Must I have a toad with a 27' Class C?

We "did it all" with our 28' Class C. Most of the time, we didn't bring a toad and always managed to find a place to park; but we often had to walk a bit farther; and if we needed supplies, we made a point to get those before we parked for the day.

National Parks always posed a problem due to small pullouts at scenic sites; a few times we rented cars close to the parks we wished to explore rather than drag a toad for thousands of miles. Other times, when we were planning to do more exploring of an area, we brought a toad along. (I think having a toad makes you fearless in your exploring travels; plus it fits into those quaint little cafes, etc that we like to visit)

Bottom line - you don't *need* a toad; but having one might be nice, depending on the things you enjoy doing. And it explains why even a smaller RV like a Class B would be pulling one.

On edit: I should probably add that our style of RVing is "sightseeing" - a new place every day, so always the opportunity to buy groceries along the way. If I was going to park for several days in a row - then I absolutely would want a toad.

We have been camping for seventeen years. First, with a 24 foot, Class C, and later with a 28 foot, Class C. We have never towed. We simply try to plan ahead (example-stop at the grocery store before heading to the campground). If we go to a National Park, that doesn't have a shuttle system to get around, or if we go anywhere else we need a car-we rent one.

NOW, with that being said, if I could go back seventeen years when we started camping, I would have said-let's tow a car. I would say that about half the places we go-I still wouldn't want to tow a car, BUT there are also about half the places we go that I know it would be easier/nicer having a car. So, if you downsize, I would say tow when you need to and leave the car behind when you don't.

I've traveled around 40,000 miles in a 32' class C without a toad, and seldom if ever wished I had one. A whole lot depends on where you're going and what you're doing and how long you tend to stay in one place.

In general, I haven't had too much trouble finding places to park in towns or suburbia for the things I've wanted to do. Shopping for groceries works out fine if I can plan ahead enough to do it while en route between stops, avoiding the need for a separate trip. Big cities are another matter altogether; parking is hard enough for a car, and often practically impossible for an RV. I do quite often use public transit, a bicycle, and/or a good bit of shoe leather to get around destinations, and sometimes choose to go places where that's practical in preference to those where it isn't. I also don't tend to stay too long at at any one place--pretty much never more than a week.

If, say, you're retired and will spend several weeks at a campground, a toad would probably be a no-brainer. There is no one ideal solution that suits everybody equally well.

scbwr wrote:
At our age, the DW and I have talked many times about what we would do when I feel that I don't want to or am able to drive our MH with the Malibu behind. And, we've spent time looking at options, mainly via the internet.

Our style of traveling still includes a lot of sightseeing and exploring. Because of this, I would still prefer to have a towed car so that when sightseeing, I can park in any standard parking spot. So, I'd be leaning towards a Class C which would enable reducing the overall towing length and having a smaller RV for maneuvering in a campground. Some of the class B campers could also be a possibility.

Unless circumstances gave us no option, I don't want to have to disconnect my RV everytime we want to go somewhere.

But, what works for us, or would work for us is only that! Folks have to decide what works for them. If we had to, we may consider an RV that is no larger than a good sized van or pickup truck. It could require changing our style of travel such as staying in a hotel/motel or renting a condo for longer stays and using the RV for short trips and as a room on wheels when traveling to distant places.

Bottom line, take your time and then give something a try! If it doesn't work out....move on!

I agree completely.

Aside from the majority of the comments around convenience, I would add - if your RV breaks down it's sure nice to have the dinghy.

At our age, the DW and I have talked many times about what we would do when I feel that I don't want to or am able to drive our MH with the Malibu behind. And, we've spent time looking at options, mainly via the internet.

Our style of traveling still includes a lot of sightseeing and exploring. Because of this, I would still prefer to have a towed car so that when sightseeing, I can park in any standard parking spot. So, I'd be leaning towards a Class C which would enable reducing the overall towing length and having a smaller RV for maneuvering in a campground. Some of the class B campers could also be a possibility.

Unless circumstances gave us no option, I don't want to have to disconnect my RV everytime we want to go somewhere.

But, what works for us, or would work for us is only that! Folks have to decide what works for them. If we had to, we may consider an RV that is no larger than a good sized van or pickup truck. It could require changing our style of travel such as staying in a hotel/motel or renting a condo for longer stays and using the RV for short trips and as a room on wheels when traveling to distant places.

Bottom line, take your time and then give something a try! If it doesn't work out....move on!

It comes down to personal preferences and familiarity of vehicle.
We have a 26' RV with a double e-bike rack on the back and have no issues. If we stay at/near a heavy populated area & want to go out for dinner there' always a rental car or the Uber route.
Just a quart of milk or so from the local store, the e-bikes come in handy.

Skyfarmer wrote:
Although we have traveled with a 40' and a toad, and also a 5ver, we are now considering just a small motorhome. For those of you who do this, can you access most places with a 27', or should it be much less?

Rent one for a trip or two. You'll quickly discover if it works for YOU.

We rented both class C and trailers before settling on a trailer.

We had a toad when we had a 27' Class C. Did not like to break camp to do day trips, and a 27' is difficult to park.

Can it be done? Generally, yes.

Will it be a pain having to break camp constantly? For us, the answer would be yes.