Advice/suggestions needed

[Colliemom]

Well, now since I have posted myself in the Introduction section, forgot to mention I am a 60 year old, looking forward to retirement in a couple of years. Right now I am sitting on the fence debating about gettng an RV. I've never pulled a camping trailer before or driven a motorhome. Have driven pickup trucks for years and full sized vans. I'm 'chicken" when it comes to pulling a trailer etc. How do you hitch up, back up etc. when you are alone? What about sway, etc. Can I handle this. A motorhome would probably be nice but I am one of those people that loves to explore around the places I go and really need my "wheels" free. The truck would only require insuring one motor vehicle, one vehicle to gas up and service etc. My income is that great to afford a big motorhome with all its maintenance. Should I buy used to try out or start new. Have been looking at a 1992 Fleetwood Jamboree Searcher for sale near me. 45,000 miles and suppsed to be in great shape, new batteries, rear tires etc. Owner asking $8000. Also been shopping around at RV dealers looking a new trailers 18-22 ft. range. One issue I am facting is that my current pickup is under lease and I will be turnng it in ths summer. Need to get a new one, and not sure what the expense will be. Should I wait till that's taken care of, get an RV before that etc.. Got a couple of questions on that too, which I will make another post on.
Cedar, I n oticed you have a new Rockwood Mini LIte. That is one model I am favoring.
Everybody get the impression I need some HELP!!!!

[rvgrammy1953]

We started out small...a Hybrid camper...pulled it with an Explorer....then after a couple years, we got a bigger truck and our ultra-lite 5th wheel.....as far as towing or hauling advice...I'm the wrong person to give advice as I've just gotten brave enough to haul the 5er in campgrounds, baby steps for me, so Ernie does the driving......some buy new, (we did.)....some buy used.....Hope this helps some...

[Cedar518]

CM,.... I can recommend my Rockwood highly, the quality of every component is outstanding. If you go to the Show Off Your Rig page and go about 10 posts down you will see my photos of the camper. If you have any questions PM me and i'll get back to you. This is my second Rockwood. I don't think you would be unhappy with one. We tow with a Chevy Trailblazer.

[AlmostThere]

Just my 2 cents here, but I think a tow vehicle will dictate what size trailer you purchase, so I'd get that taken care of first.

. The truck would only require insuring one motor vehicle, one vehicle to gas up and service etc. ?

You would still want insurance on the tow trailer, no?

[retiredhappy]

Another issue to consider of motorhome vs. trailer/5th wheel is safety. I chose my Class C because I boondock at rest areas for just an overnight and if something makes me uncomfortable, I can get in the driver's seat and drive off without going outside. If you're not going to fulltime, maybe a class B that you could drive around sightseeing and them hookup at night. Trailers and 5th wheels are less expensive BUT your tow vehicle could run some big bucks cause you do need the bigger engines, etc. 5th wheels and trailers are easier to maneuver around than A's or C's especially if you tow a car for sightseeing. Personally I prefer my little Chevy Cobalt to sight see in as its cheaper on gas than a big truck. When I bought my 30' Class C I said I would never tow a car. Took one trip and found if I wanted to get around I needed to tow and it turned out to be no big deal. I'm just pretty long when I'm all together.

[Pooker]

Hi Colliemom and welcome!

The choice of rig type is a personal one and many times the type you choose to start isn't the same type you have a few years down the road. We learn as we go with each RV.

I've had just about every type over the years and they each have their pros and cons. Trailers are cheaper to buy and use. The good news is you only have one motor to worry about. The bad news is you only have one motor to worry about. If your tow vehicle has mechanical problems, you are dead in the water and not only have to think about getting your vehicle towed, but your RV as well. However, many of them can be towed quite nicely if properly equiped with a lighter truck or SUV, etc. You don't have all the added expense of registration, more insurance, maintenance, etc. for that additional motor. Once it's parked you can unhook and sightsee away.

Fifth wheels have much the same pros and cons as trailers, but they usually have more usable living space so you might be more comfortable. They are a tad easier to maneuver, but you need a heftier tow vehicle so expenses may be higher. Again, you can park it and sightsee with your truck.

Quite a few gals here have traveled alone in both of these types of RVs. It takes a bit of practice to back into sites and, depending on length, maneuver through tight roads, etc. without help, but most campers are helpful and willing to assist. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

A's, B's, and C's all have their own motor so as previously stated, allow you to drive away without getting out of your rig. However, most of the time you are probably hooked up to electricity and water, so you'd have to exit anyway! All but the lightest of these can tow a compact car either with all 4 wheels down or using a tow dolly. Now you have two motors so if one has a problem, you are able to get to a place to stay while the problem is being fixed. The other plus to this arrangement is while camped someplace for awhile, you are using a vehicle that gets 25+ mpg to do your sightseeing rather than one getting 8-12 mpg.

Some people don't tow a car, but just rent one whenever they need to and others use their small B or C to sightsee.

So, you see, it's a matter of personal preference and you will probably find that no matter what type you start off with, you may decide to switch later on to something different. There are so many choices and each has their own pros and cons.

Happy journeys.

Pooker

[Bethers]

Only you can decide which is right for you - but if you're looking at 18-22 foot trailers - then you could also consider the smaller Class C's - which can go just about anywhere without needing a tow vehicle. And yes, you would still need insurance on the trailer, just different type. There are good and bad on both, and you need to discover which works best for you. Personally, I love my Class C and will probably always stay with these. I have discovered there's lots to love about TT and 5th wheels, but after spending time traveling to places with Jean - I would never want to go through the hassles that can happen with the hitch etc on trailers. I find if I decide to tow, that taking the car on/off is easier and less troublesome than hitching and unhitching a trailer. Agian, that's just me. And, like Karen, I travel the back roads and byways - and often boondock even on federal land all by myself. I like to always be in a position that if something is uncomfortable for me - I can just move into the driver's seat and pull out. Only did it once in almost 5 years of full-timing now - but it sure made me feel good to know I could do that.

If you've never had any of them - you need to really decide your must haves, etc - and go from there. The cost of a truck v a tow car - tow car cheaper. Trailer v mh - trailer cheaper. Actually - you probably could do either for the same amount of money.

BTW, I do this on a shoe-string budget. Very shoe-string. So, it all depends on how you want to do it and how much you eat out, etc. My treats are spending extra for cg's when I go to gtg's. And even then, I'll try to budget. Like there is one in the works for next Sept - sites vary in price. If I go, I'll take the sites $10 cheaper a night - even if it means I walk a bit to get to those with full hook-ups. But it means I can continue doing this - hopefully for many, many years to come.

[OutandAbout]

Welcome Colliemom. I think the first thing you have to decide is HOW you are going to use the rv. Will you be mostly camping or traveling? Check out local RV shows and look at all makes and models available at the show. Then make a list of what you want, need, like, etc. Then go look at the rvs again. It's time consuming but a lot of fun also.

From your other post, I have a Chevy HD crew cab pick up and it will tow around 9000 pounds, so you would be fine with an 18-20 ft. trailer. I have a Lance camper, so I can't say anything about towing. Linda

[Colliemom]

At the present time, my thoughts are that I am not going to be camping a whole lot due to the fact that I work summers and have only two days off a week, usually Mondan and Tuesday, the which of I can add Sunday afternoon too. It's hard to find any place to go for just a couple of nights when you have pets. A lot of places don't take them. Why else would some of us be RVing in the first place other than our love of the outdoors.
I want to sell my home eventualy and downsize, but am not sure just where I want to go when I do that, and am thinking that maybe I should get some type of RV and doing some traveling around the U.S. to places I haven't been before and then settle down later on. But that's at least two years away. In the meantime I wanted to try out the RV thing again. Maybe I should get a popup to use for now till I see which way I am going here. Thought about a pickup camper like OutandAbout said she has, but with two dogs, I think it might be a bit crowded plus getting them in and out from the higher step into the truck. And as I get older, I don't know if I want the step up into the truck bed and then up again into the camper bed. I'm not into tent camping anymore but I could get along very well with just a camper that isn't even equipped with much. I use a Lean Mean Grilling Machine for most of my cooking, microwave can heat up other stuff and there's cooking on the fire. All I want is the basics. My parents Deceased) had a full size van which had a bed/table unit in it (portable) and camped all the way out west with it. Just took along a cooler and what they needed for personal stuff. Thats something I would like to do, but this is Northern Michigan and we do get SNOW in winter. Big vans are not the greatest things on slippery roads. Some do have all wheel drive, but are almost impossible to find. I also don't know if one would clear my garage
door. So I throw around ideas.

[Birdie]

Colliemom,
I recently sold my Casita and Toyota 4Runner that I used to tow it and bought a 30 ft Jamboree, Class C, MH. I went to the Escapees RVers Boot Camp and those folks said, "buy your third vehicle first" - too late . I figure that means time will be I'll make another change. One of the reasons I bought the Casita was it had (and still has) great re-sale value and sells quickly. Mine was on the market 9 days and I had a cash buyer. Toyota's normally hold their value too, but my 18 month old vehicle had about 60,000 miles. I did trade it for a Ford Edge that can be towed with all 4-wheels down and minimum reconfiguration. Should have good resale.

When I bought the casita, I was going to travel around. When I retired 10 months later I found that traveling was a good thing to do. I decided to do full-time a few months after I retired. The TT was too small and I'll admit the 30 ft Bunkie is probably too large, but it fits today! So let your fingers do the walking, research, think, ask, and then do it all over again. Never take your check book or credit cards when you go 'mobile/TT' shopping. If you buy used, have a good mechanic go over it for you before you sign for it - the dealers will do that if they think they have a buyer. If you have a friend that negotiates really well, tell the dealer you have to talk to your 'friend' and have that person come and do some more negotiating - wish I had done that.

The older unit you are looking at could mean repairs down the road. But then my newer unit, could mean repairs, too. I would never buy a car that old, so I would not consider a MH that vintage. That's me, I am a real wimp when it comes to the 'vehicle' not working. Plus some camp grounds won't allow a unit in if it is x years old. Go figure that one - they will let you in with 4 dogs but not if your unit is 10 years old.

Okay, just more information for you to run around in your head and think about. When you finish, do what you think you can live with. By the way, after towing, backing up, and doing all that stuff, this MH with the car is so much easier, it ain't even funny!

[Bethers]

Where can't you take your dogs camping? As long as you have 2 or less, you won't have trouble. I think I've only not gone 1 place due to pets/pet restrictions. And I've been fulltime almost 5 years now. Yes, there are some - but they are really the minority.

I bought my favorite rv the 1st time - just lucky there - maybe because I looked for a long time until I walked into this one and knew it was home. I'm hoping to keep it as home a few more years, but you never know. Something else may talk to me one day. I can't stop from looking. And a couple times in the last few years I've considered other types, as well as bigger. I'll probably get slightly bigger, but since this one is only 22 feet, doesn't take much to get slightly bigger. And part of that reason, is some that are 2-4 feet longer than mine now have LESS storage. That simply won't do.

Take your time - you'll figure out what you want. And keep looking at everything.

[avalen]

I have one thing to say about pop ups, they tend to take two people to set up and
take down. Have had two over the years the bigger one really took two people, but
the smaller one was on a pick up and even though it was easy to pop up, you had
to be really careful when putting it down and tucking in all the vinyl all the way
around so when you latched it you didn't pinch any of the vinyl and cause a hole.
Never looked at a hardside pop up, so that could be a whole different ball game.
I still work too, and about 4 years from retirement. I've decided on a class c.
Currantly I have a fifth wheel which I live in full time and by the time I retire it
will be all paid off but I like the idea of being able to jump in the seat and drive
off if I want or need to. I drive a 40' bus for a living and honestly, driving anything
bigger than a full size van is nothing different than driving a bigger full size van
You get accustomed to knowing where your wheels are "behind" you and where your
front corners are in front of you, and you get used to it being taller too. The part
that bothers me the most when I get to travel, (always has) is that feeling of getting
lost in a city and take a wrong turn somewhere and find myself in a really bad
neighborhood. Definately plan on buying myself a gps and hopefully that will solve
that fear. Go to lots of rv shows and feel them out. Something will talk to you
someday.

[Colliemom]

I probably should have clairified myself a bit better when I said it's hard to travel with pets. I was referring to vacation rentals, cabin resorts, etc. that type of thing. I like to find places where my dogs and I can go stay and enjoy doing things. Fortunately I have found one in MIchigan Upper Peninsula that we go to at least twice a year but it's too far from me for just quick couple of night jaunts.
I do agree about the process of putting up and tearing down pupup campers. Been there, done that. That's why I haven't gone back to that either. Just an idea I was toying around. You ladies have given me a lot of things to think about and some good suggestions, ideas. Thanks so much. Keep em coming.

[BarbaraRose]

My brother and his wife have a pop-up tent trailer and she refuses to help him put it up (she is very strong and agile), so he has to do it by himself. No wonder he has a bad back. He just had major back surgery a few months ago. I asked him if they were going to get rid of the trailer and he said, "no, why would we do that?" Oh, I don't know, so maybe you wouldn't wreck your back again?!??!

[OutandAbout]

Colliemom, if you like the idea of the pop up type trailer, check out HILo trailers. They are similar to the popup but are hard sided and open up with a flick of a switch. I am on the lookout for something else. I love my truck camper, but picking up the puppies X amount of times a day is getting to be too much for me. I have to pick up the little ones to go into the truck, and then carry them out. They will get into the camper on their own, but not out of it. My Shepherd/Lab mix needs to be picked up all the time as she can no longer do it on her own. I will have to overcome my "big baby" attitude toward trailers when looking. I like the idea that it can go in the garage when not in use. (The smaller ones anyway.) I am also thinking of getting either a cargo van or passenger van and converting either to the way I want. I would take the rear seats out of the passenger van. I don't really need all the stuff that comes in the camper, so it should be comfortable enough. The height of the van would be a lot easier for the puppies and me to handle as well. The search is on. Linda