Class C Pros and Cons

falconbrother wrote:
We went from a motorhome to a travel trailer. Couldn't be happier. Much simpler to own. Not that a motorhome is a bad thing. It's way more maintenance. Would I get a motorhome again? Only if our lives drastically changed. For what we do the travel trailer is far superior. That is, we hook up, go to our destination, stay a few days. Then maybe move to another destination, stay a few days, then head home. If we were going to be traversing the US a motorhome would be the better choice.

It was nice to have all the amenities of home while rolling down the interstate. I do miss the generator, microwave and bathroom. Of course we have bathroom now but, we have to pull over. The front of the motorhome, where the drivers and passenger seats are is mostly wasted space when camping. In the travel trailer we use all the space, and we have a big slideout, which is solid gold. We had an older class A with the huge windshield. I would freeze up there while driving in the winter. The heat would keep the house warm enough but, it was cold in the very front. Two oil changes, big bucks for tires, insurance, other repairs, etc.. Motorhomes cost way more to own. But, can be worth it. It's nice to get to the campground in terrible weather and not have to get out in it till the morning. We pulled into a campground, in the dark, in East Tennessee in a driving rain. I disconnected the toad, backed in the motorhome and called it a night. The trailer requires more work.

There is no perfect. I'd say that if you plan to do a lot of moving and driving get the motorhome. If you plan to get to your destination and spend time there, get the travel trailer. Towing isn't bad at all as long as you have enough tow vehicle and the hitch is set up correctly. In fact, towing the travel trailer is less stressful for me than driving the motorhome and pulling the toad. I don't really feel the trailer back there 95% of the time, and out trailer is 30 feet long. However, backing a motorhome into a tight space is easy. I never had an issue with that, in the dark, and rain. Backing a 30 foot trailer into a tight spot is more difficult (for me anyway).

Either way you'll be OK. I met some kind folks from Canada that were hauling a travel trailer all over the US. My sister's in-laws pulled a travel trailer from the West coast the the East coast and North and South about every year (with a Dodge 2500). If I were traveling that much I'd rather have a motorhome. They preferred the trailer.

Well, I guess I don't understand why a Class C motorhome cost more to maintain than a TT-plus-tow-vehicle combination. Why doesn't the combination setup have all of the same maintenance considerations in total as a Class C motorhome?

The ONLY advantage I see to the TT-plus-tow-vehicle combination is one has the tow vehicle to use for other things when not on RV trips (but note my last sentence below), and the tow vehicle can be used to run around in when camping at a spot long enough to justify the unhook/hookup efforts.

Just as reference points: We're fortunate to live close enough to a full-service RV repair and maintenace shop that will take care of the whole Class C for us -> all coach issues plus all Ford chassis issues. I also like the fact that the usage mileage of our motorhome's chassis is kept low due to it only being used and worn out when on RV trips.