Anyone into motorhome / RV travel ?
- Thread starter guitar1580
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If you have to shower everyday the RV life may not be for you.
Seraphim
Member
Let me play devils advocate here. I usually try to keep all of my posts on the positive up-beat side but sometimes I feel it is useful to make some points on the other side of the discussion.
When My dad retired I had never had any experience in RVs or travel trailers. All my camping has been in tents whether in the woods or on the beach. But a couple of years before he retired he he bought a little converted van and began experimenting with camping. They joined the Good Sam Club and went around to a lot of the camp sites around the state.
They quickly outgrew that rig and bought a much bigger rig, but still a conversion. By the time he retired They had pretty well fine-tuned their camping and knew just what they wanted. He bought a new 1-ton Chevy pick up truck with the 454 engine and towing package. He had a 5th wheel in the back and a 40 gallon auxiliary gas tank behind the cab. Then he bought a 35' travel trailer.
This thing was set up nice! Furnished and equipped better than the house I grew up in. (Cost a lot more too!) He sold the house and they moved into an apartment. They spent several months "practicing" and getting it stocked up with all the right supplies etc and then they paid a years rent on the apartment and hit the road. They left Houston and headed east and saw some the Historic Civil War areas and then ran up the east coast just in time to catch all the colorful fall foliage. Went WAAAYYYYY up into Canada and headed west. Came down the west coast and eventually made it back home.
I went through all this to demonstrate that my opinion on this is not based just upon one incident or event but a years worth of experience. But despite all that happened they never lost their love of that kind of life style. I was never able to see it myself. At one point in one of their many bad experiences it became glaringly obvious to me that I was just not cut out for that kind of life. There are just too many nice hotels and motels along all the highways and byways of this great country. It is way cheaper and way more safe. Fewer problems all with an easier fix.
I admit that it sounds good to be able to live such an independent lifestyle but after some deliberation I began to wonder, just how independent is it...really? Here are a few of the turn offs on this kind of thing in my view:
. This from a comedian (Jay Leno I think), You pack up your camper and leave your home along with the trashy neighbors that play their tv/stereo too loud too late at night, barking dogs, rude and mischievous kids, etc and drive to your lovely camp site in among the beautiful trees next to a beautiful lake...and wind up smack dab in the middle of the trashy neighbors that play their tv/stereo too loud too late at night, barking dogs, rude and mischievous kids, etc. May sound like an exaggeration but it goes like that some times.
. These rigs come with three holding tanks for water: potable water for cooking and drinking, gray water for washing dishes, shower etc, and black water for the potty. Eventually you have to find a place to dump the black water tank. No matter the system or the size of the holding tank they all fill up and need to be dumped. True there are dump stations all over. But the trick becomes to find one that is OPEN. This turned out to be a big hassle and major inconvenience. They often had to drive for miles out of their way to find an open facility.
. Mechanical issues with equipment always seem to happen when you are in a remote area or have no access to repair facilities. And you need to be very careful about some things which might seem silly. I could write a book on this but I'll just give one example here. When they were up in the mountains in a high elevation he needed to fill his propane tank. He took it to an RV shop in the little town there and the guy filled it completely full. Dad had the presence of mind to ask him if he'd left space for it to expand when he got back down to lower elevations and the guy scratched his head and admitted that he never thought about that. Had he not caught the problem the propane take might well have exploded. A close call...
. Getting set up on arrival, depending upon your system can be a hassle. Dad happened to be very adept at it and actually enjoyed getting it level and folding out the awning and hooking up all the hoses and electric etc. He even enjoyed "breaking" camp and stowing things away. None of that would not be much fun for me.
. I find it a big enough hassle to keep the things I need in supply here at home. And I know where to get everything I want and need or how to find it if I don't. Life on the road is very different. You run out or mayonnaise in the middle of nowhere and the quality of life takes a drastic downward turn.
. I could go on but you see what I'm saying. It is fine for those that love it and I know a lot of people do. But I'm sure there are others like me that think it is a major pain in the neck and and unnecessary exposure to and infinite number of problems and dangers.
. One personal example of my own concerning those unnecessary exposures to an infinite number of problems and dangers is this: In 2000 My 2 BILs, 2 nephews and a couple of family friends went to NW Ontario Canada for one of those fly-out fishing adventures.
We rented a converted van with all the goodies. Stocked it with supplies and made sure it was in good shape. It even had all new tires on it that still had the little rubber stubs on it. We were all set...NOT!!!!!
We got ourselves caught up in one of those things you just can't see coming. No way to prepare for it or protect yourself from it. When you get caught up a thing like this all you can do is deal with it as best you can and hope you will survive it.
Those new tires? Yep they were some of the Firestones that had been coming apart and causing a lot of car wrecks. Our first one was in Pauls Valley Oklahoma on I-35. And it didn't help that is was on the back and the inside tire on a split rim...at closing time and we had to pay the guy extra to fix it for us.
The next one, and the worst for me, happened on I-35 about 40 miles south of Kansas City. It happened during my turn to drive and it was 11:30 and night.
Everyone but my "navigator" was in the back asleep. I started to hear a rhythmic Thumpthumpthumpthump. I turned to my navigator and told him to wake up the guys we were going to pull over and check the tires.
I never got it out. The right front blew and the front end began to shake and I was scared out of my mind. Gong 65mph in a rig like this with lousy suspension to begin with and top heavy with every man in my family aboard and immediate danger of being killed I realized I had to keep this thing upright no matter what.
I used the brakes sparingly and focused on keeping the front wheels straight though it was pulling to the right very hard. I had both hands on the left side of the steering wheel pulling so hard it was lifting me out of the seat. My navigator (my teen aged nephew) was freakin' out.
I some how got it over on to the shoulder in an up right position and came to a safe stop. We changed the tire and continued on....until the next one which happened on I-35 near St. Paul Minnesota. Left front this time. Fortunately we had no more problems until the trip home we had all of the other 3 tires fail and come apart that didn't go on the trip up.
I love a good road trip as well as anyone but I'm not a turtle. No interest in draggin' or drivin' my house around with me.. There is usually a Holiday Inn Express or better somewhere nearby.
The phrase that comes to mind is, "Life's a b&$@! And then you die." Lol. Potential problems should not stop one from doing what they enjoy, unless they LIKE hiding in the house. *grin*
All the things you see as inconveniences, we don't. But if you don't like RVing, that's fine. And when you can find a Holiday Inn on top of a remote mountain, which requires four wheel drive to reach, and has no other occupants than oneself, let me know. I'll be pissed off there's a building there...
Just because I don't care for the hassle of RVing doesn't mean I hide in the house. In my 71 years I have had a fairly active life and participated in some not-so-safe/easy activities. Had some times living on the "edge". The fact that I never got into what you like doesn't take away from what I have done.
I'll keep my eye out for that remote mountain and if I find one that has a Holiday Inn on it I'll give you a jingle.
Seraphim
Member
Just because I don't care for the hassle of RVing doesn't mean I hide in the house. In my 71 years I have had a fairly active life and participated in some not-so-safe/easy activities. Had some times living on the "edge". The fact that I never got into what you like doesn't take away from what I have done.
I'll keep my eye out for that remote mountain and if I find one that has a Holiday Inn on it I'll give you a jingle.
Jack - nothing personal was meant by the comment. Apologies if it offended you.
Thanks, but no offense was taken. It's ALL good! 
OP
guitar1580
Member
Hey all, original poster here. Thanks very much for the suggestions. Lots of good info., and lots to consider. I haven't fully made up my mind yet. I agree that renting one first would be a good idea.
I agree that hotels can be useful, but I guess it depends on the trip. For the beach, I like to take the car, bicycle rack & bicycle, and get a room. For extended trips or weekend trips to a local lake or mountains, I think the smaller, self contained RV could be very useful.
Here's why I'm still liking the smaller (24') class C models: I plan to do some "boondocking" off grid camping, and I like the smaller size that can handle a back road or tight parking spot. The smaller size will be easier to store, and will fit on the street in front of my house for a few days here and there when needed. I'm thinking of working my way up to a solo cross country trip, and I like the idea of being able to just pull over at a truck stop or rest area for a few hours nap, and getting back on the road, without driving around looking for a hotel. Maybe stay at some KOA campgrounds along the way, and use the utilities for a day or two, but for the most part, keep moving and just drive the RV into town to restaurants, shopping, etc., when needed.
If I go through with this, I want to find some of the most scenic routes in the country, and drive them. Take some two lane highways through the heartland, making un-planned stops wherever whenever. Thanks for the info and pics, and feel free to share any pics, especially class C.
Thanks again, JT
I agree that hotels can be useful, but I guess it depends on the trip. For the beach, I like to take the car, bicycle rack & bicycle, and get a room. For extended trips or weekend trips to a local lake or mountains, I think the smaller, self contained RV could be very useful.
Here's why I'm still liking the smaller (24') class C models: I plan to do some "boondocking" off grid camping, and I like the smaller size that can handle a back road or tight parking spot. The smaller size will be easier to store, and will fit on the street in front of my house for a few days here and there when needed. I'm thinking of working my way up to a solo cross country trip, and I like the idea of being able to just pull over at a truck stop or rest area for a few hours nap, and getting back on the road, without driving around looking for a hotel. Maybe stay at some KOA campgrounds along the way, and use the utilities for a day or two, but for the most part, keep moving and just drive the RV into town to restaurants, shopping, etc., when needed.
If I go through with this, I want to find some of the most scenic routes in the country, and drive them. Take some two lane highways through the heartland, making un-planned stops wherever whenever. Thanks for the info and pics, and feel free to share any pics, especially class C.
Thanks again, JT
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