Hello Folks,
We are new to this forum and hope we are doing this right.  We spent 6 weeks in our Class C this summer trying out the life style.  We are planning on beginning our fulltiming journey in January.   We know that we do not want to keep our Class C due to the space etc. but we do not know if we should begin in it or not.  Some people on our trip this summer said stay in the Class C the first year until you figure out what you want and if this is really what you want to do, others said buy the biggest thing you can afford and be comfortable so you can enjoy yourself and you will be more likely to stay with it.  We don't know what brand of motor home we want.  We do know that we want a motor home because I need to get up and walk around as we are going down the road. Any input would be appriciated.
Thanks
Fay and Jay

Welcome to the forum Fay & Jay! I'm not out there yet but will be soon (just posted an update myself).

We've got some great experience here so I'm sure you'll get some great input!

My recommendations are to educate yourself as much as you can, read, talk to others, visit as many dealers as you can walking through RVs (new & used), noting what you like and what you don't.

Most recommend joining rv.org or at least getting their DVD to help you better evaluate the ratings on motorhomes (or trailers).

Again, welcome!

Consider how you want to RV or full-time. If you want to wander around most anywhere without planning or do not want to be impeded by size, the class c is your bet. If you don't mind being forced to stick to the more major roads and don't mind limits (height, weight, length) on where you can park/go then get a 45 footer. You implied sticking with a MH, but a trailer offers another set of possibilities. Having spent 3yrs with a 24' class c and now experimenting with the opposite extreme in a monster class a, I find they are both equally worthy lifestyles for very differing reasons. Class c's will have fewer road/access limits than an equivalent class a (c's tend to have more road clearance) and a class c tends to be less tall - height is a huge issue/concern in free spirited mobility. But then again, the space and appointments of a class a or darn right nice even if you can't get it into the places you want to visit.

I'd suggest continuing your experiment and try to imagine what aspects of this lifestyle are most important to you. Then pick the rig to match your desires and those desire may change in time.

As for me? I'll most likely be back in a 24 footer in a couple years as I am much more of the unplanned wanderer who likes to get right into everyplace I want to go. But then again, my current rolling barn-sized dance hall is a real blast – at least for now.

Welcome Fay and Jay!  My suggestion would be to get a medium sized MH. We full-timed in a 35' gas MH for about 4 years and had plenty of room. (Ours did not have any slides), We pull a small Pickup truck and use it to see the local attractions once the RV is parked in a CG.

I would also be concerned about not having enough room or storage in a Class C to really enjoy living in it. Also, most C's don't have a lot of load carrying capacity, so it would be easy to overload it with your belongings.

Like Froggi said, talk to as many people as you can. Most full-timers will be glad to talk to you about the lifestyle. Also, check out all of Howard and Linda's information on this site, if you haven't already. Go to the home page and just start going through all of the topics. There is a lot of very good information there. Then, come back here to the forum and ask questions.

We're a friendly bunch, and will try to help.

Good luck!

We went throught this same problem 10 months ago.  Our 1st decision was do we get a 5er or a MH.  We decided on the MH.  We spent months looking at MH's for sale on the internet from Maine to Fl.  Knowing what we wanted and what we did not like.  We had about 30 picked out and since we could not see all of whem we knocked down that list to 10. On a day that we had appointments to see two, we looked at them.  We also stopped at a somewhat local dealer and the second one he showed us we knew was for us.  What I am trying to say is, when you see the right one after some logical decisions you will have your new home.  Good luck and happy fulltiming 

Thanks for the quick responce. I think our main concern is that with our 31 foot C, we will not be able to carry what we need to be able to enjoy the life style. YOU GUYS ARE GREAT

There are many people happily full-timing in Class C's and other smaller RVs. It really is an individual decision. (I am waiting for Jim or Chris to step in sometime but I think they are busy at the FMCA Convention). Better fuel economy, more choices in campsites, being a narrow-body, and cheaper maintenance (hopefully) are advantages for most Class C's.

Your Class C has a big advantage right now, it is yours and if you are thinking of keeping it then you must find it works for you now. It will also force you to downsize more than a big Class A.

You can rent a small storage unit, say 5'x5' to store the stuff you "might" use in a bigger rig. In a more rural area such a storage unit will run about $40/month. That gives you time to try out the full-time lifestyle and lets you realize if the Class C will continue to work or if you need something larger. After a few months you will probably wonder why you are storing some of what you thought so important when you started.

We started full-timing with our 35' gas motorhome and moved to a 40' diesel motorhome later. We found that we needed to be under about 32 or 33 feet to really have more choices, most places we fit as a 35' motorhome we also fit as a 40'.

I also recommend getting the materials from RV Consumers Group as Donna recommended. The books you get with the DVD are very informative on buying an RV.

Jay 'n Fay- I assume you have a toad as well? Why not select something light and large (like a Saturn Vue) which can provide plenty of extra storage for you. Probably could provide more storage than the extra storage in a class A and yet retain the go-anywhere ability of the class c you already own.