DW has a RV question?

[Grumpy and Grandma 739]

The affordable ones all seem to have gas engines. How do they do out west in the mountains? .

As Dave said that V-10 is a great engine we had it in our 2001 JAYCO 32' MH. We took it out West including the Canadian Rockies, pulling a Chev S-10 and it did an outstanding job. We averaged 7.5 on that trip. The newer engines have more HP and are more efficient.

[djsamuel 322]

OK. I guess it's time to come clean.

For the last 13 years we've been in a MH and in July we went to look at the new SENECA since I am one who does not want a class "A" for numerous reasons. The primary one being I want something between me and the bumper besides the windshield. Well for numerous reasons we did not like any of them. Then we spotted a new FW floorplan from JAYCO and when Grandma walked in her reaction was the same as when she first sat in our current SENECA, "SOLD". So now have an order in for a new JAYCO PINNACLE that we will have for our Jan trip to the FORT. There is a very slim possibility that we will have it for October. We had 2 FW prior to the MH's so it will not be a new experience.

Here is Grandma's new retirement home, but with a lighter material on the furniture.

http://www.jayco.com/products/fifth-wheels/2015-pinnacle/38flsa/

And to answer your question Ray we've had a wide variety of units, starting with a pop-up and we don't regret any of the purchasess. The biggest reason for the new change is because when we bought the SENECA we knew we would be doing many 2-4 week trips, but never knew we would be doing 3 month trips so the additional space will almost be like home since we only use 4 rooms out of 7 when we are home. As far as getting a MH and towing a car any front wheel drive car is towable with a dolly, so depending on what kind of car you have at home that may be a wash.

The things to really look at are how much space do you need to be comfortable and how long will the trips be in duration and what are you comfortable driving? I have a CDL so it really doesn't matter and Linda has never towed or driven any of them.

And as I said earlier I don't travel much over 350 miles a day and haven't for many, many years, but I have always been fortunate enough to have the vac time (and now we're on permanent vacation) to not have to rush.

Good luck in your decision making.

 

That is a beautiful unit.  Best of luck!

[djsamuel 322]

It all depends on your use.  In our case, my wife and I are recent empty nesters, plus our dog died last year.  So, now that it is just the two of us, we have the ability to be more flexible, apart from our jobs.  My wife grew up camping with her parents and 5 brothers and sisters (8 years between oldest and youngest).  Her parents progressed from a ten foot Scotty ending at a 31 ft Airstream.  So, she was used to a TT.  I had never camped, but leaned towards a TT as well since I could use the pickup for other things (we live in a rural area near Disney) and I also like the ability to easily replace the tow vehicle without having to replace the trailer.  Having the tow vehicle to drive once at a destination is a nice perk as well.  Anyway, we purchased a Camplite 21BHS TT which we absolutely love for our situation.  (CLICK HERE) .  The camper has no wood, an aluminum roof,  is light weight and tows great with my Ram 1500.  In addition, it is large enough for my wife and I with a full size queen bed plus two bunks and a bed at the dinette if others come along.  On Mother's Day we stayed at the fort and our daughter and her husband stayed with us in the bunks.  Worked great. 

 

Our intended use is monthly long weekend trips to the Fort or state parks, with one or two longer trips a year.  For example, in three weeks, we'll be heading to the Grand Canyon and Moab Utah for 3 weeks.  Our camper fits us perfectly for that.  However, we frequently look around at Camping World and my wife will often point out (correctly) that she could never full time in a camper like ours.  In that case, we would probably move up to a fifth wheel.  However, our camper's size and design makes it easy to tow and REALLY easy to back into some tight campsites. 

 

So in other words, look at a LOT of campers and consider your use scenarios.  Be sure to filter out gimmicky things that may be enticing but would be a nuisance over time, and you will find yourself gravitating to a certain model.  Or like Grumpy and Grandma stated earlier, sometimes you'll just know you found the right one.  With our camper, after we looked at the Camplite, we found ourselves comparing every other model to that.  It just clicked with us.  When we got our pickup, I knew we found it when my wife got in and the first word out of her mouth was "Wow!".  It made her a pickup fan!

 

Best of luck.

[caveat lector 181]

Depending on your situation, a Popup,TT,5er,MH,gas, or diesel is the perfect solution. If there weren't people buying each of them, they wouldn't be made. I have a 30ft TT with a bunkhouse, pulled by '11 F250 diesel. Lots of room, easy to pull, separate entities, less money tied up when not in use. If money was no object, I would upgrade to a top of the line 5er toy hauler with slides within slides.

In my 20'/s, I loved driving 15-20 hours

30's it was 18 max

40's it is 16 max

No matter what you get, it's the lifestyle you're buying into. Freedom, flexibility, and a lot of fun.

[Millermouseketeers MaryAnn 150]

One of the biggest factors in our decision to get a Class A was not having a tow vehicle. We have a Van that we towed our pup with but it would have to be replaced so that made a big difference. We would have to buy a new vehicle plus the trailer or fifth wheel.

Good luck with the decision.

[ftwildernessguy 778]

Depending on your situation, a Popup,TT,5er,MH,gas, or diesel is the perfect solution. If there weren't people buying each of them, they wouldn't be made. I have a 30ft TT with a bunkhouse, pulled by '11 F250 diesel. Lots of room, easy to pull, separate entities, less money tied up when not in use. If money was no object, I would upgrade to a top of the line 5er toy hauler with slides within slides.

In my 20'/s, I loved driving 15-20 hours

30's it was 18 max

40's it is 16 max

No matter what you get, it's the lifestyle you're buying into. Freedom, flexibility, and a lot of fun.

When you hit your 50's you start to wonder what the rush is all about, so you go down to 10 hours.

[arthuruscg 34]

We have 2 kids (4y and 2m) and are currently using a popup that was towed behind the 08 Subaru outback and now a 04 Mercury Montery (ford minivan). The next camping trailer/rv is going to be a MH, most likely a Class C.

 

Both the wife and I commute and don't like driving big vehicles in DC traffic. So, if I bought a truck it would be sitting a lot anyways. Trucks also don't have that much room in the cab for the family (borrowed my brothers F150 to test). The full sized vans are great for families and dogs, but the chassis in production are from the 80s and the new Ford Transit does not have a good enough tow rating.

 

With that said, if I can get my grandpa's winnebago elandan (class A) that has not moved in a few years, it would also work great because it has a full bed over the driver/passanger like the Class C cab overs.

[DinDavie 37]

Ray, I drove my Class A Ford V-10 from FL to Yellowstone then down to Pheonix then across to Houston then back home towing a Chevy Equinox 4 down.  The Mountains in Arizona were the steepest both up and down.  On an 8% grade I was most comfortable doing 35 MPH at 3500 RPM.  Truckers behind me had a different opinion about the proper speed.  I think your best bet would be a TT that you could tow with the Yukon.  When you get older you can always trade it in on a dream machine.  But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong. 

[LONE-STAR 370]

My work truck is a f350 with a v10 and a 4:30 rearend it pulls our backhoe fine. 7 mpg

That said my personal truck is a f350 6.7 diesel with a 3:55 rearend and all I can say is what back hoe is it back there? 10 to 12 mpg depending on speed while towing.

My v-10 has 110,000 miles on it and runs like new so in my book they are very good motors I had a friend with over 300,000 on his v-10 and still running.

[4mickey2 41]

we have had 3 truck campers, a jayco seneca similar to grumpy and grandmas and now an itasca navion (by winnebago).  the truck campers worked well for us when it was just the two of us and our two cats.  but, now we don't have cats and have 4 dogs.  they are small but they do use up floor space and couch space-lol.  we "loved" our seneca.  the floor plan was perfect for us and like g&g said we like to have something in front of us. but, as most people on here know - we are always changing things up and it was time for a change.  

 

i won't go to anything but a driver.  i really like the fivers that are available but, i have to move 4 dogs from the truck to the camper and back when we stop for anything.  so, that being said--with a motorhome i can get up and use the bathroom, make lunch, grab snacks at anytime.  the dogs are comfortable and when we make a quick stop they can sit in the a/c (gen running) if need be.  it is tighter in the navion but the fuel mileage is around 13-14 (sometimes more and hardly ever less).  

 

you do have to plan to "use" what you buy.  we have bought both mh's used and got really good prices on them.  all our deals were made (phone and email) before we saw them.  but, we knew what we wanted and were willing to spend.  if the mh wasn't right-we would walk away and trust me - we have.  we try to make sure we use our navion.  the size is perfect for us to drive anywhere we want.  it is like a large van and we don't need a tow vehicle.  i have driven all of our campers (truck campers, too) and with the gc on a trailer. we just took a road trip up the michigan side of wisconsin and this coming weekend are planning to take another trip-but we don't know where.  :)   that's just how we roll.

 

good luck on your decision and look at everything.  we love A's but, they aren't for us.  if i couldn't have a seneca or something like my navion-i would be all over a fiver. 

 

 

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

We didn't have campers when the boys were at home, we tent camped through Scouts, then I started tent camping at the Fort on my annual December solo trip, then I started wanting a bed and a roof. I seriously looked at standard teardrops for awhile, then found the T@B that I now own. I love my baby, and will never give it up. However, having said all that, if I do get to retire, or work as a consultant where I can take extended vacations, we're pretty sure the fit for Rick and myself will be a Class C of some sort.

 

We don't want the over cab bunk though, we want the entertainment center up front. A walk around bed, decent size shower, a sofa with the table that mounts on a center post (so we can simply just not use it) and the ability to pull a cart/car combo.

 

Our rule with the kids coming with us, is to get their own accommodations, or toss up a tent behind us. They are young and broke, so usually toss up the tent behind us :)

[ceemike...Mike & Judy 50]

 

i won't go to anything but a driver.  i really like the fivers that are available but, i have to move 4 dogs from the truck to the camper and back when we stop for anything.  so, that being said--with a motorhome i can get up and use the bathroom, make lunch, grab snacks at anytime.  the dogs are comfortable and when we make a quick stop they can sit in the a/c (gen running) if need be.  it is tighter in the navion but the fuel mileage is around 13-14 (sometimes more and hardly ever less).  

 

  the size is perfect for us to drive anywhere we want.  it is like a large van and we don't need a tow vehicle.  

 

The Winnebago View/Itasca Navion is another model the DW & I have been looking at for the future. I was happy to see you say it drives like a large van. We would eventually like to travel without a toad.

[4mickey2 41]

it really is easy to drive and park.