We currently have a truck camper and a 31 ft. 5th wheel, using the same truck for both RVs. In the past we have had Class As, Class Cs, popup trailers, a different 5th wheel and 4 other truck campers.
If I was going solo, I would go back to a Class C and tow a small car. IMHO, the Class C is easier to back into a site, drive in city traffic, etc. We have the 5th wheel because we often need the room when our daughter and two grandsons go with us camping. It has a slide out bunk room. Our last Class C,we owned when our daughters were young,and it also had bunks and was a 25 ft. unit. Many times we didn't drag a tow with us,but would rent a car if needed. We put over 80,000 miles on that C and loved it with the 4 of us.
At times I do make trips solo now,and prefer to take the truck camper, as it is the easiest to maneuver, get fuel, park to check out sights along the way and backs the same as a car. I grew up on a ranch in southern Oklahoma so was driving and operating heavy vehicles by the time I could reach the peddles. LOL I drove my first load of cattle to the Oklahoma City Stockyards in a double decker 18 wheeler,when I was 15 years of age. I had an Okla. farm drivers license since I was 14 and could operate any vehicle with a farm tag on it.
Any RV is a compromise, IMHO, get more room, get more problems in maneuvering the rig. My two fifth wheel trailers have been the highest maintenance of any of our RVs, especially with the running gears, bearings, electric brakes, etc. We average between 15,000 and 20,000 miles a year RVing. If I used only the 5th wheel for that, I would have to pull the wheels to grease the bearings twice a year, adjust the brakes3 to4times a year, etc. On a Class C, none of that, just pull in somewhere for an oil change and chassis lube and the brakes should be fine for close to a hundred thousand miles which I would have done at a shop every 5 or 6 years.
Male/female doesn't matter on operating an RV, with the exception that many young boys are encouraged to get involved in mechanical things, such as cars. Not so much with the way most girls seem to be raised. Most females can raise the hood of a vehicle and stare at the engine, as well as can most males, prior to calling road side assistance.
🙂 If I was going to go full time solo, I would sell our current rigs and buy a mid sized Class C and tow my Jeep Wrangler. Something in the 24 to 28 ft range would work fine for me, my beagle dog and tuxedo cat.
As mentioned, everyone needs to decide how they are going to use their RV. For me, short stays, moving often, works best with a motorized rig, a Class C or Class A (which we full timed in for 2 1/2 years but didn't like) For people that plan to stay in one place for a long time, such as months, then a trailer, either a travel trailer or 5th wheel can be the best for them. Some full time snow birds I know use a trailer to move it north for the summer and then back south in the fall. It works for them and serves their reason for having an RV.
joe b.
Stuart Florida
Formerly of Colorado and Alaska
2016 Fleetwood Flair 31 B Class A w/bunks
www.picturetrail.com/jbpacooper
Alaska-Colorado and other Trips posted
"Without challenge, adventure is impossible".
