Full Timing in a Gasser

[MagillaGorilla]

It seems to be that the high percentage of full timers have DPs. Depending on how you live/travel the DP may or may not be the right choice.

The DP is considerably more expensive to buy, maintain and fill up. So to me you need to be mobile in order to justify it.

So why is it that more people, that stay put or just snowbird, don't buy gassers? What am I missing here?

To me it just seems that if you stay put all winter in one campground and then move to another one up north later in the year, that a gasser would be fine. I mean if you are just putting 3500 miles a year on it, what the point of the DP?

What am I missing? I'm sure I'm missing something here.

[John_Joey]

MagillaGorilla wrote:
...snip...So why is it that more people, that stay put or just snowbird, don't buy gassers? What am I missing here?
...

What you're missing is you are learning from the internet, and not from being on the road. People snowbird, FT, and PT in just about everything. I've seen couples with a dog in a slide in camper for the winter to a gentleman who just sold his 4 slide 40+ foot DP for a super C to winter in. I've seen FT'ers from DP to TT and everything in between.

Bottom line is do what is best for you and your bank account.

[TechWriter]

MagillaGorilla wrote:
what the point of the DP?

A much better ride.

[dahkota]

DPs can typically be longer and heavier while maintaining cargo capacity and tow capacity. DPS also typically have greater cargo and tow capacity.

We travel fulltime in a gas engine bounder. Because we do move a lot and prefer national and state parks, we wanted to stay under 35'. There are very limited DP options under 35' and we didn't like the floor plans of any of them.

It had nothing to do with the price and everything to do with the floor plan and size. We spend a lot more time living in it than driving it (though we put 11K miles on it in 7 months) and livability is most important to us.

[noplace2]

We will begin our 15th year fulltime traveling in May. Had a gas MH before we got on the road permanently and have had 2 5'ers since, towed by diesel trucks. Contrasted, we have downsized with every new rig, all the better to utilize what, to us, are smaller, quieter and more secluded places largely inaccessible to the big 'ol honkin' DP's

Someone else mentioned that it's not a matter of what one can afford. With few exceptions, we can "afford" whatever we wish. We wish for, and enjoy less.

[rockhillmanor]

lbrjet wrote:
2gypsies is right. It is as simple as people buy what they can afford. Some people have more money than others.

Respectively Disagree that it's dictated by what one can afford being the reason whether a person buys a DP or gas MH.

IMHO I don't think it depends on how much money you have. More of what you need, like and what fits your traveling style.

I pay cash for my MH's and first time out I did buy a DP. Then I bought a gas MH for many reasons other than cost.

It seems to be that the high percentage of full timers have DPs.

No. If anything I think it's the other way around up to and including fifth wheels. Which have been gaining popularity by leaps and bounds.
In my travels based on percentages observed in CG's, I see more FW's and gas MH's being used by full timers than DP's.

[BarbaraOK]

Don't assume that people who are driving DPs bought them new. I would bet that most of those you meet bought them used, at significantly less than new and keep them a long time.

Barb

[rr2254545]

Executive wrote:
:S..Senior moment..:W

For us, we don't sit, we USE ours...15,000 miles last year..but the DP has more options, AquaHot Air Leveling, quieter too. Genset is in the FRONT so if you run it while you're sleeping you forget it's on....Dennis

Another point is that a DP has greater towing capacity and more importantly it has more storage space for all your stuff than my gasser did

[Johno02]

Like others said, its a matter of what you can afford. We are not full-time, but spend up to 6 months in our 30" Class A gasser while doing volunteer work, and or traveling. Big DPs are nice, but on Social Security and a small retirement, it is way out of our budget. We really enjoy ours, and the two of us are comfortable. If the weather is good, we sit outside a lot, and that is a LOT more room. Traveling, travel as far as a tank of gas will get us, stay and wait for the next SS check, then fill it up and go again.

[lbrjet]

2gypsies is right. It is as simple as people buy what they can afford. Some people have more money than others.

[2gypsies1]

It's definitely not true that more full-timers have DP. Full-timers have all kinds of RVs from small vans, Class Bs, Cs, As (gas and diesel), trailers and 5th wheels. We know full-timers using all of the above.

[pianotuna]

Up until about 2000 gas engines simply did not have the oomph to be good for a 22,500 pound RV. The advent of V-10 motors changed that.

[BarbaraOK]

If you have ridden in a DP you have the answer - the ride. Plus, if you are out west, climbing & coming down mountain passes, the exhaust brake just walks you down the pass so easily - again it contributes to the ride.

Next we have carrying capacity - - most DPs have a larger CCC - we had over 5000 lbs available when we started, plus big bays that are open clear across the rig.

Then there is the fact that the engine is in the back, so it is quite and you can listen to music, talk, all without that engine between the two of you.

As to maintenance costs - yes it is more, but the interval in between is longer. If we spent all of our time in the midwest or east, then a gasser would do fine, but we cross the Rockies & Cascades/Sierras at least twice each year - usually more than that as we wonder around for the summer.

Barb

[Johno02]

Dealers get more commission on sales. What you drive or live in depends on what you can afford.

[MagillaGorilla]

Executive wrote:
Maybe you should ask this in the Full Timing Forum..:h..

Is this not the full time forum?