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My wife and I are looking at campers to travel and relax. My son will be in college in a year and we will start then on into retirement. We went looking at camping world yesterday. One we agreed on was a Coleman 16fbs. Loved the layout. Real roomy for its size. We plan on only staying in state parks and using the bathhouse. Won't use toilet in camper unless have too. Questions. 1. Have any of you owned a Coleman and hoe did you like it? 2. Can anyone explain the significance if tongue weight. Heavy/light and effects? Also has anyone owned a camper like a teardrop that you can't stand up in? Did you like it? Again we plan on only going to state parks. Thanks.


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Hey guys-I also want to know anybody's thoughts on this as my wife and I are in the same situation-don't know squat about campers.

I want a camper too, but I plan on using the bathroom in it. A state park public bathroom? Why not use the camper bathroom?

Blue spinner, what are your thoughts?


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Check out Mid-State RV center in Byron Ga

I have camped several times in a 19' and 27' Jayco. The 19' had a slide, the 27' has no slide. Both pulled fine with my F150 Ecoboost. Longest distance I've pulled is about 3 hours.

A good weight distribution hitch really takes the load off the back of the tow vehicle. My truck sits level with the weight distribution hitch.

These things are like boats. Rarely does one sell to downsize. Most of the time you want to upsize.

Inside, the 19 had plenty of room for just me and the wife. The 27 with bunkhouse is perfect for 4-5 people.

well I have had ever thing from our first 16' to our last 36'
i had a 40' 5th wheel with 3 slide it was too big to pull for fun and weekends use we now have a 34' Motor home
that I do love, the 36' is the one at the river that don't move anymore , it is nice to sleep and use YOUR OWN bed and use you own bathroom
if you are going to run up and down the road ever day you don't want to get too big , My fishing buddy had a Coleman and it held up nice it was a 28'
he now has a 32' with a 3 slide out , if you start with a small one after a few trips you will want to move up in size for some reason everyone dose
next time yall are down stop a go in mine and look it's a 2016 with 3 slides it pulled nice when i had to pull it

I have owned every style of camper made. They are a little like boats, as one style is not good for every type of camping. The first thing I would tell you is to get one with a bathroom that you are satisfied with. You don't have to use it but you WILL need it at different times and you will be glad you have it. The second is get the smallest camper that will fit your needs. Towing and REALLY traveling in it are a lot easier if it's easy to tow and a vehicle change doesn't have to be made. Don't buy one to fit all the tag alongs because unless they are the reason you are buying one they won't go much. Don't buy one to just camp locally because at some point you will want to branch out and go on further and longer trips and you don't want your camper to limit you. There are a million choices. Consider all the possibilities and you won't have to trade campers as often. Feel free to PM me and I will be glad to share my time on the road if you think it will help you.

I've owned many campers over the years. IMO a 26' to 28' bumper pull w a living room slide would be a good place for you to start. The bathroom should be a key point of focus for sure. After many trips to various campgrounds and asking people if they minded us looking in their campers, we found (my wife) that we liked the campers that had a master bedroom w the bathroom in between it and the rest of the camper. My model has 2 doors on it. One in the master bedroom the other into the living room. Also if the camp facility offers showers and such take advantage of them. It"s different for the ladies, but when u have to start emptying those tanks.... You'll figure it out. U can find awesome campers on Craigslist that people thought would be a good hobby and quickly changed their mind cause it just wasn't their thing. This saves u thousands! Good luck! Feel free to PM me.

Lots of good info and things to think about.


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Lots of great replies above with spot on recommendations. All I would add is keep in mind there are downsides to this adventure. All RV's will require maintenance and repairs as time goes by. Make sure you have a plan for handling those kinds of things. Keeping your RV covered when not in use will extend it's life immeasurably. And last but not least these things are all money pits of different sizes. The depreciation from new to 5 years old is breathtaking. (more so the higher the initial price)

They make owning a boat look like a bargain.

That being said I have had more fun camping and traveling in my old Winnebago motorhome than a hundred "good investments".

I second what Turtlecat and Rockyg said. You will take a hit on a new one regardless of how long you keep it. Used campers are a lot safer buy than used boats. I looked at 33 ft fifth wheel the other day that was a 2012. It looked absolutely brand new. The guy was taking a $26,000 loss. It was a great buy. Also when you buy used the previous owners always pick up accessories that aren't included in the new unit. I have owned 8 campers, of every type, and the only one I bought new was a popup. I, personally, would not buy a new camper. They just aren't used much. Right now is the first time since 1973 I don't own a camper, but I have the fever!

Just a word of advice. Be careful buying a camper to small. I currently have a 30 foot cougar hitch camper that me and my wife enjoy. I pull it with a Chevrolet Silverado 1500 with no problem. The thing about those small campers is that they will close in on you fairly quick when you get them packed with the necessities for a week of camping. The reason I know this is my brother bout a 22 foot micro-lite from camping world last year and after a few excursions camping with our crew just this past weekend he went and traded his in on a 30 foot grey wolf. Just my .02. Good luck on you purchase.

Simpler is always better.
My wife and I have talked about doing the same thing in our retirement years. Will go pre-owned for the reasons already mentioned. We'll need to have air conditioning for our four-legged family members, though.

a friend of mine's mom is going to sell hers. She's 80 years old and used the camper twice. I wish I had known about it before I bought mine. I think she paid in mid 40's and selling in mid 20's. If interested, send me a private message and I will provide cell number and I can text pics in next day or so.