Anyone done a cross-country drive, roughing it?

[nwsteve]

We did a repositioning rental with Cruise America for our introduction to RVing as Brewer suggested. It is a great way to experience what RVing about, finding parks, setting up/taking down each day etc. Ultimately rvingv is a life style choice not an investment decision. We DO like the benefit of on-board potty, having lunch and breakfast anytime and with a menu that fits our diets and there are no "surprises" from the previous users in the bathroom/bedcovers.
Like many RVers, it is pretty common to end up going through some different types of RV before finding the one that works best for your and traveling companion(s). To keep your $$ exposure under control, buy used until you have a firm hand on what you want from the RVing experience. I think Rich is on his third unti. We started with a 28' Class A with basement and now are enjoying a Class B Roadtrek. DW would only drive the A under duress but does not hesistate to take the wheel in the B. We are travelers (vs "sitters") so appreciate the ease of getting around in our Roadtrek (21 ') and lower cost of operating (mileage of 16-17 vs 9-10 mpg). Also since there are only two of us, the size works well. I have RVers in B's with 2 big dogs and kids--not sure how they make that work but glad it is not us ;-).
Do try the rental as your first step. It is also a great way to check out units as your travel each night when you get in the campground for the evening.
Nwsteve

[IndependentlyPoor]

Several years ago we tried to rent an RV but were stopped by the inability to get insurance. Maybe we were talking to dummies (dummies talking to dummies), but we were told that liability insurance just wasn't available. The lady who answered the phone at the RV rental place admitted that she and her husband had rented an RV the previous summer and "just didn't bother with insurance".
Yikes!
Anybody rented an RV? What is the scoop on insurance?

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IndependentlyPoor Anybody rented an RV? What is the scoop on insurance?

Haven't rented in a very long time but I see these guys everywhere while we're on the road. Maybe give them a call and ask your insurance question?

Edit to add: I saw this on their website:

Quote:

For your peace of mind while traveling, Cruise America rentals include coverage's in three areas in excess of minimum automobile coverage's against third-party required by law. The details are contained on the Rental Agreement. Below is an outline of the coverage's Supplemental Liability Insurance (SLI) provides you supplemental liability insurance up to $1,000,000 for USA rentals (Not valid in Mexico).

[NW-Bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nwsteve We are travelers (vs "sitters") so appreciate the ease of getting around in our Roadtrek (21 ') and lower cost of operating (mileage of 16-17 vs 9-10 mpg). Nwsteve

We have the same travel style, plus also like to visit nearby metropolitan cities. Hence, thought that a SUV pulling a small travel trailer might be a substitute for a class B. It is actually not as convenient because the trailer must be detached and left on a campground, but for retirees who have all the time in the world, what's the rush? Right? We might stay in a place for 3 days to a week anyway.

A lot depends on the travel style, and I have to think to decide for myself. Yes, month-long rental is expensive, and weekend trips are not what I have in mind. I can buy a small trailer, and sell it if it does not work out. The loss may be the same as the rental.

I still have time to study as my wife still needs to spend time with her 90-yr old father.

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound We have the same travel style, plus also like to visit nearby metropolitan cities. Hence, thought that a SUV pulling a small travel trailer might be a substitute for a class B. It is actually not as convenient because the trailer must be detached and left on a campground, but for retirees who have all the time in the world, what's the rush? Right? We might stay in a place for 3 days to a week anyway.

This is essentially what we do, although we do 3 to 4 days at a time. We get where we are going, plop the trailer down and do what ever we like for the duration in just the tow vehicle. From start to finish, we usually pack up and hitch up in 45 min to an hour, tops, and that is with 2 small kids getting in the way and contributing to the mess. One time when it was pouring I had it done (myself) in under 20 min.

[Rambler]

Thanks everyone, for the advice. We still have some looking/dreaming/thinking to do. We may wait and rent one next summer, or we may just go ahead a pick up a smaller trailer when we are home for Christmas (being that there are still some pretty good deals to be had right now). My assumption is that most of our trips to the state parks will be 5 days/4 nights...leave on Sunday afternoon or Monday morning after the weekend campers have gone, and get back before they arrive on Friday night.

Our longer trips would probably be on the order of two weeks, but probably never longer than 3 weeks due to needing to care for lawns and such. For the longer trips we would stay in RV parks. The benefit of the trailer is obviously that we can tool around in the tow vehicle. We have been considering a couple of electric scooter/mopeds that we could use if we got the class A or C, but like the idea of air conditioning when travelling in places like Texas or Arizona. I've also given some thought to getting a Honda Fit as a toad...but if we can get a trailer we are happy with size and comfort wise we'll probably start there.

Rich: Pls remind me which model you got? I like the idea of a king bed for the longer trips...

Thanks

R

[In-control]

Hosteling! You can stay in clean safe places - some under $20/night. Why be uncomfortable? Drive a small car, better gas milage, or a motocycle and you will have a blast.

Hostels.com - Every Hostel, Everywhere - 20,000+ Hostels Worldwide

[Rambler]

Winnebago has a new for 2010 Class A based on the Sprinter chassis with a small V6 diesel Mercedes engine. Pretty cool looking, but unsure if it would be able to handle a toad. Its a bit on the pricey side for the size (25ft). But it looks like it would be pretty easy to manuever in tight spots.

2010 Winnebago Via

R

[REWahoo]

The Winnebago models built on the Sprinter chassis are a nice size and offer very good fuel economy (for an RV). However, past models have suffered from being very near their maximum weight carrying capacity once you fill the tanks with water and fuel. Load yourself and your traveling companion on board along with some food and clothing and you were over the maximum rated weight limit - and few folks realize this.

Hope they've solved the problem. No way to tell without the actual weight (GVW) of the RV, and the website only gives the weight rating (GVWR).

[NW-Bound]

I am still looking at RVs, though we will not be able to take off for some indefinite time. In terms of cost and suitability to our travel style as I am currently envisioning it, I am leaning towards a small travel trailer of less than 20ft towable by our existing SUV. It is like the set up that Brewer has. Even buying a new one, we should be able to hit the road after spending perhaps $14K for a model I have in mind.

However, in surfing the Web I have found some apparently smoking deals on larger motor homes (MH). I have seen small class A MHs of less than 35ft, only 5 to 6 year old and driven 20,000 miles or less, going for US$25K-$35K. Granted, these are smaller no-frill models, and with a gas engine and not diesel, but I think they still cost around $100K new. Slightly used, they cost about the same as a new car!

All MHs depreciate terribly, but the gas ones seem to suffer higher losses than the diesels, yet were driven less. My theory is that the low gas mileage (5-8 MPG?), the high cost of gas in the recent years (>$3/gallon last year), and the poor economy keep the owners from enjoying them and force the liquidation. Or are there some other reasons, like these may be lemons?

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound I am still looking at RVs, though we will not be able to take off for some indefinite time. In terms of cost and suitability to our travel style as I am currently envisioning it, I am leaning towards a small travel trailer of less than 20ft towable by our existing SUV. It is like the set up that Brewer has. Even buying a new one, we should be able to hit the road after spending perhaps $14K for a model I have in mind. However, in surfing the Web I have found some apparently smoking deals on larger motor homes (MH). I have seen small class A MHs of less than 35ft, only 5 to 6 year old and driven 20,000 miles or less, going for US$25K-$35K. Granted, these are smaller no-frill models, and with a gas engine and not diesel, but I think they still cost around $100K new. Slightly used, they cost about the same as a new car! All MHs depreciate terribly, but the gas ones seem to suffer higher losses than the diesels, yet were driven less. My theory is that the low gas mileage (5-8 MPG?), the high cost of gas in the recent years (>$3/gallon last year), and the poor economy keep the owners from enjoying them and force the liquidation. Or are there some other reasons, like these may be lemons?

I think that a lot of this is just a poor resale market driven by a combination of people who really need to sell to raise cash and more units getting dumped on the market by reposessing lenders. Higher gas costs clearly do not help, either.

As for the temptation of the deal, its not a deal for you if it doesn't fit your needs. If a trailer is what you need, a class A won't be a great idea even at a tempting price.

FWIW, when the current trailer becomes too much of a money pit many years hence, I imagine we will end up with another, slightly larger trailer. There is a bewildeing array of choices in the 18 to 24 foot range and I imagine there will be even more over time as the smaller and lighte trends continues to build.

[NW-Bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewer12345 I think that a lot of this is just a poor resale market driven by a combination of people who really need to sell to raise cash and more units getting dumped on the market by reposessing lenders. Higher gas costs clearly do not help, either. As for the temptation of the deal, its not a deal for you if it doesn't fit your needs. If a trailer is what you need, a class A won't be a great idea even at a tempting price.

My point is that these bottom-tier class A MHs seem to depreciate more despite getting used less than their bigger brothers. I wonder why.

About my needs, well, they are flexible and can be met if I pull a small dinghy, which I don't own at the moment. The arrangement only costs more. However, I am thinking that a small travel trailer has its allure; one feels like a kid in the confined space of his treehouse. It should work for our envisioned short trips of up to a couple of months. I have seen blogs of people who even live full-time in one of these smaller ones. The bigger 5th-wheel RVs do not excite me at all, besides I do not have a large truck for a tow vehicle. I'd rather have a small class A if I want more room.

Anyway, in surfing the Web, I have seen a couple full-timing in a big class A towing a class B or a small class C!

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound Anyway, in surfing the Web, I have seen a couple full-timing in a big class A towing a class B or a small class C!

I am always amazed when I see stuff like a Class A towing a Hummer or a diesel pusher lugging a cargo trailer half again its size. You cannot possibly need to drag that much stuff with you...

[Rambler]

Brewer - what kind of gas mileage are you getting pulling the 16 footer with the minivan (Honda Odyssey, right?).

R

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rambler Brewer - what kind of gas mileage are you getting pulling the 16 footer with the minivan (Honda Odyssey, right?). R

Yep, pull with a 2005 Odyssey. We usually get about 12MPG. I think the trailer is about 3000#, plus we have 2 adults, 2 kids, 2 dogs, and extra spare tire, gear, etc. in the van. IOW, we are not generally travelling light. From what I hear from other owners of the same model trailer (and teh next oen up), similar mileage is to be expected if you are pulling a slightly larger trailer and/or towing with a V8 powered pickup or SUV.

The big deal on mileage (to me) is that you get the full, normal gas mileage once you are roaming around in the area you drop the camper off. On our last trip, it rained cats and dogs for most of the trip, so it was a real boon to be able to take off and do other stuff with the kids and not burn a huge amount of gas (or have to set up again every day when we got back to the site).

[NW-Bound]

I have looked at the TrailManor travel trailers (TT), as owned and mentioned by RIT. They are light, roomy, and aerodynamic when folded for traveling. These are hard-wall designs, not pop-up campers.

The company says it only costs 1 additional gallon to tow their TT a distance of 100 mi. The following link describes a test showing that a Honda Odyssey gets 18MPG towing a 30-ft (when unfolded) TrailManor, but only 9MPG towing a conventional 19-ft TT. The only drawback of these TrailManors is their higher purchase cost. This is perhaps justifiable if one needs the roominess beyond what can be towed with a van or an SUV, and plans long-distance travels. A possible compromise is that instead of buying a new conventional light-weight TT, one can get a used TrailManor for the same purchase price.

TrailManor|Easy Towing|Lighweight Travel Trailer