Another Exciting Episode in Audrey's Great RV Adventure

[NW-Bound]

Yes, there are many camper trailers that would allow a couple to spend a weekend, or even a week at a time, close to nature yet in comfort. However, I plan to take longer treks.

My grandiose plan is to spend much time in the Pacific North West, then perhaps go to Alaska. It may be wet and rainy. I would need one with hardwalls. Then, going down the Lawrence River to Prince Edwards Island. If I time it right, starting out in spring, I will be in the New England states in fall to take a lot of pictures this time.

Oh, the call of travel...

 

[NW-Bound]

I think a trailer would be a good alternative for someone not wanting to make the full "plunge" into big-rigging...there's no reason your investment shouldn't still be serviceable for 25 years.

As I found out by researching, sadly it is not so simple. Travel trailers (TT) are made to be light. Hence, the walls get shaken loose after the TT gets pulled over thousands of miles. Small leaks into the siding eventually wet the luan plywood, cause it to rot and the fiberglass outer layer to get delaminated. An RV needs frequent inspection and immediate repairs.

I have seen pictures of an RV siding that was penetrated, with the water repeatedly freezing and thawing while dripping lower, eventually destroying the RV over a winter of neglect. Water damaged RVs cannot be repaired as readily as one might replace a house siding, and would be declared a total loss. There are talks on the Web of old motor homes or RVs falling apart on the freeway and an entire side wall peeling off.

For the same reason that a mobile home does not stand up to the weather as well as a stick-built home, an RV is not as waterproof as a car with a metal body. An RV requires a bit of daily maintenance and inspection. Read "George and Tioga" blog to see how this man maintains his home on wheel. I think that full-timers would do a better maintenance job than part-timers who may park and neglect theirs.

There are travel trailers that are all composite or fiberglass. I think Casita is one of them. Even so, it and the aluminum Airstream can still leak around the windows. From an RV blog, I learned of a new TT maker called Oliver. The shelves, cabinets, and seats are parts of the interior fiberglass mold! The TT promises to be of a durable design. The only drawback is cost!

http://www.olivertraveltrailers.com/photo_gallery_interior.html

 

[Martha]

Shush. Be quiet. Don't give Petit Jean away. It's too nice not to be kept a little secret.

I love this park too!

 

[Bestwifeever]

Martha, that photo is gorgeous.

 

[Martha]

Martha, that photo is gorgeous.

I love the parks the CCC created. Petit Jean has great examples of their work. And the setting can't be beat.

 

[audreyh1]

Poooofft. go big or go home:

The Long, Long Trailer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(me for the little guy too - who needs the stress?)

Yes - you don't want a long, long trailer - that's a towing/backing nightmare. You don't want a heavy trailer either. I caution folks against the aluminum trailers because they usually are very heavy and seems like people often tow them with way underpowered vehicles - not good when you are in an emergency braking situation. Better to go with fiberglass.

Keep the trailer small/short, keep it light, and you can enjoy a great deal of RVing with minimal hassle, and then decide if you want to upgrade.

BTW - that movie is the funniest RV movie we've ever seen!

Audrey

 

[REWahoo]

I caution folks against the aluminum trailers because they usually are very heavy and seems like people often tow them with way underpowered vehicles - not good when you are in an emergency braking situation. Better to go with fiberglass.

Uh oh, better be careful Audrey. Those folks who love their aluminum Twinkies will be offended.

 

[audreyh1]

Uh oh, better be careful Audrey. Those folks who love their aluminum Twinkies will be offended.

I know, and so many of them are lovely especially if someone has done a lot of work spiffing them up. But just for anyone else who considers one of these - just be aware most of them are quite heavy, and that has huge implications on towing - mainly that you probably have to buy a heavier duty tow vehicle to pull one safely.

Audrey

 

[ls99]

Uh oh, better be careful Audrey. Those folks who love their aluminum Twinkies will be offended.

I have an aluminium twinkie, but not offended.

 

[NW-Bound]

I am still surfing the Web, looking for that right used RV with a low mileage, low wear and tear, and also a low price.

I saw that a local dealer just sold an "2004 Western RV Alpine 40MD 3 Slide Diesel Pusher" with less than 19K miles. Looks like Audrey's. I don't want anything that big, nor want to spend that much, but I can see how full-timers want something like that.

One thing to ponder: this one does not come with a washer/dryer, while less expensive models sometimes do. I also have read that RV washer/dryers do not work that well. Just curious. Comments?

By the way, in his book, Steinbeck described a low-tech method of washing clothes while on the road that he claimed was very effective. Comments?

 

[REWahoo]

I am still surfing the Web, looking for that right used RV with a low mileage, low wear and tear, and also a low price.

You are probably already aware of of the fact that "low mileage, low wear and tear" can also be an indication of a vehicle that the owner didn't enjoy using due to problems with handling, etc. Also, lack of use isn't necessarily a good thing for all the systems and appliances in an RV. When I shopped for our unit I looked for an RV in excellent condition with appropriate mileage and use based on age (6 years old, ~50,000 miles).

I'll leave the washer/dryer responses to those more knowledgeable. We don't have one and think the lost storage space wouldn't be a good trade-off.

 

[NW-Bound]

You are probably already aware of of the fact that "low mileage, low wear and tear" can also be an indication of a vehicle that the owner didn't enjoy using due to problems with handling, etc. Also, lack of use isn't necessarily a good thing for all the systems and appliances in an RV.

Wouldn't handling be more uniform across class C's built on the same chassis?

About RV's that are "gently used", there are many of them here in AZ due to the concentration of snowbirds. There are many to chose from. Same situation in Yuma.

 

[REWahoo]

Wouldn't handling be more uniform across class C's built on the same chassis?

Not necessarily. There can be considerable variation in length, total weight and how the weight is distributed in the "house" built on top of the same chassis. As previously discussed, the RV Consumer Group may be the best source of unbiased information available.

About RV's that are "gently used", there are many of them here in AZ due to the concentration of snowbirds. There are many to chose from. Same situation in Yuma.

That's true. I was simply pointing out there may be a number of reasons someone is selling a "gently used" unit and you need to do your homework, which you obviously are doing.

 

[audreyh1]

One thing to ponder: this one does not come with a washer/dryer, while less expensive models sometimes do. I also have read that RV washer/dryers do not work that well. Just curious. Comments?

We chose to do without a washer/dryer and I would not recommend them for anything but a larger Class A. No, they don't work that well and you have to do small loads. Also, you better have a sewer hookup when you use them.

Most RV parks have excellent laundry facilities with full-sized machines. And you can use several machines at once, which makes the whole process much faster than at home or in the RV. We do laundry about every 2 to 3 weeks, and it usually only takes 1.5 hours for everything. Not bad.

We chose the storage space over the W/D, and we are glad we did.

But we talk to other RV owners who won't do without a W/D. I notice most of these folks also refuse to have a rig shorter than 40 foot and usually stay at full hook-up facilities, so keep in mind what seems to go together!

Audrey

 

[youbet]

You got some'n agin drunken hillbillies?

I think he meant "drunken hill country inhabitants!" Texas Hill Country, that is.

 

[youbet]

I think a trailer would be a good alternative for someone not wanting to make the full "plunge" into big-rigging.

Me too.

We're likely to go the route of taking our current F150 rigged for hauling kayaks and canoes and add a hard-sided popup such as this A-Liner. Light, little wind drag, both heat and air so you can get comfy after a day on the water, hard sided for a tad bit of security and relatively inexpensive. Oh yeah, sets up in about 3 minutes unlike the canvas campers which usually take at least 15 minutes.

We're not RV'ers, just folks who like to camp and be outdoors but feel like we've spent our last night in a tent......... (unless you're talking about camping out of a canoe. Primitive camping is worth the discomfort. But tenting in a developed campground.....blaaaah.).

That's semi-RE'd DW leaning on the truck. Her red Hobie sot kayak is gone and she now paddles the Perception Tribute 12 sit-in shown in my avatar.

 

[samclem]

By the way, in his book, Steinbeck described a low-tech method of washing clothes while on the road that he claimed was very effective. Comments?

I don't know what Steinbeck wrote, but for years troops with trucks or tanks have sometimes put their clothes in a 5 gal paint bucket (with lid) with soap and water. Attach to bumper. If it isn't packed too tight, a day's worth of rough road driving does a good job of scrubbing the clothes clean. It's best to give them a rinse or two beforehand to get the most of the dust and mud off.

 

[audreyh1]

I don't know what Steinbeck wrote, but for years troops with trucks or tanks have sometimes put their clothes in a 5 gal paint bucket (with lid) with soap and water. Attach to bumper. If it isn't packed too tight, a day's worth of rough road driving does a good job of scrubbing the clothes clean. It's best to give them a rinse or two beforehand to get the most of the dust and mud off.

I read about this when we first got the Casita. Never bothered to try it though. Laundries are readily available, and it's really hard to do laundry without a spin cycle and a dryer.

Audrey

 

[NW-Bound]

That was the way Steinbeck washed his clothes. At the end of the day, he looked for a stream to rinse it off. Nowadays, that polluting act is frowned upon.

Anyway, I was only kidding to see if any has tried to "rough it" that way.

 

[brewer12345]

youb, the little Aliner campers always looked like just the thing for a more spartan experience that was still quite comfy. Let us know how you like it if you get one.

 

[audreyh1]

A comfortable bed, A/C and heating, electricity, and room for a microwave oven goes a loooooong way to aid in an easy, enjoyable camping experience under most weather conditions.

And after that indoor plumbing (including shower) is a huge major step up in camping "quality-of-life" although it does mean you have to learn and practice the dreaded art of dumping tanks.

I still notice even owners of big rigs running to the showers at some campgrounds. I always wonder about that. Our shower is full-sized and perfectly comfortable to use - actually nicer than the tub/shower we had in our house. Maybe those folks were trying to converse waste water? - can't remember if I notice this more in parks where there are no sewer hookups.

But running to the showers is a perfectly reasonable trade-off if it means you can camp in a much smaller rig.

Audrey

 

[hankster]

A comfortable bed, A/C and heating, electricity, and room for a microwave oven goes a loooooong way to aid in an easy, enjoyable camping experience under most weather conditions.

And after that indoor plumbing (including shower) is a huge major step up in camping "quality-of-life" although it does mean you have to learn and practice the dreaded art of dumping tanks.

I still notice even owners of big rigs running to the showers at some campgrounds. I always wonder about that. Our shower is full-sized and perfectly comfortable to use - actually nicer than the tub/shower we had in our house. Maybe those folks were trying to converse waste water? - can't remember if I notice this more in parks where there are no sewer hookups.

But running to the showers is a perfectly reasonable trade-off if it means you can camp in a much smaller rig.

Audrey

We did quite a bit of boondocking with our small travel trailer (with its small water and holding tanks) We became quite proficient at showering with about 2 gallons of water. Nozzle on to get wet- nozzle off, lather up-nozzle on to rinse. Clean and refreshing with minimal tank-dumping. Also avoided the hassle of toting shampoo, soap, towel etc. to the camp shower house. However, it does make one appreciate a nice long shower after returning home.

 

[RonBoyd]

A comfortable bed, A/C and heating, electricity, and room for a microwave oven goes a loooooong way to aid in an easy, enjoyable camping experience under most weather conditions.

I agree 100%. Our Roadtrek is every bit as comfortable as staying at a hotel... or at home for that matter. And that has held true at every weather imaginable and at temperatures between 15º and 102º

Keep in mind, however, that we are "travelers" and not "campers."

And after that indoor plumbing (including shower) is a huge major step up in camping "quality-of-life" although it does mean you have to learn and practice the dreaded art of dumping tanks.

As I explained in an earlier post, with a macerator, dumping isn't even an issue -- you could do it (theoretically) without gloves or even needing to wash your hand afterwards -- and, because it is a "sealed" process, there is no odor or sight concerns.

But running to the showers is a perfectly reasonable trade-off if it means you can camp in a much smaller rig.

In 40,000 miles we have never used our shower. Not because we don't have one (in fact, it is relatively large -- I can stetch my arms out in it) but because we keep the RV "winterized" all year round. (The toilet gets plenty of use though.)

We have found that for competitive reasons, RV parks are very sensitive to the condition of their bathroom/shower facilities and are quite modern and pleasant (in most cases).

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

I still notice even owners of big rigs running to the showers at some campgrounds. I always wonder about that.

Small gray tanks and no campsite sewer would explain some of that - probably better than lugging a blue tote.

But I'mm with you - we use our shower and go easy on the water if necessary.

 

[REWahoo]

But I'mm with you - we use our shower and go easy on the water if necessary.

Yep. We've learned the two of us can go five days (10 showers) before needing to dump our gray water tank. That includes a lot of hand washing and a limited amount of dish washing.