RV's - what to look for in a small RV for traveling. Need do's and don'ts and recommendations.

[EKS]

My parents loved their Scamp.

[prairiewindmomma]

My best advice is to use AirBnB or the like to rent something you are interested in buying and then go live in it for two weeks before dropping $60k on a towing vehicle plus another $30-40k on a used rv. Live with a 20 gallon water tank and visit a dump station before making a permanent commitment.

My extended relative bought a Class B and then tried to drive it to their preferred destination. The experience was so stressful they used it for nearby lake camping a few times and then sold it off.

Another relative is now doing the same….trying to get $120k back out of a RV after two years of ownership (and about four trips).

Of the people I know who have RVs, 20% passionately love them and use them extensively, 20% use them rarely and pay a lot to store them, and 60% sell them off after only 3-4 trips.

[Lori D.]

2 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

Most campgrounds have check in and check out times just like hotels. And most check out times are 11:00.

 

2 hours ago, sheryl said:

Oh dear, I would assume there would be more flexibility.  Thanks for lmk.

If you are staying for a week at a camp, it really wouldn't be a big deal -- you would have spent the week doing all your excursions and then the night before leaving, pack up all of your  loose stuff, which would give you several hours in the morning for breakfast, packing up the last things and closing up your RV / re-hitching to your vehicle / pulling out of your camp site  and dumping.

[kokotg]

1 hour ago, prairiewindmomma said:

My best advice is to use AirBnB or the like to rent something you are interested in buying and then go live in it for two weeks before dropping $60k on a towing vehicle plus another $30-40k on a used rv. Live with a 20 gallon water tank and visit a dump station before making a permanent commitment.

 

well, yes, definitely don't spend that! FWIW--we spent $8000 on a used van that's taken us all over the country (it'd be more now, but not THAT much more) and $16000 on a used trailer (much bigger than what the OP is talking about getting) to start. Still using the van, and we paid just under $30,000 for our newest (brand new) trailer in 2021; I think we'd likely get back what we paid for it if we needed to sell right now, but that's because we got a good deal and the market is still a little nuts. But it's true--people get in over their heads a lot of the time. But you don't have to spend that much to start RVing (or to continue RVing).

[sheryl]

10 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

My best advice is to use AirBnB or the like to rent something you are interested in buying and then go live in it for two weeks before dropping $60k on a towing vehicle plus another $30-40k on a used rv. Live with a 20 gallon water tank and visit a dump station before making a permanent commitment.

My extended relative bought a Class B and then tried to drive it to their preferred destination. The experience was so stressful they used it for nearby lake camping a few times and then sold it off.

Another relative is now doing the same….trying to get $120k back out of a RV after two years of ownership (and about four trips).

Of the people I know who have RVs, 20% passionately love them and use them extensively, 20% use them rarely and pay a lot to store them, and 60% sell them off after only 3-4 trips.

Those numbers are not encouraging.  With that said, dh grew up tent camping.   Not just once but whenever and wherever they vacationed.  DH and I used to tent camp after we were first married so I'm familiar with it but using/maintaining an RV is notched up camping which neither of us have done.  So, we'd be new to RV'ing but not to camping.  I don't know if we want to go through the steep learning curve and the trials/errors.  Will continue the research, visit a show, consider renting, re-evaluate over some time.  It may be we just rent for long excursions and fly here and there for shorter vacays.  Thanks!

[sheryl]

10 hours ago, Lori D. said:

 

If you are staying for a week at a camp, it really wouldn't be a big deal -- you would have spent the week doing all your excursions and then the night before leaving, pack up all of your  loose stuff, which would give you several hours in the morning for breakfast, packing up the last things and closing up your RV / re-hitching to your vehicle / pulling out of your camp site  and dumping.

Thanks, Lori!

9 hours ago, kokotg said:

well, yes, definitely don't spend that! FWIW--we spent $8000 on a used van that's taken us all over the country (it'd be more now, but not THAT much more) and $16000 on a used trailer (much bigger than what the OP is talking about getting) to start. Still using the van, and we paid just under $30,000 for our newest (brand new) trailer in 2021; I think we'd likely get back what we paid for it if we needed to sell right now, but that's because we got a good deal and the market is still a little nuts. But it's true--people get in over their heads a lot of the time. But you don't have to spend that much to start RVing (or to continue RVing).

Thanks!  My husband doesn't want a HUGE trailer but we have to have a certain size for my preferences.  It is just the 2 of us and Shiloh so whatever the smallest one would be with my checked boxes - IF we even decide to go this route.  I hear from these replies that it's the people who love to RV who stick with it.  That would be true for most things.  We will have to determine if "owning" is something we want to take on or renting.  

[TexasProud]

Here is a fun recommendation Keep Your DayDream.  It is sort of a family vlog, but they also do some how-to's.  When they started they traveled with all three kids, but they only have one in the nest now.  I enjoyed their season in New Zealand.  What I like about Marc is that he screws up on camera, laughs about it and says, "I am sharing this as an example of what not to do."  They also had one season where they just tried out different types of RV's.  Their blog is really confusing for me, but you could just look through their YouTube channel to find some you want to watch.  Hubby and I like watching them together in the evenings sometimes. We tend to not watch for awhile and then watch 2 or 3 at a time depending on how long they are.

https://www.keepyourdaydream.com/category/youtube/

[kokotg]

32 minutes ago, TexasProud said:

Here is a fun recommendation Keep Your DayDream.  It is sort of a family vlog, but they also do some how-to's.  When they started they traveled with all three kids, but they only have one in the nest now.  I enjoyed their season in New Zealand.  What I like about Marc is that he screws up on camera, laughs about it and says, "I am sharing this as an example of what not to do."  They also had one season where they just tried out different types of RV's.  Their blog is really confusing for me, but you could just look through their YouTube channel to find some you want to watch.  Hubby and I like watching them together in the evenings sometimes. We tend to not watch for awhile and then watch 2 or 3 at a time depending on how long they are.

https://www.keepyourdaydream.com/category/youtube/

We watch Keep Your Daydream and also Less Junk More Journey on YouTube. and then the RV Atlas podcast is also great. And RV Miles podcast.

Edited November 1, 2022 by kokotg