Quint Da Man wrote:
The research begins, the long journey of figuring out our needs and wants, and finding the best rig for our lifestyle and if course our budget.
This will be fun
Our plans are to sell everything including our home, and travel the US and Canada for a few years then figure out where we'd like to settle down or continue to full time for a longer period of time. We own a 5th wheel now and were transient for a number of years before becoming seasonal for the last 4 years. We have even thought of hanging on to the seasonal site and staying their in the summer months and traveling for the winter months. The site is in New Hampshire in the White Mountains which we love, and enjoy the hiking and kayaking, and the site is very reasonably priced.
I have so many thoughts and questions and thought the best way for me to educate myself would be to start a thread and lay them out and get peoples opinions and experiences.
You know what they say about Opinions…………….
We are not quite sure if we want to buy new or used. If we do buy used I wouldn't want to go more than 4 or 5 years old but would prefer even newer if possible. One of the things we have done to prepare ourselves for purchasing used is to have a half dozen or so rigs we think are in our price range that we like all picked out. What we do is attend the Hersey RV show almost every year and crawl through the motor homes there, talk with the dealers and manufacturers, grab the brochures and MSRP and show discounted price and note these and other noteworthy information on the brochures so when we start our search for a used rig we are already somewhat familiar with it, crawled through it, etc. As far as general information about the pros and cons of going full time, and the needs and wants of a rig that your in full time, I've started to have long conversations and pick the minds of people who visit the campground that we are seasonal at. Love to chat about their experiences, how they like their rig, is their anything they would do differently etc.
Bought a New gasser in 99 that we thought was the rig – after three years we knew it wasn’t and had a long list of the things we now needed. We ordered a custom built TS in 2004 and other than maybe heat in the Bathroom floor not much I would change.
The other option of course is buying new, taking the depreciation hit and living with it for a few years. We plan on keeping the rig for quite a few years, even when we are no longer full time it will still be a 6 months out, 6 month home type of lifestyle wherever we decide to settle. We are trying to decide on length of rig, will a 36' diesel with all the amenities we want be enough, or should we go with a 40' coach. We are thinking 36-38 to give us more flexibility in campground choice and national parks, maneuverability, going to some of the more remote places up in Alaska, and the lower 48, little bit less on fuel consumption on the smaller rig etc. Or maybe we are just thinking about it the wrong way. 40' gives us more room, more storage, more tank storage for longer times dry camping, and larger fuel tank for longer time in-between fill ups, or maybe the difference in fuel mileage in the smaller unit becomes a wash.
If you will be living in it, it will never be too large, but can almost always be too small. Fuel saving is not that big a deal the only real way to save on fuel is to be underpowered. It will almost always be an honest 7.5-8.5 on all of them. And we may not be able to stay in every site we have been able to go to every place we have chosen. Flexibility is just BS.
I have a few years and I am thinking about 2 different approaches. One is buy a rig now in the coming year or so and tool around in it to get to know what I want and need 1st hand and then buy the "real" rig for full timing in a couple of years. Or wait 2 or 3 years and buy the full time rig right off the bat, be weekend warriors in it for a few years before going out full time. We won't be full time for 5 years so I do have options, thus the posting now.
Told you how we did it and we are still not out there as much as we want.
We both have similar likes as far as layout and wants/needs inside the rig. Start the LIST:
King size bed with night table/shelves on both sides. YES
This may not be an option on the smaller rigs.TRUE
Decent countertop space in the kitchen as I am the cook and love to practice my hobby, all though the main ingredient will most likely be done on the grill, I love tinkering with side dishes and sauces etc. WILL NEVER BE AS LARGE AS A HOUSE
TV placement is important to us, I hate the way many of the layouts have the TV placed behind the kitchen table in the kitchen so if anybody is working in the kitchen or sitting at the kitchen table your view can be obstructed. We also prefer not to have it above the dash over the windshield so you have to look up to watch it. CONFUSED WHERE?
There are only the 2 of us and we never foresee the need to have to accommodate sleeping for more than 2 or need to have the privacy as if there will be others sharing the rig.
6 FOR COCTAILS
4 FOR DINNER
SLEEPS 2 !
Nice big refrigerator with large freezer. Just about everyone is using residential – I still think gas will give you more options for dry camping.
Convection microwave and probably not an oven. YES
I have used the oven in the 5th wheel but on very rare occasions and think I could get along without it. WE HAVE DONE EVERTHING BUT THE TURKEY IN THE COACH.
Small kitchen table with expansion capability for the occasions when hosting if weather forces us inside. YES
Good size TV in the bedroom, 32” THAT IS HINGED TO LIFT UP FOR STORAGE.
Pullout couch if by chance we do have a sleepover jack will work but a good blow up might be better. We sleep 2
A desk corner for computer and printer Combo with the Dinning Table
AC in both main cabin and bedroom Get three A/C’s you can always turn one off.
Double sink in kitchen. We have it but would prefer a large single -Pan
Auto leveling. Yes – but you still need a level.
50 amp service YES
Some of the things we are not sure of and maybe are purely a luxury and not practical are a dishwasher and washer/drier. BOTH
They take up storage space but is the convenience worth it? COULD NOT LIVE WITHOUT IT.
That's a start, as far as outside the coach, I definitely want a diesel pusher,
YES
would love some sort of entertainment center outside. NO
I don't like awnings that are attached to the main body of the coach and then loose half their space to a glide out but may have to settle on that. Full length awning
Lots of underneath storage. LOTS
Well that's the start of this thread, I'm hoping people will commit and add. Tell me where my thinking is wrong or lacking. Add your ideas and experiences of what you have found while on your adventures. What you would do differently etc.
ADD;
Tile floors
Aqua Hot
Extra insulation
Really good shades
All Solid Wood cabinets
Big closet
Pantry
Large residential sized Shower
Pull out trays
Tag axle
Solar on the roof
Electric toilet
Trash can to outside
That’ it for now
Thanks to all
