Well after seven page the lessoned learned is; there are as many ways to camp as there are campers.
Some folks sweat the detail and examine every possible scenario other just get in and drive. Some folks pick a place and park for a week, others stay long enough to see the local sights then move on. Some folks are on a limited time frame others have all the time they need.
The best advise given so far is, to take your best guess at what you want to do and RENT a trailer the size you think you need or your tow vehicle can handle.
You will learn about driving it traffic, on interstates and local roads. Driving 55 to 65 mph and being passed by everyone, getting 10 mpg, driving 250 to 300 mile a day, being buffeted by wind and a host of other things. RVing is neither scary or dangerous, it is like any other hobby, you get better the more you practice.
Plus, if you rent first, you get a chance to weight your rig at the CAT scales and to know exactly what your weight is at that time. No guess, no estimates, no salesman trying to convince you.
When you are done you will have a far deeper appreciation for the RV life style, your vehicles limitations as well as the things you liked and disliked.
When you are done, you give it back and can think before you spend the big bucks.
My wife and I are wilderness canoe campers, so our viewpoint is rather biased. There is nothing we have experience it our years of RVing that remotely resemble paddling 8 hrs. into two foot swells and rain to get the grandkids back to the cabin before it is too dark.
Buying and RV in not a race. Enjoy the ride.
