Hi there,We live about an hour's drive from my stepdaughter's school. She is with us every other week. My husband's work is mainly remote and can be done from anywhere. We are considering buying a small RV that my husband and daughter can drive to the city where her school is, and park somewhere, for 3 nights of the weeks she's with us, to cut down on the time they spend commuting and to allow her to participate in more extracurriculars near school, social stuff etc. Here's my question:- what's the smallest RV you'd recommend, that would sleep the two of them comfortably and that has a bathroom and kitchenette?I've spent about 5 hours looking around online and have really only gleaned that the world of RVs is HUGE and I KNOW NOTHING about it. We don't have much money, so would be definitely buying used. Any advice much appreciated :)

There are 18 footers, but most of those have a wet bath, That means drying the toilet off after a shower since they are together. INMHO I would look at a 21 to 25 foot TT. Take a look at the product line offered by Riverside Manufacturing in Lagrange, IN. There is a lot to choose from and they do a good job.

Do you have a vehicle that can tow a trailer? Or will you have to budget in that as well? If you do, what is it and what are the payload and tow weights?If not, you might look at a used class C in the 24ft range. Daughter can sleep in the cabover and husband can sleep in the dedicated queen bed. Look at the class C forum for the sticky post on buying an ex-rental - you might find it works best for your budget.Also, as you will be using it during the winter months, you'll need to take that into consideration. Are there year round RV parks near her school that will offer electric hookups? If not, you will need to consider buying a 4-season RV which will cost more.What is your budget? If not that much, you might be better off looking for a small apartment, etc., to rent.

Her age??? What do you have to tow with???I would suggest a bunkhouse travel trailer in the 20'-25' range. That would get them a queen bed and probably two bunk beds. One bunk could be used for a storage area. And a trailer that size should have a regular bath with shower and a kitchen area. A slide out would greatly increase livable room. Look at rvtrader.com or similar web site. In the filter, put in travel trailer, max length 25', max price $10,000 (or what ever your upper limit is), and see what comes up.

You are going to need two beds. That means a modern trailer at least around 21 feet or an older bunk house type trailer a little larger. A smaller Class C would work well too. I agree with the other poster.

sunnysooke wrote:Hi there,We live about an hour's drive from my stepdaughter's school. She is with us every other week. My husband's work is mainly remote and can be done from anywhere. We are considering buying a small RV that my husband and daughter can drive to the city where her school is, and park somewhere, for 3 nights of the weeks she's with us, to cut down on the time they spend commuting and to allow her to participate in more extracurriculars near school, social stuff etc. Here's my question:- what's the smallest RV you'd recommend, that would sleep the two of them comfortably and that has a bathroom and kitchenette?I've spent about 5 hours looking around online and have really only gleaned that the world of RVs is HUGE and I KNOW NOTHING about it. We don't have much money, so would be definitely buying used. Any advice much appreciated :)Just get a 24 ft or so camp trailer. Some floor plans have a bedroom in the back and a table / bed in the front.

Which kind of RV to buy for our situation? Details...

25 Replies

NYCgrrl
Explorer
Apr 24, 2017
Assuming the school's location is an urban area there is no need to study or work in the RV for hours on end. I'd just use it for sleeping and take a seat in a Starbuck's type locale for remote work w/ charging ports and sometimes free wifi. Very common for millennials on my end.
Probably can access the local public library for a change of pace.
Grit_dog
Navigator II
Apr 24, 2017
kohai wrote:
Rent a cheap apartment.

No such thing in Victoria. Housing and cost of living is ridiculously high. spare rooms go for almost $1000 a month.
Although OP should look at the economics of it. Presumably trying to save the commute from Sooke to Victoria. It's only like 25 - 30 mi. 50km. Not worth the cost imo for an avg of 1.5 days a week.
kohai
Explorer
Apr 24, 2017
Rent a cheap apartment.
jarata1
Explorer
Apr 24, 2017
OP really hasn't said much
toedtoes
Explorer III
Apr 24, 2017
If her budget is limited and under $10,000, it isn't going to be helpful to rent. Renting for a week will take out a good chunk of her budget.

I would look at costs of RV Parks. I wouldn't try to stealth camp with my daughter in one city/town for a year or more. Just seems to be sending the wrong messages to her (e.g., it's illegal but we can do it, as well as, you're important but not enough to put money out to do it legally).
time2roll
Nomad
Apr 24, 2017
Can you rent a small Class C once or twice to get an idea what this is all about?
IAMICHABOD
Explorer II
Apr 24, 2017
A lot of good ideas so far,what comes up on threads of "what should I buy" are a lot of good suggestions.

Mine would be Rent one first and see if it would really work for your situation, before you spend your hard earned money and find out later that it is not feasible, then you are stuck with something that you don't want and may not be able to get rid of.

It will also give you a chance to try a variety of RVs.

Canada Dream has a good variety and there may be one that would work for you.
There is a location in Vancouver
DallasSteve
Nomad II
Apr 24, 2017
If money is a limiting factor I would look at getting a used travel trailer around 25 feet long (at least) and find a cheap RV park near the school. If you're not using it to travel you don't need a tow vehicle and it will be much cheaper than a motor home, Class A or Class C. If you need to move it to another park some day you can rent a truck for a day or hire someone to move it.
Grit_dog
Navigator II
Apr 24, 2017
Well, it rarely gets cold where you're at, so an RV seems to be a good option.
I don't think you'd want a motorhome, you'll be driving a big "bus" everywhere, daily, weekly back n forth.
The best combo imo would be a pickup/SUV and a modest size travel trailer. Since you'll be living in it sort of full time, dry bath and a floor plan that doesn't require modifying furniture every night.
Other consideration is the cost to park it. Presuming you're going to be using it in Victoria. Better figure the cost of year round RV site. You'll want hookups, hard to boondock in town and also a pain in the.....for day to day use dry camping. Think about what it costs or where you put it the "other" 4 nights when it's not being lived in. It's hard to make RVing cost effective when doing it full time. Especially somewhere as expensive as Victoria.
catkins
Explorer II
Apr 24, 2017
Do you have someplace to park the RV? Local governments often do not allow "urban camping" and will cite you and or force you to move. RV parks can be very expensive.

Really check out whether a small apartment might be better for you unless you intend to do extensive travelling in the RV. Just a thought................. Good luck!