I had done the research. I wanted a travel trailer with a separate bedroom, bunks, and a slide. But after visiting two RV dealerships we ended up buying a trailer with no bedroom separation and no slide. And I’m so glad we did.
Let me clarify. I still wish we’d been able to go up in weight enough for a bedroom with a door. But I’m very thankful we didn’t get an RV with slides. Here are 8 reasons why:
Slides are Heavy
We were pretty firm on the weight we were comfortable towing with our Tacoma, and a slide adds so much extra weight to a trailer!
Easy Access for Quick Stops
If you pull into a rest stop to have lunch or boondock at a Walmart overnight, you can’t put our your slides and you might not be able to access everything with your slides in.
Faster Set Up & Break Down
Not having slides saves us time in setting up and packing up camp. Putting the slide out just adds one more step before you’re fully set up. And we like to keep that process as quick as possible with young kids who start getting VERY wiggly and impatient the moment we pull into a campground.
Leveling is not as Important
We don’t always get perfectly level. We get close(ish) but we usually eyeball it, and we hear that doesn’t cut it when you have a slide to put out.
5. More Complicated to Park
When you have a slide that will extend opposite your trailer door, you have to save room for it when you pull into your campsite. That will change how you park and how much room you’ll have in wooded campgrounds. It might take longer to back in, and you’ll lose several feet of your campsite area. In some campgrounds, this is no big deal, but in others it will make a big difference.
6. Slides Can Damage the Floor
You have to keep floors very clean to prevent something from getting caught underneath the slide and dragging across your vinyl.
7. Entry Points for Bugs and Critters
Any gap or crack in your RV creates an access point for bugs and critters, but anything that makes it worse gets a ‘no thanks’ from me.
8. Rain Can Leak In
Rain can collect on top and leak in when you retract the slides. There are a couple different ways to handle this, but for us personally it falls into the ‘no thanks’ category for us. We like to move pretty fast in our travel trailer, so we don’t want to add any more complications.
Some of these reasons might seem minimal, but when I added the list all up, it sounds like a lot to deal with. I’m glad we purchased a trailer without a slide!
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