We are planning a big family campsite for my birthday again this year. My daughter and her two children will join my son and his wife and three kids. We will go to Carter Lake for a week with our RV and the family will join us for the weekend at the site next to us. I was concerned for our kids tenting again because the ground can be uncomfortable and they are getting older. I didn’t want to detract from the experience with unhappy campers.
I arranged for a camping RV to be delivered to the site. But that fell through when their insurance would no longer cover transportation. That trailer was too heavy for our car to haul. But what if there was one out there that we could haul with the hitch that came on the Tesla?
I kept telling myself we didn’t need one because the family does not camp with us that often. But I kept looking. I realized it should be very basic and lightweight. I was hoping for an indoor toilet. But after shopping in the range of 5k to 10k I realized that was impossible. I got a new popup bathroom tent for Christmas and planned to use it Thoth a toilet setup I have and of course the camp toilets and the one in our RV are also available.
I looked at cheaper tent pop ups but the open walls didn’t seem protective enough. I was drawn to Aline popups. They fold low so don’t create drag but have solid walls and are very lightweight. Then I saw one for sale that had no title. Getting a title in Colorado for a vehicle with a lost title is a big deal. It requires a hard to get VIN verification appointment and a in lieu of bond form and goodwill search of former title holders to notify them of the change of title. So there were no takers for the trailer. We discussed what she would take to get rid of it and I made a deal for a range of amounts depending on my inspection.
The trailer is a little rough and very basic. But the A popped up and laid down with no observable light leaking through. It had a refrigerator that worked on 120 although it’s unknown if it works with gas. There was no water in the tank to test the pump. The cabinet had been removed to install a new residential air conditioner. I thought it was a replacement but it appears to be aftermarket because of its placement. The battery was dead and it’s dusty and dirty inside. The underside was soft in one corner and at the door but the axle was level and the ends sloped like they should. It had brakes though I was unsure if they worked and had never seen trailer brakes before. The tires looked brand new and it had been completely rewired because they bought it with broken tail lights that the owner said were working. Then they didn’t transfer title.
I offered the middle price of our range and it was accepted. I didn’t feel like I was taking advantage although she lost money on the deal. It’s bad for an RV to sit without use. I’ll have to remember that.
