One of the questions everyone has to deal with if they choose to become a full time RVer is this: What rig is right for you? There are many details that go into this question, and obviously the answer is not the same for everyone. In this post I will focus on type and size, not on brand and floorplan.
When we started out in this lifestyle, we knew nothing about RVs of any kind. We were limited on cash and tow capacity. We were a family of 6 and our only potential tow vehicle at the time was a Toyota Sequoia with about a 7,500lb tow capacity. We had no experience and very little idea what to expect. We chose not to get a driveable motorhome because we did not like the idea of having to put our home in the shop every time something needed worked on. Over the last 3 years of living in a travel trailer, our ideas of what we thought was our dream rig, has changed several times.
We purchased a 23ft travel trailer (KZ Connect 231bhs). Our choice was ultimately made because of lack of options on units that had enough beds for our family and was still light enough for our current vehicle to tow. Our plan was to live in it for one year, and if we wanted to continue in the lifestyle at that point, we would upgrade. 3.5 years later and we are still in the same unit. Here is why:
Originally we thought we would upgrade to a 40 ft fifth wheel toy hauler. After our experience hopping around campgrounds for the first year we realized we would be better off under 40ft. So we had our heart set on a 39ft Heartland Toy Hauler. We wanted a toy hauler super badly for the following reasons: the garage space to carry bicycles & motorcycles that easily translates to a kid bunk room with two queen size beds and a loft bed. Also the capacity to carry extra gas for motor toys, they usually are higher clearance and toy haulers almost always have a residential size refrigerator and washer/dryer hookups. There are many wonderful bunkhouse floodplans but for us, the versatility of a toy hauler would work best.
However, the more we researched boondocking, the more we wanted to get out of campgrounds and into the wilderness. We realized it is much easier to drag a smaller unit to hard to get to places. It is also much easier to pack up and move around the smaller your space is and the less slideouts you have. It is also easier to power a smaller space off of solar power, less to heat, less to cool, less lights, etc.
A year came and went and we started doing more boondocking at that point, we slowly came to realize that even with one more in our family (7 now) the extra living space wasn’t worth the hassle and the limits it would put on where we could park it. (This is most certainly not true for everybody-but it has been for us.) We move frequently and go on some pretty sketchy roads to reach our destinations, a smaller unit has been beneficial for us. Over time, we also realized instead of collecting more things, we just kept getting rid of things, which kind of makes up for the fact that all your kids are getting bigger, so them and their clothes/shoes take up more space every year. The longer we lived in our unit, the more creative we got with storage and organization and the more it felt like home.
So right when we were about to pull the trigger on a fifth wheel and truck to pull it, we changed our minds and purchased out first solar unit instead.
So for a long time our dream rig was a fifth wheel toy hauler. However, knowing what we know now, our dream rig is now a Super C. We have discovered when you move around as much as we do, the value of being able to do life on the road (go potty, fill water, make food, etc.) outweighs the concern of the thing breaking down and having to get worked on. We want a class C because the clearance is higher than A and we like the look of them better. We want a diesel (“super”) because of the larger tow capacity. We figure if we have something strong enough to tow a truck, then we can tow ourselves if we end up in a bind. We would choose a smallish rig (30 ft or under) again, because it is less to power, less to maintain and will fit more places than a larger unit. We are also so used to a small space, why go bigger now?
We haven’t taken the leap yet because we are big believers in staying out of debt whenever possible, and we are currently only living in it part time.
That is what would work best for our family & lifestyle. but that is just us. Here are some things to consider when you are looking at what works for your family.
Driveable: (Class A, B, C)
Pros: Ability to do life on the road while driving, ease of parking and setting up.
Cons: Have to tow a vehicle or drive this thing everywhere you go. No good place to keep bikes for large families or motor toys such as dirt bikes, 4 wheelers, etc. High fuel cost will raise cost of living if you travel frequently. High cost to purchase (although not when you include the price of the tow vehicle for a non-driveable).
Class A Pros: Large windshield for awesome panoramic view, more diesel models available than class Bs
Class A Cons: Low clearance, low gas mileage
Class B Pros: Best Fuel economy for driveables, small and compact-you can bring these things anywhere! Easiest type to make off-grid ready. Can get beautiful custom built vans that are a very well built alternative to As & Bs. See Someday Vans.
Class B Cons: Super tiny space. minimal storage & living quarters. Best for a couple. I am a minimalist with a big family used to small spaces-but I can’t image how you would fit more one small child in one of these. In my opinion it’s a viable option for a couple with a child up to about 3 or 4 years old.
Class C Pros: Higher Clearance, large sleeping area above the driver’s area.
Class C Cons: More difficult to find used diesel models. Small windshield compared to Class A.
Non Drivable: (Travel trailers/Fifth Wheels)
Pros: Lower cost of fuel, more floorplan options, higher clearance available, lower cost to purchase
Cons: Can’t do life while driving, more difficult to park and set up,
Travel Trailer Pros: Can free up your tuck bed for things like bikes, motorcycles and extra fresh water. Can tow with a vehicle other than a truck which can be a major benefit for a larger family that doesn’t fit in a truck (See cowtown sleepers for an alternative option for large families to travel in a truck)
Travel Trailer Cons: Lower ceiling for tall people, not as safe/stable towing for larger rigs. (I wouldn’t want to to tow anything over 30ft that was not a fifth wheel personally, but I see huge ones one the road all the time)
Fifth Wheel Pros: Higher ceiling, more stable/safe towing.
Fifth Wheel Cons: Takes up most of your truckbed!
We have been to many RV shows in the past 5 years and done a ton of research for our own learning. However, I am sure I am missing many things on this list, these are just some of my observations.
Tips for purchasing:
Buy Used! Don’t buy a new rig. They just lose too much value as soon as they drive off the lot. Many disagree with me and will argue that the warranties are worth it but often the fight for a warranty is so big and with the money you save by buying used you could fix the problems that come up. If you get a loan on a new rig with a minimal amount down, you will be upsidedown on your loan for several years. THIS MEANS YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SELL YOUR RIG AND PAY OFF YOUR LOAN! Bad Idea. If you can pay cash for your new rig, don’t! Save that cash to play on or live on in the future and buy a super well taken care of, barely used rig.
Never buy the first day you look! Always leave and sleep on it. NO EXCEPTIONS- if it sells that same night it was not meant to be. (imo) The sales people are great at their job and looking at rvs is so fun it can make it really hard to walk away without an impulse buy. Have this discussion with your spouse and hold each other to it.