The original mobile, tiny home -- trailers
And, trailers are so inexpensive to buy, alot less than a "tiny home" . So, you can live in one as well as any other mobile, tiny house. But, they are also great for evacuation purposes. I bought one a few years ago for double use, first for fire evacuation. I have had to evacuate twice, and having anything like this would make it all much better, peoples property, fairgrounds, parking lots, many places will let evacuees park and camp for a while, but if you have nothing, it is tough ! Realy, even a tent and some random helpful stranger will let you set it up in their backyard, for a short time. But, a camper of any type can be used longer, with more comfort, and in less hospitable places ( like parking lots). Being without a place to stay is pretty bad, I had to farm out animals and offspring all to different places, and didnt have anywhere good or stable for me. You realy do not want to stay on a cot in a red cross set up. First of all, no privacy, second, the lights are left on all night, etc... easier to sleep in the car. After that, I knw next time to at least grab a tent on the way out !
The second use was goat shows, at the time I bought it, I still had an offspring at home that went to goat shows, and we had to camp. Before the trailer, I had a tent trailer, I actually realy miss the tent trailer as it was easier to tow and I could tow it with a smaller vehicle. Our tent trailer was pretty large, and had a stove and sink and table, as well as the two bed areas and a couch. This would also be good for evacuations in most places. But, it is kind of a summer solution, fine for California, but places with summer rain, or if you need shelter in a worse weather season, the trailer is better. The trailer can be used year round in a pinch, if a short term evacuation turns semi-permanent in a changing word.
So, my trailer has been ignored since we havent had goat shows for years now. This season, I am reviving it. The world is .... well, who knows what it will bring. We are at half our average rainfall going into this years fire season.
I will take pictures of mine eventually, but mine looks alot like this one, but a few years newer with a slightly upgraded kitchen https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=2360712567341302&set=pcb.13933836041...
Ken
Sat, 03/05/2022 - 16:14
Permalink
Trailers
I think that people have a bias against travel trailers because most of the trailers of the last 50 years have been ticky tacky boxes (on wheels). Whereas the image of a 'Tiny Home' is that it will look like a glossy magazine cover with matching throw pillows, rather than a moss covered meth-lab in the woods.
The reality of most DIY tiny homes is they are more like a top-heavy, unfinished goat shed on an inadequate trailer that is too heavy to move and illegal to take down the road anyway. And a professionally built one will cost a fortune.
There is a reason that FEMA (for all it's authoritarian/bureaucratic insanity) bought a bunch of trailers for the folks of New Orleans after hurricane Katrina. Admittedly those were typical government contract products; shoddily built of toxic materials, but there are quite well built used travel trailers available, you just have to shop carefully. "Garage kept" is a key phrase to look for in an ad. I wouldn't consider a new trailer, although they are generally better built and the latest interiors are not as tacky and depressing, simply because they cost far too much and depreciate far too quickly. For under $15K you can find a pretty decent used travel trailer. And if you're willing and able to do some work on one, you can find deals for half that.
https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/rvs/d/lakewood-2011-sandpiper-slide-o...