mountaintraveler wrote:
klutchdust wrote:
When you say you want to go to the same places you went to in your car that raised my eyebrows a bit. My 30ft. had a fair overhang in the back and it dragged pretty easy going into certain roads and areas. If you have no experience driving a larger vehicle it can get interesting real quick. I have found no issues with parking, their limits are so one vehicle doesn't take two spots, like some do at truck stops which annoys the truckers.
I suggest renting what size you are interested in and try it out for a weekend or so.
I see. That's important for me to know about 30ft overhand,
some 26' also have noticeably more overhang.
Toyota Camry is not a 4wd, to put it mildly, and has low clearance -
yet I was able to go miles and miles on all kinds of very uneven bumpy gravel and dirt roads, without damaging the bottom (one time I did reseal of oil pan, though, cost me a fortune at a dealership)
I'm not in a position to do RV renting now.
I'm buying a motorhome next week and heading back out West on it after inspections and fixing up anything that needs to be.
What you say seems to point out that it'd be safer to get a 24' one.
I have bad eyes.
Also, my eyeglasses' plastic frames limit my field of vision. No one to help parking. I get very tired on long drives, become no good at parking from fatique. Had adventures with my Camry's bumper meeting pine trees and boulders, definitely and a 20' campsite can be hard to back even a Camry into when you're tired. Can't imagine what happens with long vehicle. Shorter RV is definitely safer bet in terms of not hitting things and not scraping.
Generally speaking a Camery is a much better off road vehicle than a 24/26 ft class C. The short wheel base and minimal overhangs will avoid most issues that a Class C will experience.
Also, if you do abuse it, the Camery will take it far better. The house part of an RV is not very tough and durable. Even just bouncing down a rough road without bottoming out can tear one apart in conditions the Camery wouldn't have a problem with. Back into a tree or boulder and it can be major damage that would only be a dent on a Camery.
In addition to finding things under/inside furniture, be careful of going to extremes removing furniture as the furniture often acts to add strength & stiffness to the outside walls. Removing a cabinet by itself is unlikely to have much impact but if you gut the thing, it may become a floppy unstable mess.
Honestly, the difference between 24 & 26 ft is unlikely to be noticeable in real world use and the least of your worries. Just get the one that meets your budget/layout preferences.
Also, concerning is that you will be too tired after a long drive to back in safely. If true, you are probably a danger on the road long before you reach the campground. Much better to plan shorter driving days. When you are tired is when you make stupid mistakes.
