What RV am I looking for? (Newbie)

micar,

True for standard popups. A-frames pop up in about 45 seconds. Owners routine use them for kitchen and toilet breaks at rest stops. Personally, I'd rather not fill up the little black tank when there is a public toilet nearby, but that's a whole 'nuther debate!

One thing not mentioned and it may not be a concern, is not being able to pull over and use the amenities of the trailer to have lunch, use the bathroom or spend the night when towing a pop-up or hi-low etc...
Just another thought.
Mike

In fairness, I should caution that the Odyssey takes a good bit of work to make into a good tow vehicle. If you are fairly handy DIY, it's not too expensive. If you pay retail, it's a doozey. A stock minivan will need:

1. An ATF auxiliary cooler ($40 part at e-trailer.com)
2. 2" receiver (I recommend the Curt model at e-trailer for an Odyssey ~$150).
3. T-1 plug n play 4 flat wiring kit for trailer lights (~$35).
4. Custom wiring and harness to install an electric brake controller. This is slightly harder than installing a ceiling fan at home (for level of complexity). ~$60
5. Electric brake controller mounted to the van. ~$130
6. Power steering cooler (I blew this off as the stock one looked fine on our van).
7. Equal-I-zer 400# rated weight distributing hitch (~$500)

Installing it all took me a heavy weekend. Pro install would be probably 3x the price. This is the downside of minivan towing, but it only hits you once. On the plus side, you don't have to try to park a dually in a parking garage when you make a day trip to the city. Towing won't be 28 mpg, but Odyssey really can get that at 65mph freeway when NOT towing. Not in town though. Not close.

If you have an appropriate towing vehicle, a trailer is the obvious choice financially.
Be aware the type of RV influences your traveling style. The trailer and the large motorhome suggests setting up camp for a few days and driving around with the tow vehicle or towed one. The small motorhome encourages frequent stops, moving on because it is so easy. Motor homes have higher insurance costs.

manualman wrote:
Check out a Jayco hardwall popup model 12BMD. It's an A frame style camper that should fit your desires to a T:

1. Low profile towing configuration suitable for a FWD V6 CUV or minivan that should return a towing mpg of about 19mpg at 65mph.
2. The bed will comfortably fit two (though you have no dinette unless you set it up and down at every use. Maybe not an issue if you like outside eating except in bad weather).
3. Compact bathroom with water heater, toilet and shower. What RVers call a "wet bath." Not luxury, but sure beats a bucket of cold soapy water on the trail, eh?
4. Small deck on front that should fit 2 bicycles.
5. Virtually instant setup. These go up and down so fast, you'll do it for lunch stops at rest areas.
6. Totally hard wall enclosure for better heat or AC retention and noise masking when you need it.
7. So extremely handy and maneuverable compared to massive RV rigs.

I'd still recommend a totally uncool minivan because you'll need plenty of storage for clothes and toys for a two year voyage. It or something like it is what I plan to get when the kids are gone and we are ready to roam by ourselves.

thanks so much for the detailed post. I'm definitely going to look into the A-frames... Also perhaps the oddysey as a tow vehicle (28mpg highway) . I agree about minivan storage.

Check out a Jayco hardwall popup model 12BMD. It's an A frame style camper that should fit your desires to a T:

1. Low profile towing configuration suitable for a FWD V6 CUV or minivan that should return a towing mpg of about 19mpg at 65mph.
2. The bed will comfortably fit two (though you have no dinette unless you set it up and down at every use. Maybe not an issue if you like outside eating except in bad weather).
3. Compact bathroom with water heater, toilet and shower. What RVers call a "wet bath." Not luxury, but sure beats a bucket of cold soapy water on the trail, eh?
4. Small deck on front that should fit 2 bicycles.
5. Virtually instant setup. These go up and down so fast, you'll do it for lunch stops at rest areas.
6. Totally hard wall enclosure for better heat or AC retention and noise masking when you need it.
7. So extremely handy and maneuverable compared to massive RV rigs.

I'd still recommend a totally uncool minivan because you'll need plenty of storage for clothes and toys for a two year voyage. It or something like it is what I plan to get when the kids are gone and we are ready to roam by ourselves.

manualman wrote:


You aren't going to get much "backpacker" advice on an RV forum like this. This forum is geared towards bringing home on the road with you. If your ideal is the backpacking experience, but with a decent bed at night and a better way to wash up, a popup might just fit the bill. Most folks here couldn't imagine setting one up every night, but a backpacker will find it totally luxurious in comparison to what you're used to!.

Good point.

It is a matter of perspective.

My wife and I spent years living in tents, barns, and under the stars.

Even those 16' trailers look really luxurious to us.

We saw this in person and really liked it. R-Pods sit high so would be good on backroads.

http://forestriverinc.com/product-details.aspx?LineID=173&Image=5054&ShowParent=1&ModelID=1945#Main

There is also a HiLo forum. http://www.hilotrailerforum.com/

Here's the R-Pod forum to ask questions:

http://www.rpod-owners.com/

The big thing you have to seriously think about is living in the RV for two years. You can take vacations and occasional trips in anything but would it be comfortable to actually live in day after day in all kinds of weather. Good luck!

I'd aim for a good, small CUV/SUV/van with a custom built tear drop. This would be with the goal of attaining the best MPG. For two ex-back packers, a nice tear drop will seem like a Palace. Get you some solar for electronics and invent your own shower system. A porta-potti takes up the rest of the slack.

For convenience and a two year schedule of every day use, I'd aim for a trailer with a small pickup, trailer to be > 24'and of light enough weight to be pulled by the small truck. The price differential in gas mileage compared to the miser example will be inconsiderate for the assumed use. A recent post of an owner of a Ram 1500 w/6cyl. posted 26 MPG over a 3000 mi. trip. That is not towing. A tower could expect somewhere in the low teens. Still, negligible total fuel price for the anticipated use. I am assuming that you will only own this one vehicle and will use it away from the trailer at some times.

A good outlook on trailering is to always get a vehicle that is built to tow more weight than is anticipated with the trailer. The added comfort of easy towing is a substantial lifestyle improvement over having a rig that is operated at the border line of it's capabilities.

Good luck with the search and have a great trip!

If the primary stays will be front country campgrounds with real roads, then you just can't beat a modern minivan towing a popup for overall low cost of acquisition, gas and operation. Only real downside is setting up the van for towing (ATF cooler and brake controller wiring). We've done it for over a decade now on family vacations and trips and routinely get 18.5+ on freeway cruising at 67mph (and that's a medium popup - 12 foot low wall). Virtually NO off road ability though!

If you plan to spend time "dispersed camping" on public lands and Forest Service "roads," then an AWD CUV will probably handle the task with a popup or Aliner that has had an axle flip for more ground clearance. The previous gen Rav4 V6 had oodles of power to spare for towing while still getting good highway gas mileage.

You aren't going to get much "backpacker" advice on an RV forum like this. This forum is geared towards bringing home on the road with you. If your ideal is the backpacking experience, but with a decent bed at night and a better way to wash up, a popup might just fit the bill. Most folks here couldn't imagine setting one up every night, but a backpacker will find it totally luxurious in comparison to what you're used to!

Look hard at the Aliner trailers or more recent imitation hard sided A frame popup campers. They're much smaller when setup than regular popups, but go up much faster. If you've spend much time sleeping under a Hexamid tarp, it will feel like the Taj Mahal.