Choosing The Right RV Trailer
A little backstory…
I have been traveling for work for a handful of years. I originally tried to do the hotel living while working on the road. Four months into the adventure I decided that it was time to get a trailer. Before the two of us met, I had a 41’ bunkhouse bumper-pull trailer. It was the first travel trailer I had purchased.
Today we have a 44’ 11” Keystone Fuzion 427 toy hauler fifth wheel with a 14’ 6” garage (pictured above). we had a lot of learning to do when it came to living full-time in a trailer and we are still learning the ins and outs of trailer living several years and small catastrophes later.
download our free “buying an RV checklist” below!
the old trailer | issues we encountered
outside
the outside of this camper taught valuable lessons in the first couple years of living in it. it becomes a hassle to thaw the water hose out (bringing it in to the shower, putting heat on it becomes messier than one would want).
the hook up areas on the trailer were overlooked. Some trailers have areas inside the body of the camper that shield the hose and hook up areas from the weather and others have the hookups right on the outside of the body, which is nice if you are filling up the fresh tank when heading out for a weekend camping trip.
On the bumper-pull the water hookup was on the outside of the body. During the winter when it was cold it was almost impossible to keep the area where the hose and trailer met insulated so it wouldn’t freeze. With the water freezing, it also meant all the water lines under the trailer would freeze as well due of the lack of insulation under the camper.
inside storage
When in the bumper-pull, there were several things that were missing when it came to making it feel like a home. It was missing the storage space that an apartment or house has to offer. There really wasn’t space for clothes in the bedroom. It had two very small hanging closets and a space above the bed for clothes. In the kitchen there was some space for storage under the sink, above the stove, and a “pantry”.
outside storage
The under-belly storage area was decent sized, but it only had one door to access it. That meant every time that something was needed everything was unloaded onto the ground. things were getting muddy, dirty, wet, and left outside. several access points would’ve helped this.
height
The second thing I was missing was the ceiling height. Being 6’ and not being able to stand up and extend my arms wasn’t originally a big concern, but after a while of waking up trying to stretch or getting clothes on in the morning it became a hassle.
black tank system
there were two places to hookup sewer tubes and three handles to pull to empty the tanks. it may not feel like a terrible set up, but after having to dump throughout the year and moving it became a hassle it wasn’t the best setup for this. plus, there were always sewer tubes with black tank matter in them still.
new adapters and sewer tube set ups were bought and it was still a hassle every time the trailer had to be set up or tore down. After a couple years in the bumper-pull and trying to struggle through, it was time for a new trailer.
The new trailer | Features
Going into the dealership with a better idea of our “must haves” made shopping for the new trailer a lot easier. After a few days of searching, the 2021 Keystone Fuzion with the 427-floor plan was the right trailer for us. Having a family in mind, we decided that the open floor plan and large garage would give us plenty of space and the ability to make the garage into whatever we want it to be whether it be used as an actual toy hauler or extra bedroom. Being a toy hauler, the trailer has tall ceilings in the living room and garage making it feel more like a house.
(view our trailer specs and floor plan here)
outside storage
the storage area in the underbelly is not perfect, but it works for the way we want it set up. it has two doors, one on either side of the trailer. the access point in the water cubby makes access through the driver side door tighter, but we use it to store things we use when we are parked such as our water softener and leveling blocks. to make up for some of the space we lost there, there is another storage area under the nose of the fifth wheel. the trailer also features an isolated outdoor storage area that we use for the sewer tube and the outside items that tend to get dirty while being parked.
tank system
The Fuzion 427 has two black tanks and two grey tanks that share one common drainage spout. This is nice and convenient because when dumping the black tank the sewer tube can be rinsed with the grey water (shower and dish water). with this set up, only one sewer tube is needed so there’s less of that we have to deal with!
The garage | toy hauler
The garage has two cabinets and a half bath. It has plenty of room to be used as storage. we have also used it for an office as it has a table and benches. the table can be stored away or removed completely while the benches convert into beds or can be stored away as well. The garage is very versatile and when packing up the trailer to move the water hose and electrical cords can be stored nicely with the ability to be easily removed.
inside storage
There are two full-sized closets, one side having the washer and dryer prep in it. At the foot of the bed there is a dresser for more clothing storage (we still ended up still needing more storage for clothing).
In the kitchen, we have cabinet space for all of our items. This trailer does not have a pantry, but we have plenty of room for everything we use on a weekly basis.
water hookups
the water hookup is in the heated underbelly and has a small hole in the bottom of its cubby to run the water hose up to the hookup. inside of the cubby it also has the water hookup to run the sprayers inside the blank tank and the handles to dump the black and grey tanks.
Keeping your trailer clean and organized helps make packing up easier, quicker, and stress free when you do move.
outdoor protection
This trailer has the OMNI Shield weather protection package. The protection package includes a heated underbelly and tanks. the underside of the trailer also has insulation to protect the water lines during cold weather.
in case you missed it, download our free printable, Buying an rv checklist!
