From 5er to class A, why?
How many of you moved from a 5er to a class A and why? I have ruled out a class C and TT so a DP 40 or a higher grade 5er appeals to me but as someone who has not rv'd before, I'm struggling to know ...
Forum Discussion
> For those who like being able to grab a sandwich or go to the bathroom on the road, is it really that hard to stop somewhere and do those things?
Bearing in mind there are no wrong choices, just individual preference - yes, it is really that hard.
Scenario 1: travelling 1000 miles with 2 small children and a need to use as little as possible of DH's vacation time. They travelled seat belted in the dinette. They could read, color, watch DVDs. When we were doing straight stretches on the interstate (which was most of the trip), they couled go to the bathroom. Mealtimes, I fixed and they ate at the dinette. All while eating up the miles. When the dog travelled with us, one parent would fill the tank while the other took kids and dogs to a grassy area to jump around. Minimal wasted time. With anything other than a MH (TT or 5er or camper), they would have spent much more time confined in a smaller seat without a flat area to do stuff on. Security wasn't much of an issue: the doors stayed locked at night, and we could stop, get ready for bed, sleep, and get up without ever unlocking the doors. Plus, most of our trips were in winter, and having the trip interrupted by a snowstorm was always a possibility. Being stuck in a small town for several days was much more tolerable with our own beds, food, and bathroom.
Scenario 2: my mobility is now quite limited, to the point that I hunted for quite a while before finding a class A I thought I could use. Getting up the steps is hard for me, but once I am in, everything is on the same level and not very far apart. It's a 27-footer. I am looking forward to some trips with DH or DD along to climb down and do fillups. I also can't drive for very long at a time. With the MH, if I can't drive, we can either park for a while or someone else can drive while I relax in bed or in a recliner.
I was filling up the car at WM last night and a big ol' pickup drove in pulling a long TT. No way to measure it but it looked longer than my 27' class A. Getting it around and up to an island to fill up looked ... challenging. And left the TT partially blocking the drivers on those islands, making them have to do some maneuvering when they were ready to leave. I am not an experienced puller so I don't know if that is unavoidable or if this particular driver was clumsy, but it's one more factor to consider.
These scenarios may well not apply to you. In that case, you might be happier in a 5er. My recommendation is to really look hard at how you like to travel and select whichever suits your style better.
Bearing in mind there are no wrong choices, just individual preference - yes, it is really that hard.
Scenario 1: travelling 1000 miles with 2 small children and a need to use as little as possible of DH's vacation time. They travelled seat belted in the dinette. They could read, color, watch DVDs. When we were doing straight stretches on the interstate (which was most of the trip), they couled go to the bathroom. Mealtimes, I fixed and they ate at the dinette. All while eating up the miles. When the dog travelled with us, one parent would fill the tank while the other took kids and dogs to a grassy area to jump around. Minimal wasted time. With anything other than a MH (TT or 5er or camper), they would have spent much more time confined in a smaller seat without a flat area to do stuff on. Security wasn't much of an issue: the doors stayed locked at night, and we could stop, get ready for bed, sleep, and get up without ever unlocking the doors. Plus, most of our trips were in winter, and having the trip interrupted by a snowstorm was always a possibility. Being stuck in a small town for several days was much more tolerable with our own beds, food, and bathroom.
Scenario 2: my mobility is now quite limited, to the point that I hunted for quite a while before finding a class A I thought I could use. Getting up the steps is hard for me, but once I am in, everything is on the same level and not very far apart. It's a 27-footer. I am looking forward to some trips with DH or DD along to climb down and do fillups. I also can't drive for very long at a time. With the MH, if I can't drive, we can either park for a while or someone else can drive while I relax in bed or in a recliner.
I was filling up the car at WM last night and a big ol' pickup drove in pulling a long TT. No way to measure it but it looked longer than my 27' class A. Getting it around and up to an island to fill up looked ... challenging. And left the TT partially blocking the drivers on those islands, making them have to do some maneuvering when they were ready to leave. I am not an experienced puller so I don't know if that is unavoidable or if this particular driver was clumsy, but it's one more factor to consider.
These scenarios may well not apply to you. In that case, you might be happier in a 5er. My recommendation is to really look hard at how you like to travel and select whichever suits your style better.
