Forum Discussion

Francesca_Knowl's avatar
Francesca_Knowl
Explorer
Jun 13, 2014

Traveling fulltime: Your choice of rig?

Hello Fulltime Travelers

One of the reasons I signed up here at RV.net was our long time scheming about doing a year or two traveling around North America. The site's been a real education ( in more ways than one ;) )

A primary concern of course will be choice of rig, which we haven't even narrowed down to type. Sorta hard to do that since we're not even sure about the size of the group yet! But we'd sure be interested in hearing what other folks are using for the same purpose, and why they chose what they did.

I'm hoping for responses from those that are putting lots of miles on their rigs...we won't just be moving north-to-south-to-north a couple of times a year so would like to get input from those who spend most of their time on the move. We'll be looking for something that can stand that much on-the-roadness with the least trouble- and who better to ask than those who're already doing it?

Understand that we're not looking for recommendations so much as simple input about your own experiences:

What rig/setup did you choose for constant travel, and how well has it held up? Anything that you might have done/chosen differently?

Thanks in advance for your input
  • the_bear_II's avatar
    the_bear_II
    Explorer
    Jun 13, 2014
    Here's a site with a lot of info about fulltiming as well as another forum for additional info.

    www.rv-dreams.com
  • Francesca_Knowl's avatar
    Francesca_Knowl
    Explorer
    Jun 13, 2014
    Thanks for the general advice folks- anyone willing to share exact make/model/years etc. of their rigs and how well they've held up over thousands of miles of travel?
  • Bumpyroad's avatar
    Bumpyroad
    Explorer
    Jun 13, 2014
    leaddog wrote:
    One factor for us in choosing a Class A rig over a 5th wheel was that we didn't want to be driving a large pickup all the time.
    JMHO


    yep, a pickup to tow something like they want is going to be a monster and not conducive to driving in congested/narrow places.
    bumpy
  • leaddog's avatar
    leaddog
    Explorer
    Jun 13, 2014
    One factor for us in choosing a Class A rig over a 5th wheel was that we didn't want to be driving a large pickup all the time. We have a Saturn tow car and put 15K miles a year on it and it is more comfortable than a truck. Plus a lot easier to park in shopping centers, etc. Fuel cost evens out over the year by not having to drive the truck all the time. We also like the convenience of having access to bathroom as we drive down the road.

    JMHO
  • CincyGus's avatar
    CincyGus
    Explorer II
    Jun 13, 2014
    General rule of thumb is if your going to put a lot of miles on the rv and being moving a lot, a class A is the way to go. If your going to be spending more time at each location, a 5th wheel is the ticket.

    that's said, plenty of people use each in the exact opposite way as I describe above and are thrilled with their choices.

    I believe the majority that subscribe to the above theory, do so because of the ease of setup for a class A which many find slightly easier than setting up a 5th wheel.
  • Burwoods's avatar
    Burwoods
    Explorer
    Jun 13, 2014
    We were all over the place on making a choice. Changed our minds weekly if not daily. We plan to travel like crazy, and decided on a Class A. A lot of it had to do with thinking into the future for us. I (Sally) have two types of Arthritis, and one will make it hard for me to get around eventually. So Dh felt there would be many a night we would pull in somewhere, weather not be good, we would be tired and Old..lol. So being able to fall into bed and worry about everything else in the morning, seemed the way to go for us. That and floorplan, what suits your life the best. Buying a used Class A and the purchase of a big truck and a 5er all added up to around the same dollar amount with our math. Very personal choice, good luck with your decision.
  • 2oldman's avatar
    2oldman
    Explorer II
    Jun 13, 2014
    There are so many factors, but the one that I felt most important was: floor plan. That includes slides, access to toilet on the road..et al.
  • coon_creekers's avatar
    coon_creekers
    Explorer
    Jun 13, 2014
    we(he) are about to retire in 1 1/2yrs. we are pretty sure we are going to travel at least 6/8 mo. out of 12. we plan on doing a lot of mission work along with our travels. we have decided on a 350 series truck pulling a fifthwheel. why? 350 for the beefiness in the mountains, and a 5`er for the space in storage and we can unhook and drive around. too much sway in a tt, too poor for a mh w/tow !

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