Going back to TC from Class A? What do you think?

[Kidoo]

Travelling with a Class A for over a year and around 12,000 miles, I am looking back at a truck camper.

I use to have a Bigfoot 10.5 no extension and tought it was a bit small when camping for longer period especially sitting at the square table. I am retired now and have more time to spend in one location, like one month at a time. With the TC, I was mostly traveling and not staying more than a week at the same place, like going around USA and to Alaska twice. I don't know if I would like to stay in a TC for a month period, especially when it's raining or cold outside.

I certainly would go for a slide out and bigger than what I had at least to be able to spend a few days inside, and it needs to be winter proof.

I found the Class A to be very nice to travel and the floor space is undeniable. Since it is a 34 ft. it is not too bad to park in a parking lot and I found space available without to much problem so far. But it is not near the same as a TC as you can park anywhere there is a spot available.

The Class A is much more money to maintain and much harder to find a repair shop. I already had the radiator replace, $3000, tire replaced, $4000, and a few other breakdown. In my area I find all I want but while traveling, it is hard to find a shop that will do the repairs. Some big rig shops do some work but not everything, sometimes you have to go to an RV shop, then you talk big $$$$$$, and weeks waiting for parts or an available spot as I found out a couple of times this year. Or you do it yourself like I had to do for the ABS sensors and the Alternator.

One of my biggest concern now is the windshield chipping from road rocks. Where I live, they have gravel on the road in the winter months, for this winter only, while going and back from Florida, I had four chips on my windshield, two last year. One side of the windshield is around $1400, I cannot afford to replace windshield every year. I got a few rocks on the truck before, but they seem to fly by, not as direct as a Class A flat windshield.

The problem is to sell the RV, find a new TC, find a dually to fit a bigger camper, mine is a F350 single wheel.

Bad move?? Good move??

[Bedlam]

No, he is not getting double couch in the Mammoth. If he wanted a double couch, he could actually have had it already. There has been some delay in getting the dinette and other seating he requested, but Dave at Host has been treating him well through his purchase so far.

I expect to weigh in around 6000 lbs wet and loaded if I get a Mammoth the way I want configured. It was the reason I now have the Ram 5500.

[Kidoo]

Bedlam wrote:
A buddy of mine is getting a Mammoth built right now. It is estimated at 4500 lbs dry without a generator, so we'll see how close it is to actual next month.

Good, generator is about 100 lbs I tink. Hope he takes it to the scale before he add anything, it will be interesting. I wonder if those TC are taken to the scale at the end of the assembly line.

I heard that Bigfoot use to weight their campers as they came out, don't if it is true or still true.

[R__Walter]

kohldad wrote:
Then we will probably have a small 8' TC and pull a 30' TT giving us the best of both worlds.

The TT will be to give us our space during bad weather, room for extra gear, and used as a base camp. But we will have the TC for taking one or two nights out in the boonies where the TT won't be able to go. Also give us all the amenities while we are out exploring for the day.

Don't think you're going to like pulling a 30foot TT with a truck camper in your bed with the gasser in your signature, especially in the mountain West. You will be okay, but slow, back East.

[zb39]

Bedlam wrote:
A buddy of mine is getting a Mammoth built right now. It is estimated at 4500 lbs dry without a generator, so we'll see how close it is to actual next month.

I would be interested in hearing what it is. Is he getting the double couch option?

[jimh406]

I don't think a TC will rattle more than a Class A or Class C going down the same roads, and besides, you won't here them since you'll be in the cab. 😉 FWIW, I've gone down some pretty bad roads with no hard so far with my double slide.

[Bedlam]

A buddy of mine is getting a Mammoth built right now. It is estimated at 4500 lbs dry without a generator, so we'll see how close it is to actual next month.

[Kidoo]

I just parked the beast. Well, there are some good things too. The view, no other RV offers the same. Quiet with the DP, I barely hear the engine wisper. Ride is very smooth, my coffee cup sits on a table beside me and very rarely fall down, and the table is only a folding one which is by nature fragile. Plus, I just stop, make a coffee pot, have lunch, and we are back on the road. Once your in, rain, snow, wind, you don't have to ever get out, I go for 600 miles with +- 25 gallons left in the tank. Sometimes I just stay in for a couple of days until I have to fuel up.

Mine have double pane window, you still see out in sub zero, and it is well insulated, I camped many times below freezing without a problem. With 31 gallons of propane, you go a long way. With the double pane, you still can see outside! I remember last year in the Canyon De Chelly in January, snowed in for a couple of days, it was wonderfull, the view, the comfort, the ease to change wet cloths.

It is hard to find the best choice.

[Kidoo]

toedtoes wrote:
So, basically, what you don't like about the A is the costs of repairs, access to repair shops, and limits on where you can park. What you don't like about the TC is the small space.

Costs of repairs - a TC, B, C, 5er and TT will all be less expensive (all things considered) than the A in terms of repair costs. All will have similar costs relating to windshields, engine work, etc.

Access to repair shops - again all the others will have basically better access to repair shops. The C (and possibly the B) could be slightly more limited due to a shop's lift (my mechanic has only one lift that can handle my 21ft C, whereas there are 4 or 5 that can handle pickups and vans).

Parking - this comes down to what parking you are talking about. If being able to park and camp anywhere, the TC and B are your most versatile. If being able to stop and pick up groceries, visit a museum, etc., then the TC, B and small C can all work fairly well. If being able to set up camp and then drive into town and park anywhere, then the TT and 5er are most convenient with the TC following.

When I first started looking at RVs, I originally wanted a TC. I had grown up camping in a SixPac TC and really loved it. When I started looking around, I realized how much bigger the TC felt to a 10 year old kid... For me, I realized that a TC or a B were just that much too small for how I wanted to camp. An A and 5er were way more than I needed or wanted.

That left the TT and the C. I picked up a cheap TT to try it out, it was 18.5ft and the size worked well. But, I didn't enjoy the extra length on the road. So, I got my clipper. At 21ft, it is very close to the same interior space as the TT - gained the overcab bed, lost a touch of floor space - but I am about 13ft less in overall length while driving.

Now, I don't live in it full-time and I don't spend a month straight in it. But, I think for me, the placement and size of windows has more affect on claustrophobia/cabin fever than the actual space in the RV. My clipper is older and has big windows on all three sides, plus the windshield, and the overcab bed has windows on the 3 walls. I only pull the shades when sleeping and don't have a curtain between the cabover and main area. That keeps the RV feeling much brighter and open (fellow clipper owners always mention how much bigger mine feels even though we have the same floorplan and length).

A TT or 5er would allow you to easily drive the truck into town for a movie, etc., if you get real stir crazy. Unless you routinely dropped the TC from the truck, you'd have to break camp to go to town. And a B or small C would always require breaking camp. Bigger C and you could add a toad, but most likely not your truck, so is that something you'd want to do - trade the truck for a car?

The above isn't to say any one thing is better than another, but just to throw some thoughts out that might help you decide what will work best for yourself.

Good summary, thanks. Yes, cost and repair facilities are two of my main concerns now, I spent close to $8000 this year and this was doing some by myself. There is also an anoying fact with a Class A, every time you speak with a shop, they have a big tendency to think you are an idiot and they can charge you whatever or try to scare you on things that would need to be replaced just in case, or say "Ho it's a class A" like it is NASA science. Then you have the "RV" specialist where they will skin you off to get the last drop of your blood.

TT is out for me, just don't like hitch pulling. Fith Wheel is a "Maybe" but I found them pretty big on the road. Class B are nice looking. Class C are not very esthetic, they remind me of an old type RV, even the newer one. The newer Van type class B, like Mercedes are nice but they seem to lack floor choice and in some you have to make your bed every night, you sit or you sleep, just does not fit me for now, and they are on the expensive side.

I will probably end up keeping the class A for another year as this is not like selling a car. Maybe I will get use to it and maybe my repair cost will lower down once I have got around with all the grimmlins.

[gtkato]

I have owned over 20 RV's (Travel Trailers, 5 Truck Campers, Class B, and Class C). Last year in TX remote area of N Padre Island, two friends with Class A had some major hydraulic issues and spent the entire 2 week vacation trying to get repairs made and $$$$.
I think it comes down to what you personally want out of the RV. With a Truck Camper you can also have 4X4 capability, go anywhere, park anywhere, great gas mileage (diesel) and unlimited power and still tow a utility trailer, boat, or ATV. In 09 going to OR with my Dodge Ram and Arctic Fox 860S Truck Camper, I had a rear differential failure in La Grande OR. Dropped the camper off at a nice RV park, repair shop had the truck for 2 weeks, rented a car, and still had a nice RV to stay in while exploring and fishing the area.
I've had 3 Travel Trailers the past 7 years and just went back to a Truck Camper for the freedom of go anywhere, stop anywhere (we are planning an extended trip through Canada to Alaska) The travel trailers were great comfort and easy to tow, but still limited by the long wheel base, and some dangerous drives in large cities during rush hour. Cost of ownership was least with the ruck campers and travel trailers.

[Kidoo]

mkasner wrote:
Just get the largest truck camper you can get on your truck. Host Mammoth might get you going 🙂

I saw the Mammoth, it is huge. I wonder if it all starts to rattle after a few years. Being a TC you tend to go further in the boonies and I don't know how well they would handle it.

I wonder what is the weight of this beast, the real weight. It seems that the weight indicated on a TC is never the real weight. My Bifgoot said 3250 I think, but once on the scale, it was more like 5000.

[Kidoo]

timmac wrote:
If I was to leave a class A for something smaller than I would go with a class B or C, you don't have to get out of truck and walk around and pull down a ladder to climb up just to use the bathroom, why not check out these type, they to can be small and get around as easy as a TC..

I was looking at class c before I bought the class A. It does have much more room than the TC and it goes pretty well everywhere the TC goes, as far as it is an official roadway. The mechanics is pretty easy and you can get fixed just about anywhere like a pickup truck.

[Kidoo]

billtex wrote:
We have owned 5 different RV's. Love the flexibility of the TC. It's all we want/need as we value mobility and function over a lot of interior space. We have Single slide (much more space than our non-slide) large tanks, and all the comfort of home. If we were buying now we would look at one of the TC's with recliners...that is about the only thing we don't have.
Good luck, Bill

Recliners would add some comfort for sure. Sitting square at a table for a long time is not very comfy.

[WNYBob]

One thing no one has mentioned about a TC is all the climbing. In to the camper (basement models are almost 4' off the ground) and then climbing in bed. And then there was making the bed, almost impossible for a retiree!

We now have a TT Shadow Cruiser 195WBS, much easier to set up camp.

So my vote would be for a class C with a small TOAD or a small TT.

[toedtoes]

So, basically, what you don't like about the A is the costs of repairs, access to repair shops, and limits on where you can park. What you don't like about the TC is the small space.

Costs of repairs - a TC, B, C, 5er and TT will all be less expensive (all things considered) than the A in terms of repair costs. All will have similar costs relating to windshields, engine work, etc.

Access to repair shops - again all the others will have basically better access to repair shops. The C (and possibly the B) could be slightly more limited due to a shop's lift (my mechanic has only one lift that can handle my 21ft C, whereas there are 4 or 5 that can handle pickups and vans).

Parking - this comes down to what parking you are talking about. If being able to park and camp anywhere, the TC and B are your most versatile. If being able to stop and pick up groceries, visit a museum, etc., then the TC, B and small C can all work fairly well. If being able to set up camp and then drive into town and park anywhere, then the TT and 5er are most convenient with the TC following.

When I first started looking at RVs, I originally wanted a TC. I had grown up camping in a SixPac TC and really loved it. When I started looking around, I realized how much bigger the TC felt to a 10 year old kid... For me, I realized that a TC or a B were just that much too small for how I wanted to camp. An A and 5er were way more than I needed or wanted.

That left the TT and the C. I picked up a cheap TT to try it out, it was 18.5ft and the size worked well. But, I didn't enjoy the extra length on the road. So, I got my clipper. At 21ft, it is very close to the same interior space as the TT - gained the overcab bed, lost a touch of floor space - but I am about 13ft less in overall length while driving.

Now, I don't live in it full-time and I don't spend a month straight in it. But, I think for me, the placement and size of windows has more affect on claustrophobia/cabin fever than the actual space in the RV. My clipper is older and has big windows on all three sides, plus the windshield, and the overcab bed has windows on the 3 walls. I only pull the shades when sleeping and don't have a curtain between the cabover and main area. That keeps the RV feeling much brighter and open (fellow clipper owners always mention how much bigger mine feels even though we have the same floorplan and length).

A TT or 5er would allow you to easily drive the truck into town for a movie, etc., if you get real stir crazy. Unless you routinely dropped the TC from the truck, you'd have to break camp to go to town. And a B or small C would always require breaking camp. Bigger C and you could add a toad, but most likely not your truck, so is that something you'd want to do - trade the truck for a car?

The above isn't to say any one thing is better than another, but just to throw some thoughts out that might help you decide what will work best for yourself.

[ORbiker]

I second the idea to get a fifth wheel rig. You can have a real shower, a nice easy chair and some space.

Good luck deciding.