To drive or to tow?

Whatever style you get, I highly recommend at least one slide, even if it's a small one. Being on the road that long, you WILL get into bad weather. A camper of any kind can get real small real fast. If you get a MH, please don't let people wander around while moving. Although I have never owned a MH, it seems to me, under the right circumstances, it can turn that person into a missle.

Our first class A was to tow our ski boat, didn't want to have to take 2 vehicles, and pay for, to go to the lake. The current A my wife has Lupus and needs to change positions often along with use facilities that would not be possible without stopping with any trailer.

Now when the kids were small we didn't let them move around while I was driving but at least when I pulled over there was always a clean bathroom and no matter the weather you could get to it, make a meal or go to bed. With small child that may be a big deal.

Is your current vehicle front wheel drive? If so you could rent a dolly or buy one used to pull what you have. We pull our 323i BMW behind our coach, coach averages around 7-7.5 mpg and the car averages around 26 mpg! so when we park the coach and explore we get really good gas mileage. Your current vehicle may get much worse mileage than normal if you are towing near or at it's tow rating.

Good luck with whatever you decide because in the end it is what works for YOU and your family not what works for any of the rest of us.

It depends on personal preference and budget.
Me, I would always go with a large Class A diesel pusher, plus a suitable SUV to be towed by the MH. The best towed I've ever used is my present 4x4 GMC Envoy. It has a 4x4 drivetrain design that is the most towed-friendly I 've ever seen. But, I'm not familiar with requirements for a child's safety seat.

ValBE wrote:
Hello, my husband and I are planning a 2-3 month trip across the country this summer with our daughter (who will be 6 months old during the time of the trip) and our 55 lb Australian Shepherd. We are first time RV buyers and debating whether to get a drivable RV, or an airstream trailer for our trip. Our main consideration is the safety of our daughter who will still need to be in a rear facing car seat this summer as well as user-friendliness of our travel set up. Would love input from more seasoned RV travelers!! thanks in advance for taking the time to answer!!!

Each of the RV types have advantages and disadvantages across your two basic needs described above.

From a safety standpoint you could make an argument for either one, I think it comes down to personal preference. For example, I have had both in the past and will not tow a trailer that weighs more than the tow vehicle, I just don't like it.

From a user-friendliness point-of-view I think the MH wins hands-down!

I would rent or test drive each before buying to see what your preferences are. I know a local RV dealer here has a TV/trailer combo that they use for test drives, maybe your could find something similar in your area.

On those occasions where I've gone sightseeing not only did I have room to park the MH but the towed as well.. There is one vacant front facing seat for darling daughter to ride in or.. You might check with the child seat makers to see if there are any that can be side rated.

Most folks forget that these seats need to protect in a "T" bone collision as well where you are the top of the T so they do offer some side impact protection, what I do not know is... how much.

Drive: Towing a towed, With a good size house (Mine is 38 foot 3 slides) 13 wide when set up) I get about 8MPG... Parked, My towed, last refill I had some issues with leaking fuel, not sure how much leaked, MPG was 26 though (I did not leak much it seems) (Or it might not have been gasoline that was leaking, Might have been rain water that somehow got into an unusual spot I did not check the liquid) Back to topic, Some cars now days get 30-40-more-e, Miles per gallon..

Decent pick up with a decent size 5er.. again 8MPG towing, perhaps sixteen to 20 bobtail. (not towing).

Motorhome: The worst thing for a motor vehicle is to do nothing, Just sit there and .. well... rust. They like to be driven from time to time, Mine hits the road (normally) every 1-2 weeks, Though when I checked into the body shop (Hospital) It sat for 3-4 a couple times last fall. (I checked out and hit the road with it, then checked cat into it's body shop (Vet) for a day, more road, more doctors for me, and finally my 800 mile migration a few weeks later than planned for the winter).

Trailers.. Well if they sit too long you need to re-tire them (This is true of the Motor home too) but that and re-packing of the wheel bearings, Check the water heater, furnace and fridge for nesting critters and do a general PM on them and body wash and wax.. just about covers it.

And you need to do those things parked or rolling rolling camping.

We have been doing the RV thing since 1969 with a 1mo. old daughter. We had a TT then and have had popups, Hi-Lo, 4 MHs. We always have a toad. It takes us about 3-4 min. to disconnect the car at the CG. With large tanks on the MH we don't need a hookup all the time. We can be set up with automatic levelers, in 2-3 minutes. These times are with me using a walker to get around. You could be quicker.

Many good questions were raised here and since money is ALWAYS a consideration the individuals must decide and weigh all the factors and make the best decision for them.

I would like to put in a plug for drivable RV's (i.e. motorhome). Consider all the conveniences that can be accessed without leaving the vehicle. (We almost always tow so we do have transportation other than the motorhome when we arrive.) It is very nice to pull into a rest area and fix lunch, move about, watch TV, etc. etc. You can even 'walk' the dog from the doorway if you have a long leash (I do pick up feces but mostly our Abby just needs to pee). If it is raining or cold or hot or there are bugs ... you get my point.

Our youngest started camping at 4 weeks old when we had a cab-over camper. He was a good traveler (and still is) in part because of early training. He could sleep in his car seat and also sleep with noise and light (thank goodness).

Off subject, in 1975 we took us and 3 kids from Texas to California and picked up my sister and her family (hubby and additional 3 kids) and spent a week at Yosimite. We had 4 adults and 6 kids (11, 10, 7, 4, 3 and 1). Had to pitch a tent every night for sister's family but we all slept in the UNEXTENDED cab-over with no bathroom, tiny ice box and a 2-gallon tank of water for the sink. What a riot but we all remember that trip with fondness (except for the youngest).

Diann

ValBE wrote:
Thanks everyone for your thoughts! Keep the ideas coming :) we would need a separate space for our daughter in the evening so that we don't have to do lights out for everyone at 7:30 pm... So a separate bedroom area is a must. We have a car that can tow 5000lbs but would be open to getting something larger as the car is getting old. And we would rather get a larger car than something small to tow behind an RV.

We would be staying at various locations for 2-5 days.

Its very doubtful that any trailer small enough to towed by your vehicle would have a separate bedroom. Have you considered hybrid trailers? Kids deal with the noise a whole lot better than adults do. We tented with our daughter when she was 1 y/o. She slept like a rock and was never bothered by outside noise. We're on our second hybrid and absolutely love it. Of course the tenting is not everyone's cup of tea.

Another question: how long (approximately) does it take to back in and set up a TT vs a Class A motorbike once arriving at a site?

It depends. Setup time and effort is really what you make it.

As already said, your backup skills play a role. Also how much you "need", like awning lights, outside tables and chairs, RV rug, etc. will be the deciding factor. We take about an hour in total, and that's poking around. We can do it in 20 minutes when we want to. I've seen folks with hard side trailers back in and be ready in 10 minutes, and I've seen people with class A motor homes pull in and spend 3 hours fussing with everything from their outside TV and satellite hookup and thier full size BBQ grill.

ValBE wrote:
Thanks everyone for your thoughts! Keep the ideas coming :) we would need a separate space for our daughter in the evening so that we don't have to do lights out for everyone at 7:30 pm... So a separate bedroom area is a must. We have a car that can tow 5000lbs but would be open to getting something larger as the car is getting old. And we would rather get a larger car than something small to tow behind an RV.

With only 5000 lbs towing, you will probably want something bigger depending on the size of an airstream you are wanting to get. You would probably want to stay in the 4000lb range for gross weight on a trailer. Not dry weight, but GWR. To go bigger than 5000lbs, you will need to look at trucks/maybe full size SUV with tow package and larger motor.

Another question: how long (approximately) does it take to back in and set up a TT vs a Class A motorbike once arriving at a site?

Backing in a TT is a little more difficuly than a motorhome. If your back up skils with a trailer are not good as it is, then it will be more difficult. Motorhome is a lot easier as you don't have to go out and set jacks, unhook from truck (unless you are towing a car with motorhome).

ValBE,

Welcome to the Forum!! Lots of good information so far. Having had both a Class C and trailers, I have a few comments. First about the child seat. I have not seen dinette seats in motorhomes that have both a lap belt and a shoulder harness, so I am not sure that any seat other than the passenger seat in the cockpit will allow proper attachment of a child seat designed to be held by a lap/shoulder harness type seat belt. I personally don't see it as a big issue, but I do not think Class A motorhomes other than those on a Provost or MCI chassis have any real roll over protection and the rollover protection in a Class C is limited to the cab.

If you choose a motorhome and a toad, you can not backup with the toad attached. While newer parks and campgrounds are tending toward all pull thru sites, there are still lots of places like Forest Service campgrounds that have backin sites. You do not have to unhook the trailer from the tow vehicle to use it if the site is fairly level. We rarely unhook for overnights while traveling between destinations. The water, electric and sewer hookups for all RVs are basically the same. Some of the larger or more expensive motorhomes have automatic leveling so setup may be faster for them.

If I am correct in remembering that your current vehicle has a tow capacity of 5,000#; you will be limited to the smallest of travel trailers unless you upgrade. You might want to check into whether it can be towed behind a motorhome without modification or use of a tow dolly as part of your decision making process.

Good Luck with your search for the right RV for you and your family.