Any Sage Advice for Soon to be RV-ers?

[Teacher Terry]

Gas was fairly expensive on the West Coast but we also eat most of our meals in the RV. We did save $ on food. Still unless gas gets much cheaper we won't be going on a long trip anymore.

 

[REWahoo]

The big Motorhome, however, is a different story...that is costing a bunch. If we keep it long enough, and use it enough, maybe we'll eventually break even, but I sincerely doubt it. It is a lifestyle choice, but it made traveling so much more enjoyable than the trailer.

At some point, way down the road, we may go to a short bed F-250 and a nice mid-sized fifth wheel,...

That's the route we took.

A couple of years after I retired we bought a six year old 40' diesel pusher from the original owner. The wife enjoyed it far more than I did during the four years we owned it. I never got all that comfortable driving that huge bus and cringed at spending $400 for oil changes and $3,000 for new tires. As you know, those things are outrageously expensive to maintain and we were fortunate we didn't have any major repairs prior to selling it.

We then bought a four year old mid-sized FW and new 3/4 ton diesel truck. The 35' FW and single rear wheel truck combination worked well for us - although the FW was right at the pin weight limit for our truck. We've traveled an average of two months a year over the past six years and really enjoyed the truck/FW set up. For us, it is the right combination of size, maneuverability, convenience and cost to maintain. We just splurged on a brand new FW, downsizing from 35' to 31' and the new FW pin weight is comfortably under the truck weight limit requirements.

Looking forward to a big road trip in September and taking a few shorter jaunts in the meanwhile.

 

[NW-Bound]

Gas was fairly expensive on the West Coast but we also eat most of our meals in the RV. We did save $ on food. Still unless gas gets much cheaper we won't be going on a long trip anymore.

I dunno if gas will get much cheaper than it is right now.

When we take the RV, I like to go for longer trips. It's not only to make the trip worthwhile because of the gas cost, but also because of all the driving.
Longer trips in turn require a bit more research in order to cover some more interesting places.

Right now, I have no RV'ing plan for 2017. I have to survive the 6-week Europe trek coming soon, before I can think of more travel. It is possible I may take the motorhome out for a year end trip. Will see.

 

[spncity]

We went 'round and 'round in our minds about 5th wheel, Class A, or Class C. Finally came back around to the 5th wheeler as we already had a truck.

Studied many floor plans. We wanted something where essential areas are still usable when the slide-outs are not extended - in case we ever park at Walmart!

Best RV accessory purchase so far: a 2-inch eggshell latex mattress topper.

Have fun!

 

[Teacher Terry]

Yesterday we met with 3 other couples that we go RVing with us to plan trips. One downsized from a 27 ft motorhome to a 13 ft trailer with truck. When I asked what their gas mileage was it was only 3 mpg better then ours. so there is no point in downsizing to save $.

 

[38Chevy454]

See the sister site to this one: iRV2 Forum | – RV Forum Community and RV News and you can learn a lot there.

I have a big motorhome, a class 8 truck conversion. Yes it is very big 44 ft length, has a big 15 liter engine and uses a lot of fuel at 7.5-8 mpg. Mine is easy to drive, 72-73 mph and 400-600 miles in a day is not too bad. It also has enough room that it does not feel so cramped once set up. I boondock a lot so the size does not affect my campground choices. The RV is a lifestyle choice as stated. I plan to take longer trips once retired, part of the reason for the big motorhome. Always take a towed car to drive around once at my location. I cook my own food, have my own bathroom and shower, my own bed, my own frig with all the required food and beverages, and can set up right in the middle of locations that have no hotels close. Take my dogs with and they love going camping.

As to your idea to buy used, that is a good way to get one. Save a lot on depreciation, RVs in general depreciate a lot in first few years. I recommend a class C, the extra room will be nice. Almost all class C are gas, you need to step up to Super C to get diesel. Super C is bigger and built on a truck chassis, rather than a heavy duty van chassis as most class C are.

It really helps to be able to do some repairs and maintenance yourself. RVs will always have something that needs to be fixed or attention. If you have to take into the shop all the time, it will cost money and time; which quickly takes the fun out of it.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Ours has a bedroom with an accordion door so 1 person can be at the booth and one sleeping. Our friends that just downsized have to choose from either the bed or table. 1 person can't sleep with the other up so I would think those would be big draw backs on a trip.

 

[Bamaman]

Our fifth wheel has 3 televisions and two bedrooms. My wife and I keep separate hours and watch different television shows so having different rooms is great for our lifestyle.

I ordered it without a dinette and instead have a 12 foot wallhugger leather couch/recliners.

 

[Red Badger]

See the sister site to this one: iRV2 Forum | – RV Forum Community and RV News and you can learn a lot there.

I have a big motorhome, a class 8 truck conversion. Yes it is very big 44 ft length, has a big 15 liter engine and uses a lot of fuel at 7.5-8 mpg. Mine is easy to drive, 72-73 mph and 400-600 miles in a day is not too bad. It also has enough room that it does not feel so cramped once set up. I boondock a lot so the size does not affect my campground choices. The RV is a lifestyle choice as stated. I plan to take longer trips once retired, part of the reason for the big motorhome. Always take a towed car to drive around once at my location. I cook my own food, have my own bathroom and shower, my own bed, my own frig with all the required food and beverages, and can set up right in the middle of locations that have no hotels close. Take my dogs with and they love going camping.

As to your idea to buy used, that is a good way to get one. Save a lot on depreciation, RVs in general depreciate a lot in first few years. I recommend a class C, the extra room will be nice. Almost all class C are gas, you need to step up to Super C to get diesel. Super C is bigger and built on a truck chassis, rather than a heavy duty van chassis as most class C are.

It really helps to be able to do some repairs and maintenance yourself. RVs will always have something that needs to be fixed or attention. If you have to take into the shop all the time, it will cost money and time; which quickly takes the fun out of it.

Definitely will do a lot of maintenance and minor repairs myself. I'm also fairly good at knowing when not to DIY.

Thanks!

 

[KM]

No. It's a lifestyle. It lets you stay places where there aren't motels. But, it doesn't save money.

Very true.

It probably wont save anyone "lots of money". The initial investment is much larger....and unless you stick with it for a long time, its probably going to be more expensive. But I think in the some cases, it can be less expensive. A lot depends on what you buy and how you use it.

EXAMPLE
We retired - bought our truck and 34' fifth wheel in late 2012. We live in NH, but have spent 4 winters in Florida, 3 summers in Virginia, taken 2 trips out west and one 2 month trip "east of the Mississippi". Our current "nightly" cost is at $134/night.


Total expenses I included:
- cost of truck
- cost of fifth wheel
- all camping fees
- all supplies purchased for RV (outside mats, sun shade, generators, etc, etc)
- all maintenance done on RV (new tires, repairs for self-inflicted damages, annual roof inspections, winterizing, etc, etc)
- upgrades (second air, upgraded battery bank, satellite dish)
- propane, electric, cable (when we have to purchase)
- storage fees (when not being used)

DIVIDED BY

Total nights - which includes the 90 free nights every summer we spend in it in VA (where we "work camp" so we can visit grandchild).


Notes
- My calculation includes the free nights, which is not something a lot of people would do. So, if we PAID for those nights, our nightly cost would be more.
- Yet, I didn't subtract out the current value of the truck and fifth wheel, which would bring down the nightly cost more. (Quick estimate is it would reduce current nightly cost to about $92/night)
- I didnt include gas costs in my calculations. I figure we would have to drive or fly and rent a car for all of those locations which would likely cost as much or more....


Anyway, I expect our "nightly cost" to continue to go down for us over the next few years.

Additionally - what the RV gives us is:
1) we make our own meals
2) we sleep in our own bed
3) I don't worry if the dog can come and stay with us

It really depends on the family and the usage. The more usage, the cheaper it will be. But if it sits home a lot, it will likely never save you money.

 

[Fermion]

We are using our RV right now to camp on some land we bought (28 acres of timber forest, tax $29 a year). It is great! Now that spring is here, the solar is putting out enough power I have started to use the electric coffee maker in the morning instead of the percolator on the gas stove. It uses 900 watts which takes the batteries down a few % during the brew but the sun on the 1100 watts of panels has brought us back to full charge by about 10am. We use a 12V/24V 9.1 cu-ft compressor fridge and a propane furnace, water heater, and stove. We go through about 4 gallons of propane a month but we have not done a winter in a cold climate yet.

So our lodging costs right now are $2.42 a month. A withdrawal rate of 0.0000017%

 

[Teacher Terry]

We bought old and used with low miles which cost us 14k. Through the 10 years we have had it we have put 4k in repairs and new tires. However, we have used it more as a extra guest room then traveling. We thought abut selling but then DH got a job out of town and wanted it to live in. Then a few of our friends bought one so we will do some group camping. Buying new seems crazy to me.

 

[haha]

But, the DW is much happier, and you know the old saying..."If mama ain't happy...."

I have this framed on the wall in my bachelor home. To me, it is right up there with the bible as a signpost to a happy life.

Ha

 

[spncity]

If, for some reason, your RV comes with one of those funny closet things that has one hole for each hanger - just go ahead and change it out to a regular closet rod. You will sooner or later anyway.

Collapsible accessories and such can save space. Measuring cups, colander, dishpan, mixing bowl, laundry basket, dish drainer, etc.

We changed out bulbs to LED bulbs mostly because we have some solar/inverter/battery capability.

We still consider ourselves newbies and enjoy reading advice from others about RVing.

 

[Nemo2]

And bungee cords to secure your cupboards in case you hit a bump......(perhaps the newer units have locks...it's been a while for me).

 

[Fermion]

And bungee cords to secure your cupboards in case you hit a bump......(perhaps the newer units have locks...it's been a while for me).

We put in the slam locks like boats have for our cabinets. Incredibly useful and not one cabinet has come open even when going off pavement.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...-c972-59cd-9c8a-c01f065e09c5&pf_rd_i=16412971

 

[Nemo2]

We put in the slam locks like boats have for our cabinets. Incredibly useful and not one cabinet has come open even when going off pavement.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...-c972-59cd-9c8a-c01f065e09c5&pf_rd_i=16412971

Anyone who's had their cupboards emptied after a bump would agree it's money well spent.

 

[World Traveler]

My DW has agreed to bless me with an RV in a few months. Here is a quick summary.

Our budget is ~$40K or less. We're aligned on a B+ or a short C (B's are too claustrophobic for DW). A few years old (2-5) probably OK, as we prefer to avoid the big depreciation hit. No clunkers or high mileage units, though. Our trade off areas will be between features and age / miles.

We've had a pull behind camper, and tent camped before that. Our plan is mostly local / regional stuff until we get our "sea legs" under us (we live north of Charlotte NC, so no shortage of beautiful places nearby). Then we will look to doing more extensive / extended travel.

We wont pull a car or a toy hauler. Maybe just a small trailer with campsite supplies.

Getting lots of insight from Darrow at CIRY and other bogs on RV-ing, but I thought I'd give "shout out" here as I've gleaned lots of good advice on this and other forums here.

So, any seasoned sojourners out there with any tips, pointers, or gotchas?

Thanks!

We bought our first RV 25 ft. Small enough to park downtown and big enough for two. We do not pull anything. We have a hitch storage. 15 to 16 mpg diesel Mercedes chasis. We don't full time and don't want to. We mix it up with air travel and hotels. We have a lot of beautiful places in the US and Canada that we intend to see. We have been glamping in San Diego and Ventura county for the past three weeks. Depreciation is just a fact of life for RVs.

 

[Nemo2]

glamping

I had never encountered this word before, so I Googled it and watched a vid....now I realize I have been a 'glamper' in a number of places in Africa.

Lucked out...learned a new word, and increased my vocabulary by 5%.

 

[Red Badger]

We bought our first RV 25 ft. Small enough to park downtown and big enough for two. We do not pull anything. We have a hitch storage. 15 to 16 mpg diesel Mercedes chasis. We don't full time and don't want to. We mix it up with air travel and hotels. We have a lot of beautiful places in the US and Canada that we intend to see. We have been glamping in San Diego and Ventura county for the past three weeks. Depreciation is just a fact of life for RVs.

Thanks for the idea on hitch storage. I really don't care for a trailer of any size.
Our travel style is similar; a few night in the RV followed by a hotel stay where we can stretch out, take longer (more comfy) showers, etc.
Happy Glamping!

 

[folivier]

Just keep in mind the weight capacity of your rv, especially if you have anything heavy in your hitch storage.

 

[REWahoo]

One more suggestion: Be aware that RV's are meant to be used in woodlands, forests and other areas where all sorts of critters reside. Retrieving my wheel chocks yesterday I found this.

Look carefully before reaching into your storage compartments...

 

[TJFogelberg]

Join Good Sam and register on their forum for another good online community. We just bought our 4th RV, a Winnebago Class C 31D. We are very satisfied with it so far. Joined Thousand Trails as they have parks near Boston, New York, and Jersey shore and Orlando areas we like. Rving isn't a money saving move but we enjoy the lifestyle.
No outside maintenance at home which enhances the sense of escape from the daily grind at home. Lock up and go. Good luck in your search.

 

[folivier]

How things change. We just bought a 2004 27' Lazy Daze class C. While we were sitting at our rental in Utah we found this like new low mileage near Denver. Had a friend look at it. Drove over, bought it, and drove back to Utah. We'll fly back over next week to drive it back here. We both decided we missed the RV life.

 

[TJFogelberg]

Lazy Daze

Our prior RV was a '99 27' Lazy Daze. (Great choice). Be sure to register for the LD Owner's forum..great group!

http://www.lazydazeowners.com