What type of RV do you have and why is it the best?

[BruSan]

We were snowbird RV'ers for over ten years and ended up with a Mobile Suites 38' with a custom built International toter that also had a barn behind the cab for a full dress Harley. That was to live in for at least 5 months at a time with our sticks and bricks being in Ontario, Canada.

Having said all of that the O/P in my mind would be wasting money to buy new and if needing a newer primary vehicle, would probably be best to consider something with a higher tow rating and multiple seating. The convenience of having a vehicle to drive while on site so you can explore and investigate fully the areas you visit is unquestionably his first priority.

Buying something like a receiver tow trailer in a length that has at least one slideout is probably the most cost efficient given his stated desires, the next option would be a lighter 36' fiver with a triple slideout giving him room for multiple beds. There are such a plethora of floor plans that finding a gently used unit should be easy enough. The crux of the matter with a family unit is when having guests staying they're not usually set up to have the younger members isolated from the guest sleeping area.

A fiver also basically restricts your primary vehicle to being a pick-up which also isn't the ideal for family cruising with 3 sitting in the back all the time.

There are so many manufacturers and floor plans, along with a toy hauler that can use the garage to double as a bedroom when needed.

Advice: Peruse manufacturers websites to glean current floorplans available then back track to used units. Join a few of the many RV'er websites such as "Escapees" and "5thwheelforums" to join their forums dedicated to RV travel and you'll learn a bucket load of useful info.
Lastly; do not make any snap decisions and get stuck into something that's going to cost you a bundle on maintenance to then 'double whammy kick' you by being almost impossible to sell later.

Your ideal set-up is out there, take your time and do your research of RV specific forums to avoid going too deeply into the jungle without leaving a trail of bread crumbs behind you.

Good luck.

[mistyriver]

We have a 2017 Tiffin RED 38QRA with four slides. We don’t fulltime but take off for a few months in it. It’s ridiculously comfortable to travel and stay in (king sized tempurpedic bed, fireplace, residential fridge, two bathrooms (only one shower though) and a washer and dryer). It’s a diesel so it’s powerful and quiet to travel in and after we got everything fixed (it was new but there is always a laundry list of things that need to be fixed) it’s pretty much perfect.
Downside is it’s exoensive (but not like a Prevost!) and expensive to store since DH wants it in a garage. We are thinking about selling it after one more season but haven’t decided yet.

I still love Airstream travel trailers so maybe that’s in our future. But dayum...the price on them is amazing compared to other trailers. Still, they ARE Airstreams.

[cvetters63]

Originally Posted by BruSan

We were snowbird RV'ers for over ten years and ended up with a Mobile Suites 38' with a custom built International toter that also had a barn behind the cab for a full dress Harley. That was to live in for at least 5 months at a time with our sticks and bricks being in Ontario, Canada.

Having said all of that the O/P in my mind would be wasting money to buy new and if needing a newer primary vehicle, would probably be best to consider something with a higher tow rating and multiple seating. The convenience of having a vehicle to drive while on site so you can explore and investigate fully the areas you visit is unquestionably his first priority.

Buying something like a receiver tow trailer in a length that has at least one slideout is probably the most cost efficient given his stated desires, the next option would be a lighter 36' fiver with a triple slideout giving him room for multiple beds. There are such a plethora of floor plans that finding a gently used unit should be easy enough. The crux of the matter with a family unit is when having guests staying they're not usually set up to have the younger members isolated from the guest sleeping area.

A fiver also basically restricts your primary vehicle to being a pick-up which also isn't the ideal for family cruising with 3 sitting in the back all the time.

There are so many manufacturers and floor plans, along with a toy hauler that can use the garage to double as a bedroom when needed.

Advice: Peruse manufacturers websites to glean current floorplans available then back track to used units. Join a few of the many RV'er websites such as "Escapees" and "5thwheelforums" to join their forums dedicated to RV travel and you'll learn a bucket load of useful info.
Lastly; do not make any snap decisions and get stuck into something that's going to cost you a bundle on maintenance to then 'double whammy kick' you by being almost impossible to sell later.

Your ideal set-up is out there, take your time and do your research of RV specific forums to avoid going too deeply into the jungle without leaving a trail of bread crumbs behind you.

Good luck.

This is all excellent advice. In fact, it's how I ended up with my current rig after starting out with motorhomes and then moving on to smaller towable trailers. I settled on a GMT800 Suburban 2500 4x4 with the 8.1 liter and 4:11 gears for a 12k lb tow rating, able to tow most of the reasonable length travel trailers out there while still being easy to drive and park when not towing. The first one I towed after getting this rig was a 27 ft single slide rear bedroom travel trailer that weighed 7500 lbs.







But we weren't happy with the access around the rear bed after living with it for a while, so we got a 35 foot triple slide with a bedroom slide and more room around the bed that makes life much nicer as we get older (no crawling across the bed to get in). Down side is that it weighs 9400lbs loaded with gear and fluids, but that Suburban tows it even over the mountains with ease.






OP can find relatively inexpensive, good condition late model used bunkhouse model travel trailers that hold the whole family in the 27 foot range that would be easily towed behind a 2500 Suburban like mine (which can be had for under $8k in low mileage, excellent condition all over the country) and the family would be comfortable inside the truck both driving around and towing. No, it doesn't get the best fuel mileage (11-13 mpg) but few rigs will when towing, even the much more expensive turbodiesel trucks.


Here's a prime example. This trailer and a 2500 Suburban could be had for under $20k total.


https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/201...AXY-5004683683