Educate me about RVs

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Oct 23, 2005
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So the wife and I are considering purchasing an RV after the kids are out of school in a couple years, and maybe live on the road awhile. Just started our preliminary investigation & education. Sell the house, buy an RV - what could go wrong?

We're aware of the "you should rent before you buy" and that both vehicle and home maintenance will be required.

Where we need a bit of knowledge is the different categories - Class A vs Class B vs Class C vs Camper Van etc etc etc.

Any and all knowledge and experience are welcome ~~

(and since it's bitog, oil will be dependent on engine choice LOL)
 
I would try a week trip in one before you buy. Class A is expensive, has great room storage, but probably harder to work on your self. Class C has more engine access i would think, and storage like a class A.

You will need probably full time, to tow a small car ( toad) so you can make short runs for everything.

Fifth wheel has a lot of room, and you have a separate vehicle. A bit more work to get on site , can you back a trailer now?

Full time, you will have to figure out what to do about a breakdown, as you will be stuck where ever you break down, unless you have the toad.

Depending on where you want to go, you will need a four seasons insulated unit for full time. Multiple people, in a heated camper in winter = condensation on the walls and all kinds of places,( i've seen water run down the walls, and puddles on the floor at the wall base) must be insulated extra for cold weather and full time living.

There is a sister site to bitog, for camping, come on over!

 
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Think about where you want to go with your prospective RV, and what amenities you (and by you, I mean the wife) like/want/need. Do you want to roll into an RV park with a monster Class A, extend the 47 pop-outs and sit by the fireplace inside? Or do you want to go off-grid and have your choice of campsites, which may be limited by a longer rig?

We have a 19' travel trailer, and find it suits us well in terms of a balance of space, amenities, and accessibility to smaller campsites.

A couple of things I want to do differently next time are to have larger fresh/grey/black water tanks, and more payload. A single axle travel trailer can't be loaded up with very much weight before you cross over the GVWR. I know you're looking more in the direction of an RV, but the principle still applies. Water and all of the things you want to take with you start to add up in terms of weight.

Another consideration for off-grid camping is power. How much do you realistically want to have available? Do you want to run the AC in the summer, or be able to run the furnace in the winter? If so, a generator is more or less a necessity.
 
...Depending on where you want to go, you will need a four seasons insulated unit for full time. Multiple people, in a heated camper in winter = condensation on the walls and all kinds of places,( i've seen water run down the walls, and puddles on the floor at the wall base) must be insulated extra for cold weather and full time living...

Very important point. In addition to being better insulated, this type of unit will typically route the warm air from the furnace through passages which contain the plumbing in order to keep it from freezing. This differs from a trailer like the one I have, which runs exposed plumbing underneath the exterior.
 
I don't know how people do Class A RVs, my dad has a 30' and I've driven it a little bit. Visibility is horrible and it is HUGE to drive, it's basically a bus and you're taking up the entire road. I haven't driven a Class C but I've driven a lot of Uhauls including long distance which are basically the same, and they drive so much nicer.
 
The most important think to know about owning any RV is this: when you buy an RV you get 2 hobbies, using the RV and working on the RV. This applies to anything you buy, new or used. If you don't want to tinker with it then you'll be paying someone to do it. Every one will have problems and it doesn't matter how expensive it is. You're driving a poorly made big box down the road with the wind and driving stresses trying to shake itself apart all the time.

I love trailers and travelling and camping (hard to tell right?) and the maintenance part has always been part of the experience. Renting one for a week or 2 will tell you if you like the RVing part. The other comes with it after you buy one. We prefer trailers because you don't have the additional vehicle to maintain and sit around the rest of the year and you don't have to tow another car so you can get around after you set up.

A ton of Youtube videos of people full timing to get an idea what it's like on the road.
 
Also, keep in mind they depreciate like a car. Definitely try before you buy.
They depreciate like a smart phone!

If you really really want to live on the road you should figure out a cheap domicile for tax purposes.

I would use a moped/scooter as the support vehicle.
 
My wife and I have had a Class A and multiple VW Westfalias. We currently have a Class B+ and another Class B Roadtrek and a 5th wheel. I can say that the 5th wheel is most comfortable for living for mostly 2 weeks or more. They have more storage than a class B or B+ and you have easy backing and truck to travel locally. The B+ is great for a shorter time like a week. We tow our1965 Beetle behind it for local access. Our Roadtrek is just 19.5 feet long and is perfect for long road traveling. Plus it gets an average of 16 mpg. These are the reasons we recommend renting first. For us to live on the road permanently it would require a 28ft 5th wheel and a diesel 4 dr pickup. Fifth wheels are easier to back than a travel trailer.
 
If you buy anything with a motor-if it breaks down and needs to be fixed-suddenly you don't have a place to stay. With 5th wheels and travel trailers your living quarters are separate from the motor that pulls it. If your truck breaks down-the 5th wheel/travel trailer goes to an RV park-you rent a vehicle until the truck is fixed. You don't need a toad and the modifications needed to flat tow it.
 
Pretty good info so far. I went the Super C route. Definitely will need a tow car IMHO. I have re-engineered many things that have broke. On a trip now and my door strut decided to not keep the door open anymore.

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Might want to invest in some leveling jack pads...not all places are level and might need some extra help.

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RVing isn't cheap...but worth it IMHO.
 
The most important think to know about owning any RV is this: when you buy an RV you get 2 hobbies, using the RV and working on the RV. This applies to anything you buy, new or used. If you don't want to tinker with it then you'll be paying someone to do it. Every one will have problems and it doesn't matter how expensive it is. You're driving a poorly made big box down the road with the wind and driving stresses trying to shake itself apart all the time.

I love trailers and travelling and camping (hard to tell right?) and the maintenance part haView attachment 54678View attachment 54679View attachment 54680s always been part of the experience. Renting one for a week or 2 will tell you if you like the RVing part. The other comes with it after you buy one. We prefer trailers because you don't have the additional vehicle to maintain and sit around the rest of the year and you don't have to tow another car so you can get around after you set up.

A ton of Youtube videos of people full timing to get an idea what it's like on the road.
I work on mine a bit, doing this this week.
IMG_20210414_170917323.jpg
IMG_20210414_175738571.jpg
IMG_20210414_180507372.jpg
 
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I put a video below of free camping sites.

This is advise for the OP or anyone looking into a RV or travel trailer. Look into the rates parks charge. It can be expensive, especially at some parks on a holiday weekend.

DO NOT get suckered into a long term loan on an RV or trailer. There are people with 15 and even 20 year RV loans.

BTW, not everyone knows this, you can shower at a truck stop for a modest price. Good for the people who tow one of those micro campers.



 
My brother has one. And an uncle had several over the years of different sizes / class. I slept in both my brothers and my uncles. My brothers was very difficult to arrange the cousins so the space (crack) between each cousin did not aggravate my bad back, and because I am 6'4" tall there were only a couple of places in it that I could set up the cousins for me. I will not go camping in that rig again. It is too tough to get a comfortable set up to sleep on. My uncles were larger with one piece cousins in each and in general each of them were ok to sleep in.

Check on the weight and your drivers license requirements.

From talking to other campers it seams that the owners of diesels usually have some kind of upgrade done to the engine to improve how strong it pulls on mountains.

The biggest one my uncle owned was a vehicle that was one piece with the drivers seat built into the front. That one cost them a lot on the power train over the years. The engine was a diesel and required major work one year. And the trany went one year because moisture in the trany fluid from sitting caused rust inside the trany that caused it to fail.

There is a definition of boat = a whole in the water that you throw money into. ( And I add to that definition the larger the boat the larger the hole and the more money you throw into it ). RVs are similar.

My brother is talking of selling his RV and buying a larger one. He has done a lot of repairs on it over the years. I remember one time he told me that one of our nieces brought her daughter with her and stayed for a few days and used too much water in the sink and it overfilled the drain tank and came up out of the toilet. And one winter he did not drain it well enough and had some water lines break. That was hard to fix because some of them are hard to get to. My uncle had problems with ants in one of his. And it seams that you always have to be inspecting them to keep ahead of problems like roof leaks.
 
I don't know how people do Class A RVs, my dad has a 30' and I've driven it a little bit. Visibility is horrible and it is HUGE to drive, it's basically a bus and you're taking up the entire road. I haven't driven a Class C but I've driven a lot of Uhauls including long distance which are basically the same, and they drive so much nicer.
Seems like the class a manufacturer's go out of their way to make the rear view mirrors useless.

Also parts for a class a are very expensive and may take a long time to get. Have an owl crash into that windshield that costs $4k and is on national back order, you will be wishing that you had a class c van chassis.
 
If you buy anything with a motor-if it breaks down and needs to be fixed-suddenly you don't have a place to stay.
Most RVs are self-contained and can be lived in for days without hookups, but even then, if you have to stay at a repair shop, I'm guessing they would at least let you plug in electricity.
 
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