My new purchase

[Chris Ennever]

I recently bought a trailer from a guy in barrie, Ont and paid $5700, I managed to knock him down from $6500. I hope you don't think I paid too much. My reason for getting the trailer was to make a trans Canada journey, and with the price of gas these days, as cheaply as possible. I would like to know from you good people who read these forums the least expensive way of staying overnight. It seems the average overnight stay is about $30 annd I expect to be gone for about 3-4 months, which could amount to well over $3000. Can any of the membership help me to find a way of reducing these costs?
I enclose a couple of pictures of my trailer

[Chester Taje]

I have stayed at many different places in my travels.If i am just overnighting I can ususally find a spot at wall mart or other places with big parking lots.On the Trans Canada i have found many real nice spots in the small towns which usually have a small community campground and either free or very inexpensive.You will also find places to Boondock on the x country tour as other members will point out places to stay.
I have same trip planned in 2 years,so will watch this thread VERY closely.

[Chris Ennever]

I have stayed at many different places in my travels.If i am just overnighting I can ususally find a spot at wall mart or other places with big parking lots.On the Trans Canada i have found many real nice spots in the small towns which usually have a small community campground and either free or very inexpensive.You will also find places to Boondock on the x country tour as other members will point out places to stay.
I have same trip planned in 2 years,so will watch this thread VERY closely.

Thanks for your reply guys, I think I am ggoing to find this forum very useful

[Karen Carroll]

Congratulations on your purchase. The interior looks very nice and clean. You will really enjoy your Trillium. Almost four years ago, we paid $3,000 U.S. for our 13 ft. Trillium and drove from San Diego to Salem, Oregon to pick it up, and we thought we got a good deal for our money. It was a marathon 3 day trip. It had been well cared for and we have made no changes or alterations at all, except to buy new tires, a marine battery, and a portapotty. We took it from San Diego, across country, to New York City and beyond, 3 years ago and had absolutely no problems. We love the trill and the way that all windows can be opened so the louvers direct the outside air in, especially in a breezy location. We never needed air conditioning, even though it was June/July. We used a portable fan a couple of nights. We save money by camping State Parks for a $10 - $18 average cost and National Parks and Monuments are even cheaper or free with our Senior pass. Some forest campgrounds are also cheaper.. WalMarts are free, and can be used in a pinch, but no bathrooms between 10 pm to 7 am, and no showers. They also seem to come around very early in the morning to sweep the parking lot with very noisy sweepers. The most we paid for camping spots was $24 on Long Island and in Virgina Beach, and then we stayed in a private campground for the Lancaster, PA Casita rally, and that was $35 per night. We had no problem finding campgrounds and made no reservations for the month of June except in New York metropolitan area. Perhaps later in the summer, you might need reservations, but even the first week of July (except for the Independence Day weekend), we had no problems. I suspect that this would not be true if one was looking for beach camping or for later in the summer. I know here in CA, reservations are a must if you want to camp on the coast. When we lived in WA, we camped in BC at a couple of the Provincial campgrounds, and they were very nice and reasonable in price. Try looking at the Canadian Parks system. The other Canadians on this board can give specifics on campgrounds. We are leaving next week on another 6 week cross country trek, and are also exploring low cost campsites. Someone suggested a website that includes free or nearly free campspots and there is a link on there for Canadian free and low cost camping:
http://www.freecampgrounds.com/

[BOBSMITH]

That's a nice looking trailer. Looks as if it was well cared for.

Here in the States, you can do lots of free camping in National Forests and in areas like owned by Bureau of Land Management.

I'm not sure what the analog for these outfits are in Canada, but I'm sure you have them.

[Doug Mager]

Welcome to the forum Chris!

You sure lucked out on a sweet deal on your trailer.

Although not from that far east originally and NOT wanting to sound anti Canadian , we have done considerable camping on both sides of the 49th parallel I would venture to say that in our camping experiences, we've rec'd more bang for our buck traveling in the U.S. The towns/citys aren't spaced so far apart (you don't NEED to travel 4 or 500 miles to get to the next available camp spot, free or otherwise). Fuel is always more readily available, usually cheaper too. Roads/highways for the most part are in better overall condition, travelling over the mountains, the assent/desent is much less accute, resulting in better fuel milage and less wear n tear on parts. 'Most' pay for campgrounds are better equipped in the U.S. than their Canadian counterparts.

IF you are planning a west to east and return trip, I would recommend driving one way on the one side of the 49th and possibly returning on the south side, just to get the best of BOTH worlds

Having said all that, ya just can't beat The Canadian Rockies for overall awsumness....

[GHYNES]

[quote]
Attachment 7657



Chris,

Nice looking trailer and as long as you are happy with the price you paid well that is all that really matters.

I have done several cross canada trips with my other non-fibreglass trailers (teardrops) and have often spent nights parked on truck-stop lots. They are generally 24hrs, typically have pay showers available and since there is always people about they are relatively safe. A few nights spent for free goes along way to saving money on a trip. I generally camp at a real campsite every so often to have a camp fire and feel more like I am camping. Now that I have a fibreglass unit with a port-a-potty Ican even overnight in places that don't have 24hr services such as Walmart parking lots or shopping malls.

Enjoy your new trailer

Gerald
Winnipeg

[Chris Ennever]

Welcome to the forum Chris!

You sure lucked out on a sweet deal on your trailer.

Although not from that far east originally and NOT wanting to sound anti Canadian , we have done considerable camping on both sides of the 49th parallel I would venture to say that in our camping experiences, we've rec'd more bang for our buck traveling in the U.S. The towns/citys aren't spaced so far apart (you don't NEED to travel 4 or 500 miles to get to the next available camp spot, free or otherwise). Fuel is always more readily available, usually cheaper too. Roads/highways for the most part are in better overall condition, travelling over the mountains, the assent/desent is much less accute, resulting in better fuel milage and less wear n tear on parts. 'Most' pay for campgrounds are better equipped in the U.S. than their Canadian counterparts.

IF you are planning a west to east and return trip, I would recommend driving one way on the one side of the 49th and possibly returning on the south side, just to get the best of BOTH worlds

Having said all that, ya just can't beat The Canadian Rockies for overall awsumness....

Thanks for your input Doug, you are right in saying that in the US that you get better value for your Buck, my wife and I took a trip in our newly renovated 1974 Airstream and got as far as San Antonio before she got homesick for the grandkids, we were on the road for six months having sold our house and put our stuff into storage, as we intended to do this thing full time, bur it never turned out that way.
This time I'm doing it alone as my wife and I have decided to separate, but still remain good friends, I have her blessing for what I am doing, I'm still not too sure that I am doing the right thing, setting off on my own, but I plan on getting temporary part time jobs on the way to offset my expences, plus it may turn out to be interesting doing that.
I have to say, that I encountered many friendly Americans on that trip to San Antono and I have very fond memories of my travels in the States.
Yes, the Canadian Rockies are indeed awsome, I did the trip westwards, again on my own this time in a 1984 Roadtreck camper van, I reached Vancouver, stayed for a couple of weeks, then my wife joined me for the return trip via the US through Montana, having had serious mechanical problems with the camper van, ie. engine replacement but I managed to get the guy who sold me the van to pay the bill as he lied about the true milage and I threatened to sue if he did'nt pay up. Sorry for having rambled on so much I got a bit carried away, again thank you all for your kind input.

[Chris Ennever]

Congratulations on your purchase. The interior looks very nice and clean. You will really enjoy your Trillium. Almost four years ago, we paid $3,000 U.S. for our 13 ft. Trillium and drove from San Diego to Salem, Oregon to pick it up, and we thought we got a good deal for our money. It was a marathon 3 day trip. It had been well cared for and we have made no changes or alterations at all, except to buy new tires, a marine battery, and a portapotty. We took it from San Diego, across country, to New York City and beyond, 3 years ago and had absolutely no problems. We love the trill and the way that all windows can be opened so the louvers direct the outside air in, especially in a breezy location. We never needed air conditioning, even though it was June/July. We used a portable fan a couple of nights. We save money by camping State Parks for a $10 - $18 average cost and National Parks and Monuments are even cheaper or free with our Senior pass. Some forest campgrounds are also cheaper.. WalMarts are free, and can be used in a pinch, but no bathrooms between 10 pm to 7 am, and no showers. They also seem to come around very early in the morning to sweep the parking lot with very noisy sweepers. The most we paid for camping spots was $24 on Long Island and in Virgina Beach, and then we stayed in a private campground for the Lancaster, PA Casita rally, and that was $35 per night. We had no problem finding campgrounds and made no reservations for the month of June except in New York metropolitan area. Perhaps later in the summer, you might need reservations, but even the first week of July (except for the Independence Day weekend), we had no problems. I suspect that this would not be true if one was looking for beach camping or for later in the summer. I know here in CA, reservations are a must if you want to camp on the coast. When we lived in WA, we camped in BC at a couple of the Provincial campgrounds, and they were very nice and reasonable in price. Try looking at the Canadian Parks system. The other Canadians on this board can give specifics on campgrounds. We are leaving next week on another 6 week cross country trek, and are also exploring low cost campsites. Someone suggested a website that includes free or nearly free campspots and there is a link on there for Canadian free and low cost camping:
http://www.freecampgrounds.com/

Hi Karen, thanks for your input, I replied with a rambling letter to Doug, as you can see, I am not new to this travelling thing, except this time I'm doing it in a Trillim 4500, but my pension then went a bit futher than it does today, hence my idea of hopefully getting work on the way to pay my costs.

[Ann B]

Congratulations on your purchase!!!!
Will you be able to attend Bollerrama? on July 6-7-8 weekend ay Emily Prov park?
fun weekend with over 100 fiber eggs( all makes) in one nest!!!

a week or two ago I was talking to a guy at Barrie Tent & Awning about size & cost of an awning (of course)gave him size & told him what I wanted it for (Boler)--he asked if I wanted to sell(hell no!!!) he then said "do you know how hard those things are to find?"
yap I do !!!! ya did GOOD!!!!

you are taking my dream trip!!!good luck
Ann B -just north of Barrie

[Chris Ennever]

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<div class='quotemain'>
Congratulations on your purchase!!!!
Will you be able to attend Bollerrama? on July 6-7-8 weekend ay Emily Prov park?
fun weekend with over 100 fiber eggs( all makes) in one nest!!!

a week or two ago I was talking to a guy at Barrie Tent & Awning about size & cost of an awning (of course)gave him size & told him what I wanted it for (Boler)--he asked if I wanted to sell(hell no!!!) he then said "do you know how hard those things are to find?"
yap I do !!!! ya did GOOD!!!!

you are taking my dream trip!!!good luck
Ann B -just north of Barrie
[/quote]


Hi Anne, Thanks for your good wishes, I hope to set out for my trip around the end of May so I may be away for the Bollerama, I'd love to go as it sounds a lot of fun. Its funny but I bought my trailer in Barrie, having travelled for 2 1/2 hrs from St Catharines, may bump into you one of these days, at one of these meetings

[Ken James]

You have sweetheart there in the Trillium 4500! I know, we have one.

I agree with a previous poster, come west on the U.S. highway system. Once you get used to the rest stops and many other features you will stay south until you must cross back into Canada. I like to use I 90 because it takes one past Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, Custer Battlefield, deveils Tower, and many more great stops along the way. You can go home on Hyway 2 up near the border.

Be sure to check out Flying J truck stops - they encourage us to stay FREE at most of their sites.

You might take a peek at our web site to see how we go.

Enjoy your trip.

Ken & Di

[CharlynnT]

RE: a trans Canada journey... the least expensive way of staying overnight.

My advice, since you are an experienced trailer-camper, is to stay OFF the #1 (Trans Canada Hwy) as much as possible. The roads may not be as smooth, but the prices are lower and people very welcoming.

Travelling from Ontario west, just past Wpg and Portage La Prairie there is turn-off to your right (north) called Highway 16, the Yellowhead. This will take you through many small towns all the way to BC's north coast. If you liker, I can pull out my Boler log-book and advice on nice/inexpensive campgrounds on that route.

Another alternative is too skim along south of the TransCanada, just north of the US border. Again, many small (and tiny!) towns with low low prices. Southeastern Sask has an amazing wonderful camping spot at "Pine Cree" where you leave the hot sun of the high flats and go down, down, down to a shady pine oasis.

I envy your trip!

[Brian B-P]

I think Karen's suggestion will also apply in Canada: provincial and national park campgrounds are cheaper than the fully equipped private facilities; however, they will have fewer services. For instance, when we stayed in the Northwest Territories at territorial parks prices were (a couple years ago) $15 (no services at each site, but central hot showers, etc) to $25 (power at the site); in British Columbia, all provincial parks have only unserviced sites. Even with unserviced sites, most park campgrounds have water fill and sewage dump facilities.

There are free campsites in British Columbia (and perhaps other provinces) run by their equivalent to the Bureau of Land Management; all are, of course, unserviced. I haven't tried them yet, but we found a book listing them all.

While actively traveling, one could alternate between unserviced campsites (but still in nice campgrounds, not business parking lots...) and fully serviced sites to recharge batteries, etc. If the plan is to stay at each location for an extended period (working, for instance), the unserviced sites may be less practical, unless you're prepared to hook up and pull around to a dump-and-fill site now and them, or roll portable tanks around.

Flying J does have nice facilities; I dumped and filled my Boler at the local one once. There are only seven in Canada with RV dump stations, but similar services may be available at other truck stops.

[Chris Ennever]

My advice, since you are an experienced trailer-camper, is to stay OFF the #1 (Trans Canada Hwy) as much as possible. The roads may not be as smooth, but the prices are lower and people very welcoming.

Travelling from Ontario west, just past Wpg and Portage La Prairie there is turn-off to your right (north) called Highway 16, the Yellowhead. This will take you through many small towns all the way to BC's north coast. If you liker, I can pull out my Boler log-book and advice on nice/inexpensive campgrounds on that route.

Another alternative is too skim along south of the TransCanada, just north of the US border. Again, many small (and tiny!) towns with low low prices. Southeastern Sask has an amazing wonderful camping spot at "Pine Cree" where you leave the hot sun of the high flats and go down, down, down to a shady pine oasis.

I envy your trip!

That route sounds like a good idea. You are right, camping is expensive on #1as I did that trip in 2000, that time I had a 1984 Roadtrek, I would apreciate that info from your logbook