Family of 6 plus 2 dogs... What fits best?
Hello!
We are a family of 6 (4 kids ranging in age from 7-15) and 2 dogs (standard poodle and beagle)..
There are two parts to my question... (and I did skim over the search for when I typed Family of 6, Dogs. but didn't find anything..)
Our plan is to use this for seeing our Nation.. lots of national parks.. and also to take as an all season camper to various Ski areas and use it as a home base.
We are in the market for an RV.. Either a Pull Behind (tow or 5th wheel) or a class C
The options are endless.. which is a good thing.. but also a bad thing... When we went to an RV show this past weekend (1 dealer, small.. 2 brands) we got overwhelmed.. The sales guy steered us to a Jayco Eagle 5th wheel.. 29 ft I believe.. 4 fixed bunks in the front... It was a very nice trailer and I could see us being comfortable here, even on week(+ ) trips.
Then we looked at pull behinds.. also very nice.. also so options..
Some thoughts I am wondering about..
Of course the big one is.. truck... our current vehicle (Sequoia ) cannot tow anything that could fit all of us and the 2 dogs without it being cramped..
If you have a larger family. what do you use to tow your travel trailer.. that can fit everyone plus dogs?
Then there is the bed issue... Ideally, we are thinking that 2-3 fixed bunks are a minimum requirement (if we went with 2 fixed bunks.. ideally we'd like some sort of bench that converts to a bed under one of those bunks.. with kid 4 using the hide a bed pull out option..
At first, the thinking was 4 fixed bunks.. but this is a big purchase and how long with the 15 year old want to come with us.. in 5 years he will be 20 and have his own life (hopefully!)..
Sure a 2 bunk option could work (and maybe a smaller trailer which would then mean maybe (haha right) the current SUV could pull it... but then I wonder how much we'd regret that option when we are all shoulder to shoulder in there.. and constantly taking beds up and down (table to bed option here would have to be used in addition to a hide a bed). I remember how much of a pain that was when I was camping as a kid and that was my bed....the table.. up and down and up and down..
THEN we are thinking.. ok.. maybe get a Motor Home.. the class A's seems HUGE and daunting to try and drive... and not sure how welcome those are in National Parks etc...? so looking at class C.. and the layouts all seem pretty much the same..if you look at only the bunk bed ones.. If you use one of those.how do you like it for 4 kids? how much of a pain is the grandma's attic option? We'd have to tow our Honda Pilot behind, as that is the only other car we own that fits everyone plus the 2 dogs (tightly)
I think if I can get some input on either Class A or a Truck option that would fit all of us plus the dogs.. I can narrow things down before we head to the super show this coming weekend..
Thanks for reading this far!
J and family
We are a family of 6 (4 kids ranging in age from 7-15) and 2 dogs (standard poodle and beagle)..
There are two parts to my question... (and I did skim over the search for when I typed Family of 6, Dogs. but didn't find anything..)
Our plan is to use this for seeing our Nation.. lots of national parks.. and also to take as an all season camper to various Ski areas and use it as a home base.
We are in the market for an RV.. Either a Pull Behind (tow or 5th wheel) or a class C
The options are endless.. which is a good thing.. but also a bad thing... When we went to an RV show this past weekend (1 dealer, small.. 2 brands) we got overwhelmed.. The sales guy steered us to a Jayco Eagle 5th wheel.. 29 ft I believe.. 4 fixed bunks in the front... It was a very nice trailer and I could see us being comfortable here, even on week(+ ) trips.
Then we looked at pull behinds.. also very nice.. also so options..
Some thoughts I am wondering about..
Of course the big one is.. truck... our current vehicle (Sequoia ) cannot tow anything that could fit all of us and the 2 dogs without it being cramped..
If you have a larger family. what do you use to tow your travel trailer.. that can fit everyone plus dogs?
Then there is the bed issue... Ideally, we are thinking that 2-3 fixed bunks are a minimum requirement (if we went with 2 fixed bunks.. ideally we'd like some sort of bench that converts to a bed under one of those bunks.. with kid 4 using the hide a bed pull out option..
At first, the thinking was 4 fixed bunks.. but this is a big purchase and how long with the 15 year old want to come with us.. in 5 years he will be 20 and have his own life (hopefully!)..
Sure a 2 bunk option could work (and maybe a smaller trailer which would then mean maybe (haha right) the current SUV could pull it... but then I wonder how much we'd regret that option when we are all shoulder to shoulder in there.. and constantly taking beds up and down (table to bed option here would have to be used in addition to a hide a bed). I remember how much of a pain that was when I was camping as a kid and that was my bed....the table.. up and down and up and down..
THEN we are thinking.. ok.. maybe get a Motor Home.. the class A's seems HUGE and daunting to try and drive... and not sure how welcome those are in National Parks etc...? so looking at class C.. and the layouts all seem pretty much the same..if you look at only the bunk bed ones.. If you use one of those.how do you like it for 4 kids? how much of a pain is the grandma's attic option? We'd have to tow our Honda Pilot behind, as that is the only other car we own that fits everyone plus the 2 dogs (tightly)
I think if I can get some input on either Class A or a Truck option that would fit all of us plus the dogs.. I can narrow things down before we head to the super show this coming weekend..
Thanks for reading this far!
J and family
