Hello everyone

[Sassywildflower]

In the planning and dream phase for a few months now on becoming a nomad. I am obsessed and watch every video on YouTube about it as I try to learn all I can to be prepared as much as possible. Not sure when I will be moving out of my apartment, but hopefully in January when my lease expires. I current own a coupe, which is doable, but I’m sure challenging. Looking forward to learning more and meetings in the future. Be blessed. Safe and happy trails everyone!

 

[vgilbert]

Welcome!
What state??

 

[nature lover]

Hello sassy wildflower, welcome to the forum. Stick around and keep us up to date about the journey.

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forums Sassywildflower!

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started.

Most of our rules boil down to two simple over-riding principles: 1) What you post should provide good information (like your introductory post), and 2) Any response to someone else's post should make them feel glad they are part of this forum community.

We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[kklowell]

Welcome, and since no one else asked... what's the coupe...anything cool?

 

[MrsBackRoads]

Hello! A coupe? What model?

 

[Sassywildflower]

I have a 2015 Honda Civic Coupe. Now I’m thinking might get a small light travel trailer. Any thoughts or input?

 

[bullfrog]

There a few if any small light travel trailers and I doubt you could even pull a motorcycle tent style trailer, especially if your vehicle is an automatic. You would be better off living out of your car with a tent in my opinion.

 

[kklowell]

On page 297 of your owner's manual it says this:

Towing a Trailer
Your vehicle is not designed to tow a trailer. Attempting to do so can void your
warranties.

So, apparently, that's not a good idea.

 

[G0ldengirl68]

Welcome Sassy, I'm not a Nomad yet either, but been dreaming, and getting more serious over some months now.  I have a small truck and Monday will be the "big" day to actually buy the materials to start building up my truck bed.  A friend is doing it for me, but I will help.  I live in an apartment complex but I so believe the Nomad life is for me.  I will be going South (AZ) if all goes well, but just to test the waters at first.  I'm glad you've come to the forum, and are watching the videos, etc.  See you "out there" one day, Denise

 

[maki2]

Trade in (or sell) your car for one that can tow a small travel trailer or get a van. Good clearance and AWD will be a gig help get to you through tricky spots even boondocking. Your current car is not suitable for boondocking outside of towns.

Putting a trailer hitch on any small car will reduce your ground c learance and the hitch will hit the ground as you transition across a steeper entry fron a Forest service road into a campsite. That situation is very common because they have no choice but to ditch along roads to handle rain water runoff, otherwise the roads would washout.

 

[MattInTheHat]

Welcome, Sassy! I'm in the planning stages as well, but looking to upgrade my pickup for off road and pull a small trailer. Here is my free advice which may only be worth what you paid.

1) Your car is already out of warranty. Have a hitch installed by someone who really knows how to weld & have an electrical hookup installed by someone who knows electrical. You may need to upgrade the rear springs to keep the car level and handling properly while towing. Have a new thermostat installed that keeps your car's coolant at (slightly) lower temps (the heat will still work fine). If your car has a transmission cooler, make sure it's working properly. None of these will break the bank and will (likely) be much less than upgrading the entire vehicle. The only deal-breaker is Honda uses a lot of CVT transmissions and those may not be good for towing, especially in hilly terrain - though I'm not familiar with your specific car to know if it has one of those transmissions.

2) Get a trailer with an aluminum frame (lighter than steel). Keep as much of your stuff in the car when traveling to keep weight down in the trailer. Become a student of tires (weight ratings, how tire pressures affect handling & mileage, etc)

Good luck,
Matt

 

[Cammalu]

Sassy. Your car isn’t rated to tow. There is a reason for that regardless of the warranty. Be safe

 

[kklowell]

Sassy, while you likely could find someone who would install a hitch on your car it would not be a good idea for a couple of reasons. One would be the obvious issue of safety, the second might be that you'd increase the likelihood of needing more frequent repairs and at the very best, you'd likely be greatly shortening the life of your vehicle if it didn't just leave you stranded..

 

[tx2sturgis]

You MIGHT be able to pull a small motorcycle pop-up trailer. Maybe.

Travel trailer? Nope.

 

[TravelingZombies]

Hi sassy, my wife and I towed a trailer last year that was 1800lbs under my max capacity and it was horrible. Bad gas mileage, brakes almost caught on fire going down Teton pass and wear and tear on our truck.
We're currently using a tent and only sleep in vehicle if it's going to be raining or at a truck stop. I would get a tent to start with and save for a more suitable vehicle in the future.
That's where we're at currently but that's just our experience and yours could greatly differ.
Good luck with your adventures and hope to see you out on the road someday.