RV, Motorhome recommendations sought

Today | Me

[N. Theknow]

Wife and I are now officially retired. Looking at RV's to allow us roaming on our schedule. We have made an "Our Turn" list of things/places we want to do/see.

After years of caring for ailing parents, divorced siblings who sent their children to be raised by us along with our kids and all the activities requiring Mom and Dad taxi service, working our butts off making our small business thrive (which it is still doing as a nice tax write-off) it is Our Turn and we are getting ready.

[semantic]

Start here:

https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/vanlife/

Look for images of professionally done Sprinters and/or Transits. Follow the links to YT videos and vendor ads. Begin your research journey.

[Guenevere]

We had an RV for 9 years....( a Class Super C....and then a Tiffin Class A)

For the most part, we don’t regret it.......we enjoyed good usage overall.....
...camping with family, grandchild

Our favorite trip was out West......Yellowstone....Monument Valley.....Utah....New Mexico, etc.......Colorado.......Beautiful

( and yes, my husband was on the side of the road a few times fixing something).......
But our ‘season for RV’ing’ came to an end and we bought a cabin in the mountains

I do see your point......and my husband and I certainly agree with your decision

[outofsalt]

Very interesting info. I’m curious how you found this from 3 months ago?

[SkyPilot]

Our favorite trip was out West......Yellowstone....Monument Valley.....Utah....New Mexico, etc.......Colorado.......Beautiful ( and yes, my husband was on the side of the road a few times fixing something)....... But our ‘season for RV’ing’ came to an end and we bought a cabin in the mountains

That's terrific, and good on you for spending time with your family and seeing this beautiful country. That's what more people should be doing. We're Americans! This our our nation, and God has blessed us so.

[SkyPilot]

Our favorite trip was out West......Yellowstone....Monument Valley.....Utah....New Mexico, etc.......Colorado.......Beautiful ( and yes, my husband was on the side of the road a few times fixing something)....... But our ‘season for RV’ing’ came to an end and we bought a cabin in the mountains

That's terrific, and good on you for spending time with your family and seeing this beautiful country. That's what more people should be doing. We're Americans! This our our nation, and God has blessed us so.

[SkyPilot]

Thank so much semantic. Your posts are a goldmine of information.

The first order of business is to put in a roof vent. Second is a solar panel. Third is some elementary electrical wiring - don't worry, this business has become so large (thank #vanlife) there are tons of plug & play kits available. Lacking that, there is now a very nice stable of qualified techs who do this for a living. Ok, so now you have a basic, yet very functional 12 volt solar system, complete with monitor, converter, battery (pack), etc.

I shared your entire post with my wife, and it was very intriguing. We are pretty handy (that comes with home ownership, remodeling, maintenance), and I have also done some automotive repair to include major engine work.

Let me ask you: on the roof vent, we are talking cutting the metal with an angle grinder, correct? Is the vent simply a vent with an electric motor for ventilation? If I had a camper van, I would want air conditioning, and I assume the factor air would only be sufficient for the front of the unit. Are there kits for an A/C unit for the back that would run on a Onan generator I could install? I have even heard of RVs running in lithium batteries, charged by solar power, and using a Soft Start kit.

https://www.gonewiththewynns.com/product/air-conditioning-off-grid

See the two videos associated with that link. Not sure if something like this is possible on smaller camper van.

Again, I love your idea. I can just see my wife designing the basic paneling (need to get my ShopSmith up and running).

[SkyPilot]

Very interesting info. I’m curious how you found this from 3 months ago?

I have been researching all the RV blogs, RV YouTube videos, and articles from RV professionals. I have also been talking to friends, family, and neighbors that have or have had RVs.

I have been taking a self-imposed posting break from FR for a little while, because to be honest some of the back and forth about politics has been discouraging and exhausting.

But I highly value the opinions of most Freepers, so I simply searched "RV" in the keywords and found this thread.

[SkyPilot]

One other thing I neglected to mention: If I were you, I would avoid Camping World!

I have heard nothing good about this company, but there are plenty of horror stories out there. Just search Google or YouTube, and you will find a plethora of information.

[semantic]

Sounds like the two of you have sufficient knowledge and experience to take on a project of this nature; I would definitely suggest you go for it. By way of comparison, when I ask others similar preliminary questions and they reply in the negative, I likewise advise them to run, not walk, as fast as they can away from the idea of RVing.

Putting in a vent is super easy - just make sure you have the appropriate jig to cut straight & square. Any std RV vent (https://www.etrailer.com/RV-Vents-and-Fans/Fantastic-Vent/FV801208.html) will have a 1" fascia lap (this is the border that gets sealed and covered) anyway to create a nice, seamless look both inside/out. And yes, get one with a built in fan - some have nice auto thermostat features - that run off the 12VDC system.

As for A/C, now we're talking 120VAC - really, a whole different ball of wax than 12VDC. First of all, wiring of course much heavier, but you also run into the issue of dealing with minimum code requirements. If you want to do it right, that necessitates maybe having having a licensed contractor do the work. For example, while 12VDC uses standard automotive fuses, 120VAC requires household panel fuses. The level of complexity just keeps climbing if you factor in battery demands, and then a converter unit to recharge from shore power (20/30/50 amp).

Conclusion: unless you really, Really, REALLY need coach A/C, forget the 120VAC system. However, if A/C is a baseline requirement, then you're going to need to budget having a "real" 120VAC electrical wiring system installed for you.

As for generators, don't even think about a built in Onan that feeds off the main fuel line; that's crazy talk. Rather, just get either the Honda or Yamaha 2000 (peak watt, constant is 1600). These are the super quiet 'portable' 55 lbs models - if it's still too heavy, spend the money on having a HD trailer hitch box installed to keep it outside. BTW, the 2000 watt models cannot run the std RV A/C units that take around 14 amps (14a x 120v = 1680 watts). You can go up to a 3000 watt generator, but they are no longer portable.

Lastly, definitely spring for Li batteries. They are pretty expensive, but it's how you can keep a battery pack indoors without venting. With std lead acid or AGM, they have to be outside or in a exterior panel with venting.

I guess my basic advice would be to take it step by step. ID the absolute must have items and go from there. You might be surprised with what you can get away with. My solid must haves would be: vent (fan equipped), solar array (min 300-400 watts), Li battery pack (200ah min)/controller, roof rack with built in ladder, 5-10 gal water tanks (1 fresh, 1 gray), 12VDC water pump, simple counter/catch basin, marine toilet and 2000w generator.

[SkyPilot]

My solid must haves would be: vent (fan equipped), solar array (min 300-400 watts), Li battery pack (200ah min)/controller, roof rack with built in ladder, 5-10 gal water tanks (1 fresh, 1 gray), 12VDC water pump, simple counter/catch basin, marine toilet and 2000w generator.

Perfect! Thanks so much for all the wonderful advice.

[semantic]

Have fun - easy, incremental steps during the summer will make for an enjoyable, manageable project.

Btw, the absolute go-to solar RV vendor is AM Solar. Tons of people drive there ie make a road trip out of it. They also have a list of subcontractors they've trained and rely upon in different parts of the country.

https://amsolar.com/

IMO, getting the 12VDC solar/battery system in place and under control is the #1 priority.