sold our class a

[drk351]

Sold our 2004 Winnebago brave because wife could not drive. We are looking to replace it with either a travel trailer or a class c. Have anyone else done this? Need ideas either way. By the way she has drive both. We would like to travel out west and it would be nice to have 2 drivers. Thanks in advance Dale

[DFord]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one that "Service Temporarily Unavailable" is biting in the butt. From Matt's end, he has no idea he triple posted - I know because it's happened to me too. Wish there was a way to delete our own posts on this forum but there's not.

[Matt_Colie]

My answer is kind of silly because I don't get to drive in daylight.
I did at one time and still do on occasion, but Co-Driving changes everything, and so much so that there might be no reason to try to change your vehicle to something other....

Train DW to be a navigator. Set up a desk for the laptop or tablet, arrange internet on the road, and teach her (this is about DW not driving) to glean the information needed by both looking ahead with Waze and Gasbuddy for stops, but also looking for things of interest and attractions. If you don't know about it, your smart phone can be a hotspot at the cost of data use. This opens up a whole lot of access when underway.

Google maps will track you, but compared to SA or S&T is sincerely sux, but it does work. It can tell you about blockages ahead.

With a dedicated navigator in the right seat, the stress on the driver is greatly reduced and the navigator is involved in the day.

At one time I had a name tag that said Navigator under my name and some habits remain. I plan every excursion. The best I have done so far is having a plan that was good until noon of the third day. I have had a day plan go bad before we got to third gear. This helps a lot.

I will offer up three great stories here just to make the point.

*We were somewhere and Mary was navigating and said that something looked interesting. We were on an interstate (not common for us), and she said that there is a small museum slightly off our track and we should exit here. We did. We got there and the parking lot could only barely accommodate our small coach, but it was indeed a great stop.

*We had just left New Orleans, she said she (the driver) would like an early seafood dinner with a view of the coast. This took a lot of searching to find, but I did and it was about an hour and an half away.

*This idea also helps with the odd Bonzi run. Then we might prefer interstates, and a time back, DW would drive interstates. With a navigator on duty, one can survive a much longer time as driver. This is how we did an 1101 mile day. Navigator would set a clear long run and go back and rest. Usually waking only when the driver needed a nature break.

I leave this here and try not to revisit it again any time too soon.

Matt

[Matt_Colie]

My answer is kind of silly because I don't get to drive in daylight.
I did at one time and still do on occasion, but Co-Driving changes everything, and so much so that there might be no reason to try to change your vehicle to something other....

Train DW to be a navigator. Set up a desk for the laptop or tablet, arrange internet on the road, and teach her (this is about DW not driving) to glean the information needed by both looking ahead with Waze and Gasbuddy for stops, but also looking for things of interest and attractions. If you don't know about it, your smart phone can be a hotspot at the cost of data use. This opens up a whole lot of access when underway.

Google maps will track you, but compared to SA or S&T is sincerely sux, but it does work. It can tell you about blockages ahead.

With a dedicated navigator in the right seat, the stress on the driver is greatly reduced and the navigator is involved in the day.

At one time I had a name tag that said Navigator under my name and some habits remain. I plan every excursion. The best I have done so far is having a plan that was good until noon of the third day. I have had a day plan go bad before we got to third gear. This helps a lot.

I will offer up three great stories here just to make the point.

*We were somewhere and Mary was navigating and said that something looked interesting. We were on an interstate (not common for us), and she said that there is a small museum slightly off our track and we should exit here. We did. We got there and the parking lot could only barely accommodate our small coach, but it was indeed a great stop.

*We had just left New Orleans, she said she (the driver) would like an early seafood dinner with a view of the coast. This took a lot of searching to find, but I did and it was about an hour and an half away.

*This idea also helps with the odd Bonzi run. Then we might prefer interstates, and a time back, DW would drive interstates. With a navigator on duty, one can survive a much longer time as driver. This is how we did an 1101 mile day. Navigator would set a clear long run and go back and rest. Usually waking only when the driver needed a nature break.

I leave this here and try not to revisit it again any time too soon.

Matt

[Matt_Colie]

My answer is kind of silly because I don't get to drive in daylight.
I did at one time and still do on occasion, but Co-Driving changes everything, and so much so that there might be no reason to try to change your vehicle to something other....

Train DW to be a navigator. Set up a desk for the laptop or tablet, arrange internet on the road, and teach her (this is about DW not driving) to glean the information needed by both looking ahead with Waze and Gasbuddy for stops, but also looking for things of interest and attractions. If you don't know about it, your smart phone can be a hotspot at the cost of data use. This opens up a whole lot of access when underway.

Google maps will track you, but compared to SA or S&T is sincerely sux, but it does work. It can tell you about blockages ahead.

With a dedicated navigator in the right seat, the stress on the driver is greatly reduced and the navigator is involved in the day.

At one time I had a name tag that said Navigator under my name and some habits remain. I plan every excursion. The best I have done so far is having a plan that was good until noon of the third day. I have had a day plan go bad before we got to third gear. This helps a lot.

I will offer up three great stories here just to make the point.

*We were somewhere and Mary was navigating and said that something looked interesting. We were on an interstate (not common for us), and she said that there is a small museum slightly off our track and we should exit here. We did. We got there and the parking lot could only barely accommodate our small coach, but it was indeed a great stop.

*We had just left New Orleans, she said she (the driver) would like an early seafood dinner with a view of the coast. This took a lot of searching to find, but I did and it was about an hour and an half away.

*This idea also helps with the odd Bonzi run. Then we might prefer interstates, and a time back, DW would drive interstates. With a navigator on duty, one can survive a much longer time as driver. This is how we did an 1101 mile day. Navigator would set a clear long run and go back and rest. Usually waking only when the driver needed a nature break.

I leave this here and try not to revisit it again any time too soon.

Matt

[dodge_guy]

So wait a minute. she wont drive a class A but will drive a class C or tow a trailer? Not sure I`m understanding this!

[lucy6194]

We went from a 5th wheel to a Winnebago Navion last summer. My husband passed away this past January and I drove the Navion by myself (and 2 Labradors)to key West in February. Don't know if I will do it again but I did it. Easy to drive and manover. I never learned to back up the 5th wheel. Yes less storage but then just me now.

[olfarmer]

My wife used to drive our class C motor homes but she hasn't driven since we went to class A, in fact she rarely drives our car. The driving is all up to me. I have considered going back to a class C as I am getting older and it seems like they are a little easier to drive but now with this virus I am not sure when or if we will be able to travel like we used to. It is not just the virus but her health is failing and I don't feel as confident as I used to about dealing with what may happen when away from home. Sorry for rambling on, it is just thinking out loud about our situation.

[lhenry8113]

We sold our 5th wheel and bought a 24ft Class C-DW shares the driving on trips which is great-I can enjoy the scenery, relax, etc. Makes the drive more enjoyable for both of us.

[DFord]

If you've got a wife that's willing to get behind the wheel of any RV, you passed a huge milestone. My wife will once in a while pull the MH forward a few feet for me if I don't stop just right at the dump station - other than that, I'm out of luck. I do keep my dues current with FMCA so that I've got "repatriation insurance" to get me and RV back home if I'm incapacitated.

In your case, go to a dealer and take a couple of test drives to see what she would be comfortable with driving.

[wildtoad]

Plenty of people have swapped a A for smaller MH (A, C, B), fifth wheel, TT. I think the first question you need to ask, and directed to your DW, is what she would be comfortable driving. Does she do well towing a TT, including backing into a site? One of the issues some encounter is how much storage space will you give up to store all your stuff. If you go with a smaller MH will it handle your current tow setup. If you go with TT will you also need to buy a new tow vehicle?

Good luck on your search.