Happy Campers Again

Over the weekend, after finally finding a creative salesperson that was able to make us an offer within our budget, we made a deal on a travel trailer. A brand, spanking new travel trailer at that!! We had done our homework by visiting RV stores, an RV show, and conducted lots and lots of internet comparisons to determine exactly what features were the most important to us. We eventually narrowed things down to one particular model--the Heartland Mallard M27.

We chose this model for several reasons-
1. The quality of construction of the Mallard is great. It has aluminum framing with a fiberglass skin and every compartment is fully finished: even the underbelly is enclosed.
2. Size--The M27 is one of the smaller Mallards, which is what we wanted. While a good bit longer than our previous camper, it is pretty small compared to many of the trailers/RV's out there. It has one slide-out that makes the interior feel much roomier.
3. Arrangement of the interior--I learned that almost every travel trailer is arranged according to a few basic floor plans. At first, we bounced back and forth between a bunk-style model (M245) and rear living model (M27), but, in the end, we settled on the rear-living style model. While we hope to include grandchildren on future trips, most of our trips will most likely be just the two of us and we don't need bunk beds. Both models have a queen master bed and similar size kitchens, dinettes and bathrooms.

However, instead of bunk beds for extra sleeping, the M27 has a love seat/sofa that folds out into a bed for extra guests. (The dinette folds out into a bed, as well). During the day, however, it is additional seating for people visiting us.

And, one of the most attractive features for us, is the two easy chairs located in the back of the camper. While we will spend most of our camping time outdoors, on rainy days or evenings, those chairs will be great for relaxing indoors.

We drove over to Jackson, MS to get the camper and drove back home the same day, with camper in tow.

As you might expect with our luck, there was one slight "bump in the road" on the way home. We stopped in Monroe to activate the "rear back-up assist" feature on Ron's truck and discovered that one of the tires was almost flat. :-(

Backing in to get air at the service station was a good chance for Ron to practice actually using the feature.

After church on Sunday, we spent a good bit of the afternoon, hauling our supplies out of storage and getting things set up inside the camper. We were able to salvage most of our belongings from the camper accident, but not everything, so I have been measuring and shopping for organizational items that will work best.

The upholstery and curtains are more neutral in this camper--finally trailer makers are starting to turn from the heavy floral tapestries and dated patterns--but, I hope to add a few of my own touches soon.