Vanity: Novice considering RV options

[DownInFlames]

But a used F250 superduty with a rebuilt engine, turbo, and oil cooler. Install the necessary 5th wheel and add ons. Find a used 5th wheel trailer around 25ft and go see the country. You can do it for about 20k..

Yellowstone limits you to 25ft so stay away from the class A. The benefit of a 5th wheel is stability. The 250 will give you diesel torque and Engine braking capability. All the rest is gravy.

[aumrl]

post 5 sounds good.
economical, easy vision, you have experience
have seen them recently with wc and shower.

new trailers are so light weight they would seem to be suseptable to damage.

[pax_et_bonum]

If you’re going to travel with four dogs be sure to get something with enough floor space to share with the dogs.

In order to move around in one of our rv’s when traveling with only two dogs I had to invent impromptu ballet moves.

It wasn’t pretty.

:-)

[CTyank]

You owe me a keyboard and a beer...lol!

[CTyank]

Just Damn!

That’s Route66 material!

Awesome

[AlaskaErik]

I do a fair amount of towing, so I have some experience. The first thing you should know is that max tow figures are pretty much useless, meaningless and irrelevant in the towing world. They are nothing more than a bragging rights number. Your real max tow number is the Gross Combined Weight Rating minus the weight of your fully loaded vehicle. The real limiting factor is your payload capacity. You'll run out of payload capacity long before you'll ever run out of max tow rating. Payload capacity can be found on the yellow sticker on the B pillar of your vehicle. Every vehicle has that yellow sticker and that weight is specific to that vehicle, so don't rely on generic payload capacity numbers you find on the internet.

The big issue with smaller vehicles, like the 4Runner, is their V-6 engine. When you're pulling at or near 5000 lbs, it's not going to be a comfortable drive. That engine will be straining any time you go up a hill or mountain. Even my Silverado 1500 with the 5.3L V-8 struggled pulling my 5000 lb trailer in the mountains, and it came with a factory tow package. My new Silverado 1500 with the 6.2L engine, 10 speed automatic and max tow package pulls that same trailer easily, even in the mountains. Pulling a trailer that's in the middle of your tow capacity is much more relaxing and easier on the nerves than when you're right up at the limit.

[Yosemitest]

Stay away from 'slide-outs' on an camper or motorhome.
They begin to leak fairly quickly, and they are hard to keep watertight.

It depends on how you are going to use your RV, as to which type will suite your needs the best.
Are you wanting to use it only on groomed camping areas, or are you wanting to go off-roading and camp on serious 4-wheel drive trails ?
Are you wanting to just use it for weekend excursions or maybe one or two week trips; or do you want to live in it for months on end ?

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Rent first.

Take them for at least a two week spin.

Try out at least three before deciding.

[Agatsu77]

We sold our starter trailer and got a 26 foot with 1 pull-out, about 6800 lbs dry. This one is 10 feet longer than our first trailer but we have taken it on short trips (3 hours each way) to try it out and it works well. We like that we can unhitch the truck and still get around. We are starting a 6 week trip around the country to visit relatives.

I have heard great things about fifth-wheels, but they are out of our price range.

[CTyank]

Thanks!

I recall our little Nimrod trailer blowing a tire somewhere in Kansas in the late 60’s. We were towing with 60? Bel air. Still dont know how my Dad kept it straight.

Anyway, thanks for the info. I looked at a couple Rockwoods and Aliners. Both >3000lbs dry. I cant imagine I’d load those over 4k.

[Agatsu77]

“Rent first.

Take them for at least a two week spin.

Try out at least three before deciding. “

Yeh, don’t buy a big RV until you really know what you want. The layout seems to mean almost nothing in my experience unless you try it out. Everyone is different but some layouts work and others don’t, at least for me.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Yeah. I just wanted to sleep off the ground and have a potty.

The Basecamp seemed to fit those needs but I got sick of hitting my head every time I turned around.

Thank goodness we were just borrowing it.

And now we have no time to go RVing anyway.

[1FreeAmerican]

yes - much cheaper.

Or camp in campgrounds that have camp cabins. You get to sleep indoors while having all the outdoor effects and acutriments.

And buy an F150 4 door with 6 1/2’ bed. Get a camper shell so the dogs have a place all their own. Put the important stuff in the back seat area but also install a shelf in the shell for more stuff.

[Jane Long]

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

---

A tent doesn’t drive....doesn’t have an a/c, oven, plumbed toilet, kitchen AND bathroom sink and a shower w/hot water.

Can you tell I love NOT camping :-)

(Camped many a time, in the mountains, as a kid. Loved it. Not anymore.)

[Paladin2]

Yeah, I shoulda leased a F-150 with the longer bed. My total bad.

[Paladin2]

I have a long history of wilderness [mostly canoe transport] camping in tents.

My SO is no longer interested in sleeping on the ground. So, way fewer nights out in da Voods.

[1FreeAmerican]

I mentioned that 6 1/2’ bed becuase I too screwed up badly buying the shorty.

My condolences...;)

[minnesota_bound]

He traveled all over the USA in his RV then upgraded to a bus.

Ernest Borgnine Gives Tour of His Bus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3QQpS2QzA0

[onona]

If you're gonna tow, get your transmission fluid changed.

If you're gonna go class B, good luck with room for the dogs.

Regarding class C's, driveability is the key. Under 30 feet, you'll be fighting that steering wheel constantly. AKA "White Knuckling"...

Buy the extended warranty.

[fireman15]

Our favorite trailer was a single axle 17 footer that weighed about 3000 pounds empty. We pulled it with our 93 Ford Aerostar minivan. I can remember driving in heavy but fast freeway traffic and it felt almost like there was nothing behind us. We got a tandem axle that weighed about a thousand pounds more and it felt like we were towing a lot more and putting much more of a strain on our tow vehicle. The floor plan wasn't as efficient so it really didn't feel any bigger.

I did like than the bathroom had a separate shower, where the shorty had the toilet actually in the shower. It wasn't really that bad, but it is just easier to take a shower without a toilet in the middle of your space.