If you’re thinking about fulltiming, you’re going to have to have an RV.
It’s not just for Camping; it’s your home
Your Rig (Quicklinks)
Understanding Equipment and Features
When you start looking at RVs, it won’t take long to see that there are way too many choices - styles, sizes, lengths, slide outs, appliances, options, colors, features and on and on. You’ve got to decide what style of RV fits you best, and Wikipedia has a great, simple explanation of the classification of RVs. Here is a summary:
Image courtesy of This Old Campsite
Truck Camper (TC) - a camper in the bed of a truck. Not suitable for full-timers except for the most adventurous. Price range new $15,000-$40,000.
Towables:
Pop Up Trailers (PUP) - a tent on wheels. Price range new $10,000-$30,000.
Travel Trailer (TT) - hitch is on the rear of the towing vehicle. Price range new $10,000-$150,000.
Fifth Wheel Trailer (FW) or Toy Hauler (TH) - hitch is in the bed of the towing truck. Toy Haulers have a garage area behind the living quarters. Price range new $20,000-$200,000.
Motorhomes:
Class B Motorhome - A van modified for use as an RV. These are usually gasoline engines. Price range new $85,000-$150,000.
Class C Motorhome - An RV built on a van or truck cutaway chassis. The driving compartment and engine are the same as a factory truck or van. These are usually gasoline but sometimes diesel engines. Price range new $70,000-$200,000.
Class A Motorhome - An RV built as its own bus-style vehicle on a commercial chassis. These can be gas or diesel, and the larger rigs with rear-engine diesels are called “DP” for “diesel pusher”. Price range new $90,000 - $2,000,000 plus.
I’ve listed the motorhomes in order of size. I’ve never heard a good explanation what the classifications stand for and why they aren’t in some kind of logical order.
Most people start camping with smaller rigs and trade up to larger RVs as they gain experience. It’s a good way to learn but can be expensive. If you do this as a full-timer, be prepared to take big financial losses on your trade-ins every time you upgrade.
In my opinion, the most comfortable rigs suitable for full-time living are Class A Motorhomes and fifth wheels, but in the end it is personal decision. We’ve met some full-timers who are very comfortable with the smaller size of a Class C Motorhome and the recent trend of living a simplified life among younger people has seen a growth in full-timing with Class B van conversion.
When you’ve made the decision to full-time, buy the rig that you want to live in first. It’s going to be your home, so it’s not worth being frustrated with a smaller or ill-equipped rig only to trade up to the one you should have bought to begin with.
The Right Choice For You
Motorhome or Fifth Wheel. Yes, people really do live in vans down by the river. That’s not the way you want to full-time. So which one is better? It depends.
Motorhomes and fifth wheels both have their advantages and disadvantages, and the subject has been heavily debated on the web. Just google “fifth wheel vs motorhome”. You can read through the myriad, but here are a few sites I found that have a pretty unbiased presentation:
Beginner’s Guide to Motorhomes - Consumer Reports
Beginner’s Guide to RV Trailers - Consumer Reports
If you choose a fifth wheel, you also have to include a proper tow vehicle - typically a one-ton truck (Chevrolet/GMC 3500, Ford F-350, or Ram 3500 - price new $40,000-$80,000). Don’t start with anything less or you will probably be dissatisfied and eventually trade for the vehicle you should have bought the first time.
If you choose a motorhome, you also need to consider a car you can tow (a toad). This requires research as not all vehicles are designed to be pulled with all four wheels on the ground. Don’t forget the registration, maintenance and insurance on another vehicle is an additional cost.
Length. RVs come in lengths ranging from about 16 ft. to 45 ft. The longer the rig, the more comfortable living space and amenities you’ll have. I hear some people say, “I wouldn’t want to tow or drive something that long,” but after some careful practice, it’s easy to get used to and become very comfortable with it. You learn to maintain a constant awareness of your length while driving and parking which helps avoid scares and damage.
State and National Parks prove to be one of the greatest challenges with long rigs. Many are older campgrounds that were built when a large trailer was about 22 ft. long with two axles.
Anything under 30 ft. will fit in virtually all campgrounds but are more suitable for camping than for full-timing. Up to 36 ft. will fit in most campgrounds, and longer than that needs a park or campground that is “Big Rig Friendly.” It’s easy to find places that accommodate larger rigs.
Buy gently used instead of new. 2017 set a record for the number of new RVs delivered - over 500,000, and 2018 was the second highest on record. 2019 will be slightly lower, but among all those new RV owners, several thousand have purchased thinking they would enjoy the RV lifestyle only to find out otherwise. They didn’t like it or life suddenly changed, and they need to sell their slightly used rig. Those situations can provide a great deal for someone looking to buy.
RVs lose at least 20% of their value each year for the first three years, and then begin to stabilize. If you let the original buyer take the hit on depreciation you can find a really nice unit for a fair price.
RVs are not built to the same quality standards as motor vehicles. There are websites completely dedicated to owners with RV horror stories, and most states don’t have lemon laws that apply to RVs. Let another owner work through the quality and workmanship issues first so you don’t have to. And almost every RV will have those issues leaving the factory.
If you want to buy new, a good target to shoot for is about 30% off the MSRP.
When you buy an RV, new or used, do a thorough walk-through (called a PDI or Pre-Delivery Inspection) and try all lights, plumbing, slides, electrical outlets and appliances. Have the dealer fix anything and everything before you sign the papers and give them money; it’s the only time you have leverage for getting the rig fixed and the work completed. If they balk at that, walk away.
The following information is based on the choice of a fifth wheel for living space. We have no experience with a motorhome and therefore cannot speak to the pros or cons. We have lived the experience of full-timing in fifth wheels, and can provide some level of knowledge based on what we have learned.
Liberty, TN
Here's What We Did...
- We chose a truck/fifth wheel combination rather than a motorhome/towed vehicle combination for a few reasons:
- Before ever making the decision to full-time, we had already migrated from the Rainbow travel trailer to a Montana fifth wheel and enjoyed the space, comfort and flexibility of the truck/trailer combination.
- We traded in the 8-month-old F-250 for an F-350 dual wheel truck that had the towing capacity for a heavy fifth wheel.
- I like having a truck and wasn't prepared to downsize to an economy car (toad) with a motorhome.
- I wanted to avoid the cost of double maintenance and vehicle insurance (one truck vs. motorhome and toad).
- Regular maintenance costs are less on a truck than a motorhome. For example, a name-brand one-ton truck tire costs about $200 each. A Class A Motorhome tire is between $400 and $600 each.
- I (mistakenly) thought that if we had problems with our home, we would have transportation. If we had problems with our truck, we would have a place to live. A motorhome/toad combination provides the same resources if necessary.
- The 2006 Montana we started with was a 3575RL. It was 36 feet long and had about 360 sq. ft. of living space. Because it was older, it didn't have the latest technology, automatic leveling system or residential refrigerator, but we were very comfortable in it.
- After only two months on the road full-time, the Montana developed cracks on the driver side between the bedroom slide and propane door. Investigating further, we found additional cracks on the inside. Estimate for repair was about $10,000.
- We had previously planned a week at a relative's home in Boise, so we spent the week looking for a replacement rig. I was very leery of buying new because of the well-documented quality issues (no matter what brand), and we did not have much success finding great, slightly used fifth wheels. Everything we saw was newer but well worn. Then we found this one-year-old Redwood, and it immediately felt like home. We negotiated a price that was in our budget (although much earlier than we had planned), did our Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI), hitched up, and were on our way.
- The Redwood is still serving faithfully as our home on the road.
