YEEEHAAAAA
! I finally bought my very own tiny - itsy - bitsy - little - compact -
light - weight - easy - to - tow - has - all - the - comfort - all - the -
bells - all - the - whistles - cute - as - a - button - won't - cost - a -
thing - to - store TRAVEL TRAILER.
Oh and did I
mention: It is SMALL? :)
Cause size matters (just not quite the way you thought LOL).
There will be no
hauling of any HUGE trailer monstrosity for me. Why?
Cause I'm smarter than that!
Searching,
searching, searching (and not finding)
When I set out to
purchase a smaller travel trailer, I had been smitten by a
little old trailer parked in my neighborhood that was about 12
feet long and cute as a button. And I thought to myself:
"Now, wouldn't it be cool to have me one of them little
guys to travel on my lonesome and explore the world with"
(well, maybe not the world, but I'll settle for Southern
California LOL). You guys know me, I don't futts around so as
soon as that thought had traveled across my mind, the brain sent
the order to my limbs and set my body in motion and I
immediately started searching the net, e-bay, trade magazines
etc etc in search for the perfect little trailer for me.
Mmmmm. Turned out
to be MUCH harder to find than I thought. Small trailers seemed
to be a thing of the past and back in the 70's were very
popular. Regrettably, they went extinct in the 80's, like the
small dinosaurs :). The
only few used ones I bumped into were so old they were falling
apart, taking water or had none of the luxuries (not sure if you
can call a toilet a luxury, but I'll let you be the judge of
that LOL) I soon realized I would want (if this was to be
a long term relationship ;) ). Anyone else would have given up.
But as Mr. 181 once said (rightly): "You are a resilient
little beast" :)) hehehe.. Giving up was not an option.
NEVER GIVE UP! NEVER SURRENDER! My budget started
stretching from the initial low ball '$2000 should get me
something' and soaring up, up , up at warp speeds LOL. My ebay
searches for used units were coming back empty :(... My phone
calls to ALL local dealers were completely useless. "Small
trailer? Yes we have small trailers. I have the perfect nice
small 67 feet long one here for you"). (dealers: clueless
as always haha! ;)
My initial
"failure" only made me want one more (cause I couldn't have one - funny how our
brain works LOL). GRRRR... Bouncing from site to site on the net
I finally accidentally (or was it?) landed on a "just been
sold" classified add which displayed a brand recent 2003
model (YES?????) only 13 feet long with EVERYTHING on it one can
imagine. It was love at first sight! There was the perfect little guy for me (well, perfect except for the fact
that it was already sold (and not to ME >8[] - but that's
just petty details LOL)... I noted the make and model number and
off I was on a new hunt cycle. At least now I knew exactly what
I was hunting for!
Luckily for me (and
for Mr.181's sanity) ("If I hear you talk one more time
about trailers I will leave you!") Southern California
dealers had JUST gotten smart and a few had started carrying the
line, hence alleviating the urge to drive to Texas to get a
trailer (and waste $1500 in the process)... I was elated
:))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))). By then my $2000
budget had stretched to the breaking point ($9000) but I had
located a brand new 2005 model discounted cause it had been used
for 3 months or so... OK, you are right, it wasn't "Brand
new" then was it? Well, you could have fooled me! I could
not pass this opportunity which was to put the latest model and
a new ( or just about) trailer within my price range (as oppose
to the $13,000 it should have cost) hehehehehehe..
Introducing
Little Houdini, the tiny travel trailer with a HUGE heart...
Without further
due let me introduce.... (drum roll)
HOU-DI-NI (ni
ni ni ni - echo) the Little travel trailer with a big heart. (Or is it a big butt? Big white
butt that is hehe.)
Houdini is a 2005
SHADOW CRUISER Fun
Finder T-139 :).
Yop. That's what he is.
He is a tiny trailer
measuring only 14.9 feet from tail to tongue, with a 7 feet wide
rear end (I told you he had a big butt LOL). Houdini is also tall: 8.1 feet and that's not counting his
little vents, AC system and antennas :).
Looking at
Houdini from the outside he appears to be minuscule. So small you
want to wrap your arms around him (and it seems like you just
about could!) and give him a kiss! However once you step in, one is
surprised at just how much room there seems to be inside.
And look at all the
stuff inside! How can they fit ALL of this in such a TINY
trailer? Magic, my friends, magic :)...
Is that why I
called him Houdini ? Not really. The name came because
"Houdini, master of Escape" seems to illustrate my
intense desire to break away from my routine and work and go
find the fun :)... Wherever it might be! After all, Houdini is a Fun Finder
!
OK, so now you are
dying to check Houdini out :). Let me first share a few photos
from my Houdini photo album :), then I'll guide you to a grand
tour of the little guy :).
NOTE: click on any photo
below to
view the full version...
and they drove
into the sunset...
and lived
happily ever after...
(The
Bronco/Houdini combo. I actually think the Bronco is bigger than
the trailer LOL)
Houdini on his
Maiden voyage, barely 3 days after delivery :). Yop, cute as a
button.
Houdini is at
home ANYWHERE. Here at Lake Elsinore, basking in greenery...
Here, roughing
it up in Gorman, basking in dirt, rocks and hounded by no less
than 5000 speed crazed motorcyclists!
None of which
fazed him. ;)
The huge awning
provides ample shade for Mr.181, myself and my Enduro Honda.
Here, at a rest
stop on the way to San Diego at seven in the morning :)...
Here, by the
Mexican border at a plush RV park where he made lots of friends.
Always the smallest trailer around and always the one everyone
wants to check out LOL.
It will take approximately
30 to 50 minutes to set-up camp. Including parking, chocking
tires, leveling, unhitching, stabilizing, setting up
inside, opening outside awning and windows and setting up the
outside table and chairs... Then you are done and left with
pretty much a whole lot of relaxing to do! :)
Opening up the
famous big awning is an easy task, I never think twice
about using it!! AND it is very large, especially when
considering how small the trailer is. I really like the awning a
lot (can you tell?).
Snuggling time
for Houdini and I.
Shot of the big butt
(I was talking
about Houdini! LOL) ready to be hauled wherever the Fun might
be...
So, where will you go?
What adventures will you
have?
The world is the
limit...
What are you waiting for? (darn it)
As you can see Houdini is very compact.
He is by far the smallest brand new trailer anyone around here has ever seen!
People flock to check out this novelty, want a tour, ask questions,
offer to buy it hehe (AS IF!!) and all in all Houdini turns
heads way more than all the big luxury liners LOL. Always people are
amazed at:
a)- how small it is outside
b)- how big it feels inside
c)- how
cozy and well equipped it is
So exactly how cozy and well equipped
is he? Let me show you! I'll take you on a little tour :). Just
click on Houdini (right), return to the main navigation page and select "visit the
inside" :)).
meet my trailer...
