We have been camping in our Coachmen Catalina Class C for over 15 years and each trip or camp out never seems to last as long as we would like so we are considering taking a year out and enjoying the USA. Our 2 oldest are now in college and we just sold our house (living in a rental until we decide what to do) so it seems that now is the best time to go for it if there ever is one. We LOVE our class C but realize that it would not work for living full time in with 2 little ones and a husband who needs to work at home (or camper) so we have been in the process of looking at trailers and 5th wheels. That alone has been very overwhelming (why can't they make a class C with 2 rooms LOL). So we are still in the process of attending RV shows and trying to do research on the internet to find what fits best. We aren't truck people so that has also been a sticking point. Then our second thought is do we buy something we will keep for a long while (even though we won't still be full time) or do we buy something knowing we are going to have to take a lose on to resell. We would any advice from someone who has been in our shoes.
Terry and Jo said
09:37 AM Jan 31, 2016
Amy,
First of all, welcome to the RV Dreams forums. You've certainly come to a good place at which to ask questions and get good answers and advice. Feel free to ask as the only "dumb" questions are those that don't get asked and thus, one makes expensive or time consuming mistakes.
As for the RV, I'd really suggest that you look into finding a good used unit instead of a brand new one. That way, you won't be taking that big depreciation hit as soon as you've driven off of the lot. This applies to both trucks and RV's.
Also, what is your style of camping? If you like going to out of the way places where there are limited or no utility hookups (water, sewer, electric), then you may want to limit the length of RV that you get. If you are the "all hook-ups" kind of camper, then size might not matter so much. With that in mind, even if you aren't living in the RV full-time on a long term basis, would it warrant the cost to get the better quality rigs if you don't really do much camping after the first year?
With your husband working from home, I'm presuming that he needs good internet. That may put you more into the category of the "all hook-ups" type of camper where you will have either good WiFi available or where one can get good cell tower signals for something like a Verizon MiFi system.
At any rate, I'd suggest getting as good a quality as you can with your budget. Also, look into and choose the trailer or fifth wheel you would like BEFORE choosing a truck. You want to make sure that the truck you get will handle the weight of the RV you end up choosing. I've known of folks that "got a great deal" on such-and-such truck, only to find out later it was too light of a truck for the trailer they wanted.
Good luck with your research and planning. A lot of folks here will provide answers, advice, and encouragement.
We have been camping in our Coachmen Catalina Class C for over 15 years and each trip or camp out never seems to last as long as we would like so we are considering taking a year out and enjoying the USA. Our 2 oldest are now in college and we just sold our house (living in a rental until we decide what to do) so it seems that now is the best time to go for it if there ever is one. We LOVE our class C but realize that it would not work for living full time in with 2 little ones and a husband who needs to work at home (or camper) so we have been in the process of looking at trailers and 5th wheels. That alone has been very overwhelming (why can't they make a class C with 2 rooms LOL). So we are still in the process of attending RV shows and trying to do research on the internet to find what fits best. We aren't truck people so that has also been a sticking point. Then our second thought is do we buy something we will keep for a long while (even though we won't still be full time) or do we buy something knowing we are going to have to take a lose on to resell. We would any advice from someone who has been in our shoes.
Amy,
First of all, welcome to the RV Dreams forums. You've certainly come to a good place at which to ask questions and get good answers and advice. Feel free to ask as the only "dumb" questions are those that don't get asked and thus, one makes expensive or time consuming mistakes.
As for the RV, I'd really suggest that you look into finding a good used unit instead of a brand new one. That way, you won't be taking that big depreciation hit as soon as you've driven off of the lot. This applies to both trucks and RV's.
Also, what is your style of camping? If you like going to out of the way places where there are limited or no utility hookups (water, sewer, electric), then you may want to limit the length of RV that you get. If you are the "all hook-ups" kind of camper, then size might not matter so much. With that in mind, even if you aren't living in the RV full-time on a long term basis, would it warrant the cost to get the better quality rigs if you don't really do much camping after the first year?
With your husband working from home, I'm presuming that he needs good internet. That may put you more into the category of the "all hook-ups" type of camper where you will have either good WiFi available or where one can get good cell tower signals for something like a Verizon MiFi system.
At any rate, I'd suggest getting as good a quality as you can with your budget. Also, look into and choose the trailer or fifth wheel you would like BEFORE choosing a truck. You want to make sure that the truck you get will handle the weight of the RV you end up choosing. I've known of folks that "got a great deal" on such-and-such truck, only to find out later it was too light of a truck for the trailer they wanted.
Good luck with your research and planning. A lot of folks here will provide answers, advice, and encouragement.
Terry