our friends' camper, the discussion has revolved around gas mileage, cost, size and our most needed amenities. I love the Sunflower and it's ideal for long trips with great weather. It's when we get into bad weather that we have to look at something different.

The thing is, we want to keep it simple. All we need is a comfortable bed, an inside kitchen, a place to store food and clothes, and maybe a table. A bathroom would be nice, but after years of not having one, we know exactly what we need to do. However, if a future camper had one, we would use it.

Finding all the items on our list is proving to be very difficult. We've looked at the T@B, the MeerKat, the RPod, the Chalet, the PaloMini, the Scamp, and the Passport ROV. These choices are either too expensive, the bed or the storage is too small, or there is just too much...stuff. Quality seems to be an issue as well and I don't feel like getting 12 miles to the gallon hauling around items we don't need.

We are sticking with the tiny yellow teardrop for now, but will be keeping our eyes out for small, efficient campers to be our future road warrior. Manufacturers, keep an eye on our list.