Choosing a trailer

Once we decided that buying a travel trailer was a good idea, we began the process of finding one. I wanted something small, thinking that smaller meant easier to tow and maneuver.  Smoky, at 6 feet 2 inches, wanted one with enough head room that he could stand up in the shower. Picky, picky, picky...

We fell in love with the Oliver, a sweet fiberglass trailer made in Howenwald, Tennessee, but being in love wasn't quite enough when it came to the bathroom. Smoky's head hit the ceiling even without shoes.

We made the rounds of travel trailer sellers in our area but really didn't see anything we liked very much. Then Smoky found Pathway Auto and RV, a small dealer right on the line between Lenoir City and Knoxville. Pathway carried a line of trailers called Livin Lite, and Dave, our great sales person, told us how well constructed these units were. They had a 16 ft. CampLite unit on the lot, and it was impressive. Constructed with an all-aluminum frame, the trailer is ultra-light and easy to tow. Inside, the construction was far above any we had previously seen.

Smoky especially liked that he could stand up in the shower! When Dave showed us photos of a 21-foot model, Smoky had found his new love.

We placed an order for our trailer, hoping it would arrive in time to take it to Smoky's mom's in June. This has been a great year for trailer manufacturers -- with the price of gas lower, lots of folks are getting the bug to go trailering. Our trailer came off the assembly line in mid-May, but there it sat, lonely and sad, waiting for someone to bring it to Tennessee.

Our June trip to see Smoky's mom was made sans trailer, but it arrived while we were there! Dave sent us a message saying it was one great trailer, complete with dinette slide-out and color-coordinated with our trailer! Now we're talking!

--Shann