Considering an RV purchase

[jacknife]

Look at Artic Fox travel trailers . Built in Oregon well made and insulated. Many happy customers

 

[Shadrach]

I have camped since the sixties in a trailer of some kind. Here is my advise to a newbie

Rent one several times and rent several different sizes and types. Then buy a used one. Don't expect your first one to be your last one. Your needs and wants will change. It takes time to figure out what you want/need. Be realistic. You DON'T need to take it all with you for the weekend. If you and your travelling partner aren't on the same page you are in for trouble. The only way to avoid this is to travel with a dog instead of a woman


I had a guy come to buy a generator for his new trailer and tow vehicle. He though he would save money by not getting the built in generator. He had bought a GMC Suburban and a 30' TT and thought he had it all figured out until I asked him where he planned on carrying the portable genset. "In the back of the GMC" he told me, looking at me with a strange look. Even if you don't think that that is dangerous think about the smell from gas on a hot day in an enclosed space. If you haven't travelled or camped before you retire what makes you think you will like it just because you have retired?


Just my two bits. David

 

[MJReynolds]

My wife and I have been looking for our next RV for the past year or so. It will be the one for us when we retire and don't take the kids except occasionally. We want a travel trailer less than 30 ft so we can get into some smaller places and if we go with a trailer we've narrowed it down to either a Grand Design Imagine or Wildcat Maxx. Both seem to be very well made and have good layouts and features. Also like the Arctic Fox (or anything by Northwood Manufacturing) as they're well made but they don't have any floorplans for us under 30 ft. The Arctic Fox are made in eastern Oregon, close for you if you need service. The Lance travel trailers are nice, light and very well made but much much more expensive than anything else. The only way the Lance makes sense to me is if you save money by having a smaller less expensive tow vehicle.

We've also been considering the option of getting a motorhome and then towing a smaller vehicle behind it. The main reason for that is my wife won't drive the truck towing the trailer and we've found that driving the truck around some places where we've camped can be a hassle. Last summer we went to the Monterey and Carmel area of the CA coast and parking the truck, especially in Carmel, was a chore. Having a smaller vehicle to use would make things easier, especially since we plan to stay longer at the places we go to. At the RV show we went to last year we came across a Class C we both surprisingly we both liked, the Dynamax Isata 5. It's based on the Ram 5500 Chasis Cab with the 6.7 Cummins and the Aisin transmission and they even have a 4x4 option. My wife even said she would drive the motorhome. It's basically just like our trucks in the cab.

The main problem with the motorhome option is cost. We can get a nice travel trailer for under $30K and we've already got the tow vehicle for at least a few more years. The motorhome is between $125 and $140K and the vehicle to tow would be another $25 to $35K. We've got a couple of more years before we need to get anything so for now we'll just keep seeing what's out there.

 

[Crotchety Codger]

Good questions and thanks for the reply!

1. Just an old, beater Alaskan camper, the pop-up hydraulic one. A rental is certainly a good idea, especially if I can find a make/model that I might want to purchase.

2. We would likely do one to two week trips. Maybe a longer trip, once or twice a year.

3. No plans for guests. Wife, me and a couple killer Boston Terriers!

4. Full kitchen and a full bath, no tub needed.

5. I try to buy one time. LOL Thats why I'm considering a new truck. The RV thing is kind of new with us, but has been appealing for a few years and as we get closer to retirement, it seems like a real good option for the things we like to do.

One additional consideration that the original questions/suggestions prompted from me (my wife and I are also considering some type of camper - we'd settled on an Arctic Fox for the truck bed until I learned that my truck won't carry the weight legally, so we're now looking at 5th wheels for all the reasons mentioned in another comment). What weather will you be travelling in? Summer only, spring through fall, winter also? Some campers are well insulated; some are not.

As someone else already mentioned, where you plan to go is important to your choice - my wife likes places far from the beaten path, so our eventual choice may not look anything like yours, but the 5th wheels may prove a bit more maneuverable on the roads less traveled.

 

[gtoli]

Don't wait for retirement to go RVing! You are not guaranteed a tomorrow let alone good health. After watching my folks's health go downhill to the point they were not able to go RVing like they planned in their retirement we decided to not put things like this off. So we use weekends and vacation time NOW to go RVing.

Well said. The wife and I are planning on retiring in about 6 years and full timing. Until then we go to the forest/desert, visit family or just travel to places we haven't been to yet just to get out and enjoy our RV.
We are on our second rig. First was 24' travel trailer and current is 36' 5th wheel toy hauler. I have been able to fit my rig in several Oregon state parks along the coast. It was tight but we fit.

 

[6V92TA]

FWIW a 30 foot bumper pull trailer makes for as big of a combination vehicle as a 35 foot fifth wheel