I'm starting to get the impression that people always move up in size, and never down :). Is there a downsizing movement in RVs like with houses?

Went from a 30ft TT to a 25 this past winter. The 30 was 12 yrs old and we were ready for something new anyway. I have found the 25 to be easier to tow, easier to park, and easier to store in the back yard. One thing that didn't improve much is fuel economy. So far we have been very satisfied with the 25, mostly since the kids are grown and it's back to just two of us. Just got back from 4 days this afternoon.

Not yet but as we get older I can see it happening.

Naio wrote:I'm starting to get the impression that people always move up in size, and never down :). Is there a downsizing movement in RVs like with houses?We started out with a 39' Class A diesel pusher. It was so big, we had to carefully plan our trips, and carefully plot our our exits and turns.Thinking smaller would be easier (just me and my wife) we traded it for a 32' Class A gasser.The smaller one was easier to drive, but still too large for many of the parks and beaches we wanted to visit.So we traded that one on a 24' Class C - a Winnebago View - which we kept for four years, and traveled from coast to coast in.It was a great size for two people to travel and camp in, and not really too big to explore the backroads.But when we decided to trade, we went for something even smaller - a series of Class B+'s, including a 22' BT Cruiser.Having learned how we really use our motorhomes, we recently decided to go even smaller - to a 17' Class B, a Roadtrek 170 Popular.It's definitely small on the inside, but still has a kitchen, bath, bed, shower, generator and all the amenities.I like it because I can use it as a daily driver (whenever I feel like it), I can park it anywhere, take it to the smallest beach parking lots, and still use it on a cross country camping trip.The Roadtrek 170 is built on the Chevy 2500 Express Van platform and has the 6.0 V8, and we've been averaging 14mpg around town, and 17mpg on the highway (according to my Scangauge).We probably won't be going down in size from here. A 17' Class B is really not suitable for camping with more than two very friendly people. But for our lifestyle, it's the right choice.Bill

went from a 34 ft two slide MH to a 17 ft TT with no slides. 14 mpg instead of 7?bumpy

In the year 2000 we downsized from a 34 foot fiver to the present 30 foot fiver we have today. We find our 30 to be just the right size for the two of us.

Have you gone from a larger rig to a smaller one?

20 Replies

archeofuturist
Explorer
Jul 26, 2014
just went from a 2 year old 40 foot 5th wheel bunkhouse to a 27 foot TT with 2 large bunks. I.HATED.TOWING. the 5ver. New baby born, bought a suburban and gladly traded in the 5ver.

I took a bath, but I like the TT a hell of a lot more.
Opie431
Explorer
Jul 24, 2014
Friends went from a 23 foot TT to 35 feet TT. Found that was a mistake, they go to state and NF parks, not RV parks and it was too big. Whatever they have now is smaller than the first TT they had. They made four changes in ten years.
mockturtle
Explorer II
Jul 22, 2014
Yes. From a 36' DP to a 19' TT to a 24' Class C. Have on order a 22' Class C. So the answer is yes.
ependydad
Explorer
Jul 22, 2014
19' pop-up to 42' fifth wheel. I can see downsizing but my wife wouldn't consider it.
lap527
Explorer
Jul 22, 2014
We have been all over the place like everyone else. Our last one went from a 31' fifth wheel to a 10.0 truck camper. It is only 2 of us and during our camping season here in Fl which is winter, it was hard to find a site. Now we go almost anytime we want and can get into any of the state parks. We find that we are outside most of the time anyway. DH will never leave the house for more than a month so it suits us. We now can take the boat or the trike. It was a good choice for us, less to hassle with.
samsontdog
Explorer
Jul 22, 2014
Went from a 40 ft 5th w to a 26 ft TT to a 34 ft TT to a 30 ft TT
forthefunofit94
Explorer
Jul 22, 2014
We went from at 26 to a 33 and back to a 21 w/ rear slid that makes it 25. This unit has been perfect for the two of us. We don't spend a lot of time inside. It is three years old and I still haven't found anything I like better (that speaks tons).
Nutinelse2do
Explorer
Jul 22, 2014
Over the years went from.......
A 23' Class A to a 26' Class A,
to a 26' Class C, to a 36' Class A,
to a 39' DP, to a 23' 5'r, to a 27' 5'r
to what we have now... A 34' 5'r.

After a few years of fulltiming, starting next year, we will most likely go back to a DP,
then later in life a small Class C.

In our own experiences, it is easier to trade up in size than it is the trade down when it comes to selling.
Naio
Explorer II
Jul 22, 2014
I am enjoying hearing people's experiences, here!
knshook
Explorer
Jul 22, 2014
We started out with 19' TT, then bought a 22 ' TT, next a 25 ' 5er, next a 31 ' 5er, and we are now in process of purchasing a 33' Grand Design 5er. We keep saying we should downsize but somehow it never happens. One thing is for certain....we are getting older!