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 havin...
Forum Discussion
We want to travel, but having dogs makes it tough
We love the RV because it allows us to take the dog. He loves traveling and considers the RV an extension of home.
We don't need one of those big busses, but we do want something that's real nice
I would spend lot of time looking at floorplans and types of RVs before making a decision. Try and think about what it would be like to spend a lot of time in the RV. We purchased a trailer that was just too small for us and the dogs and watching the TV caused you to be at a strange angle.
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?
The license issue depends on the state. I live in Utah and I do not need a special license. In New Mexico, you just needed to get a letter on your license - no test, nothing. You need to check the rules in your state.
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?
The air conditioners run off AC, so you will need to either be plugged in or run your generator. If you like the RV cool, I would get one with good insulation, double paned windows and 15K air conditioners. The RV is generally heated through propane. Propane is generally used for cooking, heating hot water and keeping the refrigerator cold while you are not hooked up to AC. You can also heat hot water using AC. I say "generally" because there are some all electric RVs where there is no propane anywhere in the RV. They have large battery banks to keep things going.
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?
Yes, you can run the generator. If you are in a campground, you are hooked up to power so that is not an issue.
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?
Some generators run off propane and some off gas and some off diesel. You need to find out how the fuel is supplied in the RV you are looking at. In my diesel Class A, the generator uses diesel from the coach fuel tank. Generators like to be run under load. Since I do not do much boondocking, I run the generator under load for about 45 minutes each month to keep it happy.
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?
How long you can go is based on the RV and how you use the water. Class A's generally have much larger tanks than Class Cs. I have a Class A and we can go about 5 days without needing to hook up. But we have a 100 gallon water tank and large grey and black tanks. In my trailer, we could only go about 2 days.
Do you always have to have dinette?
Pretty much. You talked about the seats that spin around - all the Class A's I have seen have that.
We love the RV because it allows us to take the dog. He loves traveling and considers the RV an extension of home.
We don't need one of those big busses, but we do want something that's real nice
I would spend lot of time looking at floorplans and types of RVs before making a decision. Try and think about what it would be like to spend a lot of time in the RV. We purchased a trailer that was just too small for us and the dogs and watching the TV caused you to be at a strange angle.
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?
The license issue depends on the state. I live in Utah and I do not need a special license. In New Mexico, you just needed to get a letter on your license - no test, nothing. You need to check the rules in your state.
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?
The air conditioners run off AC, so you will need to either be plugged in or run your generator. If you like the RV cool, I would get one with good insulation, double paned windows and 15K air conditioners. The RV is generally heated through propane. Propane is generally used for cooking, heating hot water and keeping the refrigerator cold while you are not hooked up to AC. You can also heat hot water using AC. I say "generally" because there are some all electric RVs where there is no propane anywhere in the RV. They have large battery banks to keep things going.
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?
Yes, you can run the generator. If you are in a campground, you are hooked up to power so that is not an issue.
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?
Some generators run off propane and some off gas and some off diesel. You need to find out how the fuel is supplied in the RV you are looking at. In my diesel Class A, the generator uses diesel from the coach fuel tank. Generators like to be run under load. Since I do not do much boondocking, I run the generator under load for about 45 minutes each month to keep it happy.
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?
How long you can go is based on the RV and how you use the water. Class A's generally have much larger tanks than Class Cs. I have a Class A and we can go about 5 days without needing to hook up. But we have a 100 gallon water tank and large grey and black tanks. In my trailer, we could only go about 2 days.
Do you always have to have dinette?
Pretty much. You talked about the seats that spin around - all the Class A's I have seen have that.
