Thinking of getting an RV - lots of questions
Hi folks. As the title suggests we are thinking of getting a RV and have tons of questions. Hoping some folks will actually read all this and maybe offer some advice :)
We want to travel, but having dogs makes it tough, we don't want to leave them in a strange kennel full of fleas or guilt friends/family into dogsitting (thus making us have to return the favor!).. and they're our kids so of course we want to bring them too. We probably won't go out camping so much as use it for road trips and not needing to get a hotel. Also I run a company on the side and would like to use it to attend conventions where hotel rooms are really expensive, but parking is cheap.
We don't need one of those big busses, but we do want something that's real nice (not luxury, but nice). Looking around a lot of manufacturer websites I think something in the 30 foot range would be good. I like the idea of the kinds that have bunk beds off to the side.. we'd use the bottom bunk for our dogs and the top probably for storage. One floor plan I really like is the new winebago brave 31 foot version that looks like it isn't out yet. I think I just like that the TV is actually in front of the sofa instead of making you look sideways to watch it like every other RV. I also like the minnie winnie with the bunk beds. There's a place nearby that rents RVs so I thought we'd try renting one for a weekend to see if we like it. It's called cruse america, are they any good?
Anyway... about the class C vs A.. I'm guessing it means with a class C I just need a normal class C drivers license and it's a lot like driving a big van? But for class A I need a class A license and it's like driving a bus or big truck? I just have a normal driver's license, is it more based on the size and weight and I'm going to need to get a truck driver's license? I kind of don't want to, but if I have to, I can... So if we went with a minnie winnie or similar, I could use my standard license, but a Brave or similar I'd need a new license?
Do RVs get hot in the summer like a car does? We require air conditioning and lots of it :) The AC runs off of your generator (or your truck engine?), and heat runs off of propane? Or can propane also power stuff? We have a backup generator at home for when the lights go out, that runs off our household propane tank.
Say we wanted to leave the RV and go see a movie or a museum or casino or whatever, and we're going to be gone for a couple of hours when it's 98 degrees outside.. Can you leave your generator going 24/7 even if you're not there so the dogs will be ok? I imagine it's a really bad idea to leave anything running in your RV unattended.. or would it be ok?
Also about generators, just from average use how long can they last on a full tank? Do they use your RV gas tank or do they have their own? If you're out "boondocking" but you want to watch tv at night and run the AC, can you run your generator 24/7 or is that just asking for it to have a short life span?
I watched a youtube video where a young couple was raving about their composting toilet.. are they any good? I'm not looking forward to the idea of pumping a weeks worth of poo into a teeny hole in the ground, but I guess it's a necessary evil. For your average use in most 30 foot style RVs how long can 2 people and a couple of dogs go on a full tank of water and stuff, just taking a quick daily shower and general use? We'd like to be able to go off the grid for a few days at a time, without having to leave to refill anything half way through our trip... though for really long trips I imagine we could go a few days in the wild and then hit a RV camp sight to refill and do laundry for a day and then go back out?
Do you always have to have dinette? Every single RV seems to have them. I usually carry 8 or 9 spare tires with me everywhere I go, it's hard squeezing into some restaurant booths so I doubt I'd fit into any RV dinette. I do kind of like the idea of a front seat that spins around and there's just 1 bench for the other side of the booth, but there doesn't seem to be too many RVs like that, not that I've seen anyway.
When you buy a RV, is it basically the same process like buying a car? I hate haggling :) Is it true you can write off some of it on your taxes since it's treated like a home? And if I use it for my business, can I write off stuff for that too, like it was a home office that happens to have wheels too so I could also write off gas and stuff? When you get a loan, is it more like a car loan where it's just around 5 years? Or long like a mortgage?
That should do it for now, I'm sure I'll have tons more questions later. Thanks for reading this far :)
We want to travel, but having dogs makes it tough, we don't want to leave them in a strange kennel full of fleas or guilt friends/family into dogsitting (thus making us have to return the favor!).. and they're our kids so of course we want to bring them too. We probably won't go out camping so much as use it for road trips and not needing to get a hotel. Also I run a company on the side and would like to use it to attend conventions where hotel rooms are really expensive, but parking is cheap.
We don't need one of those big busses, but we do want something that's real nice (not luxury, but nice). Looking around a lot of manufacturer websites I think something in the 30 foot range would be good. I like the idea of the kinds that have bunk beds off to the side.. we'd use the bottom bunk for our dogs and the top probably for storage. One floor plan I really like is the new winebago brave 31 foot version that looks like it isn't out yet. I think I just like that the TV is actually in front of the sofa instead of making you look sideways to watch it like every other RV. I also like the minnie winnie with the bunk beds. There's a place nearby that rents RVs so I thought we'd try renting one for a weekend to see if we like it. It's called cruse america, are they any good?
Anyway... about the class C vs A.. I'm guessing it means with a class C I just need a normal class C drivers license and it's a lot like driving a big van? But for class A I need a class A license and it's like driving a bus or big truck? I just have a normal driver's license, is it more based on the size and weight and I'm going to need to get a truck driver's license? I kind of don't want to, but if I have to, I can... So if we went with a minnie winnie or similar, I could use my standard license, but a Brave or similar I'd need a new license?
Do RVs get hot in the summer like a car does? We require air conditioning and lots of it :) The AC runs off of your generator (or your truck engine?), and heat runs off of propane? Or can propane also power stuff? We have a backup generator at home for when the lights go out, that runs off our household propane tank.
Say we wanted to leave the RV and go see a movie or a museum or casino or whatever, and we're going to be gone for a couple of hours when it's 98 degrees outside.. Can you leave your generator going 24/7 even if you're not there so the dogs will be ok? I imagine it's a really bad idea to leave anything running in your RV unattended.. or would it be ok?
Also about generators, just from average use how long can they last on a full tank? Do they use your RV gas tank or do they have their own? If you're out "boondocking" but you want to watch tv at night and run the AC, can you run your generator 24/7 or is that just asking for it to have a short life span?
I watched a youtube video where a young couple was raving about their composting toilet.. are they any good? I'm not looking forward to the idea of pumping a weeks worth of poo into a teeny hole in the ground, but I guess it's a necessary evil. For your average use in most 30 foot style RVs how long can 2 people and a couple of dogs go on a full tank of water and stuff, just taking a quick daily shower and general use? We'd like to be able to go off the grid for a few days at a time, without having to leave to refill anything half way through our trip... though for really long trips I imagine we could go a few days in the wild and then hit a RV camp sight to refill and do laundry for a day and then go back out?
Do you always have to have dinette? Every single RV seems to have them. I usually carry 8 or 9 spare tires with me everywhere I go, it's hard squeezing into some restaurant booths so I doubt I'd fit into any RV dinette. I do kind of like the idea of a front seat that spins around and there's just 1 bench for the other side of the booth, but there doesn't seem to be too many RVs like that, not that I've seen anyway.
When you buy a RV, is it basically the same process like buying a car? I hate haggling :) Is it true you can write off some of it on your taxes since it's treated like a home? And if I use it for my business, can I write off stuff for that too, like it was a home office that happens to have wheels too so I could also write off gas and stuff? When you get a loan, is it more like a car loan where it's just around 5 years? Or long like a mortgage?
That should do it for now, I'm sure I'll have tons more questions later. Thanks for reading this far :)
