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Old 03-13-2011, 07:44 PM   #1
Camping Lady
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Smile Looking for a rental location in SF Bay Area

My husband and I are looking to purchase a used TM 2619. We would like to try it out before purchasing.

Is there a location or private owner in Northern California that will rent one out?
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Old 03-13-2011, 08:40 PM   #2
Bill
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A Search of this board on the term "rental" may help - it has been discussed - but there aren't many. Of course, your tow vehicle must be set up to pull it, unless the rental place agrees to pre-place it for you in your preferred location.

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Old 03-14-2011, 12:03 AM   #3
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Hi Bill,

Thank you for the response. I will search as recommended. Wish me luck!
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Old 03-14-2011, 08:44 AM   #4
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Good luck on finding a place that rents TMs. We wanted to do the same when we were looking for a TM and never did find one.

However, there are a few things you can do to simulate a TM and get an idea of whether a TM is for you.

You can find trailers with the approximate amount of floor space you will have in a TM. Assuming your TV (tow vehicle) can tow that weight you can try it out. If you are OK with the way it tows, realize the TM will tow better and easier than that.

If that trailer is too heavy to tow (and it may well be too heavy as TMs are light) many rental places will bring the trailer somewhere and set it up for you. You will miss the towing part, but you can still try the camping part.

When camping the biggest difference between a TM and most trailers is onboard storage and the size of the refer. TMs do not have ceiling to floor storage. Also due to this lack of ceiling to floor capabilities, the refer is about half the size that you might find in a conventional trailer of the same size.

The bathroom is another difference. Frankly, I like the recirculating toliet. It is truly a water saver. Also, the TM's shower is really quite good and much better than the "wet baths" that the smaller pop-ups and lightweights have.

One of the really nice aspects of a TM many people do not notice, is that TMs have a lot of window space. You can look out any direction from your TM. Some lightweights only allow visibility in two or three directions, not the TM's four. That much visibility allows a lot of sunlight and contributes handily to the feeling of openess in a TM despite the lack of slideouts.

Another feature and difference are the fulltime beds. Most lightweights lack these. Its very handy and nice not to have to assemble/disassemble your bed every night/morning.

As someone who likes/dislikes his TM but has no plans to replace it anytime soon (high fuel prices), the real question you need to answer is whether you are an RVer type or not. I knew I was OK with it, I just wasn't sure the pardette was. Well after 3 years with our TM we still use it at least once a month and camp in it three to five weeks a year in it. The pardette and the two dogs love it.

The one thing I am sure of with the TM is that I can go camp somewhere in a really nice trailer while others are staying at home waiting on fuel prices to drop. That is what keeps me in my TM...
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Old 03-14-2011, 08:44 AM   #5
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I would be extremely surprised if you find a rental TrailManor. I suspect most dealers wouldn't want to do it (expensive inventory) and and I really doubt you'd find a willing owner.

I've just moved to a TrailManor from a pop-up tent trailer. I participated in a pop-up tent trailer forum for three years and this question came up every spring: would you rent your trailer to someone? The answer was always an overwhelming NO because there are just too many ways an inexperienced user can damage something or get in trouble, especially with towing. With TrailManors being more expensive than pop-ups I would expect that sentiment to be even stronger among TM owners.
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Old 03-14-2011, 08:48 AM   #6
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Yeah, I have to agree with Tripod on his observations. I think my brother wanted to borrow mine once...at least I did not have to say no. I am hoping my kids don't want to borrow it either...each of them mangled a car or two before they grew up...
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Old 03-14-2011, 09:06 AM   #7
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I believe the dealer in Massachusetts rents TM's (MCD?). Or at least they did, at some point, although that's quite a haul for you to try one out. If you are interested, I'm sure a current TM owner in NoCal would be willing to give you the grand tour of their unit. It would probably be alot more insightful that a tour by a dealer.

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Old 03-14-2011, 09:28 AM   #8
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Default Why Not Join Us In Petaluma

Consider joining us in Petaluma for our California TrailBlazer Rally 4/8-10. There you'll be able to rub shoulders with 13 TM owners. Most are 2720s across a wide range in age from nearly new to some over 10 years old in addition to two of the new upright Elkmont models.

See attached for registration details. While not exactly renting, you'll get much more talking to these owners and see how they get the most out of their TMs for probably substantially less than the cost of a rental.
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Old 03-14-2011, 11:59 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ShrimpBurrito View Post
I believe the dealer in Massachusetts rents TM's (MCD?). Or at least they did, at some point, although that's quite a haul for you to try one out. If you are interested, I'm sure a current TM owner in NoCal would be willing to give you the grand tour of their unit. It would probably be alot more insightful that a tour by a dealer.

Dave
You are correct, MCD on the cape stills rents TMs and will deliver to a few campgrounds in the area for you. A little far from SF but for anyone in the NE area that is looking to do the same as you, its a nice thing to know.
http://www.mcdcorp.com/

Good luck in your search.
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Old 05-07-2011, 11:15 AM   #10
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Default Private owner renting on Craigslist, San Jose, CA

I just found this post on Craigslist in San Jose, CA:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/rvs/2363407257.html

It looks like a smaller TM, possibly a 2619?
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