Looking to get into RVing.. need help

Jeepnfool, What you propose is an excellent idea with the understanding that if you plan it better it can be done. We travel every year on 2-3 week trips to the west. Is it a lot of driving? YES. Does it matter to me? NO. I don't mind the driving because I know we have a destination in mind. Our trips usually encompass about 3-4 major stops for 3-4 days each with the other days for driving. Do I wish it was different where I could go as slow as I want and see everything in between? Absolutely yes but considering we both still work we have no other options. One day soon we will be retired and can do the slow version. I look forward to that day but until then we make a plan for each trip and execute the plan. So far we haven't been disappointed. We've seen some amazing sites and saw a lot of things we want to return for that we missed because our time was limited.

You'll find a rig to tow the Jeep and trailer, just take your time and be diligent and you'll find it.

if you going to buy used RV you should check it first.
make sure to do ***Link Removed***free vin check. there are a lot of used RV with problems.

enjoy your trip

Since you are a Jeeper, I think you'd probably love RVing, you probably don't mind doing a little work on things, and you enjoy the outdoors.

One thing you mentioned that I might caution you on is spur of the moment travel. It may be different out west, but here in the south east finding a campsite can be tough. We leave for the beach tomorrow,we are having to stay Sunday-Friday, we could not get the weekends included, they were booked. Back in March every Friday and Saturday night for the entire summer was booked at every state park on the northern gulf coast. In May I looked to book a site in the North Georgia mountains for a weekend in Oct that my kids are out of School on Fri and Mon, and only one of the 6 or so state parks had availability.

Granted my times to go due to us working, and having kids in school, tend to be in the busy season, and weekends.

I've never camped out west (bucket list), but from reading here, it seems there is lots of dry camping areas where you can just find a spot in the woods to camp. Seems that would be great with the Jeep, but maybe difficult if you don't know the area.

Depends on where you are, but many rv parks also have trailers and 5th wheels set up to rent. Some have cabins. You would have a place to stay and could cook your own meals if you wished to. Do hotdogs on the grill or whatever. Could probably do this for a lot of years vs buying one yourself. Later when closer to retirement, then buy your own if you are still thinking of rving. Renting one at a campground for a week or two would also give you a taste so you know if you like it.

Jeepnfool wrote:
Thanks, and I do realize that it would be a lot slower going in the RV and I can respect that. When I tow now, I'm not doing 80, but somewhere around 60, but that's in a quad cab truck and 18' trailer. I know exactly what you mean by "crazies", when I'm towing, you seem to notice them more, cutting you off, not giving enough room to make that turn at the corner. and generally just blowing by you on the hwy.
When we plan trips and have to drive the Jeeps, we look on the maps to get a general sense of how far/long it is to the destination and add at least an hour. GPS says 4hrs, it will be 5hrs in 'Jeep Time' since we can't go that fast.
My whole goal in this was to see what my best option was for what I want to do since I'm new to the game and what is actually out there.. A or C. Dream would probably be a Super C with a large enclosed trailer and enough time from work to enjoy everyday of it.. I do get to work from home a lot, so being able to drop anchor somewhere and just login looking at some new beautiful scenery would be perfect!
I appreciate all the input from everyone!!!

If you can afford Super C and have the $$ Id say go for it,you only live once..
Those things can haul anything,well almost..plus I do believe should be quite reliable being on heavy truck chassis..

If you don't have any experience with camping/RVing I suggest you try renting one. A weekend or week trip can give you some idea of what it is like and if it is for you and your family. It will also help you decide what you are looking for as far as options. Renting is not cheap but if you stay local it will not be as much. Buying a RV of any kind and finding out you don't like it is a expensive mistake. There is a lot of info here and other places like youtube on RV's and anything to do with them. Oh and don't forget you need a place to store it if you can't do it at home.

Thanks, and I do realize that it would be a lot slower going in the RV and I can respect that. When I tow now, I'm not doing 80, but somewhere around 60, but that's in a quad cab truck and 18' trailer. I know exactly what you mean by "crazies", when I'm towing, you seem to notice them more, cutting you off, not giving enough room to make that turn at the corner. and generally just blowing by you on the hwy.
When we plan trips and have to drive the Jeeps, we look on the maps to get a general sense of how far/long it is to the destination and add at least an hour. GPS says 4hrs, it will be 5hrs in 'Jeep Time' since we can't go that fast.
My whole goal in this was to see what my best option was for what I want to do since I'm new to the game and what is actually out there.. A or C. Dream would probably be a Super C with a large enclosed trailer and enough time from work to enjoy everyday of it.. I do get to work from home a lot, so being able to drop anchor somewhere and just login looking at some new beautiful scenery would be perfect!
I appreciate all the input from everyone!!!

BTW, one of the other RV forums has a sub-forum devoted to 4 wheeling, in case you're interested.

4-Wheeling

Since it's just the 3 of you, why not think about upgrading your truck to a 350 (or even 450) and getting a truck camper? Then you can tow the jeep when desired. And if you want to do a lot of 4-wheeling, a 4x4 truck with TC will get you closer to those places.

Jeepnfool wrote:
I guess I never did address the fact we did the trip really fast...

I re-read the entire post and thread and by all means, don't want to discourage you on anything. I think you'll find RV ownership, no matter which one you finally settle on, to be a great and exciting adventure for you. And it will give you nice options when you have the jeep to go to places and be able to camp and stay where the action is.

I think the one big thing that surprises us all, once we get that RV (of any type) is how much longer it seems to take to get from point A to point B. In an automobile, you can exceed the speed limit by 20 mph. Some Western states have 80 mph speed limits and autos go much faster than that. You can travel fast and far that way.

In an RV, life all of a sudden slows way down. You'll find the average miles per hour you actually drive every day will be around 50-55. As many others have testified on these forums, 50 mph is THE average speed traveled. Why?

Well, I suppose it's just the nature of the beast. First, trailer tiers are rated, mostly, at 60 mph. Some are now 80 mph. Exceeding 60 mph is a threat for sudden blow out. This in itself forces us to slow down. There are a few "crazies" out there that think they are invincible and nothing will ever happen to them, and no one can tell them any different. They are out there. But someday, the odds will catch up with them.

Another factor in slower driving is the shear bulkiness of an RV. Because they are much bigger and boxier than the normal sedan, they do require a LOT more attention to what's happening all around you.

Add the fact that a new truck and new trailer combination can cost you $100,000, plus the lives of all your family members in the vehicle makes you paranoid real fast about all the "crazies" out there who can cause you an accident and you loose it all in a moment's heartbeat. The average driver just doesn't understand it takes longer distances to stop an RV, longer distances to get an RV up to speed, take much more space to make a simple turn, and need space to maneuver at any fuel station. All these thoughts running through your head will cause you to just naturally be more careful, more alert, and a bit slower. (which is a good thing).

Here again, I think most of us have this initial idea that an RV is just as mobile as the family sedan and when we actually get one, we find out real fast they are worlds apart.

I say all this, simply to say, you will find RV driving, especially towing a car carrier with an addition few thousand dollars worth of equipment on top of that, will cause you to naturally slow down. Expect 50 miles an hour for your total average daily driving time. If you plan on driving 200 miles a day, plan actual driving time 4 hours, not 2 and 20 minutes if you were travel a steady 80. This is how you have to figure your travel time. Then you have the rest of the day to play with that jeep!