Why We Bought and Sold Our Camper

In 2019 we became the proud owners of a shiny new Coachmen Clipper travel trailer with potential to take us from coast to coast for decades to come. Yet just four years later we watched it pull out of our driveway and disappear into the horizon with a new owner.

It felt wrong. It felt right. It made me want to reflect on why we bought the camper in the first place — and ultimately decided to sell something that served us so well.

Why we bought a travel trailer

Our original intention behind buying a camper wasn’t even to travel. It was part of a side business plan.

Summer 2019 was our first time experimenting with short-term renting our house. For the initial bookings, Brett’s parents kindly let us stay in their RV that was stored on our property. Once we felt confident the house rental could be successful, it only made sense to get our own.

A small camper was all we needed — and all we could afford! The ability to travel in it would be a bonus. 

How we found our Coachmen Clipper

Brett started researching different small camper makes and models. We assumed we’d buy used, but in December 2019 he found an end-of-year closeout at a nearby dealership that checked many of our boxes: 

• Favorable layout
• Large fridge with a separate freezer
• Lots of storage space

We drove to the dealer with intent to buy the camper, only to find they promised it to someone else on the phone earlier that day. Womp womp. They showed us other options, but all were 2020 models out of our budget and lacked a full sized fridge.

Since we were willing to pay for the “sold” one on the spot, they decided to sell it to us instead. I still feel bad about the other family and hope they ended up with something even better.

The maiden trip

We picked up the camper in February 2020 and soon planned a spring trip to the Smoky Mountains. The week we were set to leave, COVID-19 broke out in the US and we had to cancel the trip. 

We waited it out until May and made a debut trip to western Wisconsin. 

Helping our short-term rental

Our rental season boomed in summer 2020. I think it was in large part due to families from nearby cities wanting to travel somewhere that felt safe yet still like a vacation. Our home was a great option offering a spacious four bedroom house, swimming pond, hot tub, and fire pit. 

When guests were at the house, we stayed at our “camp” on the edge of our property complete with lawn chairs, a fire pit, and easy access to the garden and chicken coop. 

We continued dreaming about what our future could look like. It might sound like it was an unconventional life, but at that time we were both still working full-time jobs that required us to be in the office much of the time. 

Serving as a home base

By spring 2021, the winds of change blew through our life: Brett changed jobs, I started working almost all remotely, and we bought land further north closer to Brett’s new office.

Our camper was a key part of this endeavor as we lived at campgrounds for the weeks leading up to property closing. Then it became our home base while demolishing a mobile home and building a new house in its place. 

Once the house was livable, we moved the camper back to our original property to aid with the house rental. Since we had our new place to stay while guests were present, the camper was mostly used to sleep in while cleaning the house before and after bookings. 

Occasionally we took our little home away from home to visit family in northern Wisconsin or to explore Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. 

Passing the reins

I always pictured us keeping the camper for many years. We talked about taking longer trips across the country as our work became more and more flexible.

But by spring 2024 we realized we were clinging to an outdated vision.

For one thing, we just never took to the RV travel lifestyle. Even though ours was compact, RV campgrounds typically don’t offer much seclusion. Instead of hearing crickets at night we’d find ourselves listening to a neighbor’s generator.

We probably could have found more remote places to stay — especially because we had experience living and working in it off grid — but in the past year our focus had shifted to our boat. There’s only so much time, money, and energy to go around.

The best part is we couldn’t have found a better family to take the reins. Within weeks of leaving our driveway, we received pictures of the camper shined up and ready to take off on a road trip to the south. Had we not let go, it would still be under our storage tent with no promise of use. 

Thoughts on letting go

I recently read a quote by a spiritual teacher named Sonia Choquette: “If you want to reach for something greater, you have to let go of what’s in your hand.”

It struck a chord as I thought of all we’ve tried to hold on to as we’ve reached for more these past few years: More “toys” than we have time to use. Two homes with acreage and endless maintenance. A truck that isn’t rated for pulling our boat, yet is filled with memories (and hair) from the dog we lost and still miss.

It’s not easy to let go when you still love what you’re holding on to. As we navigate these changes — including selling the camper, trading in the truck, and putting our beloved first home up for sale — I’m learning that letting go doesn’t erase the memories or diminish how important something was during a season of life. 

There can be fear, discomfort, even mourning as we let go. It’s helping me to journal through those feelings and write down the memories I don’t want to forget. But I believe there’s lightness and a sense of freedom ahead if we can find the courage to release our grip.

Your turn

Have you struggled to let go of something in your life? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.