Now that we are retired, we have gone from Class B touring RVs to a Class C because we like to spend a week or two or more at a time, usually boondocking in one location. We only really use hookups on the way to or from our destinations or short trips to state parks. So we really need to be fully self contained and self sufficient.
We agonized over the decision: a small C or a small travel trailer. I drive a Jeep Grand Cherokee with a towing package and a 7400 pound towing capacity, so we could easily pull a small (24 foot or so) light weight trailer. We looked at RV shows and at dealers for a year and ended up with a Class C. Our decision was based on several factors, one being familiarity. The trailers generally were not as well made as the Class Cs from a quality standpoint (remember we were looking at the new "light" units and they are designed to minimize weight). Additionally, since we like to boondock, I was going to have to add batteries, an inverter, solar and probably make a rear adaptation to built a hitch platform for a small generator. The 2000 watt Honda or Yamaha are quiet but would not run the AC and we live in a hot part of the country. So, the choice was going to be a big heavy generator or no AC. A good larger genset is expensive and the cheaper units now all over the market sound pretty awful out in the woods and are frustrating to hear.
I have towed a small utility trailer for a long time, but I wasn't too keen on towing a camping trailer in the Southwest winds and heat. And backing it up on narrow boondocking roads or in a tight campsite could be a real challenge for me. When we wanted to dump, we would have had to have one of those big blue black water portable tanks and haul it to somewhere. Since it wouldn't gravity flow, we would have to buy a macerator pump. And so on and so on. With the C, we just disconnect and drive it to the nearest dump every ten days or so.
So, we decided on a Class C over a travel trailer. We loved the idea of sitting up a trailer, unhooking the Jeep and going anywhere we wanted to go, but for us the other negatives just outweighed the positives. We were probably influenced also by a couple of decades with a Class B and just having that convenience.
The negatives for the Class C are obvious. When we are going to be gone a week or more we tow my wife's Cherokee Trailhawk behind our Phoenix Cruiser. Otherwise, we tend to be like pnichols and enjoy the beautiful surroundings of the National Forests, BLM, state and national parks we visit and don't really need to move the C for several days. Fortunately, we have an inside storage space about three miles from our home and I faithfully go out there and drive our rig about thirty miles every month during the off use season, as well as running the genset for at least an hour.
I studied and studied this issue until I drove my DW nearly nuts. It is a tough decision and ANY rv purchase is a compromise. And I still go through the trailers at the RV shows and admire them!!
