Brick and Mortar Versus the Internet

Some time ago we purchased an external holding tank for our Casita travel trailer. This little contraption is a small, two-wheeled tank that takes in waste water from our onboard holding tanks (both gray and black water). It's convenient because we can unload to it and haul it to a dump station without having to move the entire travel trailer to do so.

However, after several vacations we realized that we'd opted for a tank that is just far too small (12 gallons). So, since we were getting ready for a long trip where we will be parking the travel trailer in one spot for over a week, we realized that we needed a larger external holding tank. And we started shopping around for a new one.

Generally, we tend to buy items like this from specialty RV stores. There are a number of these places located in this general area. Also, a number of companies produce various models for what we needed. Instead of a smaller tank with two wheels, we would need a much larger tank with four wheels. We also needed the option of being able to hook the new tank to the back of the truck to haul it to a dump station.

After reading up on a number of these tanks we made our decision. We called the brick and mortar stores where we tend to make this type of purchase. And what we found was that either the item was out of stock, or the price was far higher than what we were able to find online. Carole and I like to stay loyal to local merchants, but sometimes the difference in price is just too extreme. Today, every dollar counts, especially when your working life is winding down toward retirement.

After worrying over it for a bit, we opted to buy online. We finally made our purchase and saved sixty dollars by buying online (and that is counting the modest shipping charge of $9.99).

Typical Smith campsite.

The old, 12-gallon holding tank.

And the new 35-gallon tank.