Driveable vs towable for x country trip
We are trying to weigh the pros and cons of the different types of rv for a 2 or 3 month cross country tour. We currently have a class a but have also owned a c and stayed in a 5th wheel on occasion....
Forum Discussion
Several of the educational rallies (RV-Dreams, Escapees, etc.) have a good comparative list of the pros and cons. Some of the ones I remember are:
1. With a motorhome, you give up some of the living space to the driving space. (Foot-for-foot, towables are considered roomier inside.)
2. With a towable, you have the disadvantages listed by rockhillmanor above: more time hitching/unhitching/leveling (unless you have auto-level on a fifth wheel). We lucked out with a level spot last night, however - just dropped the stabilizers and went to bed in our fifth wheel (just a one-night stay).
3. Fifth wheels have more storage space inside (have been told this by several people who have had both). The large, buss-style outside storage compartments on the big class As may be about the same as the large basements on fifth wheels.
4. On a stormy night, you can just park a Class A, hit the auto-level button, and go to bed without getting outside.
5. With a class A, if there is a drive train problem, your home goes into the shop. With a towable, you can live in the RV while the tow vehicle is repaired.
6. You can tow a "runabout" car with a Class A or larger C for sightseeing. If there are two of you, you get to ride together this way, too. With a towable, you either have to use the tow vehicle to run around or have someone follow in a "chase car." My wife prefers this as she gets some alone time and listens to her music or books on tape. With two-way radios, she can also alert me if something doesn't look right from behind the rig. She also scouts ahead for the best camping spot (she gets the final say on that subject!).
These are just a few that I can remember...
Rob
1. With a motorhome, you give up some of the living space to the driving space. (Foot-for-foot, towables are considered roomier inside.)
2. With a towable, you have the disadvantages listed by rockhillmanor above: more time hitching/unhitching/leveling (unless you have auto-level on a fifth wheel). We lucked out with a level spot last night, however - just dropped the stabilizers and went to bed in our fifth wheel (just a one-night stay).
3. Fifth wheels have more storage space inside (have been told this by several people who have had both). The large, buss-style outside storage compartments on the big class As may be about the same as the large basements on fifth wheels.
4. On a stormy night, you can just park a Class A, hit the auto-level button, and go to bed without getting outside.
5. With a class A, if there is a drive train problem, your home goes into the shop. With a towable, you can live in the RV while the tow vehicle is repaired.
6. You can tow a "runabout" car with a Class A or larger C for sightseeing. If there are two of you, you get to ride together this way, too. With a towable, you either have to use the tow vehicle to run around or have someone follow in a "chase car." My wife prefers this as she gets some alone time and listens to her music or books on tape. With two-way radios, she can also alert me if something doesn't look right from behind the rig. She also scouts ahead for the best camping spot (she gets the final say on that subject!).
These are just a few that I can remember...
Rob
