DW has a RV question?

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Congrats Dave!  I must say that you can't beat the fivers for that kind of space. 

 

 

Like I said, I can't imagine.  It would drive me to drink.  :wine: Oh wait, I guess that would make me a Fiend.  BTW, the DW & I have started looking at B+'s with an eye to the future & here's one we really like.  It has a Murphy bed in the slide.  Just right for a couple. http://www.leisurevans.com/unity/floorplans.html#anchor

 

That is sweet!!

[Judy in Texas 150]

Like I said, I can't imagine. It would drive me to drink. :wine: Oh wait, I guess that would make me a Fiend. BTW, the DW & I have started looking at B+'s with an eye to the future & here's one we really like. It has a Murphy bed in the slide. Just right for a couple. http://www.leisurevans.com/unity/floorplans.html#anchor

My friend and I would love to get the Leisure Van Unity with the twin beds. Do some research on the ones with Murphy beds. We've heard that the mechanics of the beds are having reliability issues.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

We've had a popup, a TT, then a class A, and now another TT.  

 

My favorite was the class A.  I loved traveling in it, and the fit and finish was so nice.  Ours was an Itasca, manufactured by Winnebago.  We traveled a lot in those days, as all of our girls were homeschooled at the time so we took some extended trips.  We sold it during the adoption process for Anna.  I'd like another someday.  

 

Having said that, now that some of our kids are in public school and our vacation time is more limited, I do like the TT because I don't feel bad if it sits for periods of time.  Just less money tied up in an asset that only gets occasional use.  So give consideration to the amount of use it will get when deciding how much money to tie up in it.  They aren't exactly a good investment from a financial standpoint....but of course that's not why we own them.  

[LONE-STAR 370]

We've had a popup, a TT, then a class A, and now another TT.  

 

My favorite was the class A.  I loved traveling in it, and the fit and finish was so nice.  Ours was an Itasca, manufactured by Winnebago.  We traveled a lot in those days, as all of our girls were homeschooled at the time so we took some extended trips.  We sold it during the adoption process for Anna.  I'd like another someday.  

 

Having said that, now that some of our kids are in public school and our vacation time is more limited, I do like the TT because I don't feel bad if it sits for periods of time.  Just less money tied up in an asset that only gets occasional use.  So give consideration to the amount of use it will get when deciding how much money to tie up in it.  They aren't exactly a good investment from a financial standpoint....but of course that's not why we own them.

And that's why I just can't bring my self to buy a motor home. The amount we use it to me I would be wasting money. Right now our toy hauler has not moved since the first week of june and we won't use it at least untill september. To me at motor needs to run more then that especially one that you are going to cross the country in. Had we not went to SSR we would have went camping last month we wanted to go this weekend but it was just to hot it hit 106 degrees at our house today.

[5kidsmommy 18]

We have a TT right now, we had a tow vehicle so getting a trailer made sense. In the past we have used my parents class C and their old trailer. We are actually thinking of moving up to a class C (sooner rather than later). The towing and set up are getting to my husband and we would like to travel more with the kids but being cooped up in a suburban all day is tough. I'd love a class A but to get the amount of beds we need it just isn't in our budget. We are also in the 9-10 driving hours. 

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Our driving limit is 10-12 hours, but that includes a long meal stop.

 

We started with a 32' TT which we really liked.  And back then slide-outs weren't invented.  And we had 3 kids camping with us.  The only thing I disliked was having to make up the sleeper sofa and the booth every night.  But we had plenty of room, took two-week trips in it, and never felt cramped.

 

Then in 2006 we sold our 20-year-old TT and got our Class A.  We can drive further in a day b/c of not having to stop for bathroom breaks, snacks, fuel, etc.  It's much more comfortable to ride in than our F-350 was.  Now it's just the two of us, but we can sleep an additional two adults and two small children on the two sofa beds.  They are really comfy.

[dblr....Rennie 224]

We are in the 5th wheel group and prefer the room in it as we travel almost all summer, I try to plan the drives at around 5 hours a day but will travel longer if needed. We pull the camper with a full size Kenworth tractor with a Smart car on the back of the truck so longer drives are a bit more comfortable then in the old Ford  F 350 and not being in a rush lets us make shorter trips per day.

  Ray good luck on the search and Dave good luck with your new camper, I know you already know Jayco puts out a great unit, they had a rally coming into Goshen as the FROG rally was leaving I heard they had around a 100 units in attendance.

[Grumpy and Grandma 740]

That's the model you're getting!!!! Are you inviting us for a movie? I want to see pictures of the inside!

The new front living rooms are becoming the big sellers in the FW line. Can't remember which company started them, but apparently at the big Louisville RV dealers show it was the model that drew the most attention and sold the most. Consequently JAYCO had to follow and this was the result. The other clincher for Linda was the shower. So many are using the rounded shower which are impossible to get into for her, that was one big issue with the new SENECA. The neo-angles also present a little bit of a challenge.

And I promise I will post pics when we get it, but it may not be until November.

[Grumpy and Grandma 740]

We pull the camper with a full size Kenworth tractor with a Smart car on the back of the truck

Dave good luck with your new camper, I know you already know Jayco puts out a great unit, they had a rally coming into Goshen as the FROG rally was leaving I heard they had around a 100 units in attendance.

That is how I would love to tow, but Linda could never get in it.

Thanks.

We've been STARCRAFT/JAYCO people since 1973. Jay Bontrager, the fellow who started JAYCO use to be an engineer at STARCRAFT before starting JAYCO and now they own STARCRAFT.

[ceemike...Mike & Judy 50]

My friend and I would love to get the Leisure Van Unity with the twin beds. Do some research on the ones with Murphy beds. We've heard that the mechanics of the beds are having reliability issues.

I haven't heard about issues with the bed but it is a concern I have with something like that. If it fails while in the down position you'd be attached to an object by an inclined plane wrapped helically around an axis.  :rofl3:

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Thanks for all the responses.

There's a lot of good info to mull over.

A few more questions.

What's the difference between a class C and a super c?

Most class c we've seen have the tv right by the cab over bed. My concern is that if we are up watching tv it's going to keep the kiddo awake. Is this a problem?

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Thanks for all the responses.

There's a lot of good info to mull over.

A few more questions.

What's the difference between a class C and a super c?

Most class c we've seen have the tv right by the cab over bed. My concern is that if we are up watching tv it's going to keep the kiddo awake. Is this a problem?

 

Most floorplans have a bedroom in the rear, and the bedroom has its own TV.  We would always retire to the bedroom (unless we're outside still) when kids go to bed, and either read or watch TV in bed.  (that's my story and I'm sticking to it).  

[ftwildernessguy 778]

According to FWGirl, there are two things that should happen in the bedroom. One is sleeping and the other is NOT watching TV.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Most floorplans have a bedroom in the rear, and the bedroom has its own TV.  We would always retire to the bedroom (unless we're outside still) when kids go to bed, and either read or watch TV in bed.  (that's my story and I'm sticking to it).  

 

This is what we do too. 

[Grumpy and Grandma 740]

A "C" is on a F-350 or 450 chassis a "SUPER C" is on F-550, Freightliner or Navistar. The older "SUPER C"s were on the KODIAK 5500, but GM stopped that production.

[Retired and Happy (Ken) 101]

This is an interesting read.  The Murphy Bed sounds like a unique idea.  We have a Class A and could not do without it.  It does have a drawback with sleeping, though.  A queen in the rear and a double on the sofabed.  No bunks, no cabover.  but we get by, and so do the kids....at least until the 19 mo outgrows the Pack-N-Play.

[DinDavie 37]

Ray, I think your questions can best be answered by figuring out how old you are, how many kids you have and what makes your wife most happy.  I,ve done the usual progression from 2 kids and a tent to two kids and a pop-up, one kid and a travel trailer, to no kids an a smallish class A gasser.  They all have their advantages and disadvantages.  First, Age will determine how long you want to drive.  I do not drive more than 300 miles per day.  When I had the tent and two kids I could do 800 and set up the tent before sundown.  Now that I am retired and have no schedule or work to get back to I limiit the amount of time I spend behind the wheel to avoid DVT's.  (Blood clots in the legs.)  The number of kids you have would effect how many beds you need and how long of trip you see yourself taking.  Pop-ups, TT's and Class C's work well with kids and are best for week ends or 1-2 week vacations.  A class A has adult sized furniture, a real mattress, and can oeprate without full hook ups for extended time.  I can set mine up without leaving the interior of my MH.  More importantly I can go to the bathroom at any time of the day or night without walking a gauntlet of mosquitos and things that go bump in the night.  You can also take lots of stuff with you and live in it for months or years if that's what you want.  Having ones own bathroom makes my wife very happy.  

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

I'm 45 yrs old. Two kids. 26 and 9.

Main reason we are thinking of one is that we are wanting to take 7-14 days each summer to see the country. Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, Niagara Falls, etc. before DD is to old to hang out with us.

and if we can squeeze in a trip to the Fort that would be a bonus.

I was looking at a place online called PPL motorhomes. They sell RV's and they have a few class A's with bunk beds in rear slide.

The affordable ones all seem to have gas engines. How do they do out west in the mountains? We would like to tow a car but I drive a Yukon XL and my wife has a Lexus 400h all-wheel drive. And the yukon is big and you can't flat tow the Lexus.

So id either have to buy a trailer for DW's car or buy a small tow vehicle.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

They sell RV's and they have a few class A's with bunk beds in rear slide.

 

Friends of ours have a class A with a side slide bunk "room" that works great for them.  Their kids are 10 and 6 ish and the bunk area can be closed off by doors so that you don't have to pass through it to get to the bathroom or the back bedroom.

 

The flooplan is essentially the same as our camper now, except you have to can't close off our bunk area.

 

We keep telling them to take good care of it, because we're going to want to buy it off them someday.

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Friends of ours have a class A with a side slide bunk "room" that works great for them. Their kids are 10 and 6 ish and the bunk area can be closed off by doors so that you don't have to pass through it to get to the bathroom or the back bedroom.

The flooplan is essentially the same as our camper now, except you have to can't close off our bunk area.

We keep telling them to take good care of it, because we're going to want to buy it off them someday.

What id like to do is keep the bottom bunk as a bed for DD and make the tip bunk into a bar. Now only if I knew anyone that did that to there bunk beds and I could see a picture of it?

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Haha. I once wondering how that smiley

Got on the end of my last post? I put 4 ? I guess that's the code for it.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

What id like to do is keep the bottom bunk as a bed for DD and make the tip bunk into a bar. Now only if I knew anyone that did that to there bunk beds and I could see a picture of it?

 

Well if your kids don't mind sleeping in crates...

 

 

It would be a bit trickier with a bunk on the bottom.  There are brackets that support the bar, but they're also resting on the crates.

[LONE-STAR 370]

Been to PPL many times. Never bought a camper there but looked at alot of them. It's a neat place to look because there all open you just walk around and look if you find one you like then you go find a salesman inside the office. There is normally a wait for a salesman. No high pressure sales while looking.

[Duane 152]

 

The affordable ones all seem to have gas engines. How do they do out west in the mountains? We would like to tow a car but I drive a Yukon XL and my wife has a Lexus 400h all-wheel drive. And the yukon is big and you can't flat tow the Lexus.

So id either have to buy a trailer for DW's car or buy a small tow vehicle.

 

Ray,  we too have made the "natural RV progression"..  a tent, 2 pop-ups, a travel trailer, a 5th wheel, and now a MH...  

 

Our motorhome is 37' long with the Ford V-10 engine. We pull a Honda CRV on a tow dolly and I have never wanted or wished for more power.  We travel the mountains of NC quite frequently and that V-10, although sounds like it will come through floor, pulls those hill like a champ.  I have read on other forums of folks who have driven the mountains out west, and they have not had any issues either...

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Our mh also had the Ford v-10.  Never drove it out west but did take it through the Smokies and Blue Ridge mtns, and took it up to Maine.  Like Duane said, on the uphills it will downshift and get so loud you can't carry on a conversation with your wife.  But then again you are sitting right on top of it.  I have the same powertrain in my big van and it pulls my TT like a champ.  I'm a big fan of that engine.  So long as you are also a big fan of gas stations you'd like it too.