Since we had other business in the area, we decided to accept Camping World's invitation to visit their big shindig with manufacturer's reps and free hot dogs. We looked at many of the units they had available, and talked to one salesman and one manufacturer's rep. They didn't know that we have been looking and learning for two years now. They found that out later.

Since we're interested in diesel pusher motor homes, we started there. We were allowed to look without any sales people with us, although they were available should we have needed one. Nothing really caught our eyes, so we moved on to the free hot dogs and a search for the one item we needed. Got the hot dogs, but not the IR thermometer. Then we moved to the towables, and that's where the fun started.

A salesman happened to be right at the entrance to that area, and he greeted us. We told him we were looking for full-time coaches, and he mentioned two brands. There were several examples of each available, so we started at one end and worked our way to the other. We went through one brand, but discovered that all of the exampes of the other brand were locked. He quickly took care of that problem. One of the trailers looked like it might suit us (except for the price), so I went to look at the weight sticker on the left front corner. He told me that I shouldn't pay any attention to that sticker, because it just had "axle weights and stuff like that" on it. He then pointed to a yellow laminated tag on the propane tank cover that said the empty weight of the trailer was ____ pounds. "That's the number you need." By then I had gotten the gross weight from the sticker, subtracted the empty weight, and then subtracted the weight of the fresh water capacity. When I mentioned that the trailer had _____ pounds of carrying capacity his jaw about hit the pavement. He was pretty young, so I don't know if it was the fact that I did all that math in my head or whether it was because I knew how to crunch the numbers, but he was pretty shocked.

Then, as we talked a bit more, he called the manufacturer's rep over. That even younger guy quickly took us over to the 5th wheels and tried to convince us that they were rated for use down to 0 degrees, whereas the TT was only rated down to 32. When I again looked at the weight sticker and calculated the carrying capacity the rep said that that trailer could easily be pulled by a 3/4 ton truck. 15,000 pounds? Maybe, but it would be marginal. Neither man was able to accurately tell me the size of the steel frame on that 5'er. They thought it was a 10" tall I-beam about 6" wide.

The lessons? Do your homework about weights before you go to a sales lot. Don't believe what the sales people say. Their job is to get your signature on the sales contract. If the coach you buy turns out to not be suitable for you, well, too bad for you.

This isn't meant to be a bash of Camping World, but a real-world example of what happens to those who venture into an unfamiliar environment without adequate preparation. Obviously a salesman can't be expected to know all of the construction details of every coach on his lot, but a manufacturer's rep should know his own company's lines. I'm far from an expert, but I got the feeling that I knew at least as much as those two men did. Of course, my reasons for learning are quite a bit different than theirs. My wife and I will have to live full-time with the decision we make. They only have to know a little bit more than the average customer to get that person to sign on the line.