Newbie Qs about Trucks, Campers and Wives

bravelion wrote:
Hello! Aspiring future TCer here.

.......

Some basics:
My wife and I will be cashing out of our business and hitting the road. Not retiring forever, but taking a major 1-2 year sabbatical followed by working again at some point in the future. Neither of us can envision 40 years of true "retirement". (We're in early/mid 50s).

We will start not as full timers, but with a lot of "out and back" trips to break ourselves in slowly, work out the kinks, etc., Going further and longer each time, but still keeping our home as a home base for the holidays.

Your are asking some good questions......

Because you are talking about a lifestyle change and not just about taking weekend trips to go camping in the woods, I would recommend that you........

1. Before I invested in a camper or any other RV, you should take a "test" trip to try out RVing.

• Rent a small class "C". This is between the TC that you believe you want and a larger RV with more room. It is still small enough to drive around the city and find parking, but also gives you more room inside. Easier to enjoy your trip and decide to go smaller (a TC) than find the TC too small and have it put you off the idea before you really get a chance to experience the RV lifestyle.
• Rent in a location that has lots to do. If you go somewhere that does not have things to do and keep you busy so that you just end up sitting around the rig, you will not get a good idea of the possibilities RVing can give you.
• Make sure you rent a unit that has a bed that is always make up. Nothing like having to make up the bed every evening to ruin your trip. I find it a real pain.
• You should try to take as long a trip as you can afford to really get into it. A weekend is not enough. A week or two is much better.

2. Once you have decided you like the idea and reality of RVing and want to go ahead with your plan (or modify it to suit you), then you need to sit down and discuss what type of RV you need. This includes size as well as amenities and interior fixtures (bathroom size, dry or wet bath, seating on cold a rainy days, TV, Stereo, room to use a computer, Storage, etc. etc.). You should also consider the pros and cons of having a vehicle that can be easily separated from the RV so you can go exploring when you reach a destination vs having to break camp and drive your Rig around.

3. When you have decided on an RV then, you need to decide on the truck.

• You should not let the fact that you already have a truck push you toward going smaller with the RV as over the long term, you will regret it and then end up selling the rig and going bigger ($$$).
• Before you decide on the truck, learn about the weight limits. You need to understand GVWR, GAWR, Center of Gravity, etc.
• Get advice from the people on this forum. Just remember that you will get lots of advice .... much of it conflicting!!! The general rule for me is that you cannot have a large enough truck. However, there are other factors to consider such as getting around the city and parking etc.

4. There is much more to consider than I have covered here, but that is part of the fun. Good Luck......