RV camping has evolved quite a bit since the olden days when Ricky and Lucy tugged the “long long trailer” up a narrow mountain pass. The newer models can be extremely luxurious, and yet when compared to a stationary wheel-less home they can provide a truly affordable alternative living space.
Seniors are retiring to senior specific campgrounds all across America and this trend is picking up steam with the high cost of home ownership, smaller extended families and more active seniors. The trend seems to be that more seniors are enjoying earlier retirement and many are in better health than ever, so they are finding alternative lifestyles that suit them better than living in a planned community or a retirement home.
When seniors decide to live the nomad lifestyle in senior RV parks, they pretty much take everything they own on the road with them. So what does their RV need to be? Well it cannot be so big that it is difficult to travel in, yet it has to be roomy enough to have two full time occupants with room for guests.
Some basic considerations need to be investigated at the very start of this discussion. For example do you want to tow your RV or camper, or do you need one that you can just get behind the wheel and drive away? Are you going to be living in the camper full time or will it be a seasonal trip type thing or will you use it two weeks out of the year when vacation time rolls around? Will you be traveling across country or just to the best campground within a days drive of home?
So which RV would be best suited to the average Senior citizen who is interested in traveling in comfort and style? There are a great many to choose from and individual tastes will vary a lot but there are a few things they all have in common. Will you need air conditioning? Most come with a tiny kitchen with refrigerator and stove, plus some sort of heating system, usually propane. Also must have a bathroom with toilet and shower.
Space is usually at a premium so many of these RV’s now have rooms that slide outwards on a motor or crank once you are stationary and level. Some have automatic leveling which is a great option for seniors to help prevent injuries to their back.
The ways that people use these traveling hotel rooms can vary, but you can be sure that most people who plan on spending anything more than about a week or two in their camper will definitely not want to do it in a tiny pop up. They will at least want something that can be towed, and I feel that ideally most seniors would be better off in a motor coach style RV. The newer designs are safer and more economical than their predecessors.
1. My personal top pick would be any one of the products sold under the Haulmark Motor Coach brand name. They produce a high quality product at a fair price. For example their model 28DS is a moderately sized motor home that is 40 feet long with living space of 28 feet. This comes standard with two slide out room extensions and can sleep anywhere from 3 to 7 people. It has all the amenities you could want or need. 200 gallon water tank, and three burner gas stove top you can live very comfortably on the road. I like this design because it is built on a fire engine chassis with a truck style cab and a walk through opening to the living quarters.
www.haulmarkmotorcoach.com
2. My second favorite if I had to take one of these on the road would be any of the Luxury Class Bus style designs offered by Country Coach out of Junction City Oregon. They offer a slide out veranda version coach that is a really nice addition to an already classy package. It is a nice little patio deck that extends out once you are parked with a railing and a canvas canopy that shades the deck if you want. If you choose one of these you will find that they are very luxurious Motor Coaches. www.countrycoach.com
3. Gulf Stream has always built a very nice RV with a proven track record of durability and reliability. Their Conquest Sport Class-C model coaches are touted to be some of the best values in the industry. These are built on a super heavy duty Ford truck chassis with a Ford Van style cab. These are very stable on the highway and exceptionally nimble when parking them. Plenty of interior room for at least two people, and can get much better fuel economy than their larger cousins mentioned previously in this article. I like this style for more active seniors who move around a bit since they are really easy to drive and to park. www.gulfstreamcoach.com/
4. The Coachmen Chaparral Lite RV is a good choice for any active senior who really needs to have a lot of room and wants to tow their trailer to the camping area. This would be a great option for their needs. The model I suggest would be their fifth wheel style RV. These have large bunks in the front at the overhang that rides above the bed of your towing vehicle. These have become much more popular since the tow vehicle choices have grown dramatically since the inception of this design. This is still a favorite trailer style for horse hauling trailers as well. These have leveling systems which are easy to use, and more than enough space for all your gear.
www.conquestmotorhomes.com
5. Rockwood travel trailers are the ideal camper for those who want to tow their travel trailer with another vehicle that they can drive around while leaving the camper at the RV Park or campgrounds. These are moderately sized yet still have plenty of room for spacious living quarters since the entire interior is dedicated to living space. These are also much more affordable when compared to a motor coach because they do not have the added expense of all the running gear that is built into a motor coach. I prefer the moderate length 26BH version of this camper. You will need the proper sized towing vehicle but these are small and light enough that you would not need more than a decent ½ ton pickup to pull it down the road. www.forestriverinc.com/
Of course there are many RV brands that are great at supplying products to fit what their market niche is and I have only mentioned some of the ones that I can speak about from experience having driven in them or camped in them with friends. Enjoy the camping season ahead and stay safe on the highways!
