We want to try RVing

Definitly rent to see if you like it. Also rent from a established company. You will pay more, but you will have piece of mind in the event of rv problems. Private rentals might be cheaper, but if you have a breakdown, you'll probally be stuck with the unit until problems are resolved. Knowing from personal expierence; You'll get over the cost of rental, but no one forgets the vacation from hell.

@sc3283....it definitely was the "BEST" of the RV lifestyle, but I am in no way ignorant to the fact that things breakdown and need to be maintained. As far as mechanical ability goes, I am no master mechanic, but I have a little knowledge and experience.

@noe-place.....Thanks for the reminder, about people's idea of still like new. Last year, I bought an older Mustang for a toy. One of the first ones I looked at was advertised as mint condition w/ 40K original miles. I setup to look at it and advised the seller that I was bringing a friend along who is pretty much a master mechanic when it comes to Mustangs. Well when we got there before my friend could even start picking things out, I started with the questions. All I can say is if it truly was the original mileage, then that was the hardest 40k, I have seen put on a car. And the mint like new interior, wasn't even close. All I know is some people truly suck.

It took me 7 months to find the Mustang I wound up buying so I will be taking my time and unless I come across the "One", I expect that this purchase will also take some time, whether we buy new or used.

Until then we plan on renting and to keep enjoying these trips.

I appreciate, everyone's advice and opinions so please keep them coming.

Thanks.

acut...you experienced the "BEST" of RV life....if you are not mechanical able..you are going to have to pay for repairs. You then have to store, insure, maintain, license and pay for that new RV

look at the whole picture...RV ownership is not for all people

Be careful buying used from ANYONE. :E They're not all "like new" as many of them say. :R

Check out the Hershey Rv show in September..you might not want to buy new but you can check out the different types of Rvs. I think they have some used Rvs there also. Good luck,

Our first rv trips were in rented class c's many years ago. It went so well we bought one the first chance we got and never looked back. Going to Florida later this month in ours and can't wait.

acut2660 wrote:
@wbwood - That is what we are trying to figure out now. TT or Class C. If we went with the TT I would need to get a new truck as I have an SUV now. Which is perfectly OK with me because, it would mean I get a new truck. However with 2 younger kids the Class C seems like it would be more convenient, but then I would still have to tow something in case I needed to go anywhere.

Yeah. We bought the truck just for the travel trailer, but we traded in my wife's mini van on it. Se works for home and the only time the truck really got driven besides pulling the TT was on cold or rainy days to take my daughter to the bus stop. So then it was getting driven 1 mile a day and sitting there idling for 20-30 minutes. It was an f250 v10 gasser. Got less than 12mpg not towing and 8-9 mpg towing. The class c will get about the 8-9 mpg area , but that's ok as it's not getting driven other than camping. We don't feel bad about my wife driving the SUV ad it gets twice the gas mileage. Plus it's smaller and easier for her to drive when needed. I work 35 miles away from home and have a Toyota yaris that I commute with. So driving the truck was not an option for me. Plus it wouldn't fit in our parking deck at work.

You have to go with what's the best all around.

acut2660, every RV type has its pros and cons.
for a TT, you have to have a capable tow vehicle.
for a MH, you have to possible tow another vehicle.
for a 5th wheel, you lose the truck bed.
for a popup, it's a lot of setup/takedown.
for a truck camper, it's very cramped.

the best thing to do is go to RV dealers and go inside of as many types and floorplans as you can. see all the different brands and determine what YOU think is quality, not what someone else's opinion is.
you'll know when you find the right one.

@wbwood - That is what we are trying to figure out now. TT or Class C. If we went with the TT I would need to get a new truck as I have an SUV now. Which is perfectly OK with me because, it would mean I get a new truck. However with 2 younger kids the Class C seems like it would be more convenient, but then I would still have to tow something in case I needed to go anywhere.

Glad you found something to work for you. You are right, many are very loyal to specific types. To be honest, the best kind is the one that fits you, your family and your budget.

We had a pop up about 12 years ago. Started off with me, my wife and my stepson. Then our daughter was born. Due to moving and job changes, we didn't use it for a year or two and decided to sell it. Then a few years ago, life once again changed and we decided to get back into it. We went with a TT. Didn't even have a truck to buy it and had it transported to a campground at the beach, where they moved in it and out of storage for us. A few months later, got the truck and went and picked up our TT. Had it for a few years and back to square one, we put it back in storage and and traded the truck in for a mid size SUV. The TT was a total of 35' long and we didn't keep it stored at home. We rented a spot down the road from our house because of our yard. We wanted to do some camping in the mountains and the TT was just too long for many campsites. Or at least we were very limited to campsites. So the idea was to either get a pop up to pull behind the SUV or do tent camping and leave the TT at the beach for beach trips. About a month later I found a great used pop up for a couple thousand dollars. We had it for just over a month before trading it and the TT in on the class c. Te class c works so much better for us. We only have our daughter at home now and she sleeps in the bunk over the cab. I say bunk, but it's a queen size bed. We actual inside space is about 1' shorter than our TT was inside. The TT had quad bunks which was a waste of space for us. Th class c is set up so much better than the TT. The finishes in it are nicer as are the slides. And they both are made from the same parent company, Thor.

The entire class c is about 3' shorter than the TT was from bumper to hitch. Even if we tow my wife's SUV, we will have a shorter total length than the truck and TT combo. We are seriously considering towing my little Toyota Yaris instead, which is a lot smaller and lighter. My in laws are giving us a blue ox tow bar they had. We gotta get the plate for the yaris and figure out the braking part. I hope to have all that done before fall.