We all have different journeys while selecting our trailer. Having just finished that quest myself, I'll share a bit of my thought process. I started from zero experience and my quest went something like this:
1st - What were my needs and how would I likely use the rv? I will mainly travel solo, with a small, 13 lb furry companion, Oscar. At times in the future we'll invite a grandchild along to share goodtimes with and build lasting memories.
2nd - Cost factor - what was my top limit? While I could to go up to the Airstream Bambi, I like to cosider my own personal cost effectiveness, or "bang for the buck" factor. I tend to be conservative in my spending patterns. I prefer function and quality over flash.
So I was leaning towards an efficient, quality product that I could easily see myself in for 1 to 4 week sojourns. While cruising the internet on my quest I discovered the world of the Fiberglass Egg Campers and fell in love with the non-pretentious, friendly community of travelers that seem to get so much pleasure from their Egg-wanderings. I feel that Oscar and I will feel right at home. The frontal areas of the Eggs and the gw is smaller than the Bambi, so I thought they'd tow better.
3rd - Basic needs - Indoor cooking and shower = mandatory! A/C a must have as well.
4th - Weight limit - My TV is a new Tacoma Double Cab, short bed 2x4 with a towing package factory installed. Towing limit 6500 lb. Being one who prefers an extra margin of safety, I imposed my own weight limit of 4000 lb.
So I saw myself mainly in the Casita - Oliver worlds. With the shower requirement, I felt a 13 footer would be too small for some of my longer anticipated trips. I eventually narrowed it down to the 17 foot models of the Casita or an Oliver. My initial favorite floorplan was the Casita FD with the captains chairs, but after realizing there would be no sleeping space for the grandchild, I settled on the Casita SD or Oliver with their similar floorplan and configuration flexibilities.
I requested brochures from both companies . . . I spoke to reps from both companies . . . had positive thoughts for both companies. Both families desire to produce a great product their customers will enjoy for many years.
5th -But I needed to touch and feel before I bought. Casita put me in touch with a proud owner in my area and an Oliver happened to be passing by my home over the holidays and Jim Oliver invited me over to see his trailer. I liked both, but in the end I went with the Oliver even though more expensive, for the following reasons . . .
1- Non carpeted walls of the Oliver, while not as warm and cozy as the Casita, would be better for my granddaughter's respiratory ailments.
2- My prowess with making modifications to suit specific needs is minimal. I'd hate to have a nice trailer interior interrupted with my "workmanship" if you can call it that.
3 - Oliver offered a more extensive list of options, and on top of that, Jim said he'd even add more option if I had any. I had a unique list, and he has accomodated every item.
4- I felt my personal "bang-for-the-buck" matrix was maximized with Oliver.
6th - Company and brand longevity. Will they be there in the future? While Casita wins out in the "How long have you been making trailers?" contest; but Oliver Technologies has a long manufacturing history which leads me to belive they will no be a flash-in-the-pan rv maker. I deemed them tied in this area.
ANYWAY..................that was my personal rv quest. I'll be picking up my "WONDER-EGG" on March 10th and bring it home to the Hill Country of Texas. I hope to be at the Bluebonnet Rally in Bandera, Tx early April so Oscar and I can start making new friends in the FGRV world.
