As the sun crests the mountains obscuring the eastern horizon, the valley lights with golden hues and warmth. Hanna and Chowder are already outside basking in the early morning rays, while I am slow to wake, the soft light filtering through the skylight in our camper.
From my cocoon of quilts, I hear the gentle murmur of the brook we camped alongside and the intermittent splash of Chowder welcoming the day with his exuberant puppy energy. I open the door and am greeted by the most idyllic Colorado scene you can imagine–towering peaks shaded with red and gray, a meadow only now bursting forth in springtime’s green, and Hanna relaxing by the stream, her body bundled in layers despite the cheery sun.
Things to know:
We’ll be full-time travelers in 2025, and we need to choose the right camper to facilitate this new lifestyle. Here, we explore the various types of campers and RVs we’re considering.
Note: By the time you read this, we might already have a camper. Our intent is not to mislead you, we simply wrote these blogs well in advance!
Our previous camper was a go-anywhere Scout Kenai mated with a Ford F-250 Tremor.
Choosing a camper for full-time travel
Hanna and I are no strangers to camping. Since reuniting post-college (we were high school semi-sweethearts, but that is a story for another time), we’ve traveled a lot. It started in an old Subaru Outback and a tent my mom bought from K-Mart (how’s that for a throwback?). It evolved into Jeeps and Walmart tents, then rooftop tents, and finally, a Scout Camper Kenai.
Every year, we pushed our travels farther. We stayed on the road longer, ventured deeper into the backcountry, and expanded our comfort zone bit by bit. With each passing adventure, we learned what worked for us and where we still needed to improve–both in terms of gear and our own limitations.
We craved the travel lifestyle, but we faced challenges. Unfortunately, we are not “trusta-farians” (a term a fellow traveler coined to describe trust fund kids choosing to live in vans). We have to work full-time, stay within a budget, and balance real-life with the grand adventure that is life on the road.
We spent months in our various rooftop tents before buying our first camper.
After our longest stint on the road to date–about four months living out of the aforementioned Scout Camper in 2023–we knew we had to make a change if we wanted to give full-time travel a real chance. So, we made the difficult decision to pause our wandering for the entirety of 2024 and focus on giving our business some long-overdue attention.
Now, we’re once again shifting our gaze to the great unknown. In 2025, we plan to hit the road for a full 12 months (as a trial period). In other words, we have a lot of planning and preparation to do between now and then, including determining what camper is right for us.
How we like to travel
As you might have gathered, Hanna and I are not averse to “roughing it.” Our travel origins include $20 tents and an upbeat attitude. While we’ve strayed from these humble beginnings as our experience (and budget) have grown, we’ve retained the adventurous spirit that spurred us on way back when.
We prefer to get off the beaten path, and while we are not against campgrounds (they actually have some wonderful benefits), we try to explore the backcountry by having capable vehicles and relatively self-sufficient camping setups. In the past, that has meant Jeeps and rooftop tents paired with basic battery systems and essential supplies.
Last year, it evolved into a Ford F250 Tremor and Scout Camper–a setup that felt luxurious to us. We were able to escape from civilization, propelled forward by big tires, four-wheel drive, and solar panels. Even that, though, had its limitations. The power system was lacking when we had to work full days (especially when the sun stubbornly hid behind clouds). The water was limited to a five-gallon can. The bathroom consisted of a curtain and a spartan camping toilet.
Our Scout Camper was amazing and very capable, but did have limitations.
We wouldn’t trade the experience for the world, and we love Scout and the team behind the brand with our whole hearts, but we knew we needed more if we were to travel full-time in a sustainable manner. So, we began our search.
Types of campers we considered
Because we’ve done a decent amount of traveling in a variety of ways, Hanna and I feel relatively confident in our likes and dislikes. While we haven’t tried every camper style known to man–almost none of them, actually–we have a general idea of how we like to travel, what we consider necessities, and things we don’t want to compromise on.
Class A and Class C RVs
We briefly considered what you might call “real RVs.” The list of benefits is pretty compelling, and when we sat down to make our list of pros and cons, it looked something like this.
Pros of RVs
Self-contained
Lots of living space
Real bathrooms
Huge selection
Cons of RVs
Big
Not very agile or off-road worthy
Can be expensive
Inseparable unit
Questionable quality of “budget” options
Getting off the beaten path and having the capability to tackle rough terrain is important to us, so we quickly ruled out Class A and Class C RVs despite their very real advantages. Sure, there are some Class C motorhomes that can get to a lot of remote locations, but there’s another factor at play for us.
We will only have one vehicle. Not only are we not keen on the idea of towing a secondary vehicle, but we also have to consider our budget. It isn’t unlimited, and having two things with engines doesn’t bode well for the bank account. Throw in the possibility of pausing travel for any lengthy amount of time, and the idea of a Class C being our sole vehicle loses most of its appeal.
Class B RVs
Class B RVs are an interesting option. Hanna dabbled in building out a Ford Transit a few years ago, and the self-contained nature of this route is appealing. The ability to go from sleeping to driving is advantageous, and there’s no question that a lot of vans can be outfitted for rough roads. With well-appointed interiors that include a workspace, wet bath, and kitchen, they can also be great for full-time living.
We haven’t been so quick to rule this option out. It seems to fit several of our needs, and who doesn’t love a little #vanlife?
Van Life Pros
Self-contained
Customizable
Compact for daily driving and trails
Liveable interior
Good fuel economy
Van Life Cons
A little cramped
Expensive (less bang for the buck)
Not very versatile when not traveling
Rarely have a full bathroom
Our pros and cons list for the Class B option is a bit more complex than it was for the Class A and C RVs. There’s a lot to discuss and think about there, and there’s no question that couples in similar situations to us have embraced van life and found ways to thrive on the road.
Truck Campers
From a purely “this pulls at our heartstrings” perspective, truck campers probably top the list. We love their aesthetic and the idea of being ultra-mobile. There’s also something nice about the simplicity of truck campers. They’re compact, easy to use, and nostalgic. Our brief stint in the Scout Campers Kenai plays a role here, too–we really enjoyed the four months we lived in that bare-bones camper.
It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, though, and we know we need to be realistic about our full-time needs. When writing out our pros and cons of truck campers, we were a little surprised by how balanced the list was.
Truck Camper Pros
Very capable and mobile
Many options and styles
Removable from the truck (and you have a truck!)
Ability to upgrade the camper or truck without selling both
Truck Camper Cons
Small interior
Requires a hefty truck
Difficult to use as a base camp
No pass-through to the truck
Despite the shortcoming of truck campers–most notably, the lack of interior space–we think this option is very appealing. We like trucks, and having one that we can use when the camper is removed is a huge bonus.
Travel Trailers
Oh, travel trailers. What a complex relationship we have with you. There are many reasons to love travel trailers, and those reasons definitely make a strong case for full-timers. Still, there are some downsides that weighed heavily on our minds as we made our list of pros and cons.
Overall, we’re pretty torn on travel trailers. While we definitely see the advantages, we’re just not fully convinced that they’re for us.
Travel Trailer Pros
Loads of options
Pretty affordable
Tons of interior space
Excellent for use as a base camp
Useable truck when camped
Travel Trailer Cons
Questionable quality
You have to TOW something
Storage when not traveling
Reduced mobility and off-road capability
You have to tow something
Yes, I know I listed towing as a con TWICE. That’s how passionately we do not want to pull a camper. It cramps our style (camping off trails) and is unappealing from a travel perspective. Sure, travel trailers are phenomenal when you’re at camp and set up for a week or two, but we’re not sure the benefits outweigh that extra-large con for us.
Which camper should we buy?
There you have it–our pros and cons for every possible type of camper we’re considering. If we missed something, please let us know–we need all the help we can get!
The big question remains–which camper should we get? Right now, we are leaning heavily toward a truck camper. The mobility, ease of getting off the pavement, and ability to use the truck as a truck when not traveling are all compelling advantages to us. Factor in that we think they look cool, and you have (in our minds) a winning combination.
That said, we haven’t made any solid decisions yet. There’s still research to do, finances to sort out, and campers to tour. So, help us out–what camper should we buy? Did we miss any noteworthy pros and cons? Do you have experience with any of these campers?
Drop your knowledge below and share some suggestions. We’d really appreciate the guidance as we take this big step into a more nomadic lifestyle!
- Riley + Hanna