Howdy from the Mitten State

stevef

Hi folks, I'm Steve from central-lower Michigan.  I just purchased a 2019, white with red trim Tab 320s for what I felt was a pretty good end of year price.  I've had poor luck with camper-ownership in the past.  In 2011 I bought a Forest River-brand trailer and it was very flimsy and shoddily assembled.  I took it out camping 3 times that summer, and each time I had to visit the dealer afterward to have something looked at or corrected.  I honestly wondered if the thing would outlast my loan payments!  I lost a lot of sleep that summer worrying about whether I'd made a mistake.  When I sold it at the end of the season for enough to pay off the loan I counted myself lucky. 

That experience put me off the idea of a trailer for years.  But with retirement now approaching I've been  feeling like I wanted to try again, and maybe avoid the hasty choice I made back then.  So I've been researching and thinking about, casually looking for and saving towards some sort of camper for a couple of years-obviously I've not been in a hurry.  For a long time I thought a Casita or Scamp would be a good choice but I didn't love any of the floorplans.  For a while, an R-pod or similar seemed like the best option for me but build quality remained a concern.  The Tab is like the best 2/3 of an R-pod distilled into a smaller, lighter, better built trailer, perfect for a mostly solo camper like myself!  I think I made a good choice.  When I went and looked at this one, I just hung out in it for over 2 hours, looking around and playing with stuff before I decided to buy it.  In that time I didn't find a single thing that made me worry about the quality of the construction or materials.  I can't say that about ANY other trailer I've considered-certainly not any R-pod I've ever seen!  I don't have a picture to share and part of the deal I made was that the dealer store it for me until spring.  They are a couple hundred miles from me so I can't pop over and take a pic or visit it, much as I'd like to!  I plan to pick it up probably in May. 

 

I'm 57, a cyclist that enjoys riding trails, paths and roads, and I plan to use the camper mainly as a base for pedaling adventures.  I love to throw a road bike and mountain bike in the back of my truck and just go stay a few days someplace cool and ride around the area.  Sleeping Bear Dunes is a favorite, as well as Marquette and Copper Harber.  I usually camp alone, and when I have someone with me it will usually be a riding buddy so being able to set up the Tab's bed/dinette in a twin bed configuration is a big deal for me.  Honestly, I don't think there's another fully featured trailer in this size class that offers such flexibility, so even setting aside the impressive build quality of the thing, I really believe the Tab is in a class by itself. 

I've already found some useful things here (hello tongue-mounted spare tire!) and I look forward to being a member of the community!

Sharon_is_SAM

Welcome stevef!  Most here will agree you made a great choice!  Certainly Michigan has enough camping venues for a lifetime.  Make sure you find the Categories or just do a search on the forum to get the info you need.  You have lots of time to figure out the systems before May😀

MuttonChops

Welcome to the family.
Know you will be very happy with your T@B choice.

Your comments / shopping experience echoes many of ours

stevef said:
. . . For a long time I thought a Casita or Scamp would be a good choice but I didn't love
      any of the floorplans. 
. . . For a while, an R-pod or similar seemed like the best option for me but
      build quality remained a concern.
. . . The Tab is like the best 2/3 of an R-pod distilled into a smaller, lighter, better built trailer,
      perfect for a mostly solo camper like myself!

. . . When I went and looked at this one, I just hung out in it for over 2 hours, looking around and playing with stuff before I decided to buy it.  In that time I didn't find a single thing that made me worry about the quality of the construction or materials.  I can't say that about ANY other trailer I've considered-certainly not any R-pod I've ever seen!
. . . Honestly, I don't think there's another fully featured trailer in this size class that offers such flexibility, so even setting aside the impressive build quality of the thing, I really believe the Tab is in a class by itself.

dragonsdofly

@stevef, we wholeheartedly agree. We had never camped before our t@b, or owned a trailer, but it was a great decision that has led us to many places and sights we wouldn't have experienced otherwise. Read, ask questions, learn, t@b, enjoy! Repeat!

T@Balong

Welcome from another Michigander!  You will love your T@B, as we do, having put over 40,000 miles on ours..........obviously straying beyond the borders of our state now and then.   Enjoy..........spring is coming!

tybladesmith

Welcome @stevef from the other mitten state, Wisconsin. As a mountain and road biker I know you will love the T@b for a base camp. We have loved the UP from Mackinac Island, Grand Marais, Pictured Rocks, and Munising/Grand Island areas - we love it all. Also many opportunities for biking and adventure in Wisconsin and National Forests.

You are already looking ahead keeping the bikes with the TV (tow vehicle). I have tried tray mounts for bikes on the Yakima rack but much prefer them on the truck.

Retirement is great to look forward to but you won't have to wait. Again welcome and congratulations on getting a great camper.
 

stevef

Thanks for the welcome and encouragement, folks-it's appreciated!

Homebodyatheart

Welcome to the Tab family @stevef! Ladybug is my first trailer although I’m a long time camping nut. We looked at so many through the years, including an R-Pod when I was narrowing my choices. The quality of the ones we looked at were less than I expected which made the final decision easy! Plus I’ve got a whole new set of friends and my Tab family near and far! DH joins me on rare occasions, but she’s my dream, my passion! Congratulations and I know that April can’t come soon enough for many of us! We look forward to many pictures and tales. 

boonie

welcome and hello fellow biker, yes love copper harbor. we too ride our mtbikes and road bikes every where we can. just getting set up with our new boondock 320S to begin our new life of travels. looking forward to moab again this spring. enjoy, and happy peddling

stevef

@MuttonChops and @boonie, what hitch/drawbar drop did you buy for your truck/trailer combo?  I have a GMC Canyon and I'm guessing 2 or so inches of drop but I'd like to know before I go pick my trailer up in May.