Planning ahead!

[saguinther]

Hi, I'm Scott and looking to go from home ownership to rving fulltime in about 5-years. I still need to convince my wife this will be great. She likes going places but doesn't like change too much. Looking for our first rig. Debating between a Class C and a TT -27ft Don't want something too large but do want to be comfortable. Learning what I need and what I don't, what kind of tow vehicle to get, what I rill need to change to transition to full-time traveling. Looking to continue working remotely as a computer technician maintaining my clients computers from wherever we are. I still have 10 years until "retirement". May not retire but just keep working part-time!

 

[Germanrazor]

If I were going to be a FT I would look to a 5’er if pulling. A nice Class C with a reputable power plant would be good. But back to the question of convincing someone who dislikes change......that’s your biggest hurdle.

 

[saguinther]

Thanks for the information. The 5’ers just seem too large for me starting out. Agreed that convincing my wife to do this fill time is a big hurdle but I believe one we go see our son in Arizona once (we are in Pennsylvania) she will see the benefits. His plans are to go to Washington State in a year or two. She dislikes flying!

 

[FL-JOE]

X2 on starting with a fiver Scott. If your biggest concern is that your DW won't buy in to your future full time traveling plans then you certainly want to start out making her as comfortable as possible right from the start in her first RV.

Consider a couple things when comparing for example having a 27' TT and a 36' fiver. Your total combination length with the 27' TT will be about 50' when hooked up. Your total combination length with the 36' fiver when hooked up will be about 50'-52', however you will have almost 10' more living space. I can promise you it will be easier and use less roadway to back up a 36' fiver than it will a 27' travel trailer.

The next few times you are out on the interstate on windy days start paying attention to any longer TTs you see going down the road. Then try to watch and compare those to any fivers that are out there in the same windy conditions. I think you will start to notice that generally speaking fivers will handle better on those windy days if properly loaded.

 

[saguinther]

Thanks for that info. That certainly gives me some important information to consider. I have backed a trailer (4 foot) with a jeep a long time ago and could do it easily but know that it takes practice to do it well. Backing a long trailer just seemed daunting to me. Your point on the roadway required makes sense to me. I will take a look at some 5’ers.

 

[saguinther]

Germanrazor and FL-Jo, Thank you for your insight. I have been looking at 5'ers and I see how this type of rig would make the transition easier for both my wife and I. What 5'ers do you have and what do you like about your rig and what would you change?

 

[Amigobaja]

You have five years. Go rent and travel in a class C. Its harder to rent a trailer without a tow vehicle but there are places that you can rent smaller then park models already set in campgrounds so you can get a feel of trailer living. As far as towing most dealers should welcome to have you take their rigs out on test drives and teach you to tow. If not find one that will.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

I suggest using these years leading up to a real coach be used in a used low mileage coach that has already depreciated,to get her in the mood. Foreplay if you will. If she complains about something, fix the problem, and move on to the next. If you play your cards right she will start suggesting to you that full time might be a better way to live.

Remember that a "Happy Wife..."

 

[GeoKat]

When you mention “talking the dw into it” I think of the inconveniences of dishes, showers, toilets, laundry and even running your favorite appliances (even on a 50amp system). If you really want to talk her into it I’d be prepared to do all the dirty work. I downsized optimistically from a house to a 40‘ 5th wheel but it’s definitely been a learning curve. There’s a lot of home comforts I miss and if this hadn’t been my idea I could see not being a happy camper. I was in the position of having to downsize though so I made the most of it by getting my apartment on wheels. My 320sqft home is growing on me but I’m seriously searching the country for a couple of pieces of property (one or two up north and couple more down south) so I can enjoy my apartment and my backyard.

Find something with a big grey tank for the kitchen sink and the shower. An in-line water heater instead of a tank makes both of those jobs more like home. I love my recliners (first I’ve ever owned) but it came at the cost of a dinner table which I miss. As a mom I feel weird sitting in the living room eating a meal but I try to think of it as a vacation and just go with it. When we finally hit some good weather and a longer site we’ll open up the garage and use the table setup back there.

On the other hand that’s my ideal situation so whatever is your norm in the house you have should be duplicated as close as possible to full-time living. Just makes it’ less of a transition.

Good luck because it is fun when in the right mindset, my teen and I have been enjoying our extended vacation quite a bit.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

When you mention “talking the dw into it” I think of the inconveniences of dishes, showers, toilets, laundry and even running your favorite appliances (even on a 50amp system). If you really want to talk her into it I’d be prepared to do all the dirty work. I downsized optimistically from a house to a 40‘ 5th wheel but it’s definitely been a learning curve. There’s a lot of home comforts I miss and if this hadn’t been my idea I could see not being a happy camper. I was in the position of having to downsize though so I made the most of it by getting my apartment on wheels. My 320sqft home is growing on me but I’m seriously searching the country for a couple of pieces of property (one or two up north and couple more down south) so I can enjoy my apartment and my backyard.

Find something with a big grey tank for the kitchen sink and the shower. An in-line water heater instead of a tank makes both of those jobs more like home. I love my recliners (first I’ve ever owned) but it came at the cost of a dinner table which I miss. As a mom I feel weird sitting in the living room eating a meal but I try to think of it as a vacation and just go with it. When we finally hit some good weather and a longer site we’ll open up the garage and use the table setup back there.

On the other hand that’s my ideal situation so whatever is your norm in the house you have should be duplicated as close as possible to full-time living. Just makes it’ less of a transition.

Good luck because it is fun when in the right mindset, my teen and I have been enjoying our extended vacation quite a bit.

Yup! @GeoKat said it all. I can tell you that Saundra has a bigger smile, when we are shoulder to shoulder in the daily tasks. Best part of @GeoKat s post however is the last line and worth saving for the bad days of the transition.

 

[Connie & Don VH]

Scott, DH and I have had every kind of RV there is. We were weekenders with most of them, but we started out with a 30' (maybe 32' ... too long ago!) travel trailer, pulled with a Chevy pickup. But it proved to be tough on highways in the southwest - lots of wind in that part of the country.

We moved on to a 35 5th wheel, pulled by a Dodge dually. Loved it. But we ended up parking it on hilly acreage we owned, then selling the acreage - and the 5'er with it! We moved up to a 40' 5th wheel and loved that more. It was a 2010 Landmark (made by Heartland). We space-parked it for a long-term volunteer job, and just lived in it, taking it only only 2 highway trips out of the state of our job. But it was a perfect size and fit for us.

Keep in mind that I AM the DW in this, and this was all my idea! We are now full-timing it in our retirement years, in our 2017 American Revolution Class A. I love that I can reach the kitchen and fridge (as well as "the facilities", a half-bath) while in motion as DH drives us to our next spot for adventure and discovery. We plan to go to parks where we can stay on a month-to-month basis, and not move *that* much, so we can work and explore. I also love that we have less housework inside, but outside does require a great deal of attention and focus, and know-how. As long as we pay attention, we're good. We work remotely as well, and so we lose a bit of our dinette (table and office chairs) area to office equipment and supplies. But we manage it. If you work from "home" (on the road), your tech package will require a great deal of initial expense to get it right. You're in that general industry so you should know what you'll need: Good cell packages, and more than one.

We loved everything we had. You'll find what works best for you, but if your DW has questions, I'll be happy to try to convince her that I would not trade this mobile lifestyle for ANY more sitebound ways of life.

 

[saguinther]

You have five years. Go rent and travel in a class C. Its harder to rent a trailer without a tow vehicle but there are places that you can rent smaller then park models already set in campgrounds so you can get a feel of trailer living. As far as towing most dealers should welcome to have you take their rigs out on test drives and teach you to tow. If not find one that will.

Thanks for the advice.

I suggest using these years leading up to a real coach be used in a used low mileage coach that has already depreciated,to get her in the mood. Foreplay if you will. If she complains about something, fix the problem, and move on to the next. If you play your cards right she will start suggesting to you that full time might be a better way to live.

Remember that a "Happy Wife..."

Thanks!

When you mention “talking the dw into it” I think of the inconveniences of dishes, showers, toilets, laundry and even running your favorite appliances (even on a 50amp system). If you really want to talk her into it I’d be prepared to do all the dirty work. I downsized optimistically from a house to a 40‘ 5th wheel but it’s definitely been a learning curve. There’s a lot of home comforts I miss and if this hadn’t been my idea I could see not being a happy camper. I was in the position of having to downsize though so I made the most of it by getting my apartment on wheels. My 320sqft home is growing on me but I’m seriously searching the country for a couple of pieces of property (one or two up north and couple more down south) so I can enjoy my apartment and my backyard.

Find something with a big grey tank for the kitchen sink and the shower. An in-line water heater instead of a tank makes both of those jobs more like home. I love my recliners (first I’ve ever owned) but it came at the cost of a dinner table which I miss. As a mom I feel weird sitting in the living room eating a meal but I try to think of it as a vacation and just go with it. When we finally hit some good weather and a longer site we’ll open up the garage and use the table setup back there.

On the other hand that’s my ideal situation so whatever is your norm in the house you have should be duplicated as close as possible to full-time living. Just makes it’ less of a transition.

Good luck because it is fun when in the right mindset, my teen and I have been enjoying our extended vacation quite a bit.

was this your first rig? How did you do with driving/backing up with it the first few months?

 

[saguinther]

Scott, DH and I have had every kind of RV there is. We were weekenders with most of them, but we started out with a 30' (maybe 32' ... too long ago!) travel trailer, pulled with a Chevy pickup. But it proved to be tough on highways in the southwest - lots of wind in that part of the country.

We moved on to a 35 5th wheel, pulled by a Dodge dually. Loved it. But we ended up parking it on hilly acreage we owned, then selling the acreage - and the 5'er with it! We moved up to a 40' 5th wheel and loved that more. It was a 2010 Landmark (made by Heartland). We space-parked it for a long-term volunteer job, and just lived in it, taking it only only 2 highway trips out of the state of our job. But it was a perfect size and fit for us.

Keep in mind that I AM the DW in this, and this was all my idea! We are now full-timing it in our retirement years, in our 2017 American Revolution Class A. I love that I can reach the kitchen and fridge (as well as "the facilities", a half-bath) while in motion as DH drives us to our next spot for adventure and discovery. We plan to go to parks where we can stay on a month-to-month basis, and not move *that* much, so we can work and explore. I also love that we have less housework inside, but outside does require a great deal of attention and focus, and know-how. As long as we pay attention, we're good. We work remotely as well, and so we lose a bit of our dinette (table and office chairs) area to office equipment and supplies. But we manage it. If you work from "home" (on the road), your tech package will require a great deal of initial expense to get it right. You're in that general industry so you should know what you'll need: Good cell packages, and more than one.

We loved everything we had. You'll find what works best for you, but if your DW has questions, I'll be happy to try to convince her that I would not trade this mobile lifestyle for ANY more sitebound ways of life.

Thanks for the offer to talk to the wife and the information about your rigs. This is very helpful to me.

 

[GeoKat]

Thanks for the advice.

Thanks!

was this your first rig? How did you do with driving/backing up with it the first few months?

Yeah this is my first rig. First pickup too (embarrassingly enough since I used to have a small farm). Everyone who’s ridden with me previously always claimed I was one of the safest drivers they’d had the pleasure of being passenger to. That probably has something to do with my easing into driving the truck and pulling the trailer without much hiccup. I did do a lot of research before settling on the RV I wanted. I watched a crap ton of you tubers, all their mistakes and successes. I read a ton of safety info on towing different types of rigs. This is why I settled on a 5th wheel and overtrucked it by a lot. I’m hauling precious cargo (my kid, dog and home) so I went the safest route I could go in the budget that I had set myself.

Having said that it’s been a smooth transition driving and towing. Backing up towards the driver side is a cake walk but I still need practice on the passenger side. Granted I don’t have a second pair of eyes. I have my 13yo which she’s an intelligent kid but being mom I haven’t gotten comfortable with letting her out of the rig until I park and chock it.

Like with any driving there’s a certain amount of mental stress, navigating busy highways, mountain roads and the misguided google maps service road but I limit myself to 3-5hrs of driving and have slowed down to sitting for a couple of weeks at least between moves.

Oh and I’m still in my first few months. 4 months June 1st. The hardest part is learning how to relax and be in vacation mode after working a long daily schedule on the farm.

 

[saguinther]

Thank you everyone for your advice. It has been extremely helpful. After looking at number of 5'ers, I do believe @FL-JOE is correct, the 5'ers will provide a better transition from a house to a rig. With that said, what kind of tucks are you using to tow your 5'er? One 5'er I have looked at has a GVWR of 16,500. Your recommendation on right truck would bee helpful. I am not a brand person. The best "tool" for the job is what I go for. Do I need a 1-ton truck. Dulles seem to bee the better truck for 5'rs based on my reading. How about fuel - Diesel or Gas? What fuel is more readily available? Are there any disadvantages to a truck that uses Biofuel (Diesel or Gas)?

Still planning ahead.

 

[FL-JOE]

Thank you everyone for your advice. It has been extremely helpful. After looking at number of 5'ers, I do believe @FL-JOE is correct, the 5'ers will provide a better transition from a house to a rig. With that said, what kind of tucks are you using to tow your 5'er? One 5'er I have looked at has a GVWR of 16,500. Your recommendation on right truck would bee helpful. I am not a brand person. The best "tool" for the job is what I go for. Do I need a 1-ton truck. Dulles seem to bee the better truck for 5'rs based on my reading. How about fuel - Diesel or Gas? What fuel is more readily available? Are there any disadvantages to a truck that uses Biofuel (Diesel or Gas)?

Still planning ahead.

If you are starting to concentrate on fivers I would try to narrow it down to a couple different manufacturers and models. IMHO there is no RV manufacturer that has extremely high quality control but some seem to have less issues than others. Next, decide what your "must haves" is in a floor plan. For example, we require a king bed, 1 and 1/2 bath, washer/dryer, and comfortable living room seating. You will no doubt find a couple different make/models that excite both of you. They you should try to locate them either at an RV show or a dealer so you can actually go through them.

After pretty much narrowing down what fiver you would purchase I would start concentrating on what truck you will need. For 90% of fivers out there your range of possible trucks will be anything from a 3/4 ton gas to a 1 ton dually diesel, and everything in between. The GVWR of you future fiver is only part of the equation you will need to consider, tongue weight (after loading for full time living) will also be an important factor.

There are a couple very important considerations when deciding between diesel and gas. First of all diesel has the torque and power to pull about anything and generally will get better fuel economy when towing. Another consideration is fuel stops. If your truck is gas then you have to either wait and fuel up when not towing, or try to locate a gas station that you could possibly squeeze into with a large fiver attached. Some Pilot and Flying J truck stops have RV lanes on the front side of their facilities but as you travel the country you will soon find they are far and few between. If your truck is diesel then you simply fuel where commercial rigs fuel and you will always have plenty of room. In addition, there are discount fleet fuel cards available for diesel at these commercial pumps that are not available at regular gas pumps.

Currently all the major brands of diesel trucks use about the same grade of diesel as far as I know.

 

[saguinther]

If you are starting to concentrate on fivers I would try to narrow it down to a couple different manufacturers and models. IMHO there is no RV manufacturer that has extremely high quality control but some seem to have less issues than others. Next, decide what your "must haves" is in a floor plan. For example, we require a king bed, 1 and 1/2 bath, washer/dryer, and comfortable living room seating. You will no doubt find a couple different make/models that excite both of you. They you should try to locate them either at an RV show or a dealer so you can actually go through them.

After pretty much narrowing down what fiver you would purchase I would start concentrating on what truck you will need. For 90% of fivers out there your range of possible trucks will be anything from a 3/4 ton gas to a 1 ton dually diesel, and everything in between. The GVWR of you future fiver is only part of the equation you will need to consider, tongue weight (after loading for full time living) will also be an important factor.

There are a couple very important considerations when deciding between diesel and gas. First of all diesel has the torque and power to pull about anything and generally will get better fuel economy when towing. Another consideration is fuel stops. If your truck is gas then you have to either wait and fuel up when not towing, or try to locate a gas station that you could possibly squeeze into with a large fiver attached. Some Pilot and Flying J truck stops have RV lanes on the front side of their facilities but as you travel the country you will soon find they are far and few between. If your truck is diesel then you simply fuel where commercial rigs fuel and you will always have plenty of room. In addition, there are discount fleet fuel cards available for diesel at these commercial pumps that are not available at regular gas pumps.

Currently all the major brands of diesel trucks use about the same grade of diesel as far as I know.

Thanks @FL-JOE, I’m on the right path than on choosing a 5’er. I didn’t consider getting fuel with the rig attached. Getting diesel at a truck stop sounds like it would be easier. I will have to keep my eyes open for truck stops. Are truck stops/diesel stations quite prevalent throughout the country? Any idea for Canada and Mexico?

 

[FL-JOE]

Fueling up any type of diesel RV would never be an issue because you can always fuel where commercial big rigs fuel. I suspect it is the same in Canada and Mexico.

 

[saguinther]

Fueling up any type of diesel RV would never be an issue because you can always fuel where commercial big rigs fuel. I suspect it is the same in Canada and Mexico.

Thanks @FL-JOE !

 

[GeoKat]

I read somewhere on this site or another RV site that some diesel pickups don’t fit the pumps in the commercial fuel pumps. I have yet to try.