My husband and I started out tent camping, but decided to move up to an RV – I insisted that we get a small one! Our first RV was a 20′ Fleetwood Prowler – pre-owned, but in pristine condition. We were thrilled! Our first trip was to Pocahontas State Park, near Richmond, Virginia. We arrived in plenty of time to set up and relax before dark. As you can see from the photos, the setting was nice and private (there were only about 4 other campers there that weekend!). The trailer was small and compact, with everything in the kitchen area accessible without moving a step. There was a small booth for eating and lounging. The bed mattress was a little too hard for me so we purchased an air mattress which we placed on top of the foam mattress in the bed “cubbyhole” (access on one corner only). I am certainly glad there was no video camera in place as we attempted to crawl into the bed on the air mattress. Placing one knee on it, then the other, I was immediately engulfed by the sides of the mattress coming up to meet me! There was simply no dignified way to get in the bed, so I just flopped in! My hubby crawled in after me, but it was much easier for him since I was already holding it down! It must have looked a lot like a “Keystone Kops” caper! Our first night was not the most comfortable one we had ever had – and don’t even think about getting up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night!
The next morning brought rain, and we discovered just how compact a 20′ RV with no slide and (nothing to sit on except the kitchen booth) could be. We spent the rest of our weekend cooped up in the trailer, watching movies (no cable in state parks) on DVD, and vowing that we were going to find something bigger when we got home! We did – traded up to a 30′ Forest River Surveyor travel trailer with a slide – and a free-standing table and chairs! The seating arrangement was one of the absolutes we had on our list – never again would we be stuck sitting in a booth for an entire weekend! The other thing we added was a regular mattress, in place of the air mattress. No more being folded into an air mattress!
Submitted by Linda McCane of Chesapeake, VA as a part of the RV Centennial Celebration “Share Your Favorite RV Memory” contest.
