TherapyBound

I've seen more detail on places like ppl and rvtrader, but definitely noticed a lack of knowledge on the part of dealerships. 4 out of 5 couldn't answer my basic questions about the coaches we looked at, and that includes the sales person at LazyDays, which you'd think would hire the most knowledgeable sales associates. These weren't nitty-gritty questions; they were things like "What is the capacity of the fresh water tank." Lots of flash, lots of emotional terminology, but very little substance.

Yes indeed. It's on our list of must-do preparations!

We're certain we'll be doing some boondocking, though we don't yet know how much. That's why we figured we'd save toward it, but not necessarily install it until we've got a better idea of our actual needs. Can you clarify for me why it's cheaper to install it in advance?

We won't technically be full time, even though we'll be on the road non-stop. We're downsizing a 5 bed/4 bath house to a 3 bedroom, and will maintain residency in Florida. Our oldest son will live in the house while he finishes university. Because of that, many full-timer decisions won't be an issue for us. The real hold-up is preparing our business for the transition. That's what necessitates the 2-year time frame.

Yes, absolutely. Hearing lots of different opinions based on real-world experience is so helpful in the process of both educating myself and eliminating things I think may be important but clearly aren't. There is nothing like first-hand experience to help clarify your own needs, but one of the best things about a discussion forum is the ability to get an idea of what to DO so you don't make a big mistake and what NOT to do so you don't make a big mistake.

It's certainly something we consider when we're weighing up all these decisions, including whether or not to go older, or buy newer. We don't THINK we'll travel longer than 2 years, but we definitely want to be comfortable during those two years. If we love it, we'll keep going and re-evaluate what we live in at that time. I have a friend who spent a year in an RV and hated it (make that, HATED it). She and her husband traveled every couple of days, and were on a rather break-neck pace. Their goal was to visit every state in the lower 48. The things she hated about it are things we won't be doing, but it's so valuable to hear her perspective. This is the Blue Sky phase of planning for us; the time when we're weighing everything up and narrowing things down. That's why I asked the question. It helps to hear real-world experiences when it comes to what makes for a comfortable life while traveling, and what can really be put aside. We know what our non-negotiables are (good mattress, washer/dryer, new tires), and now we're narrowing down our negotiables. We've spent years coming to this decision, weighing up the pros and cons, and while this probably won't be "forever" for us, it will certainly be the year or two we really do need.

I was thinking both Thor and Fleetwood were under the REV Group umbrella, but now that you mention it, I was mistaken about Thor. It's Holiday Rambler I was thinking of. But am I correct that Fleetwood is very firmly a mid-range product?

Well, yes, we do, JimK. As far as I can tell, it's not at all uncommon for bigger rigs (even with washer/dryers) to boondock for a week or two. You just don't use the washer/dryer during that time, if you have one. Why would that be surprising? (Not being sarcastic; I really am wondering why that surprises you.) We know we'll have limited access to some comforts during that time, but that's part of the experience, isn't it? And wanting to do that is part of our desire to have solar. The way our work is structured right now, it's seriously full-on. We work 12-14 hour days, 7 days a week. We've had 2 vacations in 17 years, and both were less than a week. Being able to roll up to some gorgeous location, with peace and quiet surrounding us (meaning, little or no generator noise), is the reset button we really need to push.

Those are three brands we've looked at quite a bit, Kirk W. The quality is obviously higher, as is the cost. There was one Tiffin we liked, and one Winnebago (all the Newmars we saw were out of our price range). There was also a Fleetwood Southwind that really fit the bill, though we do know the quality is less (owned by Thor now, IIRC?). We're in the process of weighing up whether or not to go with a MUCH older rig (like, 15 years) and pay FAR less, but have money to put into the things we want to change, or go with a newer rig (3-5 years) and live with it as-is. We know we won't get our money back out of either option, but there are benefits to both.

We spent two days at the huge Tampa show this past summer, and have been to several dealers (including LazyDays, which isn't too far away), but mainly to get a feel for different brands' quality, and to decide what sort of floor plan we think will work best for us, and what size we want (35-36ft seems to be our sweet spot). We've narrowed it down to 2, so far, but will attend the big show in Orlando in August to do further research. We needed to know a LOT more about RVs than we did during the Tampa show, so now we can go in with a much better understanding about what's important and what's negotiable, as well as having more knowledge about various aspects of RVs, so we can get down to the finer details this time. We're still 2 years out, so we've got time to really get it as "right" as we can without actually living in an RV yet. With all the expenses, though, prioritizing our savings is a good way to feel like we're moving forward when there's still quite a lot of time before we can make this dream a reality.

It's possible this won't be an issue, but I'm ultra-sensitive to changes in water, so I think it's something we'll be happy to have. I could be wrong!

This is an obvious flaw in my understanding, so I do appreciate you making the point. I thought all motorhomes needed a free-standing generator. I'm obviously mistaken. So what is all the discussion about free-standing generators about? Is that not something everyone has?

That sounds like a wise investment. I am aware tire safety is of primary importance, and we do take that seriously.

I read something about that elsewhere and definitely want to look into it as an option.

We do already put money into a vacation account, but being able to see it build up in my "stash" really helps me save that much more.

Thanks! I've got a pretty thick skin, so I didn't take any of the comments personally. I know what works for me, and often it's something that looks pretty odd, I guess. I had RO in a house that was on well water, and I really liked it. Thinking about going that direction again.

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LOL! Just when I think something is going to be simple, there's far more to it than I thought! Making the transition from a house to a motorhome is challenging, frustrating, and exciting, all at the same time. I feel like we're living on a balance scale. Every decision involves, "Well, we could to THIS, but then again, maybe we should do THAT...!" The one thing we know for sure, after nearly a year of researching and moving our home and work toward being on the road is...we KNOW we want it to happen. Thanks again for the replies. I know it's rather elementary, but with his finger hovering over Purchase I didn't have time to research like the obsessive info-gatherer I am.

Thank you for the replies! When it came down to really looking at specs and how we'd be able to use it (or not) the decision was made to wait on a TV, so now I have time to research best options.

This is probably a ridiculous question, but I honestly don't know the answer. We have to replace our home television, and I was wondering if we'll be able to take the new one with us when we purchase a Class A (35-36ft) motorhome in two years time. Most motorhomes we've seen have a TV mounted over the driving area of the coach, but I've seen photos of a few used vehicles that SEEM to have regular TVs mounted on a table or desk. Whichever coach we end up with, we won't have the TV over the driver/passenger seats. So my question is: can you use a regular flatscreen TV (say, a 49-50inch) in an RV? Do you have to do anything special to make it work? Editing to add: Husband is gung-ho about buying a new TV this weekend. I've spent a year researching nearly every aspect of RV-ing except TVs. So I'm in a bit of a crunch trying to catch up with his enthusiasm!

I read them when I first started here. I've noticed there a fine line on some other sites when it comes to "promoting" books or other forums. Glad to know that isn't the case here.

That's great news, tabur, and it would be interesting to hear about it once you've begun your volunteer experience. This is something we'd like to do, too. Congrats!

Thank you, Kirk W. I wasn't quite sure what the rules were on that, if someone asks specifically, so I appreciate your providing the link!