No extra car

[sltrawick]

We just upgraded to a Class C Fleetwood Jamboree. We do not have a tow dolly and I'm just wondering about those who do. Do you bring an extra vehicle with you when you camp? Or if you don't, How hard is it getting around without one or do I really need to think about getting the tow dolly? Can't flat tow as our car won't allow it, but not ready to make the purchase of a tow dolly yet

[Bordercollie]

Try camping/touring without a toad for a while. Consider the cost of equipping your rig for towing, hassles in stopping for gas or parking with toad en route.
Talk to those that tow and those that don't. Try renting a car, using shuttle buses, and city bus systems and tour buses in places like Boston that are not RV friendly. It takes 10 minutes to disconnect an RV from camp hookups and run into town or go sight seeing for the day, plus you have your bathroom and food supply with you in the RV. RV'ers who travel with social groups feel the need for a car to share sight seeing or restaurant activities.

[mlts22]

This has been a question for me for a long time. I would say this depends on the person. For some, the fact that one has to find parking for the rig can be a downside. Others don't really care.

My solution? Even though I had a setback due to job stuff, I'm going to go one of two ways: Either a class "B" or a truck/TC combo, which is small enough to go/park almost anywhere, or I will go with a class "C" and when finances permit, buy a Jeep Wrangler whose job will be a daily driver, but I can mount the Brake Buddy, hitch it up, and have a toad.

Plus, the Jeep can get a bumper mounted winch, so if the motorhome gets stuck, I can use the Jeep to pull it out... or just drive to civilization for assistance if need be.

[KristinU]

We don't tow and just rent or take our C (or ride bikes, or now there's Uber), or we just stay put. For us it really depends on where we are going and what we are doing. Renting just makes sense for us for the handful of times we do it per year...we can get a lot of rentals before we'd even touch the purchase cost of a towable car and the tow setup. There have been a couple of times where we've picked up a car about 20-30 miles away from our ultimate destination, still not a big deal for us.

Here's my blog post about it from last year: http://winnieadventures.blogspot.com/2014/06/toad-or-no-toad-how-do-we-get-around.html

[americanrascal]

We almost always tow the dolly and Focus. Its never an issue traveling with it behind the rig (towed it GA to Anchorage and back this past summer). But having the car to get around, visit , sight see, shop and to make short trips is so much more enjoyable than unhooking at the campground, loading everything up, coming back to the site and unloading power cord, sewer line, water line, cable and campground chairs and equipment --all just to go get a gallon of milk at the store!

[mgirardo]

When we first bought our MH, we did not plan to tow anything for the first few years. When we needed a car we either rented or called a cab. Cab is fine if you are near your destination, but it can get expensive quick. When we camped close to home, the wife would drive the car if we thought we would need it.

Often times when we camp, except for the season, we are camping because of a home school field trip, conference or something along those lines so we always need transportation from the campground to the trip, conference, etc. Renting a car worked out pretty well for the first few years.

If we were renting from a company that did not pick us up to get the car, we would pick it up on the way in and then drop it off on the way out even if we didn't need it the entire trip. I'd rather spend extra than have to break camp just to pick up a rental car. When renting from an airport, usually they don't pick up, but they will reimburse or partially reimburse for a taxi.

After 5 years without a toad, we now have one and it definitely makes things easier not having to worry about arranging rental cars. Renting a car over the weekend is still relatively cheap, but over the last few years renting during the week seems to have gone up a good bit. If you are renting long term, it can be really expensive.

Over the summer, I was chatting with a couple that were camping for the month at our seasonal campground. They have family nearby, but don't have a toad. They rented for the month and it cost them almost $1000. This was the third summer they rented a car for the month. I told them for that kind of money, getting a toad is definitely worth it. They even had a car that could be towed 4 down.

-Michael

[DrewE]

As others said, it depends a lot on how you use your motorhome whether or not it makes sense to spend money on a two setup.

I have a 32' class C and thus far I've had no real desire to bring a toad with me...but that's obviously only true for me, and many people very much prefer to have another vehicle with them. If you tend to camp in one area for several days, rather than moving every day or two, a toad starts to make a lot more sense IMHO.

[sltrawick]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Our Class C is 31'. Our small car is a Kia Rio that you can't tow 4 down. We are debating on just getting a used car to tow 4 down or a tow dolly. Our other vehicle is a Ford F-250, so we will not be taking that lol

[Matt_Colie]

Through the years, we have done many different things. We are currently running an antique 23' class A. It can tow just fine, but we just haven't bothered. With a small coach, you can get most places just fine. If you want to do more, rent something. We do carry bicycles and they are good for much of what we need.

Think about where you are going. Setting up a towed is always north of 1K$us. You can rent a lot for that. If you don't have a something behind, you can get by without a TPM to watch. We didn't have our towed in Yellowstone, so we paid for a lot of extra fuel, but the view from the cab was worth every penny.

The only place we have been that we rented a car was Branson. That place just had no parking room and getting to and from the campground was an amazing pain.

Matt

[Jim_Shoe]

I drive a 'C' and pull a Jeep Wrangler 4 down. There are just too many places I want to explore where my 'C' won't fit, starting with big cities. My 'C' is too long for a metered parking spot on the street and too tall for most parking garages.

[navegator]

Went to El Paso to visit a friend for Christmas one year for one week did not take the toad, bad mistake we rented a car for two days the cost was huge in comparison to having the toad, never again we take the toad with us every where we go with the RV, we flat tow.

navegator

[Bobbo]

The only time we don't tow our car is when camping with friends, and know they will have theirs.

[klutchdust]

Took a two week trip to Oregon and left the toad home, never again. Thought I wouldn't need it, bad idea. Wanted to see more of Mt. St Helens and driving the

coach would have been a pain. Tow dollies are another issue. It's like having three vehicles because you need to put it someplace.Spend the money to tow

your toad, you won't regret it. My opinion, yours may vary.

[tenbear]

We tow a car. We find it necessary. We park the MH at a campground and do our sightseeing in the car. 30 mpg in the car is better than 9 mpg with the MH and a car is much easier to park at most attractions. Also easier to hookup than a dolly and car IMHO.

It depends on your camping style. We are travelers and sightseers. If you are campers that camp to enjoy the beach and campground, there may be no good reason to tow a car.

Friends of ours decided to buy a dolly to take their non towable car. They have since said they should have sold the car and get a towable car.

[mockturtle]

Depends a lot on how long & wide your RV is. My Tiger obviously doesn't need a 'toad' but even with my 24' Born Free I sometimes towed a Honda CR-V for convenience. You will find yourself quite limited without an auxiliary vehicle.

[Sam_Spade]

Like a lot of things, it depends.
How long is your C ?

If it is fairly easy to maneuver, driving IT might be your answer.
Getting a bicycle or two might work too. I have an electric one.

Then there is the scooter solution. They can be mounted in the vicinity of your rear bumper.

I ended up with a small enclosed trailer to take my motorcycle along. Two small scooters/mopeds would fit in it too.