RV Ownership Poll

[Janet H]

Despite the temptations of

* emptying a blackwater tank and having no permanent running water

Not really any worse than other regular household duties; just different (no pun intended)

* living in cheap quality, cramped, impersonal quarters,

Yes, but you don't have to wonder about how clean the place is - who left what on the bed spread and no longer will feel the need to watch those creepy expose's on filthy hotel rooms.

* paying to park the doggone behemoth half the time,

cheaper than a hotel....

* lousy gas mileage,

True, but consider it part of your recreation cost.

* exchanging several years' worth of retirement expenses for it, with the prospect of terrible resale,

Hmm... my trailer is 33 years old and now climbing in value....

and more, I must reluctantly say that I neither have nor want an RV (yet). But I am open minded. Really.

I once felt this way... until I went camping with friends and discovered I had the best time I'd had in years.

Consider a trailer:
the worlds best rolling minibar
A personal vacation bubble that you can retreat to when traveling..
A great way to meet other folks
Tax deduction if you w*rk from the road
Insurance against being totally homeless should you miscalculate your savings, are flooded out or foreclosed on...
Good fun.

 

[Stevewc]

I thoroughly enjoy camping. Always have since a kid.
If you go about it right you can pickup a fixer upper type camper on the cheap.
Get it under a shed for its protection and enjoy it for many years at little cost.
I bought a trade in unit from a camper dealer my brother knew for little of nothing several years ago. Its a 30 foot 5th wheel.
Still using it and plan to do a little more work on it now that I'm retired. The only thing I did before starting to use it (when bought) was a set of new tires and huge amount of cleaning and touch up. I need to do the cleaning all over again now and plan to replace a small section of carpet. Might consider putting hardwood floor instead of carpet. That would add a nice touch, I guess, but would it last with lots of beach sand tracking through?
Its no where near the super nice new units but its a camper and we think its nice enough. You only use these things a few times a year in most cases so don't get carried away when buying. I've been there and done that. They deteriorate sitting in the sun in your drive way.
Steve

 

[Khan]

Some people just don't get it.

BTW, my "cheap quality" RV has birch cabinetry throughout (not plywood veneer, solid birch) leather furniture and Corian counter tops.

Now that's what I don't understand. I'd want a plastic/metal interior that could be hosed down.

Or one of these: EarthRoamer Xpedition Vehicles Overview

 

[REWahoo]

Now that's what I don't understand. I'd want a plastic/metal interior that could be hosed down.

Or one of these: EarthRoamer Xpedition Vehicles Overview

You've obviously never had a wife.

 

[harley]

I don't think you'll get too many positive responses for a few days. It's summer, it's the weekend, and the RVers are out RVing.

I don't have one, but we've thought about it for years. Just saw Sarah's RV. It's pretty tempting, he says as he sits in a merely half decent hotel room. I think it would be a lot of fun, and we could take the dogs instead of kenneling them. We don't currently have anywhere to keep one. So camping is still in a tent, and travelling is still hotel based for now.

 

[Stevewc]

Now that's what I don't understand. I'd want a plastic/metal interior that could be hosed down.

Or one of these: EarthRoamer Xpedition Vehicles Overview

The earthroamer's are very cool looking.
I don't know anything about them but I think they would be worth looking into.
Steve

PS. Just learned the price range is 225 to 300K, you would need to live in it at those prices. My opinion only of course.

 

[Ronstar]

I don't have an RV, but I'm trying to talk DW into one - maybe a Roadtrek Agile. I may need to rent one for a week or two to convince her

 

[Khan]

The earthroamer's are very cool looking.
I don't know anything about them but I think they would be worth looking into.
Steve

PS. Just learned the price range is 250 to 300K, you would need to live in it at those prices. My opinion only of course.

There's also roadtrek.com

I've not owned any of either and have no commercial interests; just stuff I've run across.

 

[brewer12345]

Consider a trailer:
the worlds best rolling minibar
A personal vacation bubble that you can retreat to when traveling..
A great way to meet other folks
Tax deduction if you w*rk from the road
Insurance against being totally homeless should you miscalculate your savings, are flooded out or foreclosed on...
Good fun.

OMG, how I wish we had had ours when we were going through the kitchen rennovation!

 

[Nords]

Now that's what I don't understand. I'd want a plastic/metal interior that could be hosed down.

You mean, like a submarine?

It adds an ineffable essence to the bathroom décor, too...

 

[heyduke]

i dont own one.. never have.. but will buy one in the next six months to live in for at least the next two years...

call me crazy... but someone has to do it...

 

[heyduke]

This is very near and dear to DW's heart. Her grand-father worked on the Space Program's early workhorse, the Atlas. So it would be a tribute to him, as she probably got her "scentific gene" from him. Alas, he died before she had the opportunity to know him.

we lucked into seeing the last shuttle launch... all can be read here...
On the Road to Retirement!: their loss... was our gain…

better to be lucky some times...

 

[Khan]

You mean, like a submarine?

It adds an ineffable essence to the bathroom décor, too...

Something like that.

 

[Purron]

Don't have an RV, don't plan to get one. Even so, I'll share a very tender memory with all of you. After retiring from the guvmint, my dad bought a big camper. This was just about this time DH and I first met and fell in love. We had our first kiss in the back of the camper while mom and dad were driving up front. Just a tender teenage moment where he looked in my eyes, gave me a kiss, and the universe shifted.

That night, the four of us camped out together and sat by the campfire until very late that night. One of my most precious memories.

 

[hankster]

We were both raised in Montana and grew up camping in tents, older travel trailers (Shasta style), the back of a pick up truck and occasionally in a sleeping bag on the bare ground. Our camper van set up is luxurious compared to some of those methods.

As was mentioned in the other RV thread, there are campers and there are travelers. We're the latter. The home we presently live in is in the forest with a river view. We don't camp to get away from it all. We live away from it all!

I won't even attempt any kind of cost justification. I'll only say that we enjoy the ability to stop for an afternoon nap on a real bed in the middle of the day before traveling onward. We've camped next to beautiful lakes and rivers only a stone throw from our door in areas where developers can only dream about building a five star resort (Protected natural areas) It truly is a lifestyle and a close knit fellowship. It either fits you or it doesn't.

As a side note: I find dumping a black tank less disgusting than changing a poopy diaper Keep disposable latex gloves handy. If you do it right (not like Robin Williams in the movie "RV") everything is rinsed out and the stinky slinky goes in its own little tube. Just remember to take the latex gloves off before scratching your nose

 

[LARS]

We have a Winnebago Rialta, which we bought so we could travel with our pets. It's only 22 feet and so really quite small. The good news is it gets 18 mpg to 20 mpg on the open road.

We found that we stay in it generally in National Parks and the rest of the time on the road we stay in hotels.

Not sure that really qualifies as RV'ing...

 

[CCdaCE]

Just bought this little number 2 mos. ago.

YouTube - WILDWOOD 18BH XLITE BACKPACK EDITION VIDEO TOUR

Not my video, just found it on YouTube.

Been campin' twice in it, so far. Before that, it was always in a tent, ever since I could remember as a kid. Always went campin' at least once a year for about a week. Some more as a teen with friends. Never in any thing like this, this is a nice upgrade. Tow vehicle ('05 Tacoma) went from 20 MPG to 10 MPG, but we haven't gone more than 200 mi. away yet; don't plan to. Gas and campground fees was about $60 for this past weekend.

Kids had the most fun this summer, so far. Frogs, bugs, stream to swim in, afternoon art, evening bluegrass-type music, campfire, a playground, walks, good food.

Base price was $10k for the Wildwood 18BH X-Lite. `bout $11.5 k after tax, shipping to the dealer, battery, gas, "prep.", etc. Cheapest, used lite model I could find that was worth considering was $12k and didn't sleep 6. (The video for the X-lite claims 7 - maybe kids.) Manuf. specs. said 6.

Couple more weekends of campin' planned. Gonna wait until it cools down some, although the A/C works fine. Just don't enjoy sitting in it all day in the woods or sweating all day. Should've gone to the lake this particular past weekend, not the river. Spring and fall are more my "outdoors activity" temperatures.

-CC

 

[dm]

I have one, and one of these days I'm going to use it.

 

[REWahoo]

I have one, and one of these days I'm going to use it.

You need a bigger truck.

 

[fisherman]

Bought a 28ft travel trailer three years ago. We split time between it and the lake house when the kids are not in school. I also use it for fishing trips. Yes DW lets me take trips without her and the kids some.

The first year we just took short trips of 200 miles or less and probably use it about 40 days that year.

The second year we went out West, Middle and Northern routes. We covered around 8300 miles over 43 days in it and had a blast. We also took a few short trips during the spring, fall and winter in it for a total of about 60 days use that year.

This year we again went out West, California and Southern routes in it. We covered about 6700 miles in 36 days this time. We also used it in January and Spring Break so far this year about fifty days.

The kids at this point really like it as we do and we have some incredible memories now from the trips to date.

Not saying it is cheaper or more expensive to travel this way but we like it a lot.

It doubles as another bedroom and bath at the lake house when we are not traveling.

 

[dm]

You need a bigger truck.

I just picked up a Hensley hitch, so I'm still spending money on the RV. Just before we planned to take our first trip the motor went out on the truck, so we were not able to go


So after having a new motor installed in the truck, we are going to have to make due with what we have.

 

[REWahoo]

I just picked up a Hensley hitch, so I'm still spending money on the RV. Just before we planned to take our first trip the motor went out on the truck, so we were not able to go


So after having a new motor installed in the truck, we are going to have to make due with what we have.

Have you had your trailer weighed fully loaded with all your camping gear? I noticed on another thread your truck is rated for 7,000 lbs and that baby looks like it might be more than that - especially once you get some groceries in it.

 

[ls99]

I have one, and one of these days I'm going to use it.

I'm guessing that is 28' and will gross around 8000 to 9000lb. Was eyeballing it compared to my 24' Argosy. On flat land you might be ok, getting into the mountains not so ok.

 

[REWahoo]

My concern would be more about stopping it than pulling it....

 

[ls99]

Ya, that is the problem.

My expereience, if trailer brakes are good and adjusted fairly tight, the trailer can stop the whole shebang. Would not want to rely on that exclusively.

A minor glitch in the electrical brake circuit and one is SOL. Big time.