One of our missions while visiting Omaha for the month of January was to look at some different types of RVs. When we bought our Subaru Outback in August of last year, we knew that we might be getting a small camper at some point in the future. Understanding the limits of our towing capacity meant that we had to go with the smallest, lightest trailers available. We also considered purchasing a Class C RV, which is drivable, and towing our Subaru behind us. To be honest, we were a bit clueless and needed some guidance.
Seeing the different RV types in person seemed like the best place to start, so we found a local dealer and looked at various Class C RVs. Our salesperson, Judy, was amazing and she let us look through a dozen different options to see if there was a size or style that might fit us. At the conclusion of our visit, we determined that a Class C RV would probably be too much to deal with and that we should look at something towable.
Brigitte found a good-looking Teardrop Trailer online and messaged the owner to set up a viewing appointment. It turned out that the owner was a salesman at another RV dealership and he was more than happy to have us come down to take a look.
The teardrop camper was very small and we realized it wouldn't fit our needs. Our salesman, DJ, then showed us a 16ft trailer that was a little more conventional: it had a booth and table seating that converted to a bed, a functional kitchen, and even a bathroom and shower. It was about a thousand pounds under our Subaru's towing capacity and had extra features such as an installed off-road package, electric awning, and solar panels on the roof. We weren't initially sold on it but it was the roomiest camper we had seen and was heavily discounted because it was last year's model. We decided to sleep on it.
After an evening of weighing the pros and cons, we decided to look at the trailer one more time and if there weren't any red flags then we would probably purchase it. We set up another appointment with DJ and went through all of the features again while asking additional questions about the manufacturer and the various features. There were no immediate negatives that stood out to us so we told DJ to get the paperwork started.
It took a few days for the dealership to go through and 'spiff up' the trailer for us. They did a waxing and sealing on the outside, did another full-point inspection, and had it fully winterized. DJ and another technician went through a multiple-hour-long demo to show us how everything worked and how to take care of the RV. They even gave us hoodies and hats (I grabbed as many as I could, I'm a sucker for free swag). At the last moment, we decided to add in some additional features like a wireless rear camera.
With everything now taken care of, we were ready to tow it for the first time with our Subaru. It was the moment of truth! We hadn't towed anything with the car yet and there was some anxiety around whether the Subaru would actually be up for it. I'm happy to report that it performed admirably, and we got it to its temporary storage lot with no issues.
