No Longer An RV'er Wannabe...

[REWahoo]

You probably beat the most stringent requirement of 25 ft stopping distance. But by how much? Let's find out the next time you drive.

You go first.

 

[audreyh1]

And you're surprised about that?

Law or no law, I'm not towing without toad brakes.

Me neither! Even though in TX my 4000lb toad does not require tow brakes.

Audrey

 

[NW-Bound]

You go first.

Now that I've learned of this braking requirement, once I have it all installed I will certainly benchmark myself against it ... in front of my house. Only 20mph! I will be sure to stow everything securely though. ;-)

 

[NW-Bound]

And heck, it looks like you will have to keep working for many more years to support those two houses and your RV, so what better do you have to do than work on that baby while it sits in your driveway?

Did you edit to add that after first posting it? I saw that just now.

MANY MORE YEARS? Nah! Only till the Dow gets back to 14,000.

 

[RonBoyd]

I took pictures of our Roadtrek today (the first) in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. (Maybe it does look like it has 60,000 miles on it.) I thought I would post them here rather than in "What did you do today" because I need to clarify my earlier statement about "boondocking." DW reminded me today (while exploring the campground within the park) that we had originally bought the RV to do exactly that -- photographs at sunrise in Arches NP was the tipping point. Anyway, RV Parks have clearly spoiled me rotten... I need to "snap out of it" and get my act together.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

I envy the compactness of those class B's, and loved my Great West Sprinter. Nice motorhome.

 

[NW-Bound]

Nice RV there, Ron. We would have been happy with a class B too. No toad required. What engine size is it?

We bought a used class C because we happened to run across one with only 25K miles, and the price was "too good" to pass up.

I envy the compactness of those class B's, and loved my Great West Sprinter. Nice motorhome.

I was eyeing these Sprinters for a long time. However, even when used, they cost more than the common used class C's. Left to myself, I would have bought one, but my wife cringed at the bigger check we would have to write for it.

By the way, you did not love it enough. You sold it and got the Trail Manor before getting the current class A, if I remember correctly. One reservation I have about these Sprinters is that their Cargo Carrying Capacity was only a few hundred pounds. Light travelers can live with that, but that CCC does not leave a lot of reserve. And I once have seen people towing a toad with a Sprinter. I wonder if it was safe.

 

[RonBoyd]

Nice RV there, Ron. We would have been happy with a class B too. No toad required.

Thank you. We are so pleased I cannot even put it in words.

One reservation I have about these Sprinters is that their Cargo Carrying Capacity was only a few hundred pounds. Light travelers can live with that, but that CCC does not leave a lot of reserve.

Yeah, that 3/4 ton chassis bothers me a lot also. Well, that and how narrow the interior space is... and how tall it is for that small frame. I know... the fuel economy is better than the gas-driven 1 ton chassis. Oh! That fuel costs a lot more though so maybe not so impressive.

Again, who cares about fuel economy when the sleeping accomodations are so "cheap."

 

[NW-Bound]

Again, who cares about fuel economy when the sleeping accomodations are so "cheap."

Well, with my gas guzzler class C, I will have to boondock even more to save money for gas.

 

[winger]

I thought I would post them here rather than in "What did you do today" because I need to clarify my earlier statement about "boondocking." DW reminded me today (while exploring the campground within the park) that we had originally bought the RV to do exactly that -- photographs at sunrise in Arches NP was the tipping point. Anyway, RV Parks have clearly spoiled me rotten... I need to "snap out of it" and get my act together.

There are several levels of boondocking. Some feel that only dispersed camping on BLM land qualifies.

To us- anywhere we don't have W-E&S- and Intenet.... we are roughing it.

 

[RonBoyd]

Well, with my gas guzzler class C, I will have to boondock even more to save money for gas.

Well, what I meant was: Drive any car and stay in a hotel and see how your "gas guzzling" Class "C" matches up even if you don't "boondock." (Even if you deduct the "not being able to see what you want to see" issue.)

 

[audreyh1]

When it comes to RVs and RVing, economy is not the point!

Audrey

 

[RonBoyd]

When it comes to RVs and RVing, economy is not the point!

That's, also, what I meant.

 

[NW-Bound]

Well, what I meant was: Drive any car and stay in a hotel and see how your "gass guzzling" Class "C" matches up even if you don't "boondock." (Even if you deduct the "not being able to see what you want to see" issue.)

Yes, very very true. I was joking.

I just need time to get out of my old way of thinking that it is OK to pay $100/night for hotel, but it is not OK to blow that out the tail pipe.

But the fact is that RV traveling is DIFFERENT than what we have done in the past, and has its merits even if it costs more - but it doesn't. As I wrote earlier, we loved the experience on our first short trip to Parker, AZ. And I think boondocking is going to be FUN. It does not have to be completely in the wilderness either.

In Parker, we stayed at a small park operated by the state, and paid $26/night for electric and water hookup. No cable, no Internet. No sewer, but there was a dump station. Due to the 26' length of ours, we could park at one of their "waterfront" lots facing the Colorado River, which were normally for people camping in tents and using the on-site clean bathrooms and shower facilities. We coexisted peacefully with those campers in adjacent slots, didn't turn on loud music or string up lights (like the RV'ers that youbet encountered once ).

We drove up to Lake Havasu for sightseeing, as I had never been there although I have been a long-time Arizonan. As we toured the little island connected to land via the well-known relocated London Bridge, we decided to park by the water to have lunch with soup and salad. That was when I wished I had an inverter to run the microwave to heat the soup without running the genny.

Oh man, all this talk makes me want to hit the road bad.

 

[RonBoyd]

That was when I wished I had an inverter to run the microwave to heat the soup without running the genny.

Next to the microwave on the road, I most value this:

Iwatani Portable Gas Stove

It stores in a little carrying case and weighs practically nothing. The propane is relatively cheap and each can lasts forever.

 

[NW-Bound]

Next to the microwave on the road, I most value this:
Iwatani Portable Gas Stove
It stores in a little carrying case and weighs practically nothing. The propane is relatively cheap and each can lasts forever.

We do have a portable burner like that, but a different brand. In fact we have 3! We use them as on-the-table burners when serving certain dishes like fondue or table grills. They are more convenient than portable electric burners with their attached cords.

I guess I do not really need to have with the RV a more heavy-duty burner that runs off the RV propane tank. I just wanted an excuse to customize my new toy.


About the Sprinter-based RVs, I looked at the one that R-i-T had, out of curiosity, and found that it was different than the ones that I had seen. So, it appears that there might be more than one size or model of the Sprinter.

The Great West RV picture is below. Its spec said 8500-lb GVWR.

The ones that I was more familiar with looked like the following picture. They tend to be bigger, and most often have a slide. The one in the picture was the Forest River Citation with a GVWR of 11,000 lbs. That weight puts it in nearly the same class as the smaller class C's!

 

[RonBoyd]

We do have a portable burner like that, but a different brand. In fact we have 3! We use them as on-the-table burners when serving certain dishes like fondue or table grills. They are more convenient than portable electric burners with their attached cords.

Yeah, I use ours mostly with a Wok. Try Garlic Shrimp in four minutes. Yum! (Try this one for instance - 4 Minute Spicy Garlic Shrimp - 107997 - Recipezaar)

About the Sprinter-based RVs, I looked at the one that R-i-T had, out of curiosity, and found that it was different than the ones that I had seen. So, it appears that there might be more than one size or model of the Sprinter.

No question the Sprinter models are quite attractive. No real knocks from me.

FWIW, our GVWR is around 10,000 pounds.

 

[Sue J]

I love reading these RV posts. It's a topic I know almost nothing about but it's fun to read about other folk's travels.

I didn't know anything about Roadtreks so I watched the product demo video. Roadtrek Motorhome, RV Camper Van, Class B Motor Homes

What a clever way to travel! Reminds me of a houseboat we rented many years ago.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

By the way, you did not love it enough. You sold it and got the Trail Manor before getting the current class A, if I remember correctly. One reservation I have about these Sprinters is that their Cargo Carrying Capacity was only a few hundred pounds. Light travelers can live with that, but that CCC does not leave a lot of reserve. And I once have seen people towing a toad with a Sprinter. I wonder if it was safe.

Au contraire. We learned to enjoy RVing in the Sprinter -- so much we decided to step up in terms of space (while keeping it in our driveway) so we could make longer trips in comfort. It had all the major systems of a larger motorhome so we learned the ropes there. When we finally decided on a larger motorhome we knew enough about what we wanted and what mattered that it was an easy transition.

Some suggest going from no experience to a full size Class A. While that is probably the most cost-effective strategy, we found it much more comfortable to work our way up so we knew what we wanted.

BTW, the sprinter had a 6k lb towing capacity. And for more cargo room we added a removeble cargo carrier for bulky items. Easily held enough for a week before recycling. Each RV served its purpose well for us - there is no model that is right for everyone.

 

[Tesaje]

Sprinters come in a lot of flavors and even more custimizations. There's the short 19' long, & the 24'. There are 3 heights. Then the 2500 & stronger 3500. Each comes with all the other variations. And there is the chassis only that the class c's are built on. And then there all the older Sprinters pre 2007 with a bunch more versions.

From what I've read, some Sprinters are overloaded. Overloading happens a lot in rv's whether they are Sprinters or not. At this rate, I'll have a mad dash to get it inspected, registered, licensed before my trip and I'll learn it on the road. Oh well. It will be nice to have a little cabin wherever I am.

I hope I don't overload mine. I have to wait another week for mine. Getting parts to fix the backup camera.

 

[RonBoyd]

What a clever way to travel! Reminds me of a houseboat we rented many years ago.

Yes, it is. It is why we think of the Roadtrek as our yacht.

 

[RonBoyd]

Each RV served its purpose well for us - there is no model that is right for everyone.

Probably the most important thing said in this thread. Although, I believe every model would serve anyone well. RVing is RVing no matter the device. There are many roads to happiness. (pun intended)

 

[RonBoyd]

It will be nice to have a little cabin wherever I am.

Your own pillows and your own mattress... aaaah, that's the life!

 

[REWahoo]

I hope I don't overload mine.

The only way to be sure (and safe) is to weigh it. Once you have it fully loaded for a trip and a full tank of gas, drop by a public scale (most big truck stops have one) and spend $10 to get an accurate weight with you and your passengers in it.

 

[FIREd]

I took pictures of our Roadtrek today (the first) in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. (Maybe it does look like it has 60,000 miles on it.)

I like those class B RVs! I spent 2 hours last nice browsing the Roadtrek website and I can't believe how functional and well-appointed their RVs are, especially given their rather diminutive size. If I ever get an RV, that's the kind I would be looking for! Just for fun, I am going to check used RV sales on the web today...