Our new travel trailer!

After a couple years in a pop-up camper and a few too many cold, wet nights fighting with the heater, we decided it was time to trade up. We sold the pop-up that we had made many memories in and went shopping.

Old White Lightning 

A 1993 Palomino Filly Long Bed, boasting a king size bed on one end and a queen on the other with a dinette that converted to a full. This was our rig for the past few years. We wanted something to get us out and exploring and she did just that.

Old White Lightning 

Although we had some great times in this beast, she had her drawbacks. Size was always a factor, being that we have 3 kids, 2 dogs and I'm well over 6'. No one had very much room. Having little water on board and no toilet made things a little rustic, but we still had some great times.

Inside the old girl

Camping at Jackson Reservoir in March 2017

Even after our many adventures she still brought $2000 on Craigslist. These things really hold their value. Apparently there is quite a market for cheap, old pop-up campers.

So the Search Began

We found that they make a tons of different configurations in travel trailers, but with the size of our family and my large stature we needed a very specific model. We had narrowed it down to three models, 2017 Jayco White Hawk 24MBH - 27.75 ft, 2017 Forest River Flagstaff Micro Lite 25BRDS and the 2017 Open Range Light 221RQB.


The  2017 Jayco White Hawk 24MBH was nicely styled and very modern, but lacked storage. We thought the furnishings were very cheap. All the models we walked through had broken components and damage to surfaces.

The 2017 Forest River Flagstaff Micro Lite 25BRDS was also a decent option but it seemed dated and cheaply manufactured for the price point.

Both of these models were Murphy bed style trailers which meant you opened the door to a bed unless it was stored. When the bed was stored you have a couch, but you couldn't have both at the same time. They both did have a bigger dinette and outdoor kitchen. We really didn't want the outdoor kitchen, as it took up storage space and wasn't really as useful as our Camp Chef setup.

Winner-winner, chicken dinner!

The 2017 Open Range Light 221RQB. This is a 27" (when slides are out) trailer with 3 slides and a bunkhouse up front. The full size queen has plenty of room for Nikki and I, and the couch converts to a full size bed as well. It's arctic rated and has everything needed for cold weather travel. It also has a much larger refrigerator (8.0 ft3) and bathroom than the other two we considered. This will be nice for the long trips. Oh, did I mention it has a beer fridge outside!?

After thinking about it for a few weeks and haggling on the price we pulled the trigger! This Open Range Light 221RQB is going to be a great addition to our family and open a lot of opportunities to travel the county.

Nikki with the new rig!

A little about this blog.

So now that you know about our new rig, follow along as our adventure has just begun! My hope is to post details about every trip. Essentially a journal for us and hopefully inspiration and information for you. Please feel free to comment and ask questions.