Moved from TH TT to Class A bunkhouse...thoughts

[jlud]

Morning all,

Just wanted to share my 2 cents as I know the MH vs TT discussion comes up a lot and maybe I can help with a decision. We had a 2016 Keystone Carbon 33 TH TT that we used for one season, and changed this year to a 2016 GT 364TS MH. We are a family with 4 kids and a dog.

Cost - Got an F250 diesel to pull it, not cheap, and other than that just drove truck to work and back. TH wasn't cheap either. If I compared what I paid new for all of them, the 364 was about 15k more than the combined real price paid (my 250 was just an XLT so the gap could be more narrow).

Ease of use - Hands down the MH wins. Easier to drive, easier to back, great for traveling with kids, easier to set up. We actually want to take this places...we do things with it I would have never even considered with the TT. 80 gallon fuel tank is good for long range, about 650 miles a tank and its actually quite easy to get into and out of gas stations with it..again easier than trailer.

Quality - I find this unit to be better built then the Keystone..little things like speaker quality, bathroom components, etc. In general it seems to me that MH quality is higher than TT, but this may not always be the case.

Storage - In the TH I had the garage to store whatever I wanted, but I had to watch and make sure no bugs on anything as its basically in your house. I would also have to load, unload, load, and unload for each trip basically. With the MH I have tons of outside storage for everything that I just leave in it and don't have to move around. Simplifies life a lot.

Practicality - Again the MH wins...Day trips, weekend trips, long trips, works well for everything. Having a battery bank with full size fridge/freezer is great, plus the inverter. Go to a kids sporting event or tailgating etc..

Transportation once at destination - We do NOT have a toad yet, but did update our truck to a 2016 F150 so its light enough to tow 4 wheels down and can carry us all. It is around 2-4k to set it up for towing depending on used vs new, and if we change vehicles would have to spend more. So far we have rented vehicles for long trips, and either brought our truck separate or have gone without for short trips. We really haven't felt this to be a major impact yet, but we do plan to set up for towing shortly. We wanted to use a bit and make sure for us before we spent the money.

Summary - Pros far outweigh the cons for this family of 6 plus dog. We have had very minor issues with ours so far, and it has performed very well going through mountains and other areas. If its windy, I slow down to around 55, but when not windy 70 mph is my normal speed. I do love the captains chairs with armrest when driving, and the big view and windshield is great.

First time you have your spouse make you a sandwich, get you chips/drink etc while driving you will be hooked. Much less stressful overall experience and changes it from work to being enjoyable! Auto leveling is the way to go....Driving down the road, kids watching movie or playing a board game with room to spread out and not on top of each other fighting is priceless.

[msturtz]

We went from a bunkhouse TT to a Class C (less than 1 season) to a Class A DP bunkhouse. When our twins were born the TT / truck combination wouldn't work for us. Getting the bugs worked out of the motorhome has been a hassle but well worth it.

[Rick_Jay]

jlud,

We are also a family with 4 kids and a dog or two. We did all of our research back from 2002-2004 before buying our first RV. We went from looking at small hybrids to tow with our Honda Odyssey, to van/TT combos to the rig in our signature, a 36' gas Class A that we use to tow the Odyssey. Since we had 4 kids and a dog, Fifth Wheels really weren't an option. We are VERY happy with the decision we made, over 12 years ago now.

We don't have a bunk floor plan as they really weren't available back then. But to be honest, we're not crazy about most bunk floor plans we've seen. Our rig has two sofas and a dinette up front, so that gives us plenty of living space when the weather is less than ideal. We like having the kids sleep up front and "mommy & daddy" space in the back, plus all of the closet storage we get in the space that bunks normally take up.

But the important things is you found something that works for you. I've heard it said before on these forums that with TT/Fiver the vacation doesn't begin until you reach your destination, but in a motorhome, it begins when you leave your driveway. I find that to be exactly true. The conveniences available while travelling, ESPECIALLY with children, aren't fully appreciated until you have a motorhome.

One caveat: we do keep everyone belted while rolling down the road unless I (the driver) deem that it is safe to be unbelted to change seats, use the potty, etc. Our rig came with 12 seat belted positions from the factory (3 on each sofa, 4 on the dinette, driver & passenger) so there are lots of seating options. In addition, I installed 3 seatbelts across the bed in back. When we travel at night, we put the kids (all 4 of them when they were smaller) in the bed and put the seat belts over them so they won't come rolling off the bed in a panic stop. 🙂

One of the things we appreciate about travelling in the motorhome is that when you hit traffic/construction/accident or some other delay, in the motorhome we can use that "wasted time" to make a lunch/snack, get drinks, potty break etc. while inching along. Then, once the traffic jam clears, we just keep right on rolling along while most others in the jam are heading to the next exit/rest stop to use the facilities. Very convenient and makes up a bit for the slightly slower pace of the motorhome over travelling in the car.

When we're going to be travelling for a very long time (4+ hours) I have connected the Wii to the TV and the kids will play that while travelling.

Glad to hear you are enjoying your motorhome. Safe travels! 🙂

~Rick