Family’s RV Reno & Colorado Home Base/Airbnb: Dekker Trekkers

on June 17, 2021

The Dekker family (@thedekkertrekkers) loved spending months at a time traveling in their pop-up camper, so they decided to bite the bullet and get a larger RV to travel in full-time. After six months on the road, they ended up finding an adorable tiny cabin in Colorado to fix up and act as their home base.

Right now they’re renovating the cabin so they can winter there and then head out in their RV during the warmer months. Honestly, it’s the best of both worlds! They can rent it as an Airbnb to help offset the costs of full-time travel. I can’t wait to see what the cabin looks like when it’s done, but for now enjoy pictures of their RV renovation.

Also, there’s a Q&A with them at the end of the post you won’t want to miss.

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Dekkers: Splitting Their Time Between an RV & Tiny Cabin

Family’s RV Reno Colorado Home Base Airbnb Dekker Trekkers 55

Images via @dekkertrekkers/Instagram

Here’s their awesome pull-behind camper.

Family’s RV Reno Colorado Home Base Airbnb Dekker Trekkers 3

Images via @dekkertrekkers/Instagram

The parents’ room is a bump out at the front of the camper.

Family’s RV Reno Colorado Home Base Airbnb Dekker Trekkers 2

Images via @dekkertrekkers/Instagram

They chose a clean boho style for inside.

Family’s RV Reno Colorado Home Base Airbnb Dekker Trekkers 6

Images via @dekkertrekkers/Instagram

This u-shaped table is great for family meals.

Family’s RV Reno Colorado Home Base Airbnb Dekker Trekkers 5

Images via @dekkertrekkers/Instagram

Bunks for the kids!

Family’s RV Reno Colorado Home Base Airbnb Dekker Trekkers 4

Images via @dekkertrekkers/Instagram

I’m totally in love with the cabinet color.

Family’s RV Reno Colorado Home Base Airbnb Dekker Trekkers 7

Images via @dekkertrekkers/Instagram

And here’s their Colorado fixer-upper!

Images via @dekkertrekkers/Instagram

What are your name(s)?

We are The Dekker Trekkers! Brendan, Kimberly, Jack, Grae, and Ollie.

Family’s RV Reno Colorado Home Base Airbnb Dekker Trekkers

Images via @dekkertrekkers/Instagram

Where are you from?

Born and raised in Arizona, we moved to California just after we got married and built our family of five there. We then moved to North Carolina for 1.5 years before living on the road in our RV for half a year, then we bought our home base here in Colorado about 6 months ago!

How did you first become seriously interested in tiny homes?

After spending months at a time traveling in our renovated pop-up camper, we ultimately knew we wanted to trade it in for a slightly larger RV and travel full-time for a bit!

What type of tiny house do you have or are you working on?

We have a renovated 28′ pull-behind travel trailer.

Why did you go tiny? What are you hoping to get out of it for yourself?

We wanted to experience life a little differently and explore the country with our home in tow! It was important to us to show our boys that we choose our own paths and life is full of choices and adventure if you go after it!

How long did it take you to finish your tiny house?

We didn’t do a ton of renovating, just some paint and new flooring, so we were locked and loaded less than a month after we bought it!

Did you do it yourself? Who helped?

With all the packing and pairing down we we had to do in a very short period of time, we knew we needed a little help with the paint and flooring. We hired a guy that was starting his own RV renovation business to help us out with painting and new flooring. We chose and bought all the supplies he needed and he helped us bring our vision to fruition!

How did you figure out where to put it? Do you keep it in one place or do you move around?

When we’re not traveling, we have our RV parked on our land. Currently, Brendan is using it as a mobile office while we renovate his future office in the house!

What’s been the most challenging part about your tiny house so far?

The biggest challenge while traveling in our tiny house has always been finding quality service to allow Brendan to work from the road. We’ve found some awesome products and companies that make it possible, but it’s always something we have the think about and plan ahead for.

What benefits are you experiencing from it so far?

The benefits to living tiny and traveling with kids are endless. Having more time together, experiencing and exploring all the different places, exposing the boys to an alternative lifestyle, learning to work hard and make sacrifices for something you want for yourself, and finding a community of like-minded people we’d otherwise never have met.. these are the things that make it all worth it.

What helpful piece of advice would you give to others who are interested in going tiny? What mistakes could you help them avoid?

Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. It’s not all beautiful and glamorous like Instagram will have you believe. It’s hard work, it requires sacrifice, it stretches you as a family and as a person, but it’s totally worth it and there’s nothing else like it.