So many topics about the trailer....but what does everyone actually do?

texasaubiefan

I know the tab is great.  But I suspect for most it was a means to an end....Go...share your passion and the reason....I'll weigh in later...

db_cooper

We've had our Outback for a year.  So far it's been to a ski area for skiing.  Banff &Jasper for hiking and kayaking.  Used it for staying at about a dozen bicycling events.  And several WA & OR state parks for hiking & biking.  It's a great little hotel room.

Restless_Native

Oh this is a good one! I unhook and go exploring. I love the "near me now" feature on TripAdvisor to find local food and things to do. I have a portable hammock that gets a lot of use. 

Photomom

We tent camped forever. We would typically pack the tent and other gear, the bikes and kayaks, and the kid, and spend a week camped by a lake in the Adirondacks. It always rained, so we'd drive home, set up the tent and screen house in the yard, and wait for everything to dry.

As we aged we added gear to try to increase comfort, ultimately using camp cots with not one but two sleeping pads on top. All this stuff took tons of time to set up and to break camp. We could never manage more than one trip a year.  Our last camping trip was August 2015. Sure enough, it rained the whole week, and then DH tweaked his back and I had to pack everything up myself! Enough!

I looked at many different options. Friends have a beautiful Pleasureway Sprinter motorhome and that was my top choice. It just wasn't practical for us. We like to set up camp and spend the days exploring, so we'd either have to uproot ourselves every day  or tow another vehicle. Somewhere along the way a friend posted some pictures from a photographer who travels in a T@B and we were intrigued. The big question was, would my very tall husband fit? We ordered our T@B in October, and it arrived nearly a year ago in May 2016.

Since then we've done several weekend trips to state parks and a two-week trip to Acadia NP and back, exploring different areas along the way. This summer we'll be taking a two week trip to explore civil war sites in PA, MD, and WV. Later this month we'll go to the Geobash in Allegany SP. We have plans to go to uCamp in July and the Northeast T@B rally in Lake George this fall. We never would have done all these trips in our tent!

Once DH finally retires we have big plans. It's been my dream for many years to spend a summer camping our way across Canada and back across the US, seeing many of the great parks along the way. And I have a LONG bucket list of other adventures lined up. Our T@B will be perfect as a base for exploration.

T@Balong

We have always been "journey travelers" rather than "destination travelers".   The open road is always calling our name.   Having said that, along the way we might spend time at a dulcimer festival (e.g. Kentucky Music Week), or a premier kayaking venue (Door County, Wisconsin or Lake Superior Provincial Park) or a trip loaded with great scenery and history (e.g. the Blue Ridge Parkway or Great River Road) or the mother of all trips........to Alaska and back.    The T@B is just perfect for us!

ericnliz

It's been a progression of events. Started with tent camping, went to a tent trailer (both instances got tired of the set-up, tear-down scenario), and on to the T@B. Love it! The versatility of the T@B is just what we were looking for as we set up camp, either go fishing (not always close to camp), or go exploring. Small, compact, comfortable, has the amenities we wanted, easy to tow & set up. Whether we're boondocking, or have full, or partial hook-ups, we're set. Don't leave home without it whether we're going to visit folks (beats a hotel/motel), or going camping, it just fits our needs! 

LauraRey

I've always been a tent camper, but as I aged, the whole "air mattress on the ground" thing was getting old.  The T@B charmed me from the start.  I actually bought the first one I looked at. (After waiting two months...)  Love being able to be more comfortable when camping.  It is easy to tow and set up (even the first time).  Also, in my job, I'm constantly under stress.  The T@B is my happy place.  I even just go sit in it sometimes to give myself a break.

geekmama

I’ve been a tent camper since I was 6 months old. As the
story goes, my parents brought me camping and the nurse in the next campsite
was horrified that they would being such a young child. I survived. Fast
forward into adulthood I took off a few years to go to college and once I was a
bit settled again I headed back onto the road. I was always lacking funds so I
simply tent camped and bought a few new conveniences every year. When my
children came along (2 sons and a step-daughter) they went with me (mostly the
sons, the step-daughter opted out except for a few times). Set up and break
down was simply part of the (long and physically exhausting) experience.

Then we started a yearly, week-long camping trip with 30-50
of our closest friends and that was some of the most fun we had each year (all
for a couple hundred bucks). Last year, though, I had just had enough with thin
tents (it leaked during one rain storm) and getting up and down off the ground.
I decided that at 50 I got to start whining and complaining. The kids, though,
adore this camping trip so I decided to rent a trailer up by the campground ($675
a week) for this coming year.

For fun, I checked around for RV loans and found a local
Credit Union willing to give me 1.74%. The entire loan would cost me around
$135 in interest. That seemed significantly better than the $675 rental so even
though I prefer not to get anywhere near consumer loans I thought this might be
a good thing for me.

I ordered the t@b CS-S basic in the beginning of March and
ran into big problems because they weren’t making the 2017 anymore. I had to
get (and pay extra for) the 2018 version AND wait until April 1 for them even
to start building it. Hopefully my new t@b will arrive sometime this month.

Our plans for it (which may vary significantly from reality)
are to camp mostly at campsites for the next few years while the boys (15 and
16) are still with me. Our first real trip, other than shakedown trips, is set
for Provincetown at the end of June with friends who bought a pop-up last year.
Then we’ll do our annual trip in Maine and I hope we’ll also be able to use it
as a “portable hotel” if we want to go somewhere just to visit or sightsee.

Once both kids are comfortable staying home without me (I’m
guessing a year or two) I would love to travel to concerts like Tanglewood and other
gatherings like the ones that you all have for t@b owners as well as just visit
places I’d like to go. We went to Acadia, Maine last year and I would love to
go back there.

texasaubiefan

Thanks everyone. We bit the bullet for a few reasons.  Chief reason is having raised a family and nearing retirement (note I said nearing), I am ready to shift to a slower pace and enjoy the journey as well as the destination.  But I'm still working and having fun so it's a gradual shift.  As the kids are no longer home, I've been able to finally have the money and time to start doing things I enjoy.  

Over the years, I've built a few hobbies.  I've camped.  I do photography.  I scuba dive, play golf, hike, and fish.  And most of these hobbies were built as stand alone pursuits but as time has allowed, I've found it more fun to combine things.  As an example, I get bored just diving.  But when you do underwater photography - that's a whole new adventure.   I love cycling, but when you time your outings so you're at the prettiest locations at sunset, and you have a camera...voila.   It's fun to pier fish but why not grab your bike and explore the town too.  Oh yea...grab your camera at the same time.   I know all of this makes sense, but when you've spent a career where vacation time is precious, travel has always been about the destinations.  And with crammed weekends, the time that was available was all about squeezing something in.  

Now that we're getting our time back, the question is....how to spend it?  Like I said, I have lots of hobbies.  Just one problem.   I do most of them with friends or solo...but not with my wife.  She's got others that she's interested in.  And yes, we do have our shared ones too.  So last year, I decided it was time to introduce her to one of my favorite national parks.  It's remote as can be.  Big Bend NP.  I was stoked to get to photograph the milky way and hike.  I was dying to get back to a few spots at sunset for the pictures.  We stayed in one of Terlingua's finest places.  The food was awesome...hotel room - not so much.   She was done after day 2 having seen everything, but not me.  I had my camera going, off-road in my jeep, hiking the canyon trails while she read.   But being smart, this trip wasn't just about me.   We stopped along the way there and back at some great Hill country towns and explored her style - in the small owned antique and speciality shops.  We toured historic buildings and landmarks.  She's a history buff and had read about the founding of the areas we visited before we got there.  So she had her fun, I had my fun, and the best - we shared it together.  The worst part was that we were driven by our hotel reservations.  We had very limited room in the jeep to take things so we only grabbed my camera and some light hiking boots.  We had fun...but we still weren't about the journey.  

All of this leads me into why we got the Tab.  Living in Houston, there's a lot of coastline within a few hours drive.  And most of it you can dry camp on.  It's not the prettiest coastline by far if you're into sand or pretty water - but to fish, photograph wildlife, explore neat fishing villages - it's pretty cool.  And you can do it waking up on the beach.  There's also a lot of state parks within driving range of some great off-roading locations.  And these are all located near great small Texas towns to go explore.   I had read that many people over buy their 1st RV when in reality most do long weekend trips and explore local areas.  So the Tab seemed like a great option to see how much of the RV lifestyle we really wanted to bite off.  It's the perfect size so far in that I go solo when I need to get away and big enough for both to do things together.   The best part - we're photographing, riding bikes, antiquing, exploring - all in areas that we just flat out would not have done if we had to stay in hotels.   The national parks out west are very much on the bucket list.  So far, she's good for about 3 nights before she's ready for a normal bed.  I'm learning the key for us is to make sure we combine a little civilization and remoteness together.  I knew this last weekend we were making progress when I told her about some of the shore fishing I planned to do later in the summer and she said "when?   I need to mark that on my calendar.  I'm going too."  

ericnliz

@texasaubiefan, Dave, glad to hear your wife is "on board" with your trips this summer. The National Parks on the West Coast are awesome....lots of history involved to boot! You can thank both John Muir, and Teddy Roosevelt for a lot of it. Lots of REALLY cool little towns surrounding a lot of them as well, so you'll get the best of both worlds!

Sharon_is_SAM

Texasububiefan,  combining some civilization with camping is a good idea.  We combined backpacking in the Yellowstone back country interspersed with a couple of nights in various cabins in the park.  Nice bed and hot shower goes a long way to keeping everybody happy.

dmerzbac

@texasaubiefan I'm interested in hearing about some of your great camping locations. I have relatives in Houston (near Hermann Park), so it would be great to combine a camping trip with a relatives visit.

webers3

texasaubiefan Considering T@B for all the same reasons, thanks for sharing and validating

texasaubiefan

@dmerzbac.   Check out bolivar island. Beaches are ok but what I like is it's still remote. As you get closer to crystal beach, the development starts.  Crossover the bay and you're in Galveston.  Beaches blow but the town is great and full of great eateries. Keep heading down the coast and you run into rock port.   That's a blast too.   Nothing in TX is like the redneck riviera in FL but if you want great fishing, and birding and the chance to camp ON the beach, it rocks.  I'm a native Alabama boy and spent a lot of time in destin.   BTW.   War eagle!  

wizard1880

Like others, we used to be tent campers and moved up to the T@B when we saw one at a local RV show.

Currently we camp in county, state, and national parks.  As soon as the kids get older I plan to take it out boondocking to remote locations.  I've invested a LOT in solar and battery upgrades, and want to use those dangit

I've also loaned it to members of my family to use for an extra bedroom when needed for space, or if someone has pet allergies.  They always have great things to say about it

skwhee

The two of us tent camped across the US from Cincinnati to St Petersburg Florida by way of San Francisco in 1973.  Tent camped then tent trailer camped with our kids as they were growing up. As the nest began to empty we reverted to tent camping and did another cross country from St Petersburg to Cullowhee NC by way of Washington's Olympic Peninsula in 2008.  Got home and said, "That was fun, but let's don't do it again in a tent."

So we bought a Pleasant Valley Silver Shadow in April 2009, back when Joe Mullet was building them one at a time. Took that baby on several month long rambling journeys. We then upgraded to a T@B-CS in 2013 (back before they were available with a wet bath). Loved the stand up room, the air conditioner, the built in refrigerator, and the indoor portapottie. With our T@B we took multiple months long journeys and stayed at least overnight and had at least one fun adventure in all forty-eight contiguous states.  Over four  years we've spent in excess of 700 nights in it, not  only on the road but also in our driveway. When we host house parties, we sleep in the T@B and let the guests have the run of the house. Our CS has been a wonderful passport to adventure from the Crown of Maine to the deserts of So Cal, from the Atlantic beaches of Florida to the Pacific Northwest, from the trail of Lewis & Clark in North Dakota, to Antebellum plantations in New Orleans, presidential sites, historic battlefields, star studded skies, dinosaur museums, and countless visits to friends and family across this great country. Our T@B has given us the freedom to explore and still sleep in our own bed and cook our own meals. Can't wait for the next adventure!

ontheroad

hubby and I were cabin campers (when we much younger), we live on a lake and enjoy our summers of swimming, boating and  fishing, so our family was trying to figure out why we bought a T@G, our girl's name says it all..."Bowser's Bed & Bre@kf@ast", we want to use it for touring and seeing our country and south of the border (as in the U.S.) safe journeys to all..

fuzzypinkbunny

Not a tent camper AT ALL. I enjoy nature and being outside, but not quite enough to sleep on the ground. I was always very intrigued by pop up campers. My husband grew up camping in tents and pop ups. We love to travel; I'd love to see more of this country by way of national and state parks. I read about teardrop trailers on a money saving website and started researching. Then I found T@Bs and thought I would buy one in five years, but a used one popped up nearby in the right color and model...and we took a leap last summer! We've only been out a few times since we bought last year late in the season. I'm now dreaming about full timing at least for a year to really spend time exploring (I REALLY want to get to the west and maybe spend a winter at the beach), but that's certainly a ways off (unless we take another leap!?). My job consists of working in digital media for a travel company, so I'm forever daydreaming about adventures. I see the T@B as a tiny condo on wheels!

2Cougs

I want to bump this thread up!  I love reading these stories.

This is our first season with our T@b and have spur of the moment headed out to a site an hour away just for an overnight just because we could.  I love the fact that we can look at each other and say, "Let's go!", throw some clothes in, pack some food, and are out of the driveway in no time.  Even better is putting it away when we get home!

We have used it to go to a wedding, as a place to sleep during a home construction project to get out of the dust, and to go visit friends.  We will use it for the Labor Day weekend camp out with ten other families (and this year be dry when it decides to rain on us again!). We have a two week trip down the Oregon Coast planned for August, and are heading to a T@b get together on the WA coast in Sept.  We are both now retired teachers, so may celebrate September by coming home the long way via British Columbia.

We are looking forward to to seeing our great nation, many national parks, family, friends, and relaxation!

lightningdon

We've been tent campers for many years. We take 1 or 2, week long trips each year. But the packing and unpacking, all the set-up and tear down was getting to me. Hated sleeping on a cot, so tried the air mattress on the ground. Just not enjoying that.

I saw a 5 wide Little Guy several years ago sitting in a car lot north of Baltimore, and immediately started dreaming of this dream unit. We like being outside when we camp, but the thought of having a comfortable place to sleep and get out of the weather really intrigued me. Then LG introduced the T@G and I knew it was for us.

Took me 3 years to get ready to pull the trigger. Bought the Tacoma in November, then the T@G in February.

The really nice thing is it is super easy to do the 1 or 2 day trips. No packing or setting up. Just hook up and go. Never would even think of that with the tent.

Samrollseyes

I work a 7 on-7off shift...I work 7 10-hour nights, then have 7 off. I want to explore all around me; I have lived in Southeast Idaho all my life but there are about a zillion things I need to see for myself. My son ,Sam (of Samrollseyes fame) is in college. I may even get to go embarrass him and it will be extra fun in my T@B

ChanW

Coffee and dominoes. 

Cyclonic

Think this sums up what we do.  The T@B is a means to and end in order to visit lots of amusement parks and ride lots of roller coasters (441 and counting).