Is TOAD needed with Uber

[Phxnewbie]

Hi,

Now that we have alternative forms of transportation, how necessary is it to pull a car or motorcycle. I understand that Uber can be limiting.  Just trying to avoid the hassle of pulling a car and not being able to backup. 

Thanks!

[Barbaraok]

Uber won't take you geocaching.  Nor exploring the ghost towns in the desert.  Nor driving up the Apache Trail as far as the pavement goes.    I can't imagine the cost of Uber to drive to Austin Pass summer parking lot at Mt. Baker to play in the sow on the 4th of July, or driving up Hurricane Ridge (can't do that in a motorhome).   In 14 years never regretted having a toad - just to many things to go see and do and the cost of hiring someone to take you to all of those places would be horrific!

[SWharton]

Uber is too limiting for any touring. My daughter talked me into using Uber from Richmond to Williamsburg. A 1 hr drive. No one would do it. Had to rent a car. If I ever use Uber again(probably not) the use would only be in a large city.

[FULLTIMEWANABE]

FWIW, we've never had a tow vehicle for exploring and to be perfectly honest, haven't missed what we've never had since 2003 with a MH.   I really didn't enjoy riding in the F350 truck as a run around after towing the 5er for the 4 years prior so ........

In over 16 years of some long extended trips, several times a year (not FT by any means), we've more than managed quite well without.   Obviously to each their own, but it's also kept my blood sugars in check with tons of walking we do.    We hired a car once for exploring LA and Anaheim 4 days - once for 3 days to explore further afield from Vegas and that's all I can recall.   Rest of the time, we've found public transport, our good two feet, bikes in earlier years, and last year first time using Uber in LV ($20 total spent), San Fran ($47 for 3 of us), to more than suffice and meet our needs.

Like I said we've never missed what we've never had and today it's easier and easier than ever to get affordable rides when needed.    For the most part we've had zero problems parking the MH where we've wanted to spend time fishing, kayaking,  visiting cute Downtowns, catching transits easy into places like Washington DC, NYC etc so ......

As always to each their own.

PS:   There's a Canadian couple of Full timers that have never towed since 2007 and they travel extensively everywhere = www.travelwithkevinandruth.com.   We kind of travel to their beat also  

[docj]

This is another one of those endless debates because each "side" is deeply entrenched. 

We've actually had the experience of doing both; we had a Class B Roadtrek followed by a 27' Class B+  for several years.  I used to hate having to pack things up in the morning just so we could go sightseeing.  Furthermore, if you made a snap decision to go out to dinner after you had come back to the site you had to disconnect things all over again  Furthermore,  when we left a few things on our site to illustrate that we were coming back, we even had the experience of having things taken.

With the 40' MH we currently own I don't see how one could possibly exist without a car.  It's all the small stores and other places where it simply won't fit and Uber/Lyft are simply not options out in the more rural parts of the country.  Even taking the MH grocery shopping would be a challenge in many locations.  IMHO Uber is a taxicab replacement service in a medium to large city.  It's not like hiring a driver to take you sightseeing.

I know I won't change anyone's mind, but we, at least, have done both and can speak from experience, not speculation.

[mptjelgin]

I really think it depends on how you spend your days.

We've volunteered with people that simply stay in the RV area, venturing out maybe once a week for groceries and that is it. They don't go out to eat, geocache, sightsee, etc. They are perfectly content to relax and enjoy their immediate surroundings. Those folks could get by very well without a toad. We volunteered last summer in Maine with a couple that did a "field trip" one time in the entire 4 months we were there. They went to a clam-bake sort of dinner on the beach one afternoon. Other than that they simple stayed put, happy to enjoy the area immediately surrounding their RV. 

We, on the other hand go out pretty much every day. On days that we work we often go out for dinner in the evening, or a snack, or just to get out for a bit. On days off we always have something planned as a "field trip" in the area. And on longer stretches of days off we'll often leave the immediate area entirely and take an overnight trip to somewhere more distant. For us having our own car to drive is an absolute must. 

[2gypsies]

Totally agree with the above post from 'mptjelgin'!   It just depends what kind of traveler you are. 

If you stay in big cities then Uber would work as a taxi. 

However, if you want to explore the countryside then tow a car.  National parks - use your car.  Driving gravel roads to see the beauty; drive your car. 

Towing is absolutely no hassle.  It's very easy and takes 5-10 min. max. to hook and unhook.  In 16 years of full-timing we never put ourselves in a position where we had to back up with the car attached.  That shouldn't be any concern whatsoever.

[Randyretired]

Uber and taxis are not available where we spend a large part of our time.  If it works for you go for it.

[sandsys]

2 hours ago, docj said:

IMHO Uber is a taxicab replacement service in a medium to large city.  It's not like hiring a driver to take you sightseeing.

I know I won't change anyone's mind, but we, at least, have done both and can speak from experience, not speculation.

We, also, have both towed and not towed a car. Both work depending on how big is your rig and where you want to travel. When near a city we have rented a car from Enterprise and they delivered it to our campground. But, I also think of Uber as a taxi in a city not a tour guide in the boonies.

Linda

[Kirk W]

First, let me welcome you to the Escapee forums! We are pleased to have you join us here and we will do all that we are able to help, support and just be friendly to you.

We also have RVed both with a tow vehicle and without. When we bought our first motorhome and it was only 25' long and a class A. We made several trips using it to drive everywhere, then added a bike rack and traveled with only bikes for 3 or 4 years and we seemed to manage pretty well. We were younger then and in good physical condition, and our RV was small enough to fit into most parking lots. We were quite satisfied at first but in time we began to realize that there were places which we wanted to go which were beyond the 10 miles or so distant which we were up to riding twice each trip. For that reason, we tried towing our vehicle and after a trip or two the sweaty palm issues faded away and the convenience of being able to leave the RV set up and drive to see things that were 20, 30, or even 50 miles away. 

The question was, is a towed vehicle needed and that is a very subjective question. As you can see, those who travel without insist that none is needed. I can't tell you what will work for you but I can tell you that Uber isn't going to work outside of major metropolitan areas. I can also tell you that in my experience I have seen many a motorhome owner start the lifestyle without any tow vehicle, shift to towing and never go back, while I have known only 1 couple who returned to travel without a tow vehicle once they had towed. In my opinion, the vast majority of those who live happily in a motorized RV without any tow vehicle are in a class B's and next would be the class C owners. I can't think of any class A owners that we have known who tried towing and ceased to do so while continuing to travel in the class A. 

Only you can make this decision and it would be foolish to base your choice on what the majority of us think. One thing you can easily do would be to take a few trips and try using Uber and Lyft and such services. It would be very easy for you to then change your mind. 

[hemsteadc]

Rent.

[Barbaraok]

39 minutes ago, hemsteadc said:

Rent.

And over 14 years time what would that have cost us?  Mind you, we kept our previous car 14 years.  The new one bought this year might well be our last car.  We use RV parks as our base and travel all over in our toad.  At 37 ft, our RV doesn’t fit  in tourist areas.  

[docj]

2 hours ago, hemsteadc said:

Rent.

Just as with Uber, this works in cities and some tourist areas.  But if, for example, you wanted to tour the John Day Fossil Bed National Monument in eastern OR you'd be a long, long way from the nearest car rental agency.

[Dutch_12078]

I just checked the 10 RV parks/campgrounds we've been in so far this year, and only two were in areas served by Uber or Lyft. In 10 years of towing a toad, the only time we've had to unhook to back up/turn around was when I knowingly pulled into a small parking lot to deal with a minor roadside emergency. It took less than 10 minutes to unhook, turn around, and hook back up again. I have had to back up a few feet now and then, but that is doable with caution.

[Twotoes]

As a full timer in a 43 foot DP a tow vehicle is almost a necessity. I usually stay at campgrounds on a monthly basis and can’t even think of trying to go shopping for grocery in such a large rig. If I didn’t have an RV and lived in a house I would have a vehicle. I have friends who always rent a vehicle whenever they stay for an extended period of time. I chose a Jeep 🚙 Wrangler as my tow vehicle because it can take me to places a taxi, Uber or rental can not. It is not just for convenience but also for having fun off roading. 

[whj469]

I just saw on the TV news that two different fake Uber drivers robbed would be riders. Seems that they showed up to pick the people up and robbed them instead! This was in Houston. The news show didn't go into detail on how they knew to show up were the riders where?

[Solo18]

You order a ride from Uber through a phone app.  It gives you the make, model, and color of the driver's car, as well as a license plate number and a photo of the vehicle.  It also gives you a photo of the driver.  I used Uber extensively for trips for medical treatment this past winter when I had to stay near a town for four months.  I cannot imagine how a fake Uber driver could rob someone at a pick-up point.  The rider must have not checked the driver's vehicle against the one listed in the app and got into the wrong car.

FYI - I have driven a 32' Class C motorhome for over 123,000 miles in the past 7 years without a toad.  If I am near a town where I cannot drive into it, such as San Francisco, I often rent a car for a day or two.  However, I tend to stay in state and national parks and enjoy wild places, not big cities.  And even at my ancient age, I do a pretty good job of maneuvering into and out of tight places, so it has seldom been a handicap.  Also, many national parks have shuttle services these days.  And I have driven my motorhome up Hurricane Ridge, as well as over every Rocky Mountain pass I can think of.  Grocery shopping in a motorhome is very handy because you can put groceries away in the freezer or refrigerator right in the parking lot!  No worries about your ice cream melting before you get home.

But all of this depends on your lifestyle.  The thing is that you can start out without a toad, and then get one if you decide you need it.