Anyone into this. While in isolation, been watching youtubes. Now I've gotten to watching people reviewing RV and Motorhomes. Shit looks pretty fun. Yay or Nay?
I dunno, I think some disaster prepper types will buy them so they can drive away and live in the wilderness or some shit.
But it'd be cool to just drive around, pull into a walmart and nap. Probably cheaper to drive and stay in hotels though over the long term I'd imagine. Liked the idea of going to events and just waiting the traffic out in the parking lot, taking a nap, etc.
Have one, it is set up with solar. I can live very comfy off grid. Spent a total of two years boondocking on the beaches in Baja Mx. What a blast! It is next to my house now, ready to move in just in case we lose electric power. I only use it in remote areas without services. It is a toyhauler RV with a fishing boat stored inside. There is not a perfect model for everyone. Look for one that fits your style and needs, not what the salesmen tell you is the best model. Glad to answer any questions anyone has about them.
My parents have one. I would love one, if I had time to use it. I think if I retired though, RV life would be hella fun. Or if this shit turns into The Stand and I'm immune. Then I'm definitely finding an RV.
I follow this guy on Youtube who has a trailer RV thing. Its a great channel, he's just chillin driving everywhere. https://www.youtube.com/user/TravelingRobert
we have a small 5th wheel. Love it. Graduated from a camper. IMO, 5th wheels are best for rougher country camping. Ours is only 24 feet long and doesn't have a walk-in bedroom up front which is what makes for the crazy tall 5th wheels you see on the road. For backing up, trailers have quicker reactions to steering because the pivot point is a few feet behind the rear axle; better mechanical advantage. 5th wheels load over the rear axle so they are a little slower to begin turns and end turns. A little bigger learning curve for backing into spots. On the other hand, because of loading over the axle 5th wheels handle much better in wind. Trailers have leverage over the haul vehicle in wind and are scarier to drive when it's windy; less control. 5th wheels are also much easier and faster to load and unload for one person. if you never plan on traveling rougher gravel roads, then a motorhome works well. They can be really expensive though. But you also have to account for the cost of tow vehicles to get close to an apples to apples gauge in cost. Most motorhomes get lousy fuel mileage though I have an F-350 with a powerstroke diesel and a utility body with lots of storage. Because we mostly dry camp, I have four 6-volt batteries and 375 watts of solar panel on top. I got tired of the maintenance headaches with wet-cell batteries and went with AGM. Cost twice as much but minimal maintenance. Since in the summer we usually take 3 trips over the mountains to Eastern Oregon (also Nevada and Idaho), I've learned to carry two spare tires for both the pickup and 5th wheel. Nothing like getting a flat when you're 80 miles from the nearest tire dealer with 30 miles of gravel roads in between (and no cell service). Kind of a nervous 80 mile trip in the winter, there are several state parks at the coast that are fun to camp in, and they have full hookups if you like rough country camping and have a half million dollars of mad money, you can get an EarthRoamer: https://earthroamer.com/lti-2/ and if you have a couple of million, you can get their deluxe model: https://earthroamer.com/ those things are insane. Kind of a fun fantasy, but how the hell do you change out a flat tire that weighs 180 pounds?
Take it someplace and park it forever. But only when there is no wind. It would be a nightmare to tow. The bigger the RV, the more stressful it is driving on the highway. Plus the bigger they are, the more fuel it takes to tow them.
In the 60’s I had VW camper, then a truck & camper. We had a motor home for a while but down sized to a 30’ Cougar which we love. We have 71 trips on it in 6 years, we play close to home allot and We love fishing lakes. I got a 12 foot inflatable with Yamaha and a Gregor 14’ with the Eddie loader.
I enjoy watching the videos on youtube of people who are "living in a van", tho Im not sure i'd do it. I'd rather have an RV if you asked me. I like SlimPotatohead and LivingTheVanLife (both on YT). Slim is a Canadian and tows around an A frame trailer (tho he's upgraded), and LTVL is out of the Seattle area, and goes deep into the woods in a 1980's Vanagon. I also enjoy ForestyForest, another Canadian who lives in/goes around in an older Chevy Venture. I've thought about buying an older RV and using it as a home instead of a house...but that'd only make sense if I could buy land and keep the RV in it and not be bothered by people.
I also have an inflatable, 14'. When deflated, it takes up little room in the RV. My king size bed raises and lowers to give me a ton of storage underneath. The boat travels under the bed. Both the couch and dining tables convert into beds. I have a nice private full bathroom, a complete kitchen with a second stand alone freezer. 100 gallons of water. All in a 25' toyhauler trailer, and easy to tow. BTW, I love Gregor boats. Done a ton of fishing in them. They sure can handle rough water for their size.
Nice! That’s a great set up, my son had a huge 40 plus toy hauler as they are into Razors and such as a fam. They haul 3 units in his hauler.
you can get all those things in trailers, 5th wheels, motorhomes, and campers for instance, here's about the smallest Northwood 5th wheel that company makes (Desert Fox): https://northwoodmfg.com/5th-wheels/fox-mountain/fox-mountain-235rls-2/ I'm not schilling for Northwood. I just picked them because I'm familiar with their RV's and they are headquarted in LaGrande, Oregon. There are many more manufacturers out there you could find about the same floor plan in one of their smaller trailers ***************************************************************** the same company also makes Arctic Fox campers. Here's a floor plan of their 2nd biggest model: https://northwoodmfg.com/truck-campers/arctic-fox-camper/af-camper-1140/ ********************************************************** be advised that campers feel smaller than their floor plans imply. The bathrooms are tiny. It also takes time to load and unload campers making them fairly unsuitable for camping in one spot if you want to explore. By contrast, a half a dozen times I've "dropped" my 5th wheel for 6-10 days in a spot in the Steens Mountains at about 6500'. With the pickup free, I can explore and drive around plenty. Take 200 mile day trips if I want, or go deep into the rough country on a 4X4 road. But you can't do that with a motorhome, and it's labor intensive to drop a camper in the boonies again, if you are sticking to pavement and don't mind changing spots often, a motorhome works. You can also get a motorhome powerful enough to tow a 'toad', which is a car you can then unhitch and explore with if you're dry camping you need to keep track of your tanks, fresh, gray, & black. For instance, that 5th wheel above has a 59 gallon freshwater tank; a 42 gallon gray water tank (sinks and shower), and a 36 gallon black water tank. That's pretty similar to what I have, except my fresh water tank is only 45 gallons. But we've camped in one spot for 10 days and didn't fill the waste tanks. Just about all these RV's will have outdoor showers too. most will have 60 lb propane tanks (10 gallons). Sometimes a single tank and sometimes double 30 lb tanks. Propane will supply your hot water, furnace, and cooktop/stove. It will also supply your refrigerator when you're dry camping. Most refrigerators are 2-way: AC electric and propane. But some are 3-way adding DC (direct current) from your 12 volt battery system. But you need a big battery bank to run the fridge. I don't think 3-way fridges are that practical, although if you're driving 6 hours on a hot day a 3-way fridge keeps the box cold without running the propane, and you're keeping the batteries charged with your truck if you're serious, and you start looking at new RV's, be prepared for some sticker shock. Campers can be crazy expensive. I've seen some new ones cost $70,000. Smaller 5th wheels and trailers can start around $20,000 new...and they don't get cheaper as you go bigger. I bought my 24' fifth wheel for about $16,000 about 15 years ago. Then I started adding extras and remodeling a bit. I think I ended up somewhere around $19,000 but you can find cheaper if you go used. Be prepared for some existing wear and tear though it's best to have a single membrane on the roof. You don't want seams, especially if you're in Oregon where it rains a lot my wife and I love to camp so even though the up-front cost was high, and there is maintenance, it's all been worth it never had a motorhome or coach. One advantage a camper and smaller coach have is they are easier to drive and maneuver. Towing a 5th wheel or trailer into a service station can be an ordeal sometimes. here's a rule: the amount of trouble you have backing into a spot with a trailer is directly proportional to the number of people watching you do it. It can be a humbling experience, especially when the spectators laugh and shake their heads....assholes
