So we are looking for ways to do more family adventures. We have more time off and have some $ to spend on it.
It seems that what everyone else around here does is buy a truck and trailer. A few years ago we borrowed a friends' trailer and the in-law's truck a few times and had some good luck at a few great spots, but also a few bad experiences with crowded campgrounds. It wasn't exactly the off-grid, quiet time I was looking for. (And both the truck and trailer are no longer owned by those parties so this isn't an option now). But now some other friends are getting set up with a truck and trailer after doing a 2 week RV rental trip that they loved and are hoping we will join them for some trips next year.
We would love to do it, but I'm torn.
The value of the family time is self-evident. While it isn't the back country experience I usually look for, I do my hard core trips with my buddies that scratches that itch. So this is just easy living relaxing time.
But, the expense of this would be substantial (even though we can totally afford it) and it rubs up against my environmental beliefs and my usual preference of doing things differently than what the crowd is doing. On the other hand, sometimes the reason the crowd is doing something is because it is, in fact, awesome, and they have all figured something out that I haven't, and the substantial expense could be the best money we ever spent.
Still, I would like to weigh my options and was hoping for some advice or suggestions of options that perhaps I haven't considered.
So, the goal is to explore natural areas, unplug from life, and escape our suburban prison, even for a few weeks at a time. I have 5 to 7 weeks of vacation time a year, and wife's schedule is very flexible and we have no reservations about taking the kid out of school for a few weeks at a time...they really don't do that much anyway. So, we do have a significant amount of time each year to do this. Kid is pre-teen and I'm sure their interest in hanging out with us will be waning. Or maybe not if we can find something to do together.
The constraints are that the family has somewhat finicky needs....zero chance of getting them in a canoe, kayak or hiking overnight anywhere. It's just not their thing, and I do that with my buddies anyway. So as far as I can tell we are left with doing a glamping car-camping set up, or doing Airbnbs, or the truck/trailer thing. There isn't anyone that rents trucks you can tow with around here. Motorhome rentals are a few hundred bucks a day plus fuel and campsite fees. Trailer rentals are around $100 a night, but neither of my vehicles can tow anything. A car camping set up that would be sufficient for the preferences of my family would probably run at least several hundred dollars (nice air mattresses, a big enough tent that we can stand up in it [seems to be a significant complaint]) though we do have the vast majority of everything else we would need. We have nowhere to store a trailer so that would be an added expense (about $100 a month here). Airbnbs around here run between $150 and $250 a night it seems.
I'd really love to avoid the trailer...but cannot deny that the trips we did with one were awesome. Sooooo much more comfortable than a tent, which really does get old after a few days especially if there is crappy weather. So maybe the truck trailer thing would be just the best money I've ever spent. But whenever I see everyone else doing something I try to avoid it since I feel like it's just a trap.
Would love to hear some suggestions.