When it comes to Full Time RVing the usual choices are Motor home, Travel Trailer, and 5th Wheel Trailer. All three have their good points and bad points, this article will address many of these issues and hopefully provide some useful information to help you make this very important decision. With the cost of Recreational Vehicles rising by leaps and bounds its a matter of economic necessity to make this decision as accurately as possible. Mistakes can create financial hardship as trade in value of a slightly used RV is dramatically reduced from the new purchase price. The first couple years can give you depreciation of easily 25%.
The most important issue when preparing to become Full Timers is space, this is going to be your home for at least an extended period of time if not for the foreseeable future. This is not the time to scrimp, when my wife and I took our first jump into full time life on the road we chose a 36′ travel trailer. Many people will look at this as a logical unit. 36′ long with a generous living room slide out, it felt like a small apartment. Separate bedroom, ample living room, functional kitchen and bath. What more could we want?
On the plus side, we had adequate space, adequate storage, and no steps up to the bedroom. Having what felt like a real bedroom with a normal and comfortable queen sized mattress and a bed at a normal height allowed us to sleep as good as we have in a regular house. Travel trailers are the most reasonably priced as well, by a large margin. If you have mobility issues, bad knees as an example, having everything on one level with only a couple steps to come in the front door is a big issue. Climbing steps in pain will get old real quick, just ask my wife. Yes, long term living in a long travel trailer can be quite comfortable. But like everything there are a few negatives.
Towing a travel trailer, especially one over 30′ in length can be a test of your endurance. The average person will be towing their travel trailer with a 3/4 ton pickup. An adequate choice in most instances, but beware, even with an equalizer hitch, sway controller, and plenty of engine capacity, this is going to be work. A long trailer is more susceptible to sway, when a semi-truck passes you the suction it will create pulls on the much lighter weight trailer you are pulling. It will first affect the rear half of your trailer pulling it toward the semi, then as it passes the wheels of your trailer it pulls the front half of your trailer toward it. This will set up a sway motion that if you aren’t paying attention can easily get out of control. You will find at highway speeds you will be driving with both hands on the wheel, constantly aware of whats happening around you. There is no totally relaxed feeling while pulling a long travel trailer. $30,000 to $40,000 will get you into one large enough to full time, as long as you aren’t looking for a top of the line model.
Moving on to 5th wheel trailers. These are the kings of trailers, as many as 4 slide outs these monsters are great to live in. Today you can get almost anything you can wish for in a 5th wheel. Fireplace, separate den with french doors, computer desks, surround sound. Climbing a couple steps up to the bedroom you can find a full width closet, I’ve even heard of a walk in closet in one model. These are the luxury condo’s of the RV world. There is one more appliance that will become the most important in allowing you to feel at home, not to glamorous, but a necessity if this is to become home. Most larger 5th wheel trailers have the option of a clothes washer/dryer. Simple, but essential for true comfort. Your not self contained until you can wash and dry your own clothes.
One thing to consider, the standard one piece washer/dryer unit, which can wash clothes and will upon finishing the wash, will continue with the drying cycle, is very slow. It can take 3 hours to finish one very small 8lb load of clothes. When we bought our second 5th wheel, we had a large enough laundry room area to allow us to upgrade to a stacked washer and dryer. It was a 110v unit available through Sears, sold for apartment use. Now we were cooking, able to wash a load and dry another load at the same time. Much more efficient and it handled larger loads to boot. It there’s anyway you can fit it into your rig a stacked unit is a much better investment.
A 5th wheel trailer, even the largest ones out there will erase your towing issues. Now you can relax while towing. The trailer hitches to your truck directly over the rear axle eliminating virtually all sway. It would have to slide your truck sideways on the rear wheels to cause sway, this is not going to happen.
Basement storage on most large 5th wheels is enormous. Being full timers ours was our only home, we even had Christmas decorations stored in the basement, as well as absolutely everything we owned. If it sounds like I’m partial to 5th wheels, it’s because I am. We lived the longest, over 3 years, and were the most comfortable in a 5th wheel. Having your truck as a local driver when your parked is also a big plus. Yes they can be quite a bit more expensive than a travel trailer, but the industry seems to be concentrating on the amenities with large 5th wheels. $50,000 will get you into something you can live in full time.
Last on the list is Motor Homes, yes we had a couple of these too. The best was 37′ long with two slide outs, again it had all the amenities. Now if you want to spend big money these are the way to go. Remember your buying a truck and a house all in one piece, guaranteed you’ll be paying the equivalent of buying both items. Advantages, there are quite a few. Like a travel trailer, no steps up to the bathroom or bedroom, not a small item. Picture window, there is absolutely no better view then the one you will have out the windshield of a class A motor home. Being up as high as the semi’s with a huge panoramic view will allow you to see things you couldn’t see any other way. Don’t forget the famous words, Honey would you grab me a Coke out of the fridge, this is convenience like none other. No stopping so the little lady can powder her nose, just comfortable floating down the highway. I’ve actually felt as good after driving 400 miles, as I would have if I had spent the time kicked back in a recliner. When you park for a while the small economy car your towing will get you around town much cheaper then the pickup you’d have with a trailer. We even carried a small motorcycle on the back bumper as well as a TOAD (towed small car). We worked separate jobs and needed two means of transportation.
Disadvantages, yes there are some of those too. My wife couldn’t get used to a steering wheel in the living room. When your parked the cab area is not very useful space. Cost, there is no such thing as an economy model motor home, they all cost big bucks. Right now entry level is $100,000 and anything livable for full timing would set you back closer to $150,000. All that expensive drive train taking you down the highway in comfort will require servicing on a regular basis. Trailers need the wheel bearings packed and brakes checked every 3-5 years, thats it.
Over a period of 10 years we personally owned at least two of each styles of RV’s mentioned in this article. With that in mind the best advice I can come up with as an overall guide to which is better boils down to one issue. If you plan on staying in one spot for extended amount of time, be it two months or a year, then I recommend a trailer. Overall comfort and tow ability I further recommend a 5th wheel trailer, as large as is practical for your situation.
If your plans are to be on the move, driving on a regular basis, only staying in one place for short periods of time, you can’t beat the convenience and safety of a motor home. When traveling from point A to B, with miles being the main concern, it can be appealing to stay in Walmart parking lots or similar places. With a motor home you can immediately get behind the wheel and leave if you become uncomfortable in your surroundings for what ever reason. No need to get out of the trailer and move to your truck to leave.
It’s a lot to consider as you move toward your goal of Full Time life on the road. Its an enjoyable life, one we hope to do again when it comes time to retire.
