New to the Forums - Planning to Buy an RV

[Johns1959]

Hello All,

I am new to the forums and I am just beginning on this adventure of identifying the right rig for us.  First a bit about us:

My wife, Kari, and I are veteran campers having both grown up with it in our families and through scouts (boy and girl) and our own family over the years. Most of our experience is with tent camping (although we did have a pop-up for several years). Anyway our six kids (two have graduated college, one in college, and the triplets are finishing their freshman year in high school) are almost all out of the house and we are looking forward to retirement. Our dream is to see all of the national parks together and an RV seems like the appropriate way to go (although we will still be keeping a tent in our gear). We have about three years until the last of our brood are off to college and our retirement horizon is a little under ten years away. Our plan (really my plan - my wife is a bit more "spontaneous" than I am). Is to get some sort of rig (maybe another pop-up) and begin weekending and short trips once the last of the kids are off to college and then move up to a larger rig (TT or 5W) once we take the retirement plunge.  We currently drive a Ford E350 (gas V8) van which we will have to upgrade here soon (it has been a great large family vehicle but is really showing its age). 

My tentative plan is trade the van in for a used one ton diesel SRW tow vehicle (I'm a Ford guy but I have learned from lurking here to keep my mind open) in the next two years.  We would like to get a small rig (probably a large pop-up or smaller hybrid) to ease back into camping (weekends and short trips) and begin learning about RVing until we are closer to retirement.  I am leaning toward a used unit for this.  Once the trips head for college (three years out), I think we will start looking for a retirement rig.  We agree we are not interested in an MH so we will be focusing on TTs and 5Ws (maybe a toy hauler).  We will probably not be full timing but taking long swings (6-8 weeks) to pursue national parks using a regional approach.  Along with retirement we will be looking to downsize our house and perhaps relocate to another area of the country.  By then we will probably have a grandchild or two so we want to be equipped to handle a couple of extra people (or a small family) but most of the time it will be just us.  We will probably want to work part time as we go (I am hoping to spin up a consulting business before I retire and she is trying to figure out what she wants to be when she grows up (her words not mine)).  We really have no feel for the boondocking vs. established camps approach (this will be part of our near-term shakedown experimentation).  We have not determined whether to buy our retirement rig new or used.  We have attended one RV show and looked at many units to get a feel for what we like.  So far - this is what we have come up with:

• 28-34 ft TT or 5W (we figure smaller is better so we can access more national park campgrounds)
• Bunkhouse (for grandkids)
• Transverse mounted bed (in a slide - we like the full closet storage space models like this offer)
• Outdoor kitchen (we both prefer to spend our time outside)
• Safely towable with the 1 Ton SRW TV

So that is the plan so far.  I would appreciate any feedback you RV gurus can provide.  What am I failing to consider?  How does my timeline look?  Any other advice?  I am sorry for the length of this post - you can probably tell I am a bit OCD when it comes to planning.  My wife uses a different term (two words ending with retentive).  Anyway - thanks for including me here - I have already gotten a ton of good ideas from being here.

Thanks for your help!

Regards,

John

[2gypsies]

Your plans are well laid out and yes, with a touch of OCD.   That's o.k.!  Two things that popped out for me is trying to get a RV for guests and an outdoor kitchen.  If you're planning on a small RV there will never be enough room to sleep another family. There are always other accommodations nearby where they could stay and just come visit you during the day.  Or... invest in a nice roomy tent and get them a site near you just for sleeping.  I don't think you'd be entertaining them often. They'll have their own jobs and short vacation times. Flying to places to visit you or taking long drives isn't for young working folks. Therefore, get a RV that YOU alone will be happy living in.  When visiting their areas get a campground nearby and one or two grandchildren can easily spend the night with you. Kids don't minds an air mattress on the floor! They also like to make their own tent space under the table for sleeping.

I'd also advise not to put an outside kitchen as something to strive for and eliminating other good options for a RV.  The outside kitchen takes up precious storage space in a small RV. You can do your own kitchen with a portable camp stove, a dishpan for dishes and a cooler for drinks.  That makes the best use of space and you can have your kitchen anywhere you want on your site.

Good luck with your future plans. You'll have lots of fun. 

[Kirk W]

Welcome to the Escapees forums. You will probably find a lot of advice here and so you need to plan on a lot of sorting and comparing. In my opinion, you would make a big mistake if you plan to tightly and too far ahead. As you have mentioned, you really don't have a lot of information to base those plan on. I suggest that you start by figuring out what you want now, then consider what you will want or need in 10 years after you have some experience. As mentioned in the post above, you can not get large spaces for many people in a small RV. I believe that your efforts should be centered on what you need for this year and next, then use that experience to figure out what comes next.

I really don't think that a popup will prepare you for a larger RV as much as would one of the hybrids. I too started with a popup but we did so when our children were much younger than yours and we kept that popup for 9 years. If I were you I'd think about how you will use the next RV while the triplets are in HS. It sounds like you are looking to sleep at least 5 people and possibly more. Will the triplets fit into the bunks that you have in mind? Is there seating for everyone when the weather goes bad and you must spend all day inside? Campsites for RVs in the 30 to 35' range are not at all difficult to find, even though there are places that they can't go. No RV has the flexibility of a tent, but no tent that I know of comes with a bathroom or TV set. It just depends upon what you and those traveling with you want. 

[Sculptor]

6 hours ago, 2gypsies said:

I'd also advise not to put an outside kitchen as something to strive for and eliminating other good options for a RV.  The outside kitchen takes up precious storage space in a small RV. You can do your own kitchen with a portable camp stove, a dishpan for dishes and a cooler for drinks.  That makes the best use of space and you can have your kitchen anywhere you want on your site.

I agree with 2gypsies on the outdoor kitchen.  Some items are only in newer units anyway.

On the subject of new vs. used; new smell and "0" deterioration paired with steep value depreciation curve.   

OR a clean pre-enjoyed unit that needs some TLC and much shallower depreciation curve

How do you prefer to buy cars?  I tend to do the same for other larger purchases.

One exception was the new camper we bought that is NOW FOR SALE ON THIS SITE.  ???

In the future, We might be interested in a toy hauler for the extra covered space during the day, and enclosed guest room at night.  My 2 cents, never having owned a toy hauler.

[JimK]

Here are just a few ideas to consider...or to add to the confusion.

First, you absolutely will want an indoor kitchen for those times when the weather is bad, the bugs are biting. the neighbors are annoying, you have had a long tiring day, or you are just getting up and fixing coffee.  Adding an outdoor kitchen means getting a bigger unit.  Keep it small!!  You can always cook outdoors on a grill or a fireplace or even a small stove.  I have never bothered.  Sometimes we make a production out of eating but most the time we want to keep the cooking chores easy.

You can get by comfortably with a lot less than the RV salespeople want you to believe.  Keeping it small will greatly, greatly cut your expenses, will give you lots of flexibility in picking campsites and will make your life much easier.  You mentioned National Parks so let me give some examples relating to one of my favorites, Yellowstone.  If you have a big rig, I recommend getting reservations way, way in advance of your trip.  Almost none of the campgrounds have hook ups which you will need and many will not accommodate larger units.   Most of the big rigs stay outside the park.  The visitors often need to commute long distances in the tow vehicle.  When they travel around the park, they need to carry a bag lunch and drinks.  In areas like the Lamar Valley, they need to use disgusting outhouses.  (Don't forget the sanitizer!!)  Meanwhile my wife and I travel in the truck camper.  We can stay at almost any campsite at any campground.  When in the Lamar Valley, we pull to the side of the road, cook in our own kitchen, use our own restroom and often take an afternoon nap in the Queen sized bed.  We often return to the campground late in the evening.  The big rig owner is also likely to return late because they have a longer drive.  They better have hookups or hope they get back early enough to run the generator. 

A truck camper sounds too small to be comfortable.  Or is it?  My wife and I traveled full time in our truck camper and even had plenty of room for the two cats.  We have a standard queen sized bed, plenty of closet space, a good sized pantry and refrigerator, heat, A/C, double sink, and even a microwave, that we rarely use.  As full timers we carried our personal records, computers, hard drives, lots and lots of photography gear, four seasons of clothing and piles of stuff we thought we needed but never used.  Ours is small with no slides, but we can even sleep a couple of grandkids.

Next consider how to camp in the boondocks.  Consider solar for your electric needs.  Propane will handle all your cooking and heat.  All you will need is a dump station and a water fill up every week or two.  If you are self sufficient and have a small unit you can stay practically anywhere.  Some of those anywhere places are just beautiful beyond belief.  You don't want to pass those places by just because you have a big rig that needs a $35+ campsite with hook ups.  Some of those anywhere places might be in cities where you want to visit without paying a lot for inconvenient camping.  There is an art to "stealth" camping.  I have done it a great many times often for days or weeks at a time.  I have never had an issue or been asked to move on.  A truck camper is perfect for stealth camping.

My first year of full time travel, cost us an average of $7/night for camping, $10/month for propane, and maybe $5 per month to run the generator for A/C or other reasons.  For the year we only stayed in RV parks on two occasions.  Once was a mistake since we thought the laundry would be convenient and once was when visiting a relative when we needed A/C around the clock.   

[Barbaraok]

Why are you not thinking about a motorhome?  Just because you have had trailers before doesn't mean that a motorhome might not be the ideal rig for seeing the country.  Don't set limits on what might be the perfect rig for you ten years down the road.  Who knows what new and different things will be available in a few years.

[sandsys]

I'm with Kirk in that you need beds for five adults for now for when the triplets decide to go with you.  Bunk beds may be too short for most adults.

A built in exterior kitchen is not something I would want to have to keep clean plus whatever utensil I thought was there likely moved inside since the last time I used it. I'd much rather set up a camp stove on a table and bring out only what I need for this particular meal. You can buy a metal roll-up table in a bag at places like REI that work well in parks that don't have picnic tables. If you buy camp chairs that have small tables attached you are all set.

I'm a motorhome person so I would be looking for a Class C with a stand alone bed plus the cab over bed and a sofa bed. Hopefully at least two of your kids are willing to share--the cabover beds tend to be huge. But, in a class C you would also need five seat belts.

Linda Sand

[Johns1959]

17 hours ago, 2gypsies said:

I'd also advise not to put an outside kitchen as something to strive for and eliminating other good options for a RV.  The outside kitchen takes up precious storage space in a small RV. You can do your own kitchen with a portable camp stove, a dishpan for dishes and a cooler for drinks.  That makes the best use of space and you can have your kitchen anywhere you want on your site.

Good luck with your future plans. You'll have lots of fun. 

Thanks - the storage issue is not one I had considered.  I will have to pay close attention to the storage space left if we get this feature.  The outdoor kitchen is something we really enjoyed on our pop-up.  We like being outside and we also liked not having the heat and mess of cooking our inside our rig.

Regards,

John

[Johns1959]

12 hours ago, Kirk Wood said:

I really don't think that a popup will prepare you for a larger RV as much as would one of the hybrids. I too started with a popup but we did so when our children were much younger than yours and we kept that popup for 9 years. If I were you I'd think about how you will use the next RV while the triplets are in HS. It sounds like you are looking to sleep at least 5 people and possibly more. Will the triplets fit into the bunks that you have in mind? Is there seating for everyone when the weather goes bad and you must spend all day inside? Campsites for RVs in the 30 to 35' range are not at all difficult to find, even though there are places that they can't go. No RV has the flexibility of a tent, but no tent that I know of comes with a bathroom or TV set. It just depends upon what you and those traveling with you want. 

Thanks - you make a good point.  We had a pop-up for quite a few years and routinely took it out with all six kids when the trips were babies (this was an adventure in family togetherness and space economizing).  We lost that rig to hurricane Katrina and have not had one since.  Since we are tent campers, my wife likes the idea of having canvas over her head so that is what was steering me toward the pop-up/hybrid route.  Maybe we should rethink that and go for a 'regular' unit to get some practical experience before buying the first retirement rig.  The near term RV will mainly be for the two of us once the trips have gone off to college.  Between work, scouts, and school activities it is extremely rare that we have a weekend available to do anything right now.  I'm sure there will be occasions when the trips will go with us in the future but it will be very rare. 

Regards,

John

[Johns1959]

11 hours ago, Sculptor said:

On the subject of new vs. used; new smell and "0" deterioration paired with steep value depreciation curve.   

OR a clean pre-enjoyed unit that needs some TLC and much shallower depreciation curve

How do you prefer to buy cars?  I tend to do the same for other larger purchases.

One exception was the new camper we bought that is NOW FOR SALE ON THIS SITE.  ???

In the future, We might be interested in a toy hauler for the extra covered space during the day, and enclosed guest room at night.  My 2 cents, never having owned a toy hauler.

Great input - thanks.  I almost always buy a car used.  I look for them one to two years old with low miles and then drive them until they fall apart (case in point - my 2002 Ford E350 with nearly 300K miles).   I suspect this will be the route we take for the retirement RV.  Reading the inputs on here though it seems that even new rigs experience lots of problems so that is a bit scary...

Regards,

John

[Johns1959]

9 hours ago, JimK said:

A truck camper sounds too small to be comfortable.  Or is it?  My wife and I traveled full time in our truck camper and even had plenty of room for the two cats.  We have a standard queen sized bed, plenty of closet space, a good sized pantry and refrigerator, heat, A/C, double sink, and even a microwave, that we rarely use.  As full timers we carried our personal records, computers, hard drives, lots and lots of photography gear, four seasons of clothing and piles of stuff we thought we needed but never used.  Ours is small with no slides, but we can even sleep a couple of grandkids.

Thanks Jim - this is great input.  We honestly never considered a truck camper and did not even look into one at the rv show.  We will have to check this out at the next one.  You have given me a lot to think about. 

Regards,

John

[Kirk W]

1 hour ago, Johns1959 said:

Since we are tent campers, my wife likes the idea of having canvas over her head so that is what was steering me toward the pop-up/hybrid route.  Maybe we should rethink that and go for a 'regular' unit to get some practical experience before buying the first retirement rig.  The near term RV will mainly be for the two of us once the trips have gone off to college. 

 

We too pretty much raised our 3 sons spending many weekends & vacations in a pop-up and as they progressed in scouts (and size) they sometimes slept in tents and usually did most of the cooking over a campfire, with dad as instructor and mom getting time off. As the boys got older we began to think of couples camping and that lead to first a self-contained travel trailer and eventually to motorhomes and full-time RV living. But it will be a process of evolution as your life is going to be much different with two of you most of the time. I know how difficult it is to remember that you started as just a couple together, but rest assured that this is also your future. Grandchildren may visit but most likely those visits will be of short duration and most of the time is will only be the two of you as a couple. 

In addition, it is very risky to go and buy a major RV for long term travel with no actual experience to base your choices upon. You will gain invaluable experience along the way now and there are very few senior citizens who enjoy living from a tent for long periods of all sorts of weather. Just as you had to learn the skills needed for comfortable living in a tent, that same thing applies to an RV and it will not be any less complicated. With 10 years until retirement, I suggest that you shop for a used RV of moderate size and by doing so you will also minimize your financial exposure. RVs of the type which one can spend months or longer for many years are very expensive and depreciate quickly like a car or worse. You can probably buy an RV of 5 years age for less than half of what the same one would cost new today because the new prices are rising while the used one fall.  Keep in mind that even if you buy new now before you hit the road that RV will be 10 years old. 

[JimK]

John, there are a great many truck camper choices.  Most of the newer models seem to be large and bloated.  I would recommend looking at the model we bought, a Northstar Igloo.  This unit is less than the maximum of 8' wide and it has no slides.  I wanted a unit that was fully functional without extending slides.  There is enough space for 2 people to be comfortable and just enough room for a couple of visitors seated at the table.  I like the wet bath and have not had any issues with the toilet-shower comb.  After we use the shower we squeeggee  the walls and the space dries quickly.  The storage is impressive even compared with mid sized travel trailers.  The bed area has a footlocker and overhead locker on both sides in addition to a decent shirt length wardrobe cabinet on both sides.  There is an additional wardrobe cabinet by the back door.  I carry 30 plus days of socks, underwear, and shirts.  Plus four seasons of clothing and even a coat and tie and still have plenty of room to spare.  The kitchen area has a large pantry, two drawers and two cabinets under the countertop.  Over the dinette we have a full length bunk that serves us for storage.  We have never even half filled that when we were full timers.  The only thing missing is open floor space and easy chairs.  We use the outdoors for that and have a couple of zero gravity chairs that hang off the rear ladder.  I even have a screen house that travels on the back bumper.

In terms of advanced planning, just be sure you and your wife are in agreement.  My wife and I started cold.  She picked out the unit on a used RV lot a year before we were ready.  We did not even have a truck.  The camper sat in our driveway for a year and was not used.  I added solar, replaced the refrigerator with a smaller more efficient unit and did some minor modifications.  When we took off for our first trip it was as full timers.  We had no issues.  The only thing I would have done differently is to carry less stuff. 

This is a nice forum, but you should consider that many of the people who are here attended the Escapee's bootcamp which is primarily for those who have big complex RVs.  If you have not done so, you might want to look at some other forums and other sources of information.

Jim 

[Johns1959]

4 hours ago, Kirk Wood said:

In addition, it is very risky to go and buy a major RV for long term travel with no actual experience to base your choices upon. You will gain invaluable experience along the way now and there are very few senior citizens who enjoy living from a tent for long periods of all sorts of weather. Just as you had to learn the skills needed for comfortable living in a tent, that same thing applies to an RV and it will not be any less complicated. With 10 years until retirement, I suggest that you shop for a used RV of moderate size and by doing so you will also minimize your financial exposure. RVs of the type which one can spend months or longer for many years are very expensive and depreciate quickly like a car or worse. You can probably buy an RV of 5 years age for less than half of what the same one would cost new today because the new prices are rising while the used one fall.  Keep in mind that even if you buy new now before you hit the road that RV will be 10 years old. 

Kirk - this is exactly the kind of input I need.  Your experiences sound like a perfect guide for us.  Thanks for sharing your wisdom.

Regards,

John

[Johns1959]

2 hours ago, rm.w/aview said:

On four separate occasions we had decided that this is the one that we're going to buy only to be thankful later that we didn't, each for it's own reasons. On OCD, or words ending in retentive, welcome my friend. I see details. I look for details. Details ruled out each of those four previous choices and had us make a purchase that's right for us, for right now and the immediate future. I see where people have an RV for many years, and people have 4 RV's come and go inside of 4 years. Nothing is carved in stone. Good luck, enjoy the search, learn a lot along the way, and you'll be confident that you've made the right choice, for you, for now  

Thanks for this input.  If you don't mind elaborating, what details came into play when you decided to disqualify some of your choices?  What did you ultimately wind up with?  Please advise.

Regards,

John

 

[sandsys]

We also did the backpacking to tent camper to VW camper to motorhome progression. Different things fit best at different stages of life. And each step taught us something we found helpful in the next phase. For instance, if you keep your backpacking stove you can still cook on it outside a motorhome. And if you still brush your teeth using 1/2 cup of water, the water in your fresh water tank will last longer. And just because your new rig has a shower doesn't mean sponge baths no longer work. The change that felt the biggest to me was no longer being able to haul firewood due to insect control programs. That and being able to keep moving without having to go back home all the time.

But after a long day of driving and sightseeing we were sure glad to not have to set up camp every move--just park level enough and you're done. In the morning bring in the electrical cord if you hooked up and you're ready to move. 

Linda Sand

[Kirk W]

Should it be of interest, I thought that I might mention that I too have a lot of experience with the BSA,  with all three sons and so far three grandsons who are Eagle Scouts. I am a former Cubmaster, Scoutmaster, Woodbadge bead holder, District many things, and even a few council offices over my 18 years in the program with our sons and Pam has a similar background (9 years a Den Mother, etc.) and we too started tenting, then pop-up and etc.  The sons and I have backpacked and our family once took a two week horseback trip into the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area. After we left the full-time RV life I became the COR for a Cubscout pack and a Boyscout troop and am now in my 6th year in that capacity. 

We do share a great deal in our backgrounds so probably also share come common interests. One thing that no-one has yet mentioned that you may find to be helpful as you research is to visit the websites and blogs of those who frequently contribute to these forums. In many cases you will find an active link to those information sources in the signature section of the person's signature line, as is the case for mine. 

[William J Allen]

My wife and I are experienced campers, but need to move up to a class A.  We have done everything from tenting, pop up, TT, and now have a 5th wheel that we absolutely love,  But after a hip replacement, all of the climbing in and out of a tow vehicle, a 5th wheel, the bedroom, and up the platform around the bed, it is too much.  We want a class A and a toad. I have looked and read about so many brands and models that I am getting weary.  Mostly we are looking for the attributes we want in our home on wheels ( we are planning on extensive RV'ing (full time) until we find where (if anywhere) we want to put down roots. We want 2 slides, workable kitchen, pantry, bench dinette, night stands in bedroom, generator, auto leveling, to name a few. We recently looked on line at a Newmar Bay Star Sport (3208) that we really like to looks of, but there are none near where we live.  I am wondering if anyone has knowledge of the quality of this line of Newmar coaches.

[Kirk W]

Quote

My wife and I are experienced campers, but need to move up to a class A.  

First, let me welcome you to the Escapee forums! It is great having you become a part of the group here and I do hope that you find the answers that you need and become an active participant in our exchanges.

Looking at the Bay Star Sport, I don't have any experience with that exact model as it is a relatively new model name but I have had a great deal of contact with Newmar products over the years and have known owner of and spent time in most of the models built by Newmar over the years and they have one of the best reputations in the industry. I do have experience with the F53 chassis and after owning one for 14 years I'd not hesitated to buy another. If I were to return to the class A market, the Bay Star Sport would be one of the first coaches that I would look at.

I do understand the flat floor issue as that is the sort of problem which took us from the full-time RV lifestyle that I loved so much. I have been pretty fortunate but after about 12 years of full-time my wife's medical issues forced us to return to part-time and so we have now downsized to a travel trailer and a permanent home-base in an RVing community. She had a complete ankle replacement, a hip replacement, and a series of treatments for arthritis of the lumbar area that is ongoing as well as several other medical issues. As a result, the flat floor feature has become a critical thing for her to be able to travel. The other item I suggest you check out would be a bathroom with access such that one person can assist the other in gaining entry and exit from it. 

[Johns1959]

14 hours ago, Kirk Wood said:

Should it be of interest, I thought that I might mention that I too have a lot of experience with the BSA,  with all three sons and so far three grandsons who are Eagle Scouts. I am a former Cubmaster, Scoutmaster, Woodbadge bead holder, District many things, and even a few council offices over my 18 years in the program with our sons and Pam has a similar background (9 years a Den Mother, etc.) and we too started tenting, then pop-up and etc.  The sons and I have backpacked and our family once took a two week horseback trip into the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area. After we left the full-time RV life I became the COR for a Cubscout pack and a Boyscout troop and am now in my 6th year in that capacity. 

We do share a great deal in our backgrounds so probably also share come common interests. One thing that no-one has yet mentioned that you may find to be helpful as you research is to visit the websites and blogs of those who frequently contribute to these forums. In many cases you will find an active link to those information sources in the signature section of the person's signature line, as is the case for mine. 

Wow Kirk, thanks for your service to scouting - your experience dwarfs mine.  I am currently Scoutmaster of my sons' troop and a contributor to my daughter's GS troop (my wife is her troop's leader).  I have one Eagle son and two more on the way (both Life).  My daughter is getting close to earning her Gold Award.  As a family we are 'all in' on scouting.  I believe it is the finest youth leadership development program available.  I am trying to figure out a way to stay involved with scouts after we begin traveling.  I'm not sure what that might involve but maybe working in some capacity at the national jamborees or high adventure camps. 

I will definitely check out the websites and blogs as you suggest.  I have also subscribed to a few youtube channels which have provided tons of info.

Regards,

John

[Johns1959]

11 hours ago, William J Allen said:

My wife and I are experienced campers, but need to move up to a class A.  We have done everything from tenting, pop up, TT, and now have a 5th wheel that we absolutely love,  But after a hip replacement, all of the climbing in and out of a tow vehicle, a 5th wheel, the bedroom, and up the platform around the bed, it is too much.  We want a class A and a toad. I have looked and read about so many brands and models that I am getting weary.  Mostly we are looking for the attributes we want in our home on wheels ( we are planning on extensive RV'ing (full time) until we find where (if anywhere) we want to put down roots. We want 2 slides, workable kitchen, pantry, bench dinette, night stands in bedroom, generator, auto leveling, to name a few. We recently looked on line at a Newmar Bay Star Sport (3208) that we really like to looks of, but there are none near where we live.  I am wondering if anyone has knowledge of the quality of this line of Newmar coaches.

Thanks William - I understand the evolution myself.  Although I love tent camping, I am beginning to feel my age and sleeping on the ground doesn't have the same allure it once did.  My parents went through a similar progression.  Tent to small camper to large TT to Class A MH.  It makes sense I suppose.  When we were younger, my wife and I used to wonder at how people could pull into a beautiful campground in an RV, set it up, and then sit inside all week and watch TV (this seems to happen a lot in the types of places we enjoy going).  I guess our plan will be to take advantage of the 'comforts' afforded by and RV while still partaking of the outdoors to a large degree.

Regards,

John

[JimK]

No doubt about it, picking the right RV is dependent on what you like to do.  After 6 years and hundreds of nights in the RV, I have never even tried to use the built in TV.  I watch people in the campground running their generators, watching TV and playing cards.  I am rarely in the campground.  I like to be out in the national parks late in the afternoon until at least sunset.  In the summer with long days, I am often not back to the campground until 9 or 10 o'clock.  Most campgrounds are crowded and noisy.  It is rare that I find a campground I really enjoy and want to spend time in.  When that happens, I often set up the screen house, cook over the fire and watch the scenery and fire. 

I also did a lot of tent camping.  Now that I am older, I also want the comforts.  I have a full queen mattress and the first thing I did was replace the regular mattress with a high quality, semi memory foam mattress.  I like dry and warm.  I want my refrigerator and stove.  Most of all I want my own restroom and shower.  Beyond that I don't need a big easy chair or foot rest or wide open floor space.  I will compromise on those to have a smaller unit that will fit into some of those spectacular camping areas. 

[2gypsies]

5 hours ago, rm.w/aview said:

The Newmar Bay Star Sport line has just appeared on my radar as well as I look to the future. This is such a great forum for the rv community  perhaps click the "start new topic" near the upper right of the page to get your headline will attract more attention to your quest, I know that I'll look for it  

From personal experience and talking with many Newmar owners, it is a very stable company (50 years) and builds a good product.