Best Motorhome for a Family?

Think how do you plan to full-time? As travelers going from place to place homeschooling your kids in the MH seeing of the USA as possible? Or a more permanent location for months on end in FHU CG's. Maybe north is summer south in winter. If you post how you think you will use the MH the question will be easier to answer.

With small children or babies a motorhome that is well insulated to prevent winter weather from causing an un-warm environment is a must....and RVs are difficult to heat in the winter months in cold climates unless they have been equipped for cold climates.

With small children laundry would be a concern and most motorhomes with W/D are 34' or more in length. A W/D would appear to be a necessity. Class A are made in short lengths and with slides that increase their living space. They also allow use of the cockpit area for living. If one lives according to the lifestyle they live in a house then the cost of living would be similar.

Health care for the family would be a serious consideration as unexpected medical care can be totally unaffordable.

krishna09 wrote:
Me and my husband are wanting to full time RV with a child in tow and planning to hopefully have another.
right now we are in the research phase.
.......snip......
I'd love a light weight class A but i highly doubt a livable one will ever be in price ranch.

I know you're only asking about rig type, but since you mention fulltiming with a child/children I hope you'll forgive this small digression:

Your mention of financial restrictions leads me to caution you that unless you've spent a lot of your "research time" looking into the expense of the lifestyle, you may be in for a rude awakening. It's not a cheap way to live, at least if you want to live decently. Which I presume as a parent you're determined to do.

The most comfortable fulltimers have either substantial savings, a guaranteed monthly income, or some promise/prospect of steady employment while on the road. Do take care to do the necessary financial planning before taking the leap!

As someone with a 1 year old that full times I'd recommend you look at fifth wheels and well as motor homes. You can't compare the living areas.

Class C's can also be a cost effective solution as well with the extra space over the cab.

It really depends on what your exact price range is. Are you buying new?

Do you have a tow vehicle, or a vehicle to tow?

And full-timing means things to different people. Like full time in nj during summer and then drive to FL for the winter? Thats driving twice a year 1500 miles and parking it.

Or moving weekly, monthly, daily???

And as said how much stuff do you have? Do you still have a stick house?

Whats the goal?

Once you figure that out you can start looking...

Since you are asking about full-time, it is your only home, then what is best is a complete house on wheels with two sleeping areas, preferably without having to convert a living area into one of the sleeping areas.

This gets you into a C motorhome 28-30 feet long (assuming you would use the overhead bunk) or a A motorhome 34 to 38 feet long, or a 27 to 30 foot trailer (thus 25 to 28 foot box). For the A and the trailer, those are the sizes where you first start to find separate front and rear sleeping area, though it is quite feasible if you are willing to do it every day, to put the children in the bedroom and let the adults sleep on the sofa in the living room. Much of the world outside the U.S. still lives that way in there permanent homes, where 600-800 sq ft is a fairly common family living space.

An A more expensive than a C? Not really, if you are shopping used, and not shopping for the biggest and most luxurious thing.

I think towables work better for families that are moving from place to place but staying in each place for a considerable time, several months for example. I meet a few families doing this, moving for work on seasonal or short-term jobs (like agriculture, construction, infrastructure repair, seasonal warehouse or sales work).

I think motorhomes work better for families constantly on the move, because you are always in the house, children not spending most of their day in a car or truck. They also get used for longer term stays, but that means towing or driving a second motor vehicle for getting around when the motorhome is parked. In my experience, that adds to the cost, though it can be less expensive if the second vehicle is a low-cost disposable car, which may need only liability insurance and doesn't have a lot of money tied up in it.

What it costs, what works best, how it works, depends on where you want to be with your lifestyle. Full-timing can be done on a $2000 a month budget and it can be done on a $20,000 a month budget. It can be done starting with $20,000 to $100,000 for your equipment, or you can start out at $2,000,000 for a rolling mansion. I've seen people get started on even less, an under $4000 RV, but they also seem to be constantly spending that over again to keep going.

I agree with the renting idea. How your family moves around in an RV will be different than how someone else's family moves around in an RV. Renting the different types of RVs will let you try them on for size.

Also making lists. Must Have. Really Really Want. Would Like. Don't Want. Absolutely No Way.

Things to think about: carseats; ability for toddlers to potentially move around while on the highway (some toddlers have been known to undo their car restraints); how long you'll spend in one place; sleeping arrangements; bathroom stops while on the road (I was a child who ALWAYS had to go 30 minutes after we left the house - no matter if I did before we left); sick kids - simple stuff like how to rearrange sleeping; what type of places will you stay at (RV Parks, National/State Parks, National Forests, etc.); what types of hookups will those offer; etc.

I'm sure others can add to this list quite easily.

By this time in my life, I have had one of just about everything.
I can tell you that there is no best of anything.....
If you buy good hardware used, you can usually roll it over at a reasonable loss. (RVs always sell at a loss, some worse than others. It is just part of the cost of ownership.)
But, speaking of the cost of ownership, see what you can rent, borrow or trade for. This will help you form your first set of like/want/needs.
If you raise children appreciating the real world, don't be surprised when they take up where you left them off.

Matt

One with bunk beds, and wash/dryer

You may want to try and rent before you buy. Full timing is a HUGE jump especially with a child. What happens if you don't like the full timing lifestyle after a few months? You've spent a lot of money on something that heavily depreciates. Not trying to discourage you but I would recommend testing the waters before you dive in. As an analyst by trade I can tell you that all the research in the world won't clue you in to exactly what you want until you've actually spent some time in a few rigs. There are lots of places to rent class A, C or TT. May not be exactly what you want in terms of floorplan, but it will give you a sense of the lifestyle and will clue you into a lot of things you want or don't want in a unit. All that said, as others have stated floorplan is your largest consideration. Whether you pull it or drive it, floorplan is critical.