Advice please

[not_our_home]

We are a family of 6 and beginning our full time RV adventure. We have the opportunity to buy a an ultra lte travel trailer for about $20,000. brand new, gorgeous, fully warranty, fits us just fine, our SUV can pull it BUT it has about zero storage space. I don't need a lot but I would like a little bit of space for legos, roller blades, and some books. like I said, I don't need much but the travel trailer has only enough space for bodies and needs and no more.
We also have an opportunity to buy a class a RV for the same price. Private sale through a mechanically inclined, trustworthy person, but no warranty,and it is 15 years old. great condition, but 15 years old. It has more storage space for sure and we could tow our suv.
we are going to be living in it full time for about a year. we will be traveling but staying in one place for at lease one month at a time. Please share your thoughts. thank you

[Rlaubert]

Couple of things you need to take into consideration. First is that the term ultra light means a light weight trailer which is not designed for comfort, storage or amenities that you would normally find in other "heavier" units. It also is not built on a heavy frame and as such will not hold up as well as more studier built units. Read this to mean it is not a full timing unit, it was designed for weekend camping.

In my book Finding the Perfect RV (free), I walk the reader through determining their requirements vs what they want. As a full timer, storage is a requirement, it is not a nice to have. For a weekender, storage is not a major concern as living out of suitcases or a backpack will work for many people for a few days. Not so for the full-timer.

Best of luck
Oh you can get a free copy of my Finding the Perfect RV by visiting rv-inspection-service.com/book-store, select Finding the Perfect RV and use coupon code rvinspectionservice at checkout.

Good luck,

[not_our_home]

thank you all, so much, for your replies

[beelbill]

nomad297 wrote:

beelbill wrote:
Do you have extra bunk space that no one is sleeping in?

not our home wrote:
We are a family of 6

:h

There are a wide variety of floor plans. Our trailer is what is called a bunk house and sleeps 11. It is difficult to really know the answer without seeing the floor plans.

[BarbaraOK]

We've fulltimed for 9 years, and since I'm now in my 70s, I will be the tough minded grandma that is going to speak straight out to you.

4 kids in a small trailer - I don't think so. What might work for a 2-week summer camping trip isn't going to work for fulltiming. Realistically you need a trailer with at least a bath and a half, plus at least 2 bedrooms which will still have people sleeping in the living room, etc. A toy hauler with the garage area made into a dormitory is a better option. And none of that can be towed by a Suburban - 1 ton diesel will be necessary. And kids need 'stuff', especially when they are being removed from familiar surroundings, they need things to make them feel at home. I think you need to step back and re-think this and figure out why you want to do it and what benefit the kids will gain versus what it is going to cost them.

I will agree it isn't how much space you need, it is what your kids need. Thinking about them FIRST and FOREMOST will get you on the correct track.

Barb

[Vulcan_Rider]

not our home wrote:
fits us just fine,

You never know for SURE if it fits you just fine until you actually spend a few days in it.

See if you can rent a really small B or C about the same size and spend a couple of days with everybody in it. Pretend one day that you all are forced to stay in it all day.....because of bad weather, for instance.

I have a 28' C that supposedly sleeps 8.
The reality is that it can be fairly comfortable for TWO.
Four would be tight and 6 would be instant insanity.....IMHO.

Consider the sleeping arrangements carefully......and see if everyone can get to the bathroom in the middle of the night without climbing over someone else.

[Campfire_Time]

not our home wrote:
like I said, I don't need much

"I", or "we"? You have to think "we" as a family of 6, I'm assuming growing children. As they grow, so will the space they need grow with them. You need the Class "A". Your family will outgrow that travel trailer in less than 2 years.

Then there is the issue of "can you tow it?" as highlighted by C-Bears. It's likely that the trailer you are looking at is already too big for your SUV unless you have a 2500 series Suburban.

[nomad297]

beelbill wrote:
Do you have extra bunk space that no one is sleeping in?

not our home wrote:
We are a family of 6

:h

[beelbill]

Do you have extra bunk space that no one is sleeping in? We use Rubbermaid storage boxes on a bunk. Have more stuff in them than in the cabinets and drawers. Do either of the rigs have a Polar Package that is designed for winter? On some trailers, the water and sewer pipes run under the rigs instead of in a basement compartment. You want the most protection you can get from freezing. Sounds like you are going to be mostly sitting in a camp rather than mostly driving down the road with your rig The motor home is better for driving down the road but the trailer is better for sitting. Also, many motor homes have a generator that might come in handy in power outages. Motor homes have the added engine maintenance costs. Finally, a consideration that is biting me in the backside: What kind of furnace do they have? Are you going to take propane tanks off every week in the winter to go have them filled? Are they 50 amp rigs with electric heaters? Remember, every park doesn't have 50 amp and every region won't let you have an external propane tank. Have fun.

[C-Bears]

I would immediately be suspicious if your SUV would be rated to pull the new TT. It might be rated to pull it off the dealer's lot. But by the time you load up for full time use with 6 people, you may be adding another 2,000 pounds into the equation. Would it still be rated to pull it?

I would consider the class A but only if it is big enough to pull your SUV plus handle all the extra weight you will be also loading into it for 6 full timing folks. Big slides, or multiple slides on the Class A would also be a requirement since you are planning on being in it full time with that many bodies.

[Second_Chance]

If you meant "ultra lite" instead of "ultra lte," my concern would be that you are considering full-timing (even if for just a year) in an ultra light RV. In order to reduce weight in an ultra light, some of the things that are "cut" are the weight and quality of materials, thickness of walls, and insulation. These conditions would combine to make the unit very hard (and/or expensive) to heat in the winter and cool in the summer. Of course, you can find examples of people full-timing in almost every type of rig imaginable (often not out of choice), but most full-timers select an RV based on a number of livability criteria - and at the top of the list is the ability to handle different weather conditions.

[2gypsies1]

You'd almost have to make the back of your SUV into your garage.

Be aware that even if you added a lot of stuff to the RV, would the extra weight really be safe. RVs have a weight carrying limit for a reason.

If you got the Class A, make sure that you can really tow it. Many vehicles cannot be towed 4-down. Then you'd need a dolly.

What brands and lengths are these RVs? Is the Class A gas or diesel. How many miles on it?

Just some things to think about.

[ScottG]

I'm not familiar with that model but could storage be added anyplace? Some people add a box of some sort to the back bumper.