I Might Be Back - Been a Long Long Time! ? For You!

[Gooselover]

Years and years ago, DH and I (well, okay just really me) was a VERY active member on this forum. I was under the name of Gooselover. We had a 1994 Carri-Lite Emerald 634 RLS 34'. I LOVED that RV! I cried on this forum back in 2005 when we sold it. Still regret it to this day.

SOOOOOOOOO....Hubby and I have found a 2003 Gulfstream Prairie Schooner for a really great price. We are seriously thinking about it. Here is my question....

The REASON we sold the Carri-Lite is because of our farm....it was hard to get away. The situation hasn't changed tooooo much, but we can get away here and there. SO.....how often are you able to go RV'ing??????????????????? Couple times a year? 2x a month???? What is the AVERAGE amount of time people usually take their RV's out???? Am I making sense here?

Also, since we have only had one RV, what is your opinions on Gulfstream Prairie Schooner???? And one other BIG question!!!! We had a 34'....this one that we are looking at is a 29FKS. We are concerned it might be a tad too small, although it is just DH and I. Did anyone ever buy one that they ended up thinking was too small????

Thanks for ANY input! Jeri

[trickyvic3]

Jeri,
We downsized from a 40ft DP to a 17ft ultra lite TT and just love it !! Like you said, we don't spend all that much time inside and it's cheap enough that if it sits for a few weeks or months, who cares. It's there when we want it.

Go for it !!

Vic

[The_Mad_Norsky]

I would also chime in with the "go for it" suggestions put forth by other posters here.

Sure, there may be times that become hectic or busy, and one just cannot get away and use it.

But having it at the least available for use, is much much better than not having it at all.

Go for it!

[Go_Dogs]

Buy the Schooner and never leave here, again! Them's are orders! And lots of pictures, too!

[Gooselover]

Thank you everyone for your input. Like my OP, things have changed a bit since I was a member on here from 2001 to 2006. I remember my post telling you all that we sold our beloved Carri-Lite Emerald. It was so hard to fight the tears....so I didn't fight them. I cried for weeks.

There is something about this 5'ver that I just love. I was just telling Charlie that the price is right (Under $16500) and it is in impeccable condition. Has everything I want - mostly the fireplace! I was also talking to him about how this is cheap enough that if it sits here and there - so what? I also was reiterating to him, because we are a bit concerned of the smaller size, that we don't spend THAT much time in the camper! Never did!

Maybe a guy testosterone thing - bigger is better?

We are talking about making an offer on this......

I missed this forum so much after we sold the Carri-Lite. I got so many recipes and met so many people it was like one big family. Thank you for welcoming me back and giving me your input. Jeri

[Traveler_II]

If truth were told it would be cheaper to take off and stay in a nice resort when you have the time. But there is something about the RV lifestyle that my wife and I find enjoyable and relaxing. We retired a number of years ago, sold the business and house and full time and just loved it. We bought a small retirement home on a lake and sold our motor home. That lasted about a year and we bought our first 5th wheel 6 years ago.

We bought a Carriage product just before they went out of business, they did make a great trailer.

I’d say go for it and enjoy the time you can get away.

[JIMNLIN]

WELCOME BACK.
I remember you well when you were deciding on getting out of camping.
The wife and I have camped since the late '50s on most of the big COE lakes in OK/AR/KS/TX. Like most folks we camped to get away from it all.
We seldom camp anymore as living in the middle of 40 acres with woods/hay meadow/etc is better than a campground.

Just last nite we had 15 girls ages 12-16 and two sets of parents from the daughters church camp out under the trees out away from our house. They had a camp fire/made smores/sang campfire songs for young folks/etc
One father was a former logger in CO/UT/ID area. He commented on how nice and quiet it was out here. Coyotes and hoot owls sang them to sleep about midnite and birds woke them at dawn. He commented he could understand why we don't camp much anymore. We live in it.

We also have sold the RV several different times but have always got another later on. We use the RV more for travels than camping anymore.

[trickyvic3]

I don't think it's a matter of how often you use it, but more of the enjoyment you get out of it when you do. Sometimes our TT will sit in the yard for weeks on end, but there are times we will book a weekend at the spur of the moment. Just having it and knowing it's at the ready is enjoyment in itself for us.

Our payment is cheep enough that if it has to sit for a month or two without being used, it wont break the bank. We get so much enjoyment when we do use it that I feel it's well worth having it.

Vic

[joebedford]

We go away ONCE per year - for 5 months. Plus some short trips.

[sele]

WE go about 5 or 6 long weekends a year plus a long week vacation on average and each trip is well worth it just to gaet away relax. Once you pay for the rv it is just sitting there waiting for the trip, only cost typically is ins.

[rockhillmanor]

Horse farm here too. In the beginning I didn't get out much with the RV. Then I found someone I trusted and I paid them to watch the farm and got out more and RV'd further. Then I sold the Farm! :B

I found I enjoyed RV'ing more when it was not all the time.

[travelnutz]

Have a 29ft Carriage Carrilite all aluminum structure and absolutely love it too like you did. We're 71+ and hope to pass this Carrilite on the one of our kids when we croak as it's in perfect condition and they aren't made anymore. The other of our kids has a 30' 5th wheel so it won't be him it will go to. The 29' Carrilite has been outstanding for our Florida 2-3 month stays and plenty big enough also even with our large Siberian Husky Dog.

At the same time we also had a gorgeous optioned to the hilt 3 axle 36' Carriage Chaise model with 2 slides and an 18,000 lb GVWR but it was way too big and heavy to pull south for only a few month stay. So, we'd take the 29' Carrilite, perfect!. Alaska trips or mostly driving trips were with our Lance TC.

We'd kept the 36' on some acreage we own up north less than a hundred miles from our home with full hookups I put in back in 1991. The 36' spent the last several years of it's life there as our get-a-way that only took about 1-1/2 hrs to get to it. That is until a falling tree found it. Exactly when the tree fell or what caused it to fall we don't know but there was some mold already growing on the carpet when we went up there. We were in Montana with our Lance TC for 5 weeks. Our ins co totalled it! I bought back the carcass and sold it to a friend of ours who is a very fine over 30 year RV repair person, he stripped much of the inside totally rebuilt all the damaged framing and roof, added a fire place, new high end furnature, real hardwood floors and put new plush carpet in the bedroom, also his beautiful hand made carvings (his hobby) for the trim and moldings and accents. Took him over 7 months of nights and weekends! It is beyond beautiful and the our old wrecked Carriage lives again! They then bought the land next to ours and that's where it sits and they are there every weekend from April until Thanksgiving. Sometimes during the winter depending on the weather.

We'd looked at replacing the 36' with a new one with the ins settlement (our ins co was outstanding and gave us many thousands over the NADA average listed value including all the options it had) but at our age and having other RV's we own, we didn't buy another big replacement Carriage. Still miss the 36' and have a lost feeling for that wonderful 5th wheel but what can I say?

We RV and use one of our 3 RV's on an average of over 100 night stays a year with 158 being the highest.

As for the Praire Schooner? Not near the quality of the Carrilite you had but if in very good condition and maintained good, it may serve your needs very well. @9' with a decent sized slideout is plenry big enough for 2 people!

[Artum_Snowbird]

I would say if your RV investment is under 10% of your home and property investment, then just do it. If it is under 5% of your overall net worth, even better, go out and have fun when you can, and just enjoy the fact that it's there when you want to have fun with it.

But if it's becomes more than that, it becomes an investment in your time, and you have to dedicate the time to RV'ing to really feel you are getting your money's worth.

[827sve]

I say go for it, I have a farm too and it is hard to get away, we have owned an rv for 5 years now and on average get away 4 trips a season. currently it is still in storage from winter, hoping to get it out this weekend as we booked a weekend away in 2 weeks. We take short trips for 3-4 days as it is hard to get someone to fill in longer. Last summer was the first time we took it out for a week and absolutely loved it. I do own the trailer together with my brother so the trailer gets out about 8 times in a summer which makes the cost a little more easy to take, but if you calculate all the cost associated with it, it would never make sense. you have an rv because you love to rv, not because it is cheap.

[Go_Dogs]

Our rate of usage has varied over the years. Illnesses, family issues, etc. We have gotten a little creative with the TT. Using it for a guest room, etc. We've also bounced around from 21ft hybrid, to 31ft class C, back to 24ft TT. I think it depends on the floorplan. I really like a big bathroom. DH likes outside storage. When we got our first hybrid, we lived on a farm, too. We would set up camp at the end of the property-best campsite around!