Our earliest conversations about a long road trip revolved around the mode of transportation. Should we be shopping for a travel trailer, RV, tricked-out cargo trailer, tear-drop camper? We had been tent campers up until this point, so stepping into this shopping experience felt a little overwhelming.

We did not want to take our very little nylon home on this long trip, so we thought of purchasing something very small, like a tear-drop camper. At the time, we thought we would only be on the road for a month. When our pastor suggested we spend even more time on the road if we could afford it, the adventure grew to six months. We decided we would need more space than a tear-drop if we wanted to still have two living dogs and two living people on the other side of this trip. We tossed around the idea of a travel trailer, thinking we’d tow it with Nic’s FJ Cruiser and enjoy the option to unhook and explore by car. The trailers we saw in person seemed either too rickety or too heavy for Nic’s car, and let’s be real – no one wants me to ever back up a trailer…ever. So we broadened our shopping to include RVs.

A Class C seemed perfect for us, and our national online search led us to a Craigslist ad for a 1999 Four Winds Chateau Sport in Ponce Inlet, FL. My brother and his wife were kind enough to check out the RV in person during a weekend away near Ponce Inlet (thanks, David and Mich!). They took a drive in it, told us how it smelled, and went through our long list of questions with the owner. After getting their feedback and talking to the owner on the phone, Nic flew down to Florida to see the RV with my parents. The RV appeared to be well cared-for, albeit dated. We didn’t expect much for our low budget – we just wanted to find a dependable vehicle that wasn’t gross. (Spoiler alert: this vehicle has already had less than dependable moments and is a little gross, but we’re working on it.) Nic forked over the cash and began the drive home to Wisconsin.

And just a few hours into that trip north, we took advantage of the roadside assistance we had purchased with our brand-new RV insurance policy. One majorly clogged fuel pump and two nights in podunk North Florida later, Nic continued his drive all the way home to Wisconsin.

Our home on wheels is just over twenty-one feet long and is built on a van chassis. Driving it feels like driving a small box truck. We will sleep over the cab in an area that is long enough to accommodate Nic’s height and just slightly narrower than a standard queen bed. Our “living room” consists of a jackknife sofa that folds out into a small bed (perfect for short people like Katie’s family members). Our “dining room” is a small dinette that also turns into a bed. We have a small fridge and freezer, stovetop, and a microwave/convection oven in our kitchen. The bathroom has tiny RV versions of a sink, toilet, and shower. For storage, we have a number of small cabinets, a closet, and a small outdoor compartment. In case you haven’t noticed yet, the theme here is small.

The pictures included in this post show the RV before we did any work. Coming soon: scary pictures of fixing water damage.