Motorhome vs Trailer thoughts and experiences

I had 3 motorhomes. Then I tried a trailer. Now I'm on my 2nd motorhome since the trailer and would never do otherwise. Trailer is just too much hassle in my personal opinion. Get yourself a nice 24 ft. motorhome.

 

To the OP you didn't state what kind of finances you have going for you (without being specific). That in many ways will determine what kind of RV that will work for you. Also, what kind of person are you in regards to quality and accoutrements and the things you are used to before you venture off into the RV'ing lifestyle. If $$$ isn't an issue than I would follow the advice of the earlier post about the Class B + Sprinter Chassis Vans. Just down the quality scale Winnebago and others are coming out with the Ford and Dodge gas version of the Sprinters, at considerable savings. Slide outs, generators, solar power and anything you kind dream of in compact, maneuverable and easy to drive RV's. Today just about the biggest growth area in the motor home category is the small class A's. A lot more convenience and space with a great driving view point from rigs in the 25'-30' range. All the benefits of being contained in one unit whether it is to pull over in a rest stop or pulling into a campsite at night in the rain. Its not hard to pull a small car behind the motor home either, if you think you would need that. Good luck on your search and entering into a great lifestyle!

 

I am a single women with a trailer and have no trouble backing it up into a campsite and or unhooking it from my tow vehicle! I enjoy the freedom of a tow vehicle for sightseeing indoor shopping if necessary.

 

We started RVing with a Class C (MiniWinnie) which we really liked, but towing a car or other transport is a pain and the registration and insurance fees add up! We switched to a 5th Wheel and could not be happier. I see no reason why ANYBODY could not master hitching, unhitching and maneuvering a 5th wheel and the cost saving is significant. The ONLY downside to our 5er is that it does not have a "residential" refrigerator like many of the newer class A motorhomes.

 

This is one of those endless "Ford vs Chevy" topics for which there is no right or wrong answer. Each person tries to justify why they do what they do and neither group convinces the other. Suffice it to say that there are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches and each person needs to evaluate which ones are important to them. My wife and I have always had motorhomes and couldn't see ourselves doing anything else.

 

I disagree Docj.
For many of us there is a right or wrong answer and it starts with the pocket book. The price and cost of ownership differences between all of the different RV types is considerable.

I was able to purchase a new very nice truck and new very nice 30' trailer for $70K. A nice new truck and a nice new 5th wheel could be purchased for $100K. A nice small MH on a Sprinter chassis or a Class C would be a bit more still. Lots of folks can afford the examples above, but a very nice new Class A is out of our budget by about five times just for the purchase, and then there is the cost of ownership and a towed vehicle.
It's not about trying to convince or trying to justify for many of us. It's about economics.

 

The problem with your logic is that everyone's rationale contains both explicit and implicit assumptions. My wife and I also couldn't afford a new Class A with the features we wanted but we decided to buy an older, high-end MH rather than insisting on buying new. We spent less than $100k did but were able to go the Class A route by simply altering one of your implicit assumptions.

 

We bought a brand-new 2015 Ram 2500 diesel truck and a brand-new 2016 5th wheel trailer last year for less than your price for your truck and travel trailer. Guess the package price depends on where you shop for RVs.

 

If I'm not thinking incorrectly here I would think the reason why there are Class A, Class C, Class B, 5th wheelers and travel trailers, not to mention pickups with camper shells and popups, etc. all being made for sale to the public is because there are many different types of RVers. Class A folks prefer and expect certain things, same as do Campers with shells. IMHO (and believe me it can be humble at times ) what works for me doesn't mean it works for RickB, docj, fanrgs, Pupcamper58 or any of the others on this thread. We are all basically different in our wants and needs in an RV. Me personally, I wouldn't want to have to try and back a 35 foot plus long trailer or 5th wheel into a tight space but I am perfectly capable of backing our Class A into some pretty tight spots. A Class A just seemed to "work" for me the moment I first sat behind the wheel of one. What I get a big kick out of to this day is driving down the interstate and have a huge behemoth 45 foot Marathon DP slowly pass us by and look over and see a very senior female doing the driving honors. I'm not even close to trying one of those out yet thank you very much but for her she is evidently every bit as comfortable behind the wheel of that monster as I am behind the wheel of our slightly smaller (well actually a lot smaller) Class A and I think we'll be keeping it a few more years. I doubt I will ever dig up the courage to even try to drive one of those "big muthas" down the roadways of America.............

To each their own I say, but we are all RVers and any RVer that enjoys their RV's like I do ours, are my kind folks....................

Happy travels, BankShot.............(aka Terry)

Hey, did you folks know that combined we are all members of an new RV group called FATCB? F for Fifth Wheel, A for Class A, T for Travel Trailer, C for Class C, and B for Class B...............

 

"fanrgs" - I looked up the 5th wheel you purchased and it got me thinking.
Our trailer is a four seasons that is very well insulated. It is great for camping any time we want, but it is heavy and was fairly expensive to purchase.
Your 5th wheel is an ultra-light, not four seasons, and it was quite inexpensive by comparison. When we shopped for our trailer, I put the four seasons feature at the top of my list because the framework is bigger to allow for the thicker insulation in the walls, ceiling and floor and has the added benefit of a larger framework for driving over our crumbling road system.
Am I looking at this wrong? We do plan on moving up to a 5th wheel in the next few years. We could purchase a considerably larger ultra-light 5th wheel than a four seasons for the price as well as the hitch weight.
Would an ultra-light be an alternative worthy of consideration? Would it stand the test of time, travel and all temperatures?

Comparing four seasons to ultra-light probably belongs in a different forum, but "fanrgs" post opened my eyes to at least considering the alternatives and I look forward to the alternate points of view. Thanks

 

To try to answer a few of your questions, we special-ordered our trailer with thermo-pane windows,a 15K BTU AC instead of 13.5K, and a vent fan in the living area as well as the standard one in the bath in order to make it more comfortable in both hot and cold weather. It came standard with an air-heated basement/water piping/water filter and electric tank heaters. We also carry a small electric fan for summer, an electric ceramic heater for the rest of the year, and have insulated covers for the vents, skylight, and bedroom window.

We live in Colorado, so these additions allow us to use the trailer year-round. We comfortably camped at RV parks in Las Vegas, Carson City, and the Mohave Desert of California in June of last year. We have camped in early spring in IN, KY, and TN and in fall in SK, MB, ON, MN, and the Michigan UP. But we don't camp in Colorado in winter; we snowbird in NM, AZ, TX, and, hopefully soon, Florida. We can get from our house to central NM in a long day's interstate drive, so below freezing temps are not a problem for us, just snow or ice on the roads. Since we are retired and do not travel on a schedule, we can just wait out any bad weather.

As for the test of time, the trailer is only 18 months old, but has been towed for 16,000 miles so far. That's probably as many miles as many non-retirees put on a trailer in 5 years. Have we had some warranty issues? Certainly, but not ones that prevented us from using the trailer or required long stays at the dealer for repair.

Should you consider a lightweight 5th wheel? It strictly depends on how you use your trailer. If you have a family and need large water and holding tanks and drive with them filled, probably not. If you hope to eventually full-time in it or you live in Montana, the UP of Michigan or Maine, probably not. If you plan to tow it to a ski area for skiing or boarding, definitely not. But it fits our lifestyle and camping/traveling needs, including boondocking, perfectly!

 

Thanks for the response and answering all of my concerns and questions.
I also had warranty issues (enough that the manufacturer extended their warranty an extra year).
I'll not be so narrow with my parameters when searching for our 5th wheel upgrade.

 

I would encourage you to consider a mid to small size, hard-sided pickup truck camper. Something that can be handled easily with a 3/4 ton, non-dually pickup; gas or diesel. With a little help from a neighbor or family member or your dealer, the camper can be installed on your pickup and you are good to go. No hitching and unhitching. No swaying. Relatively good fuel mileage--we got 10 to 12 mpg on ours on a 3/4 ton diesel pickup. When you are ready to stay put for a while, it can be unloaded and stored until you are ready to hit the road again.

You are dry, safe, comfortable--with all the conveniences of home but on your very own pick up truck. Would make a good travelling rig for a man or woman on their own or with a partner; either 2-legged or 4-legged. Just one more option to consider.

 

I'm a bit late to this thread, but I am a single woman in my mid-40s with a 35 foot travel trailer. I have never once towed it with anyone else with me. I've backed it into sites at the state parks I visit. I may not be an expert at it, but I get the job done. I don't have a lot of issue with the Equalizer anti-sway bar hitch that I have--put some lubricant on the bar hinges and you can move them. The electric jack does most of the work lifting up the trailer and taking weight off the hitch to get them put in place. My F-250 has a rear back up camera for me to hitch--without it, I'd really struggle to hitch up alone.

I don't full time; if I did I'd almost certainly go with a small fifth wheel. It's my next upgrade. With all the camera options available now, I don't see why anyone couldn't learn to hitch up and back up a towable. And there's so much more room in them. I was camping in Kentucky this summer and a couple with two kids pulled in to the site next to me with their class C. They didn't have a toad. When they wanted to go somewhere--it was a tourist area after all--they had to disconnect all the water/electric etc and take the class c as their vehicle. I thought it looked very inconvenient. I'm sure there are some great reasons to have a motor home versus towable, but for me I prefer the trailers. And there is absolutely no reason why a single woman couldn't handle it on her own. Enjoy seeing the country!

 

Well, for us it's all about security... When we pull into a rest stop, we don't have to get out of the class C for lunch, potty break, nap etc. Same if sleeping at a Wall Mart, Flying J, etc. If we feel un-comfortable during the night, we can just start up and drive off.

Supposedly, about half of RV'ers travel with dogs, and over 60 % have a firearm in the RV. The combination of gun and dog can't be beat.

Whatever you decide, have fun and be safe!

 

I am a woman traveling solo in my RV (with my dog ). I am very happy with my 25 foot Class A motor coach. It is a Thor Vegas and is very easy to drive and park and back up. I don't tow. If I am somewhere where I would not be able to find parking for the RV, I UBER or rent a car. It is working out very well. Have a great time in whatever you choose to travel!

 

We've been RVing for 36 years and have had a 28' 5th wheel, a class 30' A gas, a class 38' class A diesel, and are presently in a 31' class C. We went small because we are very senior citizens and never know when health issues can curtail driving. The class C has only one drawback, the front windshield overhang. We like the open view from the class A, wide front windscreen. A class C will be ideal for a single person, especially if you want to tow a small car; also consider leveling jacks or take some plastic leveling blocks from Camping World (you will need at least 3).

 

After wife died, I researched several books and articles to determine the best alternative to "hit the road" as a full timer. As mentioned about trailer vs motorhome, I settled for a 28 footer coach. It served me well for 11 years. It was more economical to live on the road as a boondocker than the costs of living in a home as a professor. When I started traveling full-time with a lady, the amount of space needed for her required upgrading to a custom-designed 37 foot motor coach with a separate bedroom. This works because you can stop at most any chain store parking lot, spend the night, and move one without hooking, unhooking,etc...I recommend joining several organisations for RVers and going to their musters, outings, rallies, etc... for fun and games. In my seminars for Good Sams, Passport America, Allegro Club, Special Military Active Recreational Travelers, Boondockers and RV Singles, I teach methods to use to boondock, dry camp and live very inexpensively. The more you learn from fulltimers, the more you will love touring the continent, parks, factories, wineries, etc....

 

I am a first time RV'er, full timer, solo, late 50's, female and jumped right in to a 45' fifth wheel toy hauler! I strongly considered a motorhome but, with 2 Rottweilers, I could not figure out what I could tow and have room for the dogs! I love my fifth wheel and have had no problems taking it where I wanted to go. I DO depend on the kindness of others for backing into spots and if I think something is a tight fit, right now - I have only been driving it since Feb, 2016 - I don't do it; there are always options! I just take my time unhooking and hooking up with multiple get out and check's but I find I do both of these better on my own than with help!

 

My husband and I tow a 2008 5th wheel and have considered a newer RV. We have found there are some new hybrid Class A / C's now that are phenomenal and worth a look, especially for a single traveler. With the usual bells and whistles, they offer auto leveling, auto awning, and capable of towing a vehicle (or boat).

Another thing to consider for trailer vs. motorhome: after learning recently that "Roadside Assistance" is ONLY for the motorized tow vehicle or a motorized coach, I must say if I were traveling alone (we're 57) I would definitely purchase a coach for the peace of mind in knowing I would have the help I needed where and when I needed it.