Picking The Best RV For You

When I finally decided to hit the road and told people about it I can’t tell you how many of them told me what I should get without ever asking what I wanted to do along the way. If they’d bothered to ask just a few questions they would have known their recommendations were completely off. Let me help you figure out how to find the best RV for you by walking you through my process.

Know How You Plan To Use It

I was planning on traveling the country…with a motorcycle. That quickly ruled out many options. I either needed a small trailer for the bike and a rig that could tow it or I needed a large trailer (toyhauler) that the bike could easily be loaded into. I personally like to drop my living space off and have a truck to drive around, so a fifth wheel toyhauler was perfect for me. That may not be the case for you.

Ask yourself questions. How many people will be using it with you? When I started this journey it was just me and the dogs. Where are you located? What will the weather be like? If you will only be using it in comfortable weather maybe you don’t need a lot of space inside. On the other hand, if the conditions will be hot or cold or rainy maybe you need something more spacious.

Will you only be driving on pavement or might you venture onto some dirt roads on occasion? This will impact the ground clearance and durability you may need. Will you be staying in RV parks and campgrounds or will you be boondocking?

Types Of Rigs

There are three different types of rigs, each with advantages and disadvantages.

Standard RV

What I like to call a standard RV, vans to giant Class A. These are fully self-contained vehicles. These are great because you always have everything with you. They are fairly maneuverable until you get to the big ones and setting up camp is the easiest in my opinion. The downside is that every time you want to go somewhere, everything has to go with you unless you are towing another vehicle behind you. Unless you are comfortable leaving things in your campsite, that means you stand to lose your campsite every time you leave if you stay anywhere without reservations.

Bumper Tow

Next up are bumper tow trailers. These are typically smaller trailers. They come in a wide variety of sizes. Some are small enough to hitch to a car, others require a large truck. They are easy to hitch and unhitch, you have full use of your vehicle inside and out, and they will fit in almost all campgrounds.

There are some disadvantages to these. Their capacities can be somewhat limited. For instance, most do not come with a generator on board. If you are camping in places that provide electric hookups that isn’t an issue. But if you plan on camping without hookups you will need to buy a small generator and carry gas cans or install solar.

Another disadvantage is the potential for trailer sway. Depending on how they are loaded and weather conditions these can sway back and forth. Since they are attached to the rear of the vehicle this can become a very serious problem. There are ways to mitigate this. You can load the trailer more evenly and/or purchase anti-sway devices, but this takes more time setting up and breaking down. Carrying capacities (water and waste) can also be a problem depending on size.

Fifth Wheel

The last option is a fifth wheel. They come in two sizes, big and bigger. These are the giant behemoths you see driving down the road attached to the inside of large pickup trucks. The obvious disadvantage to these is their size. It also happens to be their biggest advantage.

Because of their size, fifth wheels are like a home on wheels. I ultimately chose to go this route because I knew I would be traveling extensively and wanted the creature comforts of home. The picture above is my rig. The front third of the trailer is a master suite with king size bed, full bath, large closet, dresser and storage room. The middle third is the main living area with kitchen and living room. It includes a fireplace and large screen TV.

The back third is what makes it a toyhauler. The rear wall comes down to form a ramp for my motorcycle to enter for storage. The ramp can also serve as a fenced in patio. Besides a garage for my bike, the rear room has three queen beds, couches that also serve as a dining room, a washer/dryer and a second bath. It’s a bit of overkill but it sure is comfortable.

There are a lot of places I can’t go with my fifth wheel because of its size. National Parks restrict trailers to 30’ and mine is 45’. But there are places I can stay where others can’t, and for longer, because of the protection it provides in terms of hot/cold weather, power and water and waste capacities.

Choose Quality And Capacity

Once you figure out which type of rig is best for you you have to find a manufacturer and model. By choosing your rig type first, you’ve narrowed down your choices to just a few million options…

Start looking at floor plans. Think about how you will be interacting with others in your rig and how you will be using it. This will impact where you might want your kitchen, couches, bathrooms, etc. You don’t want small kids running through the kitchen while you are cooking. Or worse yet, someone using the bathroom while you are eating right next to it. You get the point.

Research the best quality manufacturers. Keep in mind, these things are designed to be light weight. Things are going to break as you use them. Look for rigs that are easy to repair yourself, it will save you a lot of hassle. Can you get to the electrical, plumbing, furnace, etc easily? If not, move on to another model/manufacturer.

Get the biggest water and waste capacities you can find. There is nothing worse than your gray or black tanks getting full halfway through a trip and having to find a dump station. CAPACITY, CAPACITY, CAPACITY!!!

Budget

I left this for last for a reason. Prices for the same rig can vary widely from one dealer to another. Once you’ve narrowed down your choices to two or three rigs, start searching for price.

I chose to buy a Vengeance Rogue Armored 351G2. I had help from a friend of mine in the industry that steered me away from two other options I was considering. As I began shopping dealers my first reaction was that it was out of my price range. Dealers in Denver wanted $118,000 for one.

I got on the internet and did a little research. Ultimately, I found a dealer in Utah that was selling the exact same rig brand new for $68,000. That’s a $50,000 difference just by driving 500 miles to get it!!!

Conclusion

I hope this has helped you start figuring out questions to ask as you begin your search for the best rig for you. It is not an easy process to get it right, but better to spend time in advance than to impulse buy something you end up disappointed in. I’ll write more posts about options to buy and upgrades to make as well as basic maintenance and repairs. Until then, keep on living your best life!