Thinking of buying an RV, looking for advice/wisdom

I have only seen it mentioned 2 times and in passing but have you looked at a pickup truck and a truck camper? I don't think you can find much better for getting over rough terrain if you plan on doing any of that. You could pick up a 3/4 or 1 ton used gas powered pickup for a decent price and then get a decent slide in camper.

You could probably get a smaller truck and bigger TT (with a bigger bathroom) for the same price however.