Hello forum members

My name is Don and my wife’s name is Ginger we are located in central Kansas. We became site sponsors about a week ago and have been reading all the posts and learning a lot about the TM models. It appears that we have settled on the 2720SL as it is just the two of us and it will fit our needs and TV.

Both of us are retired ,we enjoy traveling, we tent camped for awhile then to get off the ground and have air-conditioning, heat, shower, microwave and the other conveniences we purchased a popup. I personally don’t mind the setup and teardown of the popup however my wife is growing tired of it and I have to admit we need more room. I think the real turning point for us was last month in mid December.

We stayed at a state park in Texas, arrived early evening, got checked in. When I asked where they wanted me to park they said "pick any spot you want" you are the only people here. That didn’t bother me much as I was sure more campers would arrive later that evening. We drove back into the park about a mile and set up camp. It was a nice park, well maintained quiet and everything would have been alright except nobody else showed up. Here we were about a mile into the woods all by ourselves and neither of us was comfortable being out there. I didn’t get a wink of sleep all night. I just about packed up and drove to the next town to sleep in the back of the truck. The racoons, I guess that is what they were, were as big as Dobermans and kept slamming the lids on the dumpsters as they crawled in and out looking for food. About midnight a car pulled up turned out its lights and parked about 100 feet away. We had no idea who they were or where they were. With only the canvas between us and them and the raccoons we were uncomfortable and I am sure that is when we made up our minds to find something with a hard side.

We have friends with tents, 5vrs, towable, class A, class C but I don’t care for the 5vrs, I don’t want to pull a parachute behind me and don’t want the maintenance of the coaches. I have to admit that I like the aerodynamics of the popup also like that I can store it in my shop and work on it (yes I like to tinker) anytime I want.

We won’t be buying new; I would rather spend my money traveling than paying for a new unit. With the above mentioned that leaves me with a
Hi-Lo or TM. The Hi-Lo is more weight than I want, and only goes straight up. The TM is lighter and expands lengthwise, as I said we want all the room we can get.

The TV will be a Ford F150 and after we get the TM I might try pulling it with a Jeep Liberty 104 inch wheel base for short trips (Kansas is mostly flat).

I didn’t know what I was going to say when I started this but looks like I have said a lot. Again I enjoy reading the posts and hope that soon (before Spring) I will have a 2720SL and will be able to contribute to the forum.

Hi Don and Ginger,
We recently bought our new to us Trail Manor in December, we used it to travel from Colorado to Northern CA and we thoroughly enjoyed it. It is different for sure, but the set up and break down is pretty darn easy. Hope you find the one you hope for. We stumbled upon our 2005 3124KB close to home and it turns out that it fits our needs perfectly. We wish you luck and keep on this forum, it is a WEALTH of information, I check it every day!
Happy Camping,
Judy and Michael Gutierrez

[Barb&Tim]

Don, you don't have to worry about becoming a contributing member of the forum because you just did.

That was a very nice introduction and a good story too!

A warm welcome to you and Ginger and I wish you good luck on finding your Trailmanor.


Tim

[scrubjaysnest]

Welcome to the forums, you didn't say which TX state park but it seems to me Purtis Creek was the one with the racoons. It is a very isolated park and for the late night visitor while it can be unsettling that was most likely park law enforcement.

The Tx state parks have been having an attendance problem and a 4.6 million short fall.

We too made the move from pop-up to TM for similar reasons and after almost 8 months in it the past year we think it an ideal choice.

[rvcycleguy]

ssshhhh... don't tell anyone about that park in Texas. its quiet and I like it that way.

Good luck on your search. My wife and I found a used 3124KB this past Oct and we love it. Happy Trails..

rv

[HIKERZ]

Its just my wife and I in our 2720SL and we are very comfortable with more than enough storage. We also tow in a F150 and have no problems plus the advantage of the back of the truck for bikes and yaks. Just having AC and Heat makes it worthwhile.

[trailbiker]

Hello Don and Ginger,

My wife and I bought a used 2027SL at the end of last summer. I didn't
find this site until after our purchase. Fortunately we found one in great condition and have been enjoying camping, and learning about all things Trailmanor. I can't say enough about how great a resource this site is. The folks that post here are very friendly and extremely knowledgeable.

You should be warned that this Forum is extremely addicting. I spend hours lurking about soaking it all in. I am looking forward to the day when I have more of my own experiences to contribute.

Good Luck with your search!

Welcome Don and Ginger:
Your path from tent to popup to TM has duplicated that of many on this forum, so a bunch of us have similar experiences. Good luck in finding your perfect TM, they are out there and patience will be a virtue in this quest. Please don't hesitate to ask questions. There are many very knowledgeable folks here who are anxious to help!

[Lesherp]

My wife and I recently retired and bought a bought a TM that was in good condition. We love being in the outdoors and have found the TM to be perfect for us. We got it last year and spent about 45 nights in it so far. We feel like we bought a place in the mountains, on the river and at the beach all rolled into one. You are going to love it!

We are going to head south this winter but so far have had such a nice one here that we have not felt inclined to go yet. The rain seems to have settled in this last month and we are beginning to think about going. The thought is to go to Arizona until the weather improves enough to spend some time in southern Utah. Both areas we have interest in seeing. We are thinking about Yellowstone again in the spring as we have been told much of the wildlife winters in the Lamar Valley and it can be amazing in the spring. This year I think we will spend most of the summer exploring Oregon. We have lived here over 30 years but there are still a lot of places we have not been to. For us I think the wonderful thing about the TM is when you get somewhere nice you feel so much at home that you just don’t want to leave. Can you tell we are excited about owning our TM?

You stated you like to tinker. The TM is perfect for someone that likes a project. There are so many things you can do to improve the practicality and livability of the TM. This site is a wealth of knowledge and knowledgeable people willing to help. Best of luck in your search for your TM and welcome to the site

Sounds like a plan!

Welcome!