One of my brothers has a 28 ft. RV with one fold out side and a fold out back, that he tows behind his F150. His wife and he like to get away from there grown kids and go RV camping. They both fish and enjoy campfires. I went with them once and sleeping on a bed made of a couple of mats where I could feel the joints of the mats was torture for my bad back. Never again. If I ever get into vehicle camping of any kind one big requirement for me would be a full length (California extra tall) mattress. If I does not have that I do not want anything to do with it.
Bumping my head in a few locations in it also was no fun, and the narrow walkway down the middle of it, combined with the sections of low height clearance was a constant reminder that this is not a hotel room on wheels.
My suggestion is to find a place that rents something similar to what you are considering and spend a week or more using it before jumping in and being committed to something you or your significant other might find something about it that really makes it no fun.
I like being out in the woods, and exploring places I never saw before. And I also like normal creature comforts. So I I ever get into owning it probably would be something that right now is beyond my budget.
First, thank you all for jumping in with your comments and suggestions. Some have suggested renting a unit, and I'm looking into it. I found a place about 10 minutes from me that rents a unit similar to what I think I may want, certainly one to consider. They'll securely store my car while I'm using the RV.
I want to use the unit for about a week, travel for about three or so days, and camp somewhere close to nature, maybe once in a State Park, maybe a campground, and once completely separated from any amenities. A campground might be nice every so often for showering, doing laundry, and maybe enjoy some sort of common area with food and space to socialize.
As Jim said, I like being out in the woods and exploring new places. I'd like to find something small and nimble with perhaps minimal interior accessories, and at this point, I don't even know how minimal or otherwise I'd like.
Keep in mind you don’t eliminate fuel cost, you probably atleast double it ove a car, you also don’t eliminate all overnight stay charges, it’s like you will have to stay at a campground atleast occasionally- many you tubes about how overnight parking not allowed - you can’t even count on WalMart which used to be sure thing. That’s why “stealth camping” has become a thing.
I'm fairly aware of fuel costs. It's on the list of things to look into more closely. I'm certainly not expecting 35mpg with one of these things. How low of fuel mileage I'm willing to accept is unknown at this point, but I'm sure there's a point below which I may not find acceptable.
Of course I'd expect to pay for occasional camping and lodging expenses. It's not as though I've not traveled cross-country before using a vehicle in which I slept and in which I was able to prepare food. From around 1967 through about 2,000 I crossed the country numerous times, about once every three-four years, sometimes being gone as long as 8 weeks (most trips were about a month).
I'm older now, and this recent car trip took a lot out of me, more than I expected. Even a pickup with a shell would have been helpful. So, the question is, how much do I want to invest in improving my comfort, and to what degree do I want to improve it? Do I want a TV, a full-size small refrigerator, a big bed or a smaller one, solar panels, generators, and etc.
I'm not the kind of person who would even consider a Walmart parking lot. I'm not averse to parking and sleeping in unusual places, although an RV does limit my choices in that regard. I'll figure out what's acceptable, or if I even want to do this.
Trailers
I'm not interested in a trailer.
At one time sweetie and I looked adoringly at a custom-built Teardrop-style unit. that one of my clients had. We both thought it would be cool. But upon reflection, it became evident that I could revert back to my F-350 days and outfit the bed with some camping gear (I outfitted a VW van back when I was married) and a folding futon for a bed, and it would accomplish essentially the same purpose with more flexibilty.
The thing I see with class B is the size of the bed they get in there. You and your partner able to sleep on a full bed for multiple nights?
Also the restroom situation, and many have outdoor shower only, which basically means a shower curtain rolls out and you are showering outside the back of the van with a hand shower.
I think if you spend the night at a RV campsite with real showers, hookups, it might be fun, but if you are sitting in a walmart parking lot not so much.
Sweetie and I have used a full bed for more than a decade. However, she recently passed, and bed size is of minimal concern. I will be doing my travels solo from now until ...
I am concerned about the bathrooms on these units. It might be nice to have one with a shower, but I'll see how things shake out. Some are quite small, others seem more comfortable. An RV campsite would be in the cards regardless, but not on a regular basis.
Many are built very substandard currently with replacement labor.
Also it was very popular during covid to buy boats and RVs some of these are now for sale.
I'd wait till camping season is over and scout out some in the 3-5 year old range(pre covid) with gas engine.
Maybe fly in and drive it home?.. but I'd make arrangements for a full inspection before purchasing.
What is replacement labor?
As I indicated in my original post, I'm in no rush to jump into this, and by the time I'm at a decision point, the camping season will be long gone. The 3 - 5 year old models sounds about right, although I'm not wedded to any particular age or model at this point. Gotta learn more.
The inspection has been lightly on my mind. Are there places that specialize in RV repairs, esp. with the Class B units, or do folks just bring their units to a "regular" shop?
Matt's RV Reviews on YouTube is good. He's a quirky guy but gets to the important stuff without dragging it out too much.
I watched a couple of his reviews yesterday. Yes, he's quirky (I like that word) but the reviews I watched were very helpful. He brought up issues I never would have thought about, and his walk-throughs were very useful. Thanks for the pointer.
Well, this post is getting too long, so I'll end here and get back later with responses to some other posts. Thanks all!