Ambivalent about re-joining RV lifestyle

Hello, folks, I wasn't entirely sure where to post this, so, I thought I'd throw it out in the beginner section.

Here's our story. In the late 90's/early 2000's, we had a 21' Class C motorhome and it was our first experience with the motorhome/camping lifestyle and learned a lot. The most important lessons being 1) RV'ing is not "cheap" travel. After traveling with the motorhome, it is in fact, less expensive but not dramatically so. What you spend in one area on another form of travel, you spend in another on others. 2) It truly is a lifestyle and, like everything in life, it really should be something you enjoy or shouldn't take it up as there's a lot that goes into the hobby. Our motorhome served us well but over time we found the lifestyle wasn't for us and, unfortunately, we didn't keep up on the maintenance and ultimately had to donate the motorhome to a charity to be auctioned off about 10 years ago. Times have changed and we've had the distinct pleasure of spending 6 weeks with our 11 and 8-year-old grandsons the last two years. This year we picked them up in San Antonio and drove to Las Vegas to spend the month of June with family. Then, unexpectedly, they came home with us to New Jersey for two weeks before flying back to San Antonio.

Having said all that, they did so well on the road trip, it got my wife and me to consider the idea of doing more road trips with the boys. My wife suggested we try the RV lifestyle again as the boys love new experiences and didn't seem to mind being on the road. I just happened to purchase a new Ram 1500 in December, we did a couple of short tests over the weekend as it's a quad cab as opposed to the crew cab. Everyone handled the back seat well. If I had any inkling back in December when I bought the truck that I would be pulling a travel trailer, I would have opted for the Eco-Diesel. As I had no intention of getting back into the RV lifestyle at the time, I purchased the Pentastar V6. Fortunately, the vehicle I purchased has the 3.55 gear ratios that provide for 7400lbs of towing capacity. From the little bit of research, I've been able to do in the last week, I feel confident we can find a trailer with bunks just under 5000lbs we'll be able to tow with my truck. Currently, the Forest River 261BHXL is very high on the list as it's roomy, has a couch (We also learned about rainy days in a campground and the need for seating options on days you can't get out), it's light, has a dedicated queen size bed and pre-owned units are plentiful as it's been around a while. I like the idea of a pre-owned unit in the event we jump in and find we're not enjoying it and want to get rid of it.

Here's my ambivalence, my wife is ready to jump in. Me? Not so much. Based on our last experience, an RV is a commitment and I've gotten used to hotels and like the convenience of them. As noted above, regardless of your mode of travel, it costs almost the same. From what I've found usually within 10-20%. Where you don't spend money on hotel rooms while traveling in an RV, you spend more in fuel and you can't travel as fast so it takes longer to get where you're going. Not to mention, the added costs of storing the RV when you're not using it if you're not storing it at your house. The upside to the RV is flexibility and being in your own space. Fortunately, based on our experience with the motorhome, we learned the lesson of towable's versus powered chassis, especially on rainy days. To be able to disconnect and have a vehicle to get around in is priceless.

Personally, I'd like to rent for a 10-day trip first just to see how it goes and that's likely the route we'll go, but, I'm seeking out the advice of the veterans here. Thank you.

toedtoes
Explorer III
Jul 13, 2017
4x4van wrote:
kltk1 wrote:
One of my wife's justifications for the TT is that, if we have it, we'll find more reasons to use it. With, and without, the boys.
This, right there, is a very important key to owning rather than renting. It is real easy to, at the last minute, to decide to make a quick get-away. Not so much with a rental. Last year, while planning for my oldest daughter's wedding, we were getting frazzled. 2 weeks before the big day, my wife said to me, "Can we go somewhere? Anywhere? I need a break." By the next day we were sitting in a small quiet campground in the middle of Oak Glen during apple season for the weekend.:B

I would agree with this except that you have owned an RV before and that did not happen. Why would this time around be any different?
kltk1
Explorer
Jul 12, 2017
Allworth wrote:
Just do NOT believe any RV salesman who says "your truck can handle this."

Either they lie or they have no idea how to match a truck to a trailer.

I'm sure you are proud of your truck, but realistically it is not very capable as a tow vehicle. Nothing against that particular truck. Any 1500 V-6 gas powered pickup is by it's very nature limited.

Don't even look at things like toy haulers. You are almost immediately in 3500 diesel territory.

If you are not really sure that you want to own and maintain (and maintain) (and maintain) an RV I have to agree with the folks who suggest taking the kids in the Quad-Cab (maybe with a nice topper on the back) and tour based on cabins and/or motels. When we have our grandson with us almost all "adventures" involve leaving the trailer at the RV park and taking the truck to go sightseeing.

Thank you for your response. I don't disagree that towing with a V6 isn't ideal, however, my truck is equipped to tow 7400lbs and we're looking at trailers in the mid 4k to very low 5k lb range, preferably with a GVWR no more than 6500. That said, I found a trailer on RV share that's very similar to what we're looking at, we're probably going to rent it in September and see how it goes. You could very well be right and the truck may not like pulling 5000lbs, or more. Renting really serves two purposes, 1) It gives us a chance to re-enter the scene and see how we feel about RV'ing and 2) It tests my trucks ability to tow. At the very least it will be a learning experience.
4x4van
Explorer III
Jul 12, 2017
kltk1 wrote:
One of my wife's justifications for the TT is that, if we have it, we'll find more reasons to use it. With, and without, the boys.
This, right there, is a very important key to owning rather than renting. It is real easy to, at the last minute, to decide to make a quick get-away. Not so much with a rental. Last year, while planning for my oldest daughter's wedding, we were getting frazzled. 2 weeks before the big day, my wife said to me, "Can we go somewhere? Anywhere? I need a break." By the next day we were sitting in a small quiet campground in the middle of Oak Glen during apple season for the weekend.:B
Allworth
Explorer II
Jul 12, 2017
Just do NOT believe any RV salesman who says "your truck can handle this."

Either they lie or they have no idea how to match a truck to a trailer.

I'm sure you are proud of your truck, but realistically it is not very capable as a tow vehicle. Nothing against that particular truck. Any 1500 V-6 gas powered pickup is by it's very nature limited.

Don't even look at things like toy haulers. You are almost immediately in 3500 diesel territory.

If you are not really sure that you want to own and maintain (and maintain) (and maintain) an RV I have to agree with the folks who suggest taking the kids in the Quad-Cab (maybe with a nice topper on the back) and tour based on cabins and/or motels. When we have our grandson with us almost all "adventures" involve leaving the trailer at the RV park and taking the truck to go sightseeing.
kltk1
Explorer
Jul 11, 2017
Thank you, to everyone who has responded. All the responses are taken as seasoned advice and are helpful. A particular shout out to 4x4van, I think that's the advice I was, subconsciously, wanting to hear. We really enjoy the kids and their adventurous spirit and hope the time they're spending with us will be long remembered. That's a very high priority for my wife and why she encourages whatever it takes to spend the 4-6 weeks a year we get them. Fortunately, my work schedule allows for a lot of time off to accommodate most of their stay. One of my wife's justifications for the TT is that, if we have it, we'll find more reasons to use it. With, and without, the boys. As an avid motorcyclist there are countless opportunities to use the TT if we have it.

As the big RV show in Hershey, Pennsylvania is a couple of months out, we're planning to go and do two days with the hopes of taking a good look at everything from class B vans to TT to Toy haulers and hope to find a plan that works for us. If we get a TT, it will likely be late winter/early spring to prepare for 2018 with the kids. As noted in my first post, the Forest River 261BHXL is light enough to tow with my Pentastar V6, RAM 1500 and can be had in the $10,000 range pre-owned, possibly less. At that kind of investment, we can put a toe in the water and not feel overwhelmed. That said, there's a high chance we could rent next year, just to see how it goes. If it's as big a hit as this year's hotel road trip was, the justification would be very easy.

Thanks again for all the responses and insight.
toedtoes
Explorer III
Jul 11, 2017
Towing a trailer is different than driving a 21ft class C.

I agree with the others. Since you and your wife don't like owning a motorhome, i'd rent one when you have the grandkids. No maintenance; no sitting unused; no regrets.

With a rental, you get the enjoyment of a motorhome without the work.

When the kids move on with their lives, you aren't staring at an RV wondering why you bothered.
pianotuna
Nomad III
Jul 11, 2017
How about renting a class C for trips with the boys?
4x4van
Explorer III
Jul 11, 2017
Interesting dilemma. My experience is quite different, so it may not really be of any value to you, but, it may...so here goes.

I grew up camping in RVs; truck camper with my parents or a small RV with grandparents when we were kids, once married we started out of the back of a minivan and eventually moved onto class C RVs. Currently own a Class A. But camping was never about the mode. For us, it was going to the desert to jeep, ride dirtbikes/ATVs, or going to the river to boat, water ski, jet ski. None of those activities really lend themselves to hotel rooms. We saw Zion, Bryce, Canyonlands, Grand Canyon, Canyon De Chelly, Lake Powell, Yosemite...Or even just out in the boonies of nowhere!

Growing up, those trips left such lasting memories that not only do my (now adult) kids continue to go with us, but I now have a grandson that goes as well, and my dad, at 80, occasionally goes as well; 4 generations, still all making those wonderful memories together. Sitting around a campfire roasting marshmallows and laughing about the day's adventures, bacon & eggs cooking outside on a crisp morning, actually seeing and spending time in some of our nation's most beautiful natural areas both day and night... Those are the memories that I will carry for a lifetime, as will my kids, and now my grandkids.

Oftentimes we boondock, sometimes we go to campgrounds, occasionally we even go to fancy RV "resorts". We infield at NASCAR, spend Superbowl Sunday on the beach in a remote coastal campground near Lompoc, go 30 minutes away to the mountains just to get away from the heat for a quick weekend, and of course still the desert and the river for off-road adventures and boating. They are all worthy of long lasting memories that staying in a motel just can't provide (yes we've also done motel trips...but I hate not sleeping in my own bed, having to go out and buy every single meal, and especially putting the "trip" on hold while we are holed up in that room every night, sitting on the edge of the bed watching TV rather than looking up at the stars with S'Mores in hand).

My point is that memories are not just about the day's activities. They are also about the entire trip; getting there, setting up, campfire time, sleeping under the stars, preparing meals, and yes, even tearing down camp and heading home. If you can swing it, I say to take the plunge. Maybe you only have a couple of years before your grandkids stop wanting to go, or maybe they will get hooked and want to continue going for years to come (could anything be better than that?), perhaps even dragging their parents back into it as well; the more the merrier! But those memories, whether for 1-2 years, or 5-7 years, or a lifetime, will be priceless.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Jul 11, 2017
kerrlakeRoo wrote:
The only thing I'll point out that you didn't cover is age related. With the grandsons already being 8 and 11 you don't have too many years before they will become immersed in their own interest. You may not get but a couple of seasons before they branch out.

So ya better start now!
Expyinflight
Explorer
Jul 11, 2017
Many KOA and other campgrounds now have rental Camping Cabins available. Maybe that could be an option for you and the grandchildren to take some trips with some fun 'camping' experiences. No RV required.