Buying a camper in retirement ... dumb idea?

[pb4uski]

In the time that we owned our travel trailer we did a couple "big" trips.

One was a roughly month trip out to Arizona that DW and I took and visited friends and relatives along the way in addition to general touring that we timed to end in Austin, TX for Christmas and then to Florida to snowbird for the winter after the Christmas holidays.

Another was another month-long trip that DS accommpanied us on out to the Badlands, Custer, Devil's Tower, Mt. Rushmore, etc. DS was in the process of moving to Austin to be closer to his sister, DBIL and nephew. We had not spent that much time together for a long while and throughly enjoyed it.

In addition to that we did numerous shorter trips. One of the most memorable was to Everglades. DW made the campground reservation. When we went to put the trailer in the campsite I walked around to find where the water and electricity were. There we none. DW had reserved a site that had no water or electrical hookups so we limped along on battery and propane for 3 nights.

 

[Redbugdave]

Sooner or later a camper's roof will leak. All the movement of travel or just sitting in the weather makes it inevitable. I vote for either using a rental camper and trips just staying in hotels/motels/cabins.

 

[AudiDudi]

We moved up from a pickup slide in camper (bought in 1985) to a 28ft pullbehind in 1998 figuring it would be paid off by the time we decided to retire. Semi-retirement came earlier than expected (1999). I was doing contract software work during the winters at a megacorp in WA so the trailer came in handy to live in. I had 8 months of the year free to traavel around. I rememeber about the 2nd week of me working and DW home all day, I said "well, I guess we've proved we can live in the trailer for a while" DW promptly answered with "No, we've proved *I* can live in the trailer as long as you are gone 12 hrs/day.

In January 2013, DW says "why do't we go to AZ this winter and see what the old folks do" (we were 61 and 62). Long story short, after 3 weeks we got a great price a 40 ft 5th wheel that is on a permanent site and have spent 13 winters there. (so far). In 2017, DW suggested we buy a small motor home so we could travel around in the summer and back and forth to AZ as we weren't getting any younger. Fast forward 9 years and DWs health has declined and at 74/75 we are definitely slowing down. No more easy 2 mile loop hikes.

I would say go for it while you still can and have your health. As has been mentioned, you can always change your mind and if you get a good deal on something you like that is used, you won't lose too much.

 

[finnski1]

We have camped for a couple of decades now. I think you answered your own question by renting 4 seasons in a row.
I would look at A-frame pop ups. We checked out the Aliner Evolution and it would be a breeze to tow with your ranger or a larger SUV.
Dry weight of 2390
stowed height of only 69" this is the big deal. No big sail behind you, steering your lighter tow rig.
It stows in a typical garage. This might alter things for you.
It has a Heat Pump that is built in to a seat at the back, taking care of air-conditioning and providing heat when you are plugged in.
Your own shower.
Evolution LG - Aliner

There are lighter and less expensive models.
We gravitated to this one because It replaced the functionality of our much larger 5th wheel.

Aliners are great. We towed one 8800 miles cross country and back a few years ago. Got 16 mpg towing it with my Toyota Tacoma which only gets 20 mpg non towing. Set up in literally less than 60 seconds, as you said, no sail behind you, no white knuckle driving etc. Can find nice condition used ones in the $15k range to boot.

 

[skyking1]

City parks and fair grounds can also be good. Also COE camprounds.

we have stayed at many county fairgrounds in California. Our favorite in wine country is the Cloverdale Citrus Fairgrounds. It is secure, easy to park and then in our case leave the trailer and go exploring in the pickup.
It is at the north end of the valley and perfect for heading out to Navarro and Mendocino and Fort Bragg. Still close to the rest of the wineries to the south.
RV Sites - Cloverdale Citrus Fair

If you want to be close to Napa and Sonoma, stay at Skyline Wilderness Park.
Book a stay at Skyline Wilderness Park

Mariposa for visiting Yosemite
Mariposa Fairgrounds RV Park and Campgrounds | Mariposa, CA

 

[finnski1]

There are people who want RVs to camp at commercial campgrounds, where a nearby hotel might work, but they have various good reasons for not wanting that experience.

Then, there are people who want a more rugged RV to stay places where there are no nearby hotels. These are places 99% of people don't go and wouldn't have any interest in going. That is us. The rugged RV can also stay in a campground or at a state park (some state parks have *awesome* campgrounds). We are in Western CO.

No way am I going to list our secret dispersed National Forest and BLM spots. But I'll give you some state parks: Golden Gate, Ridgway State Parks in Colorado, and Dead Horse Point State Park in Utah. All three have hiking and mountain biking right out your camper door. At Ridgway you can stay in a site with full hookups and walk five minutes or less to fantastic trout fishing, At Dead Horse Point you can walk to one of the most photographed overlooks in the USA, then hop on your ebike or mountain bike and ride miles of great trails. Golden Gate is a fantastic park in Fall, with great hikes through the aspens, and some really rugged MTB trails open to ebikes.

Add to that the developed national areas, like Great Sand Dunes, Colorado National Monument, Mesa Verde, Black Canyon, Rocky Mountain, Hovenweep, Capitol Reef (one of the coolest campgrounds anywhere), Arches. Mesa Verde has a kind of "meh" hotel in the park, but the others do not, and it is many miles to hotels from some of them.

Some people are not "campers" and I get that, but you simply are not going to get the same experience in a hotel, even one in the middle of a park. There are lights, noise, and other "urban" intrusions.

We stayed at Ridgeway and Golden Gate on our trip x country in 2022. Beautiful campgrounds and area. Especially loved Ridgeway and doing the million-dollar road to Silverton.

 

[CindyBlue]

We really enjoyed our Aliner until recently, and I highly recommend them...but what finally drove us to sell it was the noise of other campers. Camping just isn't the same as it used to be. People aren't as considerate as in the past. More people run generators many more hours, more people aren't aware of the amount of noise they make, more people stay up very late with their bright camping lights and loud music. We were staying outdoors in beautiful areas, but they just weren't peaceful anymore.

 

[albireo13]

We are going back and forth on it now.
We rented an Aliner about 4 years ago. It was a breeze to tow but we didn't like it much.
The interior was cramped and I could only stand up in the middle of the A-frame. The Aliner Evolution looks nicer.

My wife is a tough cookie ... outdoorsy, loves camping. We have plans to tent camp up in Acadia in 2 months.
If we somehow end up with a camper, we could bring that.

 

[finnski1]

We are going back and forth on it now.
We rented an Aliner about 4 years ago. It was a breeze to tow but we didn't like it much.
The interior was cramped and I could only stand up in the middle of the A-frame. The Aliner Evolution looks nicer.

My wife is a tough cookie ... outdoorsy, loves camping. We have plans to tent camp up in Acadia in 2 months.
If we somehow end up with a camper, we could bring that.

We sold our Aliner but it worked out fine for our x country trip. You are correct, it is nearly 8ft tall at the center peak but slopes off quickly. The 2 things we didn't like were the lack of overhead storage (everything under bench seat which grew old accessing) and no bathroom, though it did have an outdoor shower. We now have the previously mentioned Livin Lite camplite 14-footer with a slide out. Full head room everywhere, large internal shower, lots of storage and all aluminum construction for a dry weight of only 2700 lbs. Tows well with a V6 Toyota Tacoma.

 

[ransil]

We started in a tent and moved up thru the years, tent camper, truck camper, class C now class A.

tent cheap we were poor

tent camper dryer than a tent.

truck camper PIA to load & unload, dry, cool/heat ok, no room, mostly uncomfortable

Class C more convenient, leave lots of stuff in it ready to go , uncomfortable

Class A 45ft just like a house, had better nicer stuff than my house, I did need to change the couch for a more comfortable one , sleep number king bed , 4 TV's ( more than my house only use 1 of them) residential fridge, stacked washer dryer, lots of room to move around , one does not have to sit down for the other to move about.

We looked for 10 years for the best RV for our retirement plans trying to figure out what would be best for us, I think we got it right, 4 yrs so far all is good.

You gotta be handy to deal with an RV, little things all the time and major things do come up, I have a de-rate on the engine right now and a leaking radiator, my attempt at the derate has not worked out and I was going to R&R the radiator but I decided to take it to a shop, hard to do when you live in it full time, I'll know next Thursday how it goes, radiator was $4005 labor rate is $175 hr est 8 hrs +/- , de-rate issue I already thru $750 at it.

yearly maintenance DIY is around $800 , holds 50 qt of oil, oil filters cost $75 and air filters are $250.
plus a half dozen other filters.

IMO covered storage is needed for campers, they don't do well sitting in the element all year , roof always needs a look at multiple time a year to head off leaks, critters will get into it and make a mess and eat wiring.

The RV industry is down to 3 companies ( Rev group, Thor and Winnebago) , those 3 companies own all the sub brands including Airstream and most of the component suppliers, there were a lot of manufactures before 2008 not so now.

since this is a Financial forum I was well aware selling my apricating asset for a depreciating asset was a stupid financial move but planned for it for the way I wanted to do my retirement.

 

[Doolish1]

I am excited to start early retirement and get myself a travel trailer for me and the dogs to go on a couple trips with the community RV club.

 

[38Chevy454]

An RV is the most expensive dog hauler you can get.

I wouldn't have it any other way, and my dogs love going camping. No hassles or extra fees to get a hotel that accepts dogs.

 

[skyking1]

An RV is the most expensive dog hauler you can get.

I wouldn't have it any other way, and my dogs love going camping. No hassles or extra fees to get a hotel that accepts dogs.

Our 5th wheel trailer was much cooler than the truck for those grocery stops along the way. So nice to put the pups in there while we were shopping.
We traveled to California a couple of times with our dogs. The trailer made it easy.

 

[mountainox]

We're 71 and 73 years of age and have been RVing since 1999. We're on only our 2nd motorhome with the current one being a Class A 35 ft gasoline model. We have three slide outs, two heat pumps, a convection microwave and a king size bed. It's very comfortable and I'm just waiting for the sun to come up to see my favorite doe and her fawn come within 20 feet of our back door.

We've near the terminus of a six-week trip that's taken us from NC to VA, NY, VT, OH and now in Canaan Valley, WV. The technology of RVs has changed so much in the past 27 years. I'm communicating via a Starlink Mini on a tripod in the middle of almost heaven.

I advise any potential camper owner to be aware of two liabilities. If you're not able to mechanically diagnose problems and solve them, you'll become very aware of a very expensive venture. Secondly, assess your patience because problems do arise.

Before I left for this trip, I was fueling the beast at my favorite hometown gas station, and the local funeral director was refueling his hearse just across from me. He remarked that it must be awfully expensive to buy fuel. I glanced at the pump as it crept past $200.00 and told him that he of all people should know that you can't take it with you.

Gotta go as my doe and her baby are here. Best of luck on your decision.

 

[DrRoy]

Camping is a lifestyle choice, and it's simply not for us.

We have no interest in driving an RV, towing a trailer, or sleeping in a small, confined space. In fact, if we won an RV for free, I would probably sell it the next day.

That said, we do enjoy staying in unique accommodations when we travel.

For example, in Australia we stayed in a cabin that was more than 600 square feet, with two bedrooms, a full kitchen, all the amenities, and a nice porch. It was located close to a small local town, giving us easy access to restaurants, shops, and attractions.

The cabin was larger, more comfortable, and less expensive than many motels we considered. It gave us some of the benefits of a camping environment, nature, peace, and space, without the inconveniences of an RV or traditional camping. Basically, it wasn't camping .

This is us, too. We rented a small Winnebago once, to be right at a remote location where there was no lodging anywhere near by. We had bad luck and several things went wrong. We might try a rental again, but would never buy one. It's a very personal choice, though.

 

[fognostic]

There are a lot of pluses to RV camping. The views, camp social vibe, travel with pets, the bathroom is always right behind you for rest stops wherever. I get it. But $45K divided by $300 / night at a hotel or remote Airbnb is a month of deluxe glamping per year for 5 years. More than a month if you dial the $300 budget back to less deluxe options. Either way, you get maid service. No tank dumping. Long hot showers. Full size bathrooms. King beds. No extra gas, difficult RV driving, or maintenance that probabaly offset any RV re-sale value when you are done with it.

In between those luxury stays, your truck still has plenty of room for regular camping equipment to immerse yourself in remote nature camping. You could even upgrade to a camper shell for those trips and never pitch a tent again, if you are not hiking into a more remote camp site anyway.

If you think you might prefer the hotel or airbnb 75% of the time - and prefering the RV because you've sunk $45K into it so dang it you're going to use it now doesn't count LOL - I'd say skip it. I've heard more than one RV owner wonder in hindsight why they didn't just decide to travel more absent buying an RV, and do it staying at airbnbs and hotels. Put the $45K into a separate account and dare yourselves to spend it if that helps.

 

[38Chevy454]

Trying to make the RV decision based on financial aspects will never come out positive for RV purchases. You have an RV for intangible non-financial reasons.

 

[FD1000]

When comparing an RV to traveling by car and staying in hotels or motels, you have to consider the total cost and overall experience—not just the nightly campground fee.

Some of the major factors include:

• The upfront purchase price of the RV.
• Ongoing expenses such as maintenance, fuel, repairs, insurance, registration, storage, campground fees, and depreciation.
• The downtime, inconvenience, and frustration when something breaks and needs to be repaired.
• The limited living space compared to a hotel room, cabin, or vacation rental.
• The added stress of driving a large vehicle on winding, narrow, or unfamiliar roads.
• The convenience of using a regular vehicle that is easier to drive, park, and use for everyday sightseeing.

Hotel travel also doesn't have to be expensive. I've traveled extensively around the world and have rarely paid anywhere near $300 per night. We've stayed in many excellent 3- and 4-star hotels, B&Bs, and apartments at very reasonable prices.

For me, the maintenance alone would be enough to rule out RV ownership. I've kept my personal vehicles in excellent condition for more than 30 years, with only one major repair, which was a manufacturer defect. I'd rather spend my vacations exploring new places than worrying about fixing or maintaining an RV.

Over the years, I've intentionally stayed away from anything that I thought would become a recurring headache—whether it's an RV, rental property, a boat, or even a swimming pool.

All of them can be enjoyable, but they also require ongoing maintenance, repairs, time, and money. For me, the added responsibility simply isn't worth it.

I'd rather keep my life simple and spend my time traveling, investing, and enjoying retirement than maintaining things that constantly need attention. When I need something ST I pay for it.

We've lived our lives by Voltaire's observation: "Common sense is not so common."
That simple idea has guided many of our decisions over the years.

 

[TripleLindy]

Hotel travel also doesn't have to be expensive.

True, but after “saving” $60k+ by avoiding the RV expenses, live large!!

 

[Trailwalker]

My preferred hotel.

 

[youbet]

In addition to that we did numerous shorter trips. One of the most memorable was to Everglades. DW made the campground reservation. When we went to put the trailer in the campsite I walked around to find where the water and electricity were. There we none. DW had reserved a site that had no water or electrical hookups so we limped along on battery and propane for 3 nights.

We used our little camper to winter in Florida for 7 years staying a week or so at at a time at various sites up and down the Panhandle and the Gulf Coasts. One year, we met friends at Everglades National Park (where you stayed) and were lucky enough to reserve an electric site. Despite it being February, temps were high and we really appreciated running the airco much of the time. It's a great national park to visit in the winter and we enjoyed hiking, guided and solo canoe trips, nature excursions on foot and by boat and just hanging with friends while thinking about the blizzards going on back in Chicago. We thought the staff of Park Rangers were great folks and we learned a lot and had great experiences!

We consider ourselves campers rather than RV'ers. The only camper we've ever owned is our 17 year old 2010 Aliner which we've towed for over 70k miles with our 1999 F-150. We were 63 yo when we purchased the Aliner new but were already experienced "campers" (not RV'ers) from decades of backpacking and canoe camping.

To OP: If you don't enjoy solving mechanical problems, have some mechanical skills and realize that even high end campers/RV's suffer from getting shaken as you put on 10k's miles, buying one might not be a good choice for you. I read many FB forums on camping/RVing and those groups are full of newbies disappointed that their new rig isn't as turn-key and trouble-free as they were expecting.

DW and I usually camp with clubs or friends we've now known for years. As we get older, currently 79, we're glad that skilled friends are around if something comes up. One buddy was an automotive hobbyist, another sold software and I was an electronic tech, so we can handle most things that come up. If you're expecting to buy a rig and have everything be flawless over the years, you're likely to be disappointed.

 

[TripleLindy]

Lance had a good rep. We almost bought their 19' model, where the bed folded back into a sofa. Layout was perfect, but it was still too much trailer for the Yukon.

 

[Choosehappy]

We bought a 25’ Class C Sprinter van motorhome shortly after we retired at 58 years old pretty much on a whim. That was 6 years ago and we’ve since moved up to a 30’ motorhome and tow a jeep. We had never really camped before. It has allowed us to take the furries (2 german shepherds and a cat) with us on our vacations. They love it as much as we do! We like to hike and mountain bike so we’re having fun exploring our great nation.

 

[pb4uski]

Lance had a good rep. We almost bought their 19' model, where the bed folded back into a sofa. Layout was perfect, but it was still too much trailer for the Yukon.

Or travel trailer had a jack knife sofa in front of the Murphy bed and once the jackknife sofa was put down it was complely flat and a great spot for an afternoon nap or a power nap in a rest area while traveling.

The slide needed to be extended in order for the Murphy bed to go down but for short naps the jack knife sofa was great.

 

[Choosehappy]

There are people who want RVs to camp at commercial campgrounds, where a nearby hotel might work, but they have various good reasons for not wanting that experience.

Then, there are people who want a more rugged RV to stay places where there are no nearby hotels. These are places 99% of people don't go and wouldn't have any interest in going. That is us. The rugged RV can also stay in a campground or at a state park (some state parks have *awesome* campgrounds). We are in Western CO.

No way am I going to list our secret dispersed National Forest and BLM spots. But I'll give you some state parks: Golden Gate, Ridgway State Parks in Colorado, and Dead Horse Point State Park in Utah. All three have hiking and mountain biking right out your camper door. At Ridgway you can stay in a site with full hookups and walk five minutes or less to fantastic trout fishing, At Dead Horse Point you can walk to one of the most photographed overlooks in the USA, then hop on your ebike or mountain bike and ride miles of great trails. Golden Gate is a fantastic park in Fall, with great hikes through the aspens, and some really rugged MTB trails open to ebikes.

Add to that the developed national areas, like Great Sand Dunes, Colorado National Monument, Mesa Verde, Black Canyon, Rocky Mountain, Hovenweep, Capitol Reef (one of the coolest campgrounds anywhere), Arches. Mesa Verde has a kind of "meh" hotel in the park, but the others do not, and it is many miles to hotels from some of them.

Some people are not "campers" and I get that, but you simply are not going to get the same experience in a hotel, even one in the middle of a park. There are lights, noise, and other "urban" intrusions.

We love staying at Ridgeway State Park. We don’t fish, but we really enjoy mountain biking on the RAT trails about 5 miles south of the park off the highway. Colorado is one of our favorite states to ride in, especially Durango.