About Me
My name is Dan Mitchell and I’ve been an RV enthusiast since 2014. We are seasonal campers so I created this site to talk about the topics relevant to seasonal RV campers. My background is technical and I love to take things apart and put them back together. Owning a camper has given me plenty of opportunities to do this, and develop expertise in RVs and camping life.
How I got into RVing
Around Memorial Day weekend 2014, my wife and I were invited to spend a weekend at an RV campground with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law. They had already been camping for a few years, starting with a tent on a friend’s seasonal site. Then they bought a pop-up camper to tow to the campground and did that for a while. Eventually they bought travel trailer on a seasonal site of their own. They suggested we stay in the hotel at the campground which was also a resort. We were a family of 6, and it would cost $1200 to stay the weekend.
My wife and I felt like $1200 was a lot of money to spend one weekend away. From there we started looking at used RVs and campers, mostly travel trailers that could fit all six of us. I actually went to see one in person, it had soft floors and smelled like cats. Even though I had never been RVing in my life, I knew this was not a good purchase to make.
A week before Memorial Day I went with my brother-in-law to look at new campers on a “big sale”. I had never been inside a camper, nevermind been camping in one, so I had no idea what I was looking for. I knew want my old Land Rover could tow and that was my guide for shopping. At the time I was traveling a lot for work. The idea of a warranty was appealing because I wouldn’t have to worry about the RV breaking down on me.
After looking at few in my price range, I eventually found an ultralight that I could tow that had a bunkhouse in the back. The “big sale” saved me $250. The salesperson agreed to have the unit ready for pickup the following Friday, Memorial Day weekend.
Our family arrived with two cars at the RV dealership. I brought my car to tow, my wife’s to bring the kids and luggage. I hitched up, set my navigation for the Blackthorne Resort in East Durham, NY (2.5 hrs away) and we were on our way. We pulled in that night, and we’ve been there ever since.
My parents also bought a driving camper (Class C), where I was able to learn a ton about being out on the road.
Over the past several years I’ve learned a lot on my own about RV camping and I wished I had one place to help me out. My hope is this site will give you information for a better camper life. Enjoy!
You can find my professional profile on LinkedIn or follow me on my personal Twitter account
