Vanity: Novice considering RV options

[CTyank]

Newbie to RV's weighing the pros and cons of tow behind(5000lb or less), or Class B/B+/C vehicle.

I camped all across Canada and the US towing a Nimrod pop up as a kid.

Have a 4 runner and don't want to upgrade to a dually just to pull a mansion around.

Me, the wife, 2 big dogs, 2 small. Look forward to your suggestions and experiences.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

My advice: Stick with a good-old fashioned travel trailer.

They give you just as much room and comfort as a 5th wheel without the headaches. There are a lot of travel trailers (Jayco makes some good ones) worth looking into. Travel trailers are the sweet spot.

If you don't want a tow-behind then get a Class C. Don't get a Class B, it's just not worth it and you might as well get a conversion van for less money and better fuel efficiency.

[mad_as_he$$]

There are a couple of threads that are pretty long on FR regarding this subject. Not all that old.

The used RV market is very tight right now, at least in the West.

[Kirkwood]

You can stay in lots of motels for what you’ll pay for an RV. If you like camping, then just get a tent.

[bigbob]

1. Thats a lot of dog.
2. Be prepared to have to back the thing into poorly designed, unlevel, unlit campsites at night and go thru the ritual of set up, levelling etc.

I prefer a class C motorhome :-)

[yarddog]

I had a 32 foot Jayco for maybe ten years. I also had an F-250 with a 460 and a Borg Warner T-19 manual.

It handled that trailer really well but contrary to what some people would say, you definitely knew it was back there.

[yarddog]

I would add that the long ones are actually easier to back up than the short ones.

[Anti-Hillary]

AWD

[alternatives?]

The advantage of a trailer is you can unhook and drive around. That is huge if you are staying in one place for any time. They have Pop ups that fold up with solid walls that look nice and are more secure and cooler/warmer. You would have better visibility out the back of the 4Runnrer than with a full trailer. Having an SUV allows you more storage space inside the vehicle than a pickup.

You can buy a class C cheaper than a class B. Gas mileage is poor for both.

[Viking2002]

Be careful with the roof/ceiling, make sure there aren't any soft spots or telltale water stains. If it's a 5th wheel with a roof A/C unit, hook up the power or start the generator and make sure that sucker blows cold. Make sure the septic is in good working order. Likewise the propane lines. We inherited a small 14' several years back and all of the above was A-OK including the brakes, but everything else inside was gutted or shot to hell. It sat for three years until we realized how much money we were putting into it just for an occasional weekend run up to the mountains, so we pawned it off on my wife's sister. Works for her, she parked it next to her single-wide and uses it for an office/craft shop/canning kitchen. RV's and boats are very similar in that regard. I 'inherited' a 16' walk-thru with a 50 HP outboard that had a nice, solid hull and was in cosmetically good condition, but all the internals were 4-F from bow to stern. I gave it away for a tax writeoff after I'd already sunk several hundred dollars into it and realized how much more work it would need. Caveat Emptor when it comes to someone else's used playtoys - take someone more experienced with you if you're unsure. The only saving grace of my lessons learned were that I was given mine free, so no harm, no foul. Life lesson, but if you're savvy, you can find a jewel in the rough out there. Sometimes, an owner is just getting a seldom-used toy out of their yard. Or, they're moving and either need the money or don't have the space/location for it. Oh, and haggle the price. I almost lucked into a nice bass boat last year and got the owner down to a sweet price, but negotiations fell through when he didn't have the title and wouldn't sign a bill of sale, leading me to believe it got towed off of someone else's land and was on a police hot sheet somewhere. Real shame, that puppy was loaded with electronics and storage and had a running inboard V6, too.

[Anti-Hillary]

Also I think I may have misstated. Anyway our trailer empty weighs 3100 lb with a total weight capacity of 5,000. I can’t remember if GVWR is loaded or unloaded. but anyway our flex is rated to pull 5500 lb. Not to mention I love the flex just for around town. When not pulling the trailer I get about 27 mi to the gallon. It has six seats as we have two captains chairs in the second row. Also have full DVD players in the headrests of the front row seats or the passengers. I love my flex it’s an amazing vehicle

[Anti-Hillary]

And also some post earlier that said bumper hitch is the way to go. Totally agree. Our flex has the tow package so be sure and get that or you will put way too much strain on your engine. Best of luck and happy trails

[Fightin Whitey]

Stay in motels that take dogs.

Your genius shineth through once more.

[Macoozie]

Grow a pair and do it in Van!

Wear purple robes, smoke ganja, and bring a few goats with ya.

Offer folks to have the goats eat the overgrowth
Natural, like nature dude!

On a serious note. Last thing in the world I would want to do is rv-ing.

[bort]

You may want to consider The Luna. Great for 2 people. Costs 10K. Has a great tailgate kitchen. Small and easy to tow.

[sheehan]

ain’t that the truth ... mem day weekend, we did a simple count over a 20 mi stretch and counted over 150 RVs on the way to the WA state coast

I own an used Airstream caravel... its a pain in the ass to get set-up but we like it.

[Gnome1949]

RV space rentals have really skyrocketed in recent years. You can easily spend a small fortune staying in an RV park in some locations. Some RV parks demand your RV be quite new or you cannot stay there.

From several years of long-distance RV-ing, I can tell you you have to be a handyman. Dragging a trailer many miles is hard on everything. It shakes a lot of things loose. Lots of things will break and need to be fixed constantly. Carry a lot of tools. You will need them. We were in a hailstorm in Wyoming that damaged several RV’s where we were staying.

Trailer tires rot before they are ever worn out from travel. A tire blow-out can tear out fenders, wiring and plumbing, costing you thousands.

If you extend an awning and drive off to go sightseeing, the awning can be completely torn off by unexpected winds or a storm in your absence.

There are two kinds of RV’s, those that leak and those that WILL leak. I have seen brand new RV’s leak like crazy in a good rain. Be ready for leak repair at any time. The new FlexSeal Paste, available in pails, is a wonder to stop leaks.

Many RV’s cannot be traversed inside without cranking out some or all of the slide-outs. This restricts your RV access in a brief stop at a rest area. Our Jayco can be entered and traversed front-to-back even with the large slide retracted.

Always take care when hooking up the sewer line. There must be enough slope for the sewage to run downhill to the sewer outlet. The trestles used to elevate sewer lines blow over in a good wind. I personally use sloped, 2x4’s, elevated on small concrete blocks to which the flexible sewer line is tied with heavy-duty plastic tie wraps.

Fresh water supply hoses must be wrapped with heat tape in cold weather or your fresh water supply hose will freeze. Trust me on this.

You must winterize an RV’s water and sewer systems for freezing weather. If not, the pvc supply and sewer pipes will freeze and break. It’s a nightmare to replace broken water lines enclosed in your RV.

I started by pulling a 32-foot Jayco bumper-pull trailer with a 1/2 ton pickup. NOT GOOD. I bought a 3/4 ton Dodge Ram pickup with a 6.7 Cummins turbo diesel. It will pull a big trailer up the Rockies while accelerating.

[Responsibility2nd]

A 4Runner with a 5,000 lb towing capacity doesn’t leave you much more than a pop-up or travel trailer no more than 20 feet or so.

I have a V6 Xterra with a 5K towing capacity. It pretty much handles my 19 foot Jayco. But barely.

DO NOT exceed a 4,000 lb trailer. After you load it with camping supplies - it will exceed 5,000 pounds. And while you could tow it with your 4Runner - you shouldn’t.

[7thOF7th]

Leisure Travel Vans type B+ Wonder with rear lounge is the model I recommend.

[oldenuff35]

“And while you could tow it with your 4Runner - you shouldn’t.”

Boy this thread is loaded with flat landers and city slickers.

I’m ranch raised in the high sierras and mountain highways and I laughed while reading a lot of this. I grew up with a F-350 under my butt and 13K of goose neck and livestock tied to the bed hitch.

Not enough HP and you will crawl up the mountains roads. Not enough weight in your tow vehicle and that way to heavy trailer will run your ass over and wear out your brakes on the way down the other side.

This is a set up that is guaranteed to piss off all the locals and everyone else around you on the road as well.

Not enough weight in your tow vehicle is a very big hazard to your own safety and every other vehicle on the road.

[KC_for_Freedom]

I want to second this post. We bought a 32 foot airstream and towed it with a Ford F250. It was rated at 9000 but loaded for full timing (4 years) we were always over weight. The trailer had brakes and we got the Ford truck with electronic brake control and never had braking problems. We also never had towing problems, the trailer was so well balanced that we almost did not know it was there —except when pulling out. Then the truck earned its keep. (we had the largest tow rated engine we could get.)

Now after selling the trailer, I would say that a 26 footer would have been better and I would get one without slide outs. They are nice but add a lot to the tow weight and can jam up and fail in the worst places.

We definitely recommend this life style, we had two border collies (large size) and they loved being on the road. Only problem is that our bodies age and we eventually decided car and hotel would be better for us.

So plan for it all. And definitely get a smallish pull trailer and tow with a truck. Recognize that a time will come when it is more work than you want to take on, and that is the time to let it go.

Take care.

KC