Towable versus Motorized RV?
Hi everybody! I have posted here in the past, but it was when we were renting RVs. Now, after renting RVs over the years, we have decided to buy. I always thought we would buy a motorized RV. Howev...
Forum Discussion
I have had both. Towables a long time ago, TT and a popup camper, we would take out to state parks and stay a while, weekends to a couple of weeks. Occasionally used for road trips.
When I retired I got a motorhome, used it six years, most often for road trips, sometimes the two of us, sometimes four to six with kids and grandkids. If they were trips to destinations, we would borrow a car to get around, or rely on family, and sometimes store the RV and stay with family. We also used it for 3-4 day group campouts where we relied on fellow campers for local transportation, or my wife would follow with a car (some of our destinations are as close a 15 miles from home).
Since my wife died a little over two years ago, I've been using the motorhome they way I formerly used a TT. I'll take it to the lake for a few days to a couple of weeks. Now alone, But this means I need to tow a second vehicle to get around, so I am thinking that a towable will be more suitable for me again. So far into the idea that I've purchased a tow vehicle as my daily driver (bad description, since I probably drive fewer than 3 days most weeks) but have not sorted out just what kind of towable I would use the next 5-10 years.
Might even have towable and motorhome, since there is not that much cash value left in an 11 year old motorhome, yet it has so much utility it is worth keeping for the motorhome-suited uses. That would mean getting a small towable for just camping. But if I were to get rid of the motorhome, I would need an larger TT, to cover those road trips and family travel uses that work so well with the motorhome.
So part of deciding is figuring how you are going to use it, what compromises need to be made for occasional other uses, and if you choose a motorhome, whether or not you want to deal with towing or bringing a second vehicle to use for getting around while the motorhome is parked as a house.
Another part of "how do I use it" is do you want to go camping, or do you want a complete house on wheels? Motorhomes tend to be more in the house on wheels category, although there are van conversions (like VW camper) that are less of a house and more of a camper. Towables cover the whole range, from tent in a wheeled box to 300-400 sq ft of fully furnished home, and a whole lot more in between. RVs for more of a camping experience are better covered by small towables, particularly tent trailers and popup campers.
Looking back through the discussion, the way you want to use it, going out to the lake, I would say a towable. This is the use that is moving me back to towable from motorhome. I also see that your "big truck" is more likely a small truck, so you might be looking for a small (22 foot and under) lightweight towable, but for two people who might be doing a lot of things outdoors, that is not a bad size, and it is a growing segment of the RV market with a lot of new models introduced the past few years.
When I retired I got a motorhome, used it six years, most often for road trips, sometimes the two of us, sometimes four to six with kids and grandkids. If they were trips to destinations, we would borrow a car to get around, or rely on family, and sometimes store the RV and stay with family. We also used it for 3-4 day group campouts where we relied on fellow campers for local transportation, or my wife would follow with a car (some of our destinations are as close a 15 miles from home).
Since my wife died a little over two years ago, I've been using the motorhome they way I formerly used a TT. I'll take it to the lake for a few days to a couple of weeks. Now alone, But this means I need to tow a second vehicle to get around, so I am thinking that a towable will be more suitable for me again. So far into the idea that I've purchased a tow vehicle as my daily driver (bad description, since I probably drive fewer than 3 days most weeks) but have not sorted out just what kind of towable I would use the next 5-10 years.
Might even have towable and motorhome, since there is not that much cash value left in an 11 year old motorhome, yet it has so much utility it is worth keeping for the motorhome-suited uses. That would mean getting a small towable for just camping. But if I were to get rid of the motorhome, I would need an larger TT, to cover those road trips and family travel uses that work so well with the motorhome.
So part of deciding is figuring how you are going to use it, what compromises need to be made for occasional other uses, and if you choose a motorhome, whether or not you want to deal with towing or bringing a second vehicle to use for getting around while the motorhome is parked as a house.
Another part of "how do I use it" is do you want to go camping, or do you want a complete house on wheels? Motorhomes tend to be more in the house on wheels category, although there are van conversions (like VW camper) that are less of a house and more of a camper. Towables cover the whole range, from tent in a wheeled box to 300-400 sq ft of fully furnished home, and a whole lot more in between. RVs for more of a camping experience are better covered by small towables, particularly tent trailers and popup campers.
Looking back through the discussion, the way you want to use it, going out to the lake, I would say a towable. This is the use that is moving me back to towable from motorhome. I also see that your "big truck" is more likely a small truck, so you might be looking for a small (22 foot and under) lightweight towable, but for two people who might be doing a lot of things outdoors, that is not a bad size, and it is a growing segment of the RV market with a lot of new models introduced the past few years.
