Newbie Qs about Trucks, Campers and Wives

[bravelion]

Hello! Aspiring future TCer here.

After all my research, reading, dreaming , wonderlust and hand wringing, I'm completely sold on the Pros of a TC, and adequately accepting of the Cons. Or so I think. This compared to all the other options available and based on the kind of urban/city AND nature adventure exploring of the U.S. my wife and I would like to experience. We love exploring downtowns and cities as much as we do nature hikes and beautiful scenery, so we want something that works well for both.

Some basics:
My wife and I will be cashing out of our business and hitting the road. Not retiring forever, but taking a major 1-2 year sabbatical followed by working again at some point in the future. Neither of us can envision 40 years of true "retirement". (We're in early/mid 50s).

We will start not as full timers, but with a lot of "out and back" trips to break ourselves in slowly, work out the kinks, etc., Going further and longer each time, but still keeping our home as a home base for the holidays.

Qs:
1) Does the "out and back" break in period of shorter test trips sound like a good plan for newbies, or is it better to jump in the proverbial deep end and just head out for 1 or 2 months, and return wiser, for better or worse? Neither of us have any experience other than weekend tent camping when the kids were little.

2) I own a 2008 Silverado 1500 CC, SB, 2WD with a 5.3L V8 .
This severely limits our candidate campers. But we already own this truck and it looks like a Lance 825 would fit, and we think we can handle that after crawling in and out of one at the dealer.

On the other hand, we can afford a better truck. I've budgeted $70K for a camper/truck combo, used if needed on one or both. We are willing to spend more on a setup that will provide additional comfort, to a point. It's just hard to know where that point is with no context and nothing to compare it to. And I don't want to let perfect be the enemy of good enough.
What questions should we ask ourselves about that?

3) More of a relationship question, and perhaps related to #2 indirectly, but has anyone had full buy-in from your old lady/man before taking the plunge, then when the reality of the cramped quarters sets in, the "WTH were we thinking?" conversation gets started and it goes downhill from there? My wife claims 100% "I'm in" but asks questions that make me wonder.
What sort of "I wish I had known ..." causes buyer's remorse with the first TC?

I know I can read up and research on these kind of questions, but I'd like to hear current thoughts from a real live community out doing it.

Thanks!

[egarant]

What you have to avoid is having a small truck and a small camper without a slide that might sour you and your wife on the whole TC idea. If you really want to give the TC life a go, and from what you describe, it is "most" acceptable fit for your travel plans, then get a used set up.

One that includes a minimum of one slide, and a dually truck to haul it on, gas or diesel whatever you can get your hands on. If you or the wife feel the non-slide is too small then you risk giving up the TC life for good and going another direction. Get as large and comfortable as you can the first time around.

Don't let the girls in the group scare you about the ability to drive a dually around town loaded OR unloaded, it drives just like any other vehicle. Your BIG.... so drive BIG, take up two parking spots! You will adapt without even knowing it to its larger fanny. IMHO no amount of futzing withe the suspension with after market fixes will give you safely what a OEM dually will.

And you will NEVER regret driving it loaded with the TC.

If you are bent on using a small TC like the 825, sell the truck and get a SRW one-ton. But realize that you truck will be undersized for anything larger...see above.

[cpres]

9.5 foot camper and one ton dually owner here. Get a bigger truck so you can carry a bigger camper. I owned a Silverado 1500 and even carried my camper on it, I was forced to upgrade trucks before I had planned and have no regrets with enough truck. I have been truck camping since 2011 aND it has taken my wife and I a few nights to learn how to exist in the camper. Tonight is night 12 of a great trip and we love our 1988 truck carrying the 197? Dreamer camper. If the budget allows find the camper that you will ENJOY and then the truck to carry it.

[blangen]

Count my wife and I in the class of "We wish we'd known" but, frankly, we had to figure it out for ourselves. In the beginning, bought a 2011 30' Keystone travel trailer with a slide. Within 18 months, we needed more storage, plain and simple. Sold it (took a bath on sales price) and bought a 40' DP with all the compartments, slide trays, more storage inside, too. Couldn't be happier. Wish we'd not taken the loss on the TT value but, frankly, it was a learning experience that we now see we had to go through to get where we are.

[Jfresh]

TC's are great. I have a Lance 865 on a 2500 gas. It is excellent for weekend trips. It is good for week long trips. And it is ok for multi week trips. But most of my trips are 3 days or less so it fits my needs.

If I was in your position I would go out and buy myself 2013+ diesel long bed 4x4 3500 pickup SRW with all the goodies. Leather, heat/cooled seats, EVIC, etc. Then I would get myself a nice newer TC with a slide. I would go as big as possible without being too damn heavy. Dry bath for sure. Nice big tanks if you a dry camping type of guy. Then I would hit the road and never look back.

When the wife has had enough I usually just put her on a airplane and meet her at home a few days later.

[bjbear]

bravelion wrote:
Hello! Aspiring future TCer here.

.......

Some basics:
My wife and I will be cashing out of our business and hitting the road. Not retiring forever, but taking a major 1-2 year sabbatical followed by working again at some point in the future. Neither of us can envision 40 years of true "retirement". (We're in early/mid 50s).

We will start not as full timers, but with a lot of "out and back" trips to break ourselves in slowly, work out the kinks, etc., Going further and longer each time, but still keeping our home as a home base for the holidays.

Your are asking some good questions......

Because you are talking about a lifestyle change and not just about taking weekend trips to go camping in the woods, I would recommend that you........

1. Before I invested in a camper or any other RV, you should take a "test" trip to try out RVing.

• Rent a small class "C". This is between the TC that you believe you want and a larger RV with more room. It is still small enough to drive around the city and find parking, but also gives you more room inside. Easier to enjoy your trip and decide to go smaller (a TC) than find the TC too small and have it put you off the idea before you really get a chance to experience the RV lifestyle.
• Rent in a location that has lots to do. If you go somewhere that does not have things to do and keep you busy so that you just end up sitting around the rig, you will not get a good idea of the possibilities RVing can give you.
• Make sure you rent a unit that has a bed that is always make up. Nothing like having to make up the bed every evening to ruin your trip. I find it a real pain.
• You should try to take as long a trip as you can afford to really get into it. A weekend is not enough. A week or two is much better.

2. Once you have decided you like the idea and reality of RVing and want to go ahead with your plan (or modify it to suit you), then you need to sit down and discuss what type of RV you need. This includes size as well as amenities and interior fixtures (bathroom size, dry or wet bath, seating on cold a rainy days, TV, Stereo, room to use a computer, Storage, etc. etc.). You should also consider the pros and cons of having a vehicle that can be easily separated from the RV so you can go exploring when you reach a destination vs having to break camp and drive your Rig around.

3. When you have decided on an RV then, you need to decide on the truck.

• You should not let the fact that you already have a truck push you toward going smaller with the RV as over the long term, you will regret it and then end up selling the rig and going bigger ($$$).
• Before you decide on the truck, learn about the weight limits. You need to understand GVWR, GAWR, Center of Gravity, etc.
• Get advice from the people on this forum. Just remember that you will get lots of advice .... much of it conflicting!!! The general rule for me is that you cannot have a large enough truck. However, there are other factors to consider such as getting around the city and parking etc.

4. There is much more to consider than I have covered here, but that is part of the fun. Good Luck......

[bravelion]

> That is 4 trucks and 4 TCs in 11 years. The wife is happy and I am happy.

Sounds like me and my wife but with stick/brick Houses. 8 houses in 18 years. We're real estate Brokers/Investors so I never really thought of a house as permanent, but as an investment. It's part of the reason we have options now. Also we'll be official empty-nesters in 3 months.

Love your pics and the story!!

[JumboJet]

My wife and I had traveled a lot staying in motels and relative's homes.

In 2005 we decided to "try" a TC to see if we would enjoy traveling and staying in our own bed. I purchased a 20 year old 8' Lance 200 - no shower but did have a Port-a-potty. We traveled across the country for 2 years and thoroughly enjoyed the Lance 200 - until the wife had a bad encounter at a campground shower.



Before we left that campground, the wife said, when we get home, you will find me a camper with a shower. As you will see, we upgraded to a Lance 1030 and a 3500 SRW truck.



Between the Lance 1030 and our current Lance 1050S we came across a great deal on a Lance 1055. We took one good trip to the Northeast and stopped at Truck Camper Warehouse in New Hampshire. While looking at various TCs, the wife said "we need a TC with a slideout".



Before the next year's trips, I located the Lance 1050S in Phoenix, AZ and made a tentative deal over the phone. When the wife got a chance to see the 1050S, the deal was done!



In 2013 I needed a dually to haul my gooseneck trailer and 12,000 lb. Case dozer (and other items).



And as fate would have it, a deal popped up on a nicer dually with a stronger transmission and I opted for it!



That is 4 trucks and 4 TCs in 11 years. The wife is happy and I am happy.

[WVbassmistress]

I may (probably am) be in the minority here. If my husband and I camped in the driveway for a couple of days we WOULD kill each other. You hit the road to leave all that behind. The adventure of new things, places and people are the true joy and if you are lucky enough to have someone to share that with you - embrace it!

I was the one that wanted and found the TC. I am way too old to like sleeping on the ground (tent camping)and really got sick of paying out money for crappy hotel rooms at fishing tournaments that cost enough already. Granted, when I brought the camper home he was the one that had to do the repairs. Oddly enough that gave him a sense of "ownership" for the darn little thing. Do this as a team. I am sure you were a team in your business life so this is just an extension of that with alot less stress.

Of course, there is no guarantee of no WTH in you future. Is there ever? My best friend lost her fiance to cancer last fall. After being diagnosed, he bought a small toy-hauler to take her and the Harley camping. Only problem is that he waited too long and never had the strength to take the Harley. They did manage to take a few trips that she treasures now that he is gone. That made me decide I would rather have some WTH moments than "I wish we had done this sooner" moments.

Talk it over, research it and then DO IT!!!!

[joerg68]

About #3 "More of a relationship question, and perhaps related to #2 indirectly, but has anyone had full buy-in from your old lady/man before taking the plunge, then when the reality of the cramped quarters sets in, the "WTH were we thinking?" conversation gets started and it goes downhill from there? My wife claims 100% "I'm in" but asks questions that make me wonder.
What sort of "I wish I had known ..." causes buyer's remorse with the first TC?"

For us, it was the other way around, in a sense. We now find we have way too many things and way too much space in our house. We work full-time jobs and have not been able to go on any TC trips > 3 weeks. So far, that was not nearly the long-term comfort limit.

(Getting a TC was really a match made in heaven. I got my V8 engined truck, wife got her residential sized fridge *ggg*)

[nomadictxn]

If I didn't have to work for the next two years, I would pack momma and the pets in my all used tc/truck combo and have a blast. Think safety and smart on what you buy and go out and have a blast. Best of luck to you!
DT

[djg]

We started out with a 35 year old camper, first trip was 10,000 miles, the wife and I get along very well so no problems, we are sight seeing travelers so only used the camper for meals and sleeping, then we got our second camper, a few small trips, and in 3 more weeks we are on our way for another 10,000+ mile trip. As for the second camper and truck, a 2002, chevy Silverado 1500 reg cab with a 93 northern lite on it, camper weighs in at 1450lbs, truck is too small though so we are getting rid of it after this trip already got a F-350 dually and ordered the new camper, truck is a 1995. New camplite 10.0 for the truck, it has a lot of room inside the way they are designed and the wife loved it when we went and saw a used one so we ordered a new one.

[Photomike]

Lots of good advice. A couple things that I would do is to upgrade the truck (the more the better), skimp if you have to on the camper till you have tried it. If you are like me and others you may find a used camper is better as you can fix it up as you like.

As for starting to camp: a couple nights in the drive way, a couple nights close by, a couple nights a day or two away, etc, etc. You will be surprised how much junk you pack that you will never need and how much stuff you don't pack that you will need.

[Ski_Pro_3]

dang!
duplicate some how...

[Ski_Pro_3]

My wife and I will be cashing out of our business and hitting the road. Not retiring forever, but taking a major 1-2 year sabbatical followed by working again at some point in the future. Neither of us can envision 40 years of true "retirement". (We're in early/mid 50s).

At the end of that 1-2 year sabbatical, my bet is that you won't be going back to work. In fact, you'll probably laugh at anyone who asks when you'll be getting a job again.

I just figured I'd address that part of your post as it seems you are getting plenty of advice.

If you enjoy your new found freedom half as much as I have, you are in for a wonderful next year or two!

[bravelion]

Thanks for all the replies. Much appreciated. Message received on the truck size, which I kind of already knew in the back of my mind and from other readings, but I was looking at the back of my Lance brochure last night and that chart said ...

On the other hand, I'm glad I haven't rushed out to buy a bigger truck yet. It had not occurred to me to rent a tiny travel trailer or small MH that approximates the functionality/interior space of a TC. My truck has the towing package and electronics plug included so I like the idea of "practice camping" close to home in a small rented TT that my truck is rated to tow and that, once parked, somewhat mimics the experience of sleeping, cooking and operating in a small camper space in a camp ground for a few nights or a week. That's a small investment for the learning experience.

And, yes, luckily, me and the wife are well suited to each other and share our space well. We've just never share that small a space for a really long time.