Travel wiyhout toad

Someone mentioned rental car places not being close to campgrounds. Do some research and look at the closest place to the campground that you can stop and pick up one. And then return it there when done.

I guess DW and I were e spoiled. We tried to go Toadless when we downsized to oru 26' Coach House. But after a trip to colorado and back to Texas DW said I would sure like another toad like we pulled with our class A diesel pusher.
So I bought a Used CRV and we tow it. I already had Brake system for towd and hitch
CRV I bought already had Baseplate for towing.
Was getting about 11MPG now getting about 10 to 10-1/2 MPG but convince is worth it.
I got tired of disconnecting water Sewer and electricity just so we could go to town.
Now i pull two pens, running lights and Brake air and we are gone.

Bordercollie wrote:
Opinion: Towed vehicles are more bother and expense, wear and tear, than worth it for the few times they are really needed. Social campers like to cruise around with acquaintances in cars going to restaurants and local attractions, trading off driving. You can rent a car to tour a city that is not RV friendly. Shuttle buses and city and tour buses may be available from RV parks.

Our opinion: It totally depends on the RV'er, the RV in question and the location they are going. They could be in a large RV that not conducive to driving into a metropolitan area. The RV'ers my prefer to have a base camp and travel out from there.

We are not the type to really go and sit at a campground or rv park. The campground or park is never the destination (unless it's somewhere like Disney). The area is the destination for us. We prefer to get out and see the sites, go out to eat, frequent the local shops and etc. Kind of hard for us to take a 32' Class C everywhere. And for those with larger ones, even worse. Plus it doesn't make sense to drive something around at 8mpg more than needed when something cheaper on gas can be driven. Now, don't get me wrong. We have gone camping without a toad or car with us. Just a couple weekends ago we went onto the Blue Ridge parkway. First night we didn't get to campground until almost dark. No where to go. Second day we drove to another campground with a visitors center at the waterfalls. They had spaces for RV, buses and trailers. Got there and all spaces filled up. The RV spaces were filled with cars. Was not going to be able to stop and park. Just so happened to loop around the parking lot and a space opened up. Was able to park. Visited waterfall and drove the mile down to the campground and checked in. Stayed there that afternoon/night and left next day. But that is not a typical trip for us. The weekend before was. My wife drove her car behind motorhome. Next day, drove about 10 miles to go to a shop and historical settlement. No RV parking at either and one of the places was in a downtown area. No public transportation around from the rv park.

KristinU wrote:
Thanks for the info! We're a ways off from buying, but a spare vehicle capable of 4WD that's fun and could be towed sounds like a Wrangler to me ;) I see what you mean about the attachments right on the recovery bumper - no need for an extra plate if you're so equipped. If/when we ever tow we'll be doing the brakes - brakes on our pop-up saved our bacon more than once.

No problem at all. Just remember: Wrangler actually has weaker running gear than the Cherokee (transmission and front axle) unless its a Rubicon. Either way, Wrangler is always about 2x the price of a comparable Cherokee with less interior space.

There are plenty of buyer's guides out there, but with the Cherokee (XJ), the best years are 97-99 and with the Wrangler, the TJs represent the best value.

Bordercollie wrote:
Opinion: Towed vehicles are more bother and expense, wear and tear, than worth it for the few times they are really needed. Social campers like to cruise around with acquaintances in cars going to restaurants and local attractions, trading off driving. You can rent a car to tour a city that is not RV friendly. Shuttle buses and city and tour buses may be available from RV parks.

Unless the sole purpose of your RV is to get away from it all. We usually use ours as a base camp from which we explore further in specialized vehicles (Jeep or other off-road vehicle like a dune buggy).

Opinion: Towed vehicles are more bother and expense, wear and tear, than worth it for the few times they are really needed. Social campers like to cruise around with acquaintances in cars going to restaurants and local attractions, trading off driving. You can rent a car to tour a city that is not RV friendly. Shuttle buses and city and tour buses may be available from RV parks.

SRockwood wrote:

KristinU wrote:

SRockwood wrote:
If you're mechanically inclined, you could always get a cheap Jeep to tow. I paid $600 for a 97 Cherokee with a dead water pump, new water pump, lift, tires, odds and ends and a lunchbox locker, and I'm just over $2k into it and I can take it just about anywhere.

What about tow plates and brake controller and all of that stuff? Eventually we'd like to get an older Wrangler that we could tow if we ever wanted to.

I just went with a simple tow bar with attachments welded directly to my recovery bumper, and no brakes for now, but I'm a rebel and this is obviously not recommended. Figure another $4-500 for braking. Either way, about 10% of what many here recommend.

In the end, it's a spare vehicle we use for fun when at home, and it's a spare vehicle we use for convenience/exploration when "camping" with the RV. It's not been without problems, but none left us stranded and are to be expected on a vehicle of this age/mileage. I saved myself a lot of problems by just replacing nearly all of the wear items whenever I worked on a specific system (i.e all new steering links when I lifted it, all new cooling components when I did the water pump).

Thanks for the info! We're a ways off from buying, but a spare vehicle capable of 4WD that's fun and could be towed sounds like a Wrangler to me ;) I see what you mean about the attachments right on the recovery bumper - no need for an extra plate if you're so equipped. If/when we ever tow we'll be doing the brakes - brakes on our pop-up saved our bacon more than once.

Each of us are a little different, our activities are a little different and POI's are too. WE did AK and we were gone for ten weeks. No towed, would I do it again?, no way. Take for instance the Oceanographic Museum in Seward, easy to get to from the City Campground in a vehicle, but if you leave your spot in the campground, it is open for the next camper. Driving to many sites all over the country and parking a RV is a pain.

DW and I each have a DD, hers is an SUV and easy for her to enter and exit. Mine is a Suzuki GV and easy to tow. I also have a Sidekick but it is in the middle of restoration and "may" go to the DGS in a year. He may get the GV with all the bells and whistles. I love both of the Suzi's but the sidekick is easier to tow. Regardless, we seldom go anywhere without one or the other. I guess I should add, we are both disabled. I used to say partially disabled but no longer, no incentive to hike for miles with the DGKs, they are able to fend for themselves and I'm(not willingly) admitting I can no longer get out and explore. My balance went wacky about a year ago, seems I have a form of viral vertigo.

Robocop wrote:
I considered the rental option but Enterprise is not as close to non-commercial CGs and SPs.

Good point on this, with two drivers we rarely do the "pick me up" thing with Enterprise and just stop on the way to wherever, sometimes that is 30 minutes or more away. Not really an option if you're traveling solo or with only one driver.

Snowman9000 wrote:
We have been toadless so far. It does cause you to think twice or three times about little trips to town and such. We try to not let it do that, but it just does. You sort of weigh whether it's worth putting stuff away and all that.

Then again, towing a toad is a pain too! Plus the time spent hooking up, unhooking, etc. Time wise toad versus no toad is sort of you can pay me now or pay me later, if you get my drift. Same for convenience too, I guess. It's inconvenient to haul the thing around, but darn convenient to have once you're set up somewhere.

Really, whatever works for you. If you want to go toadless, it certainly is do-able.

i'm not sure if there is anything that snowman hasn't covered w/ this post. maybe just that the shorter&narrower the MH, the easier to travel toadless.

I went without for 3 years and finally bit the bullet. I always managed with supplies and some trips had friends to count on when needed. However, when it came to necessary excursions for work or play, more so when alone and further away from home, I wanted and 'needed' a toad. I considered the rental option but Enterprise is not as close to non-commercial CGs and SPs. I rented twice and never got the value for the limited miles I drove. I am willing to pay for my own convenience. To each his own.