What To Expect When Purchasing A Luxury Travel Trailer
If you’re ready to make the jump from tent camping, or you’re unsatisfied with your current RV and want to make the switch to purchasing a luxury travel trailer, look no further. At Bowlus, luxury travel trailers are our passion. We believe that travel trailers don’t have to just be functional; they can be works of art as well. That’s why we created our guide to what to expect with purchasing a luxury travel trailer. Knowing what to look for and what sets a quality travel trailer apart can help you make your purchase with confidence.
Start With Your Intended Towing Vehicle
Before making a purchase of this size, you’ll want to consider what you intend on towing the travel trailer with. Most importantly, take a close look at the vehicle’s towing capacity. It should be located either on a sticker in the vehicle or in the user manual, but you can always research it online or ask a mechanic if you’re unsure.
Towing capacity, or maximum towing capacity as it’s sometimes called, is simply a number of how much the vehicle can safely tow. Some vehicles are fitted with additional hitches that may have a different towing capacity, but you should always follow the one set by the manufacturer to be safe.
This number will help you when looking at different luxury travel trailers. Keep in mind that you’ll want to take into account not only the actual weight of the travel trailer but also the weight of passengers, gear, and water.
When you’re purchasing a Bowlus, this isn’t something that you need to worry about. It can be towed with almost any SUV and even with some cars. This is because a Bowlus travel trailer is made to be lightweight (up to 3,000 lbs lighter than comparable travel trailers!) and extremely aerodynamic, so there’s no need for concern when you’re zipping around curves and driving up mountains.
Think About How You Plan To Use Your New Travel Trailer
Another consideration when it comes to purchasing a new travel trailer is to think about how you plan on using it. If you have a small family or intend to travel with a close group of friends, you’ll need a smaller trailer than if you have a large family that will be traveling with you often.
The type of camping you do also plays into the decision. For instance, different travel trailers are good at different things. If most of the camping you do is boondocking, you’ll likely want to have a travel trailer that can be self-reliant and maintains power off the grid longer than if you will regularly be parking at luxury RV resorts. You don’t want too much or too little in terms of features or amenities or end up wishing that you had chosen a different travel trailer after the purchase is already made.
What Amenities Do You Want?
For most people, amenities are one of the top features that they look at when purchasing a luxury travel trailer. Here is a list of the most important amenities to consider:
Kitchen
Sometimes called the “galley,” the kitchen is a definite consideration for most people when looking into travel trailers. The type of kitchens that they offer varies widely between companies and sizes, and generally, a larger, more complete kitchen will cost more than one with only the bare essentials.
A Bowlus kitchen is built for luxury, so that you can cook the gourmet meals that you want, even while you’re traveling. It features a two burner Italian cooktop, a high efficiency fridge, a microwave, and an extendable faucet. Even beyond the appliances, our galley features stainless steel countertops, heated floors, and plenty of storage with large cupboards, shelves, and a drawer. You’ll have everything you need and more, so that cooking in this kitchen will feel like a treat.
You’ll also want to consider the type of fuel required for the kitchen. Most travel trailers run on one of three types— diesel, gas, or electric. Some have a combination of fuel needs, as certain appliances are powered differently than others. For instance, LP gas (or liquified petroleum gas) is common. Fortunately, Bowlus owners only need to refill their propane tanks around twice a year, even with heavy use.
If you plan to be doing a lot of cooking on the road, you’ll also want to look for a travel trailer with more storage and pantry space for food items and a larger refrigerator/freezer combination so that your food can stay fresh as long as possible.
Sleeping Space
Sleeping space is also a huge consideration for people, especially those who plan on going on longer journeys in their new travel trailer.
To start, think about how many people will be accompanying you on most of your trips. You’ll want to make sure to have enough sleeping space to accommodate all of them comfortably unless some of them plan on sleeping in tents outside.
Most travel trailers come with one bedroom and a variety of other sleeping options. However, those options and how comfortable they are can vary widely between them. Consider how much time you plan on spending in the bedroom and how important having a comfortable bed is. Do you tend to sleep hot? Choose a travel trailer with a cooling fan. Cold? Make sure it has a heating fan or other heating source. Like to read at night? Many travel trailers have lights built directly into their nightstand.
In terms of sleeping space, Bowlus has all other manufacturers beat with our comfort and versatility. Our master bedroom features a gorgeous king sized bed that can be converted into two twins. It’s basically magic, and with this king size bed, you’ll never be cramped or uncomfortable.
But we didn’t stop there: in the dining area, a sofa and dinette chairs can be converted into two more sleeping areas, so that you have enough space for everyone in your entourage.
Bathroom
The final major consideration before purchasing a luxury travel trailer is how important the bathroom is to you.
If you plan to do camping off the grid, you’ll want to purchase a travel trailer with more advanced bathroom amenities. This often includes larger bathrooms with storage space for clothes and toiletries, as well as a fully functional shower large enough to bathe comfortably.
At Bowlus, we know that bathrooms are vital to the experience you have while camping. Our large, hotel-style bathroom has privacy doors, so you know you can totally relax. Besides the toilet, it also features an Italian Marine shower head, teak shower seating and flooring, and a separate hotel style shower, so you have all the luxuries that you need. Not only that, but our bathrooms feature continuous hot water so that you never have to worry about running out.
You’ll also want to take a look at how the dumping process happens so that you can familiarize yourself with it and make a plan for finding a dumpsite (like using a website like Sanidumps) before leaving for a trip. That being said, you may not need to find a dump site at all!
Every travel trailer has a different way of getting rid of “black water,” which may help you make up your mind on which one you ultimately end up purchasing. A Bowlus features a cassette toilet system that gives you way more flexibility, with no dump site needed. If ease is what you’re looking for, the Bowlus system is it.
Do Your Research
Luxury travel trailers are a big purchase, no matter how you look at it. They are a major investment in your future and should be treated as such.
Even if you feel confident maintaining your own vehicle, travel trailers require a different amount of care and skill. Doing some research into what that entails is highly recommended, even before making a purchase.
One of the most important things to know is how to level your travel trailer. This is one of the most basic, essential skills any camper should know, and doing it appropriately can significantly increase the lifespan of your travel trailer. It also keeps the travel trailer, your vehicle, and everyone on the trip safer by helping to reduce the risk of tire blowouts and other auto emergencies. Practice at least a few times before getting on the road for the first time, too, so you’ll be ready and able to level your own travel trailer when the time comes.
In addition, it’s a great idea to familiarize yourself with how to hitch the travel trailer to your vehicle. These skills are incredibly important to having a successful trip of any length.
In Conclusion
Purchasing a luxury travel trailer, like our Bowlus Endless Highways Edition, is a decision that should always be made with consideration and care. Your new travel trailer will help you enjoy life and find a sense of adventure that you haven’t likely experienced before, so making that decision with as much information as possible will help you be confident that you chose the right trailer for you. We’re sure you’ll love it as much as we do. We hope to see you on the road!
Sources:
https://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-parts/towing/towing-capacity/vehicle/towing-capacity-chart.htm