Planning Retirement Trips / Deciding on a RV

We started with a used class c and then got a new one but found it hard to do much sight seeing when camped without a tow car. Problem is that have to unhook if you have to back up. We often got blocked into some difficult situations that If all people were considerate should not happen. After 10 years we switched to TTs and never regretted the move in 20 more years. If you were going to stay in one place like a whole season a tow car would make sense but we moved often and generally only stayed a few days at each place. Some campgrounds do rent cars.

I am in the travel trailer camp. Everyone is different and we all have different preferences but I can't justify the expense of a class A or even a class C and still have to tow something to get around in. We have friends that have a beautiful Monaco coach and they pull a full sized Hummer H3. They love it and it works for them. Have friends that had a C and they got tired of having to unhook every time they needed to go to the grocery store. They did not have a "towed".

I prefer a TT because it suits the way we like to travel. Park it and have a home base and we do the sight seeing in the tow vehicle. It works for us. I find it to be more flexible for us. Your choice is critical not only for the issues you mentioned, insurance costs, repair costs etc. but the biggie is initial cost of the unit. You find out you don't like your choice of units or the floor plan just isn't up to the comfort level you wanted then decide to sell it and start over that really hurts the check book.

I don't know what size TT you may be in the market for but we just purchased a Keystone Laredo 334RE and love it. Its just the 2 of us too and for us this is pure comfort. Its 37 ft. with opposing slides and the bed is sideways in a slide in the front with a REAL closet all across the front end. You can actually hang clothing in it. Its a 5th wheel floor plan in a travel trailer platform. Check it out. Gvwr is 10k and I pull it with a GMC 2500.

Before you buy a potential tow vehicle I would encourage you to get out and look at travel trailers. You should reach a decision on what floor plan and size works for you. You do t have to find the perfect trailer, just determine size needs, If you are buying a truck, you want to insure that the tow vehicle will be enough to pull the trailer.

If I was in your shoes, I would look for a 2-4 year old used trailer that meets your needs.

We have a 30' toy hauler travel trailer that allows us to bring our motorcycles, kayaks, and or bicycles with us. What we bring determines on where we are going. We usually take a 7-10 week trip every year and the trailer, truck, combination works well for us.

Great input!! I was wondering what I was missing. Your comments reinforce my thoughts. As far as toys we do bike and kayak but don't have to haul atv's or horses or side by sides. I went to the RV show last winter but was overloaded. My other thought is I want to go as small and light as WE can be comfortable. As opposed to as big as I can drag down the road. Don't hesitate to post other thoughts. I will communicate how I progress.

A small toyhauler might be a good bet for you if you want to carry bikes and kayaks. Look for one with a walk-around bed, rather than crossways, so one of you can get up without disturbing the other as much.

I recommend you get a truck with 4 doors and a full back seat (not the suicide doors). Storage is not overly abundant in most trailers, and you can use the truck for spare clothes and extra supplies. You will also be able to keep a cooler inside the truck for use on your sight-seeing excursions.

Many 1/2 ton trucks are limited by payload. The tongue weight of the trailer should be around 12percent of the loaded weight, and that becomes part of the cargo of the truck. In order to be able to do extended trips without worrying too much about weight, you might want to look at 3/4 ton trucks.

Take a look at the Northwoods Mfg. Arctic Fox Classic and other lines. Lance is also a good brand and makes several layouts well suited to couples.

Lance Travel Trailers x2

Planning retirement-----
Here is what I think is important:
1. look at the floor plan to make sure it meets both of your needs and gives you enough room to be comfortable for 1 to 3 months at a time. Weather will be a factor in how much time you sit out side of your trailer. You also want a bedroom that is seperate from the rest of the trailer and has a door.
2. get as many slides as you can, 2 is ideal and makes a huge difference in terms of space and comfort.
3. the kitchen floor plan is very important in terms of your cooking styles and flow. Make sure the wife has the last word and it is her choice:).
4. Don't buy a trailer because it is the lowest price and you can save money. We tend to think we can live with compromises:( If the trailer you choose turns out not to meet your needs or expectations, most of us don't have the $$$ to sell it and get another right away. We generally don't buy that many RVs in our life time.
5. If possible pick your trailer 1st. and then your truck. The weight of the trailer will determine how big of a truck you will need to tow safely and comfortably. If financially possible buy a bigger truck than you actually need for the weight of your trailer. I prefer Diesel trucks for towing. I threw away the stock fuel tank 35 gallons and replaced it with a 60 gallon tank from "Transfer Flow". This allows you to pick and choose the lowest prices of diesels. The additional milage range is great when traveling across some of our southwest states. I stop at every rest stop on my trip to stretch. Big tanks does not mean you turn into a marathon driver..
6. pay attention to the size of your tanks, fresh, gray and especially black. The smaller the tanks the greater limitations on your RVing trips. Get at least a 40 gal. or larger tank if possible.
7 Buy the biggest hot water tank and refrigerator you can buy.
8. My choice is Heartland 5th wheels and/or Lance trailers which has a great variety of RVs in the 18' to 27' ft. ranges.

My personal take on it is that trailers, particularly "lite" trailers seem to age much faster than motorhomes, particularly well built upper quality end motorhomes. It may partly be how they are used, stored, cared for, etc., but from what I have seen a 10 year old trailer tends to look worn out, vs a 10 year old motorhome often looks to just have a slightly dated color scheme.

We went class A for our big post-retirement trip. Wanting to keep things simple, we chose not to tow a dinghy and rent a car (Enterprise) when we needed to get out. It worked out just ok. We could stop at Walmarts along the way with the motor home and Enterprise has lots of locations and will pick you up. However, it is expensive. We spent $3k on rentals over the six month trip. We found that we were picking campgrounds based on pickup distance from an Enterprise location. It adds a level of complexity to the planning and we were sorta winging it as to where we were going next. But it did work. However, next big trip, we're towing.

I watch older people pull into a campground and the people with travel trailers seem to have the hardest time of it. I don't know why it's that much harder than a class A; just another step to unhook and support the front. It just seems like they spend a lot of time fussing with the setup.

Don't forget to bring a ladder with you and look at the roofs of the RV's you're interested in. A lot neglect and problems up there where most people don't look.