Not even a newbie yet - but thinking of trying

[dhornick]

As I've grown older, I've always wanted to try an RV. Never having stayed in one, I'm sure there are some key points to make things better the first couple of trips.

My plans are to rent a brand new 33' class C for a three day trial period. I want everything to go well and I especially want the wife to have a good time and enjoy the experience. She's not as overly keen on the whole idea as I am but has agreed to try it.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

[Tiger4x4RV]

Here in California, there are companies which will deliver a fully-stocked rental trailer to your campground and set it up for you. I could not find such a service for Nebraska, but the Grand Island KOA apparently has a couple of rental trailers (https://koa.com/campgrounds/grand-island/site-type/unique-lodging/.

Since you said you have never even stayed in an RV, this might be a way to ease into things.

[2gypsies1]

Totally agree that you plan your trip around her likes...at least for the first trip. 🙂 Does she like environments such as in state parks or would she like a more upscale place such as a RV park with a pool, activities and the ability to let the water run as much as she likes for her showers since you'd have a sewer connection.

Ease her into this gradually. Pick a place near a town that she'd like to explore. If she has a specific interest such as quilting, birding, concerts, etc. look at the town's calendar of events and see if there's something special going on that she might like to attend. You won't be towing a car to do siteseeing so keep in mind that you're going to have to disconnect the hookups to drive your RV to places. It's not a big deal but it's an added thing to do.

Try out some restaurants nearby so she doesn't have to think about cooking like she does at home.

In choosing a park pre-check it out by using a park review site to see what others say about the park. However, keep in mind when reading these reviews that everyone is different in their likes and dislikes. Weed out the extremes both ways. Once you find a couple parks that you would consider, look at their web site for pictures however, they usually only post the best so that may not help... a flower pot on pansies is not a good representation of the park so keep that in mind. Finally, you could look at the park by using Google Earth and 'fly' over it to get a feel of the park. Just plug in it's address and you'll be right there. You can also view the surrounding area and town.

Try to choose a park where the sites are not close together. Give her breathing room, perhaps a little grass or a tree.

http://www.rvparkreviews.com/

If you're retired, go during the week rather than a weekend when it's more hectic in parks...Monday through Wednesday would be good. Try not to travel too far as that can get tiresome. With an RV a good distance would be 200 miles or so.

Remember your objective....you're trying to win her over with this 'camping' thing!

[nma33]

Lots of good advise here, I would go with the shorter trip too, Definitely relax around a campfire, Don't over pack, think of it as a hotel stay maybe pack into a bag or two, Get to site as early as you can get in, this way you have lots of time to casually set everything up, I would also use paper plates, plastic utensils, paper or plastic cups, at least for the first trip, Makes it easier to pack and just throw away when done.

Most of all make the DW happy!
Good luck!

[SpeakEasy]

I'd advise renting a smaller rig for the first time. Unless you're used to driving trucks that size, in which case, forget my advice.

-Speak

[DutchmenSport]

I think you have the right idea, rent an RV for a 3 days.

Here's a good way to think of an RV. Think of an RV as an extension of your stick and brick house. Think of it as an extra bedroom, or an extra office, or an extra entertainment room. If you can park it at home, you may find yourself using it a lot this way, and camping too.

I think you are wise in making your first experience a short one. The only problem is, you'll need to stock everything. Blankets, sheets, pillows, dishes, any kind of entertainment you enjoy, games, activities. Then your food, toiletries, and everything else you may want to bring.

Then when you are done, you need to empty it all out to return the rental RV. So, to keep cost down, use items from your home, don't purchase anything new specific for the RV or for camping. You already have everything in your home.

When you purchase your own, and you don't have to unload anything any more, that's when you start purchasing items specific for the RV and camping. If you do it this way, you'll make the experience a lot easier on the check-book too.

A shorter drive for your first experience is a good choice too. And when you get to your camp site, take a little time to just relax around a campfire a while and enjoy the moment and the down time.

Plan your activities, but don't hold yourself to them. If your plans change, that's perfectly OK. Spur of the moment events are really the most memorable and those are the things you'll be talking about for years to come.

I think you are on the right track. You've making a sound decision here. As stated above, get the wife involved as much as possible. The more she has ownership of the trip, the more she'll like everything. That's how you win them over! (really!).

Good luck and keep reading and checking up with these forums. There's a wealth of information and tips on these pages that folks write about.

Happy Camping!

[Veebyes]

Three days is not long at all & a 33' class C is pretty big for 2. Our first experience was a class C, a 2 week rental.

Taught us two things. We thoroughly enjoyed the trip & when it came time to buy, we did not want a class C. Driving around with all those dishes rattling away was too much.

With a towable what happens in the trailer, stays in the trailer. No need to drag a car or, if no toad, take the house wherever you need to go.

[Dano1955]

Like "The Duke" said, make the 1st trip within 4 hours max, someplace she would like to go and make the whole trip about her. Even if you're miserable (the !ST trip).

Remember the saying, "if Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy".

Once she's on board a bit, plan things with her so the trip can be about both of you.

[John_Wayne]

Don't drive a great distance to the campground. Find some place close with things she likes to do. Shop, sightsee, hike, bike, etc. You grill the meals outside help with clean up. Talk with the other camps. Enjoy your trip.