Why we traded in our first travel trailer after only two years

You might be wondering why we would do such a thing, especially after spending so much time and money on it. We spent so much time researching what we wanted, but the thing is, we didn’t know what we didn’t know. After two years of using it quite often, the decision to trade it in was an easy one.

We bought our Rockwood Mini Lite 2109s back in 2021. Shawn and I are always about adventure. We had been talking about getting one often and after the country shut down in 2020, the decision to pull the trigger on it came quite easy. We were so excited to start this new adventure and travel in our cozy apartment on wheels. Well, let me tell you, it got really cozy quickly. Especially since we have a 70# Goldendoodle. We did a lot of research before choosing the right model for us, and we thought we had found the perfect one. It was a 23-foot-long trailer with a slide-out, an RV queen bed, a couch, a kitchen, a bathroom, and plenty of storage space. That is it, though. That is all it had and very little floor space.

Within those two years, we tried to use the trailer as much as we could. Since Shawn is not retired yet, our time was limited, but we grabbed the time as much as we could. We purchased a Thousand Trails membership and explored a few of their campgrounds. What we did not consider were the rainy days where we would have to spend hours and sometimes even days in that 23-foot space.  We met some amazing people along the way and made some unforgettable memories. We also learned a lot about RVing and how to maintain our trailer.

The quality of the Rockwood Mini Lite is amazing. It is a well-made trailer; it simply was too small for us. As time went on, we started to get a little cranky because of the limited space. The couch was uncomfortable. The only other place to sit was the bed.  We took an extraordinarily long trip to Kentucky about a month before we decided to look for a bigger trailer. That trip really sealed our decision. Surprisingly it did not rain, but it was hot, so again, we had to spend a lot of time inside the trailer. It served its purpose. The only reason we decided to trade this in was because we had made the wrong decision about the size of our first trailer. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the trailer itself.

Shawn had upgraded his truck a year earlier so we could go bigger. As usual, Shawn did a lot of research on our next purchase. We learned a lot in those first two years, so we knew exactly what we wanted. We made a list of must-haves. They were:

• Two doors
• A rectangular shower
• A fireplace
• Theater seats
• Private bedroom
• A dinette

We started to feel like our trailer was holding us back from enjoying our travels fully. We started to dread going. We started to argue more often and felt stressed out. We started to wonder if this was really what we wanted.

That’s when we decided to get rid of our trailer and look for something else. We decided to purchase a Grand Surveyor and we went bigger. It is thirty-two feet long. My daughter-in-law’s parents recommended the dealer they bought their fifth wheel from. So, we took the 2.5-hour trip to Bill’s Happy Camper to check out the trailer.  They did not have a 2024, so we ordered it. Then we waited. It was worth it. Check out this floor plan!

  We don’t regret buying our Rockwood Mini Lite. It was an amazing trailer and again, the quality is exceptional. The trailer helped to break us into the glamping world and help us see exactly what we needed. We had no clue in the beginning.

So here we are. We are content with the Grand Surveyor. Our pup has room to move around, and we have everything on our must-have list and more. Shawn’s truck tows it with ease.

Allow me to share some wisdom from our experience. If you decide to buy a travel trailer, take into consideration our story. I claim to be a minimalist, so I thought small would be good. Not having a separate private bedroom did not seem important, but it is because Shawn and I are on different sleep schedules. Then, again, we did not consider the weather and the climate and how much time we might have to spend inside. At the time, it was all that Shawn’s truck could tow safely. Make a list of must-haves and stick with them. Don’t settle for less. Take your time when looking. Go to RV shows. Watch YouTube videos made by people who own the trailer you might be interested in.

Thanks for reading our story and stay tuned for more updates from the road!