Katet, your dilemma has been around for a long time. Times change, and over time we change. Many of the responses above tell me the age of the poster. By the looks of your sig, I would say you are + or - 38 years old. What a great time of life! Now to the query:
I would have you type "4WD Motorhome" into your browser. There are some great solutions for anyone wanting to get farther from civilization in an RV. They do have qualifiers. 1. VERY expensive for what you get. Why is that? A very low numbers output for a very small band of users. Most of them are hand made. 2. Most of them are foreign (to the U.S.) making them just a work of eyeball candy crafted from unobtanium.
As a start I would examine your ability to go off road or out back. Yes, I'm talking about your skills. Many of the successful Truck Camper people I know started out as 4 wheelers and as they got older and tired of sleeping on the ground transferred that off road technique to a much larger and more comfort laden rig. The next thing to consider is how far off the beaten track are you to ply? If you are just trying to get a bit farther than an N.F. or N.P. campground, and do a little open space boon docking, then a small, not so long, not so tall, not so wide, 2WD Class B or C would be the ticket. This would give you a chance at the peace and quiet you are looking for. My choice in this case would be an upfitted M.B. Sprinter with dual rear wheels. They now offer 4WD in a Sprinter, giving you a bad road leg up. You could go for months or even years in this rig in high comfort and style getting much farther off the beaten path than with a FS MoHo.
You would think I would recommend getting a TC as my sig file gives me away...but noh, I think for you it would be a bad idea. What? The key factors for me are your pets. Your pooches, as big as they are, will always be underfoot in a TC, waiting out that occasional two day snow storm. A TC is just right for Jeanie and I, but the controlling factor is no pets; no other people; just two consenting adults that have over time learned to dance the small space ballet....on tippy toes. And that small space costs more per share foot than any other RV.
Another consideration is, which RV dimensions are the most egregious. At one time I thought height was the most problematic for getting in the outback. Recently, I'm convinced that width is the determinant factor, not height. Of course, this is so variable in terms of the terra you wish to explore. In the desert southwest, you want traction and clearance (ramp approach angle, ramp break over, ramp departure) for those sharp turns in sandy washes and occasional rolling stone, so over all dimensions are not so important for clearance. In wooded areas like the NW U.S. the trees are very close together blocking a wide vehicle from further ingress.
Other things to think about are seasons. If you are a summer only type camper, then you don't need to worry about double pane windows, insulation or heating. If, on the other hand you are 4-season campers, you need to worry about traction, up to date insulation, larger and heated tanks. You need to consider some of these variables in making your decision.
So, the result of all this considering is
The farther away from the madding crowd you want to get; the less tall, less wide, and shorter you want your RV to be.
Our goal was to put together a reasonably priced 4WD (with traction devices and wider tires), 86 inch wide, 10 foot tall, 20 foot long, hard side RV for 2, essentially more for travel than for camping, that would work in any season, on any road surface, at any temperature, in any weather, park in a regular parking space, even for extended periods that could be converted back to a pickup or daily drive. The other aspect was its stealth camping or layover ability. No changeable shape. No tell tale chairs, awnings, BBQ's or signs of life outside at all. Truth be told, we try to avoid traveling and camping in summer. Our wheel house is late fall/winter/early spring. We actually go looking for sand, snow, and bad roads that lead to that quiet, secluded campsite and usually find them. Why? Because we can
regards, as always, jefe
