HELP! First Time buyer getting cold feet.

[MidwestFarmer]

We are a couple in our early 50's, recently retired from full-time employment, with a daughter who is Junior in H.S. and a 22 yr old son living at home. We have limited camping experience amounting to a pop-up 15 years ago with our 3 small children and only went out a few times. Recently attended a local RV show and, just like you would expect, decided we might like to do some RV traveling with a 5th Wheel. Although we are not by-nature "campers", we would like to travel and my husand prefers driving to flying anywhere, any day.

Since we are not completely sold on the "idea", but are attracted to it, we located an older-model towing unit in excellent mechanical condition with plenty of power for a reasonable price and a 2009 5th wheel TT in very nice condition and at a reasonable price. We need to decide very soon (a day or two) whether to move ahead with the purchases, but my husband is now getting "cold feet" about the whole idea.

Have others gone through similar hesitations prior to making the first leap into the world of RVing, or is this a unique situation? Although he was excited about the prospect of traveling the U.S. byways to explore our country, he is now concerned about spending the money on something we might not end-up enjoying, as well as concerned about all of the unknown "work" that might be involved in setting-up, hooking-up, water, heat and electrical management, as well as being away from the homestead for extended periods of time.

Any advise, suggestions or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks very much. We look forward to any replies.

[MidwestFarmer]

Hi everyone. This is the aforementioned "husband" from the original post in this thread. My wife and I VERY MUCH appreciate the time those of you who responded took to provide us with some experienced advise regarding the question that, as some of you mentioned, is ultimately ours to make.

Since you have all been so nice about such an ambiguous question, I thought I would add some further explanation, with the hopes of eliciting some further insights and responses from many of you. It seemed in our original post that the expense was one of my major concerns. Well, it is, to some extent, but not an overwhelming concern, since we would be buying used (both the TV and the RV). I just did not want to spend money on something that might just sit in our driveway and never go anywhere. I tend to be somewhat of a "realist" (my wife calls it "pessimist"), but will admit that I tend to worry a little too much about what "could" go wrong. As they say, the first step to treating a problem is realizing that you have one in the first place! I DO. 🙂

The TV is a 2000 Chevrolet 2500 HD extended cab RWD with a 7.4L (454) engine (I know, it will never pass a gas station without needing a drink!). It had one previous owner who originally ordered the vehicle specifically for the purpose of pulling larger horse trailers. I have had a certified mechanic go over the truck and it seems to be in excellent mechanical condition. The previous owner, who I happen to know, only sold the vehicle because they are out of the horse hauling hobby and he no longer needed it. The RV is a 2009 Keystone Copper Canyon 252FWRLS which, upon our inspection, appears to be in very nice shape and well-cared-for by its previous owners, who sold it to upgrade to something larger. We went ahead and already purchased the truck, because even if we don't purchase the RV, we have other uses for it and the price was right.

As for the whole "towing" issue, that is probably the one thing I am not too concerned over, since I have had plenty of experience towing a 16-ft bumper hitch heavy-duty car (tractor) hauler, a 24-ft pontoon boat and a 24-ft gooseneck trailer hauling tractors and other farm machinery around the Midwest. My 2 towing concerns are when it comes to 1) the higher profile (11 ft) than I am accustomed to and 2) any kind of "mountain" travel, so any advise or comments on those concerns would be appreciated.

As far as being away from the homestead, I guess I am concerned that we might be a couple years too early with this venture and should wait until our daughter goes off to college in a couple of years. Leaving the kids at home is not too big of a deal since, as a couple of you have already mentioned, the 22 year old is very capable of keeping watch over everything.

If we were to move ahead with this purchase (which would be within the next few days) I DO NOT look forward to dealing with the whole "black water" procedures, as well as the other set-up and tear-down procedures (so any comments are on that are welcome), although I am experienced with the actual "hooking-up" to the truck/trailer thing, as mentioned above and that is not a concern.

One final, specific question: For any of you who own or have looked into the Keystone Copper Canyon from the 2009 vintage, we would be very interested in your comments about this particular make, model, etc., as well as any specific common problems to check-out prior to possible purchase.

Anyway, if I don't stop now, I will go on forever, but I did want to let you know a little more about our situation, in the hopes that some of you would be kind enough to provide us with some additional feedback in light of the additional information. You have all been very nice about this rather ambiguous question.

Thanks to all who have replied previously! It IS very much appreciated and we look forward to reading any additional comments!

......"The Husband" 🙂

[Veebyes]

You have good foundation experience with the popup. The 5er is bigger & more complex but nothing that cannot be learned as you go along, especially if DH is a hands on type of guy. Most things that go wrong are a simple fix & there is a wealth of info right here & the visual how to on Youtube.

Traveling across the country is no big deal. Anything you might need is never too very far away. You sort of make plans & go with the flow.

[Jim_Sharon]

When I retired, My wife & I said we wanted to see the USA.
We hate airplane travel, and I dislike motel/hotels so we decided to travel in a RV.
It has worked out very well for us. We have been to most of the places that we wanted to visit, and many places that we just "bumped into" while moseying around.
I even joined a local camping club. They don't travel, but spend long weekends at nearby campgrounds. I have discovered that I like both kinds of RVing.

[gitane59]

You both need to see the RV lifestyle as an adventure and see the driving journey as part of that adventure.
I don't know if either of you are mechanical but it is very normal for even a mechanically oriented personal who has never owned an RV to be overwhelmed and get cold feet thinking about all things in's and out's of oteing, setting up and maintaining an RV.

We've all been there at one time or another in our RV adventure. Based on your apparent desire to explore and your dislike of airplane (which I completely understand) I hope your husband does not let fear of the unknown about RV's and the adventure hold him back from taking the jump.

It is a good decision to buy used the first time around as your investment is minimal as you are learning whether this is truly something as are passionate about and wish to investment more time an money into.
Don't hesitate to ask as many question as needed on the forum to answer all your concerns and anxieties.
Being in our mid 50's as well we have gone through the period when our kids were adults still living at home. Our youngest is finishing college in June so I
X-my-fingers, hope and pray he gets a job quickly in his field so he does not have to move back home after graduation.

[Artum_Snowbird]

If you like to be by yourself, and are happy there, look at a truck and camper. For one, it's easy to have together, and fun to just get ready and go. All the others involve hooking up, and it's just not freedom.

We started with a TC and went to a motorhome, then back to a TC just because it is so portable, easy to set up, and it provides everything we really need.

[billmac]

Great advice has already been given. I really like what northmeck0255 posted.

I think that everyone needs to be in favor and on board with the rv lifestyle. The idea appeals to you or it doesn't. Don't force it or the rig will stay parked.

My wife and I are both retired and have about 60 days in our rig so far this year. We would only come home to hug the grandchildren if it were all up to my wife. Thankfully we both think our goal is to please the other. Maybe that is why we have been married over 40 years.

BTW, she is busy planning our next trip while I am making some serious repairs to our noisey rv floor.

[Community Alumni]

If your husband is getting cold feet, DON'T do it. Wait until he's ready to take the plunge, or both of you are going to be miserable.

Good luck!

[scbwr]

If you are really hesitant, why not rent a smaller class C and go on a short trip to see how you like going to campgrounds and using an RV as a means of traveling?

Depending on the cost of the fifth wheel trailer you are looking at, you may want to consider starting off with a good used travel trailer, not too big, but large enough to have a bunk for your daughter. Typically, travel trailers cost less. Also, you'll have a chance to pull a smaller profile unit and see how you like it. With a good weight distribution hitch with sway control, trailers tow quite well if weight is distributed properly, and hitch is set up properly. And, if the truck has the specs to tow a larger 5th wheel, you would be set to go if you decide to trade in the travel trailer for a fifth wheel.

We decided to downsize from a 29' trailer to a slightly smaller 26'7" trailer now that we are retired and want to tow with a 1/2 ton truck. We're sort of going back to a camping style that we had when we had pop-up trailers...more cooking outside (outside kitchen). But, we're also taking longer trips...about to head out for a 2 1/2 week trip to Florida and New Orleans. You have to figure out what kind of RVing you and your wife want to do as there are so many options ranging from the pop-up to large fifth wheel trailers and motorhomes that can be lived in full time, or for many months at a time.

Do what you are comfortable with, and enjoy!

[kennethwooster]

Im now 69. I started 11 years ago after having had a stroke and looking for relaxation. A friend took me for a break in run and helped me. Then we made a few trips together. He was valuable. I do recomend finding someone that will teach. Today Im retired and use rv about 5 months out of the year. Im still learning things. Number one dont get overloaded. It can happen easy. I just purchased a DRW truck because I'm tired of being overweight.

[galtgirl]

I think it's perfectly normal to get cold feet when jumping into a major purchase of ANY kind.
We were tent campers until our early 50's when we decided a hot shower and a warm bed looked much more inviting than our air mattress in a cold tent.
We started with a 24ft travel trailer and loved it immediately. We made great memories with that little trailer and like most who fall for RVing, we wanted more room and moved up to a large 5th wheel. We've had it 11 years and enjoyed it on vacations and weekends. We love always being in our own space and the ability to sleep in our own bed, cook our own meals (when we want to) and still travel and see the country.
Now we are almost ready to travel fulltime and really see the country.
The only way you are going to know if you like it is if you try it.
You could rent a motorhome for a week and go out and see if you enjoy the adventure...I will be guessing that you will but it isn't everyones cup of tea.
Good Luck...don't overthink it and just have fun.

[Merrykalia]

You have several concerns, so I will address each one individually. It will all go back to what YOU BOTH think about the situation. If you are not in agreement, being in a limited amount of space will not be good situation for either of you.

1. Money - it is a large amount of $$ to get started because once you purchase the TV, RV, you will need to stock it with supplies. You are doing it the right way by going used, so if you find that you don't like the lifestyle, you can probably re-sell for about what you paid for it and not be out thousands of dollars.
2. Set-up - the first few times you do set-up and take-down, it WILL be hard and take you quite a bit of time. Once you learn your RV and get your list going, you will be able to do it in just a few minutes. (From pull it until completely done, takes us about 20 minutes.) It used to take us over an hour.
3. Being away - did you not say that your 22 year old son still lived at home? At that age, he should be able to handle things for weeks, if not months at a time. Besides, at that age, it might do him good to have the additional responsibility of taking care of a house. (I don't know him, so this is just pure conjecture, but I know my son, at 22 sure could have used some limited responsibility.)

Only the two of you can make the decision to purchase or not, but I will tell you that we LOVE the lifestyle. We are both retired, but have two children, soon to be 10 and 7, so our lifestyle must revolve around school. We did spend 107 nights in our RV last year, so we are working around school pretty well!!

[northmeck0255]

Well, I can only speak for myself and my opinion is worth what you paid for it. LOL

For me, the RV is my "hobby". I enjoy puttering around, tinkering with this, fixing that, etc. If he doesn't enjoy that sort of stuff, the RV will become a headache. We love being able to take our "mobile condo" anywhere we like. If you've ever seen one of those tv news shows where they take a black light into a motel room, you'll understand the peace of mind that comes from knowing that ONLY you have slept on that bed, used that shower, etc.

I agree completely that I'd rather drive than fly.