I have wanted one for years. Every year I get the bug. I usually start looking for one, find a good deal, and back out. I figure the $ a good used trailer would cost verses how long I could stay in a motel. I end up backing out every year. I have the bug right now. I have also found a good deal on a trailer but it is going to cost a tank of gas just to go look at it. What do I do?

I need you guys help on this. Is a trailer worth it? I know it is more convenient. It would be great for some of the out-of-the-way places I want to hunt. Places that are a long drive to a town with a motel. But . . . There’s the cost. There’s the upkeep. There is the extra gas to tow the beast. I could go on two awesome guided elk hunts for what one costs.

Most years, I will hunt for over 3 weeks a year out of town. I figured it out once that I could stay in a motel all the nights I hunt for almost 10 years for what a good used Travel Trailer would cost. $45/night, 20 nights a year or $900/year, time 10 years is $9000.00. You add to that all the extra gas it is going to cost and it even gets more ugly.

I am planning to hunt more in my home state. There are a bunch of WMAs in Oklahoma that I want to hunt. All of these have campgrounds. None of these are located close to a town especially a town with a decent motel. So what do I do? You guys that own one or have owned one, PLEASE RESPOND.[/align]

my opinion would be that if you got the trailer you would be investing your money into something special that you would use and maybe down the road sell it. now if you keep going to a motel you are not gaining as much out of it. its kinda like buying a house rather than wasting money on an apartment. the trailer will pay for itself after some time...anyways just my 2 cents

you have to add in the intangibles such as sleeping in your own bed , eating at the campsite versus takeout .you can also use it for fishing trips , snowmobile trips etc......

I would definitly go with the trailer. A good thing about it in my opinion is the option of hunting right on the property. You can sleep in a half an hour later versus driving to get their and you wont have to go far in the event that you have to go get something you forgot. Just my thoughts.

Another few things to consider,

Will your hotel staysalways cost no more than the $45 you figured?
If you decide to go somewhere new, how much willit cost to stay there?

With a hotel you may run into"sold out/no vacancy" nights, price increases and so on. With the trailer, it all comes down to where you can park it and if that costs a fee. And like said before, you can use that trailer for more. Fishing trips, maybe you can now make more and/or longer hunting trips, to new areas, etc. If you want to go home early or stay later, no worries. Your room is always there, and you don't even need to pack your things and vacate it.

What about a camper that slides into the back of the truck??? You could find one of those used cheaper than a trailor. More options that I think.

My dad and I were in the same boat and we got a good deal for a cheap camper that was 29 feet long and beats stayin in a hotel and it is cheaper in the long run.

get it

I have hunted moose for years out of a wall tent which is actually warm and dry but one year we tried a different area and one of the guys brought in a 19 footer. That was the most comfortable hunt we ever had. That darn thing actiually had a thermostat on the furnace and it would kick in and turn off by itself and we slept like kings. The time you lose travelling from hotels and restaurants can be spent in the field or the sack. You also have to factor in money saved by not eating in restaurants ( never mind the health aspect ) and gas commuting back and forth. And when you decide you don't want it anymore you can sell it and recoup some of your investment so really the expense will not be the full purchase price. They also give you a warm place for mid day breaks which can be nice if it rains or snows all day.

It's a good idea, I think.