New member intro

High Roller · March 1, 2015

Greetings RVers, this is my introductory post. I’m an RV newbie. I turned 50 last November and I anticipate retiring within a year, selling everything and hitting the road in 2016.

I started my foray into the RV life several months ago by reading several books that have given me a pretty good foundation of knowledge, and I’ve got a very good idea about how I want to live. But, I have no practical experience with RVing. Although I’ve seen plenty of RVs around and on the road (and of course, online pictures of interiors and floorplans), the first time I ever actually set foot inside an RV of any type was 48 hours ago at the RV show in Denver. The toy haulers I really liked at the show were Keystone Fuzion, Grand Designs Solitude, and 3 that I’d never heard of (Voltage, Momentum, Vengeance). A couple of other ones I’ve seen pics of that I like are Cedar Creek and Keystone Montana, but they didn’t have any toy haulers at the show. Do any of the ones I’ve mentioned stand out above the others in terms of reliability or quality? They all seemed really nice to me. I stepped inside a $650k class A and noted the upscale luxury, but I have no need (or the money) for that. The reps at the show were helpful, but I’m too clueless to even know what questions to ask or where to look for differentiating factors. My main purpose for going to the show was to see what the floor plans were like, and to find out what I liked and didn’t like about the various features. I won’t be buying anything probably until this time next year, so there are more shows to look forward to, including the one in California next October which I plan to attend.

I know that I want a fifth wheel toy hauler between 35-40’, and I want to full time in it. I’m single with no kids. It will be just me and a cat. I anticipate following the weather and staying in one place for 2 weeks to a month in each site. The perfect temperature for me is about 65°F and I don’t like big day/night temp swings. Anything over 85°F is uncomfortable, and I’m happy down to about 50°F. The Pacific Northwest climate and scenery are ideal for me, but I grew up in New England and love that as well. I normally prefer northern states except in winter. I despise desert environments in any season. I’m drawn to bodies of water and places with dense forest. I will be hauling a motorcycle in the “garage” and will use that for local transportation whenever weather permits, and the tow vehicle whenever it doesn’t. I imagine returning to a sticks and bricks home after 2-5 years, and I will have a plan for that.

As I read my books, I’ve jotted down questions to ask here in the forums. To keep my newbie questions to a minimum I’ll search existing threads first. I’m also going to join Escapees and Good Sam to take advantage of the newsletters and other info they offer as I prepare for my new life.

jmsrbrt · March 1, 2015

Welcome...I'm new too (to Escapees) but not to RV'ing. One thought...make a list of wants and wants not before you start searching for an RV vehicle. For me, I have to get to the fridge, bed and potty without having the slides out. Secondary was wanting TWO propane cylinders. Nothing so frustrating as running out of propane on a chilly evening, well after midnight. For me, it was a fifth wheel, used Crossroads Cruiser that fit the bill. Originally wanted a toy hauler, but gave that up in exchange for more living space. Bob

bigjim · March 1, 2015

Welcome aboard. I assume you have not monitered the forum before now. I would watch and read it a little to help decide what you need to know. Sometimes you will get quick responses and sometimes folks are busy so if you happen not to get a response right away be patient. Most folks here are more than friendly but sometimes there are disgreements. Some will come across as disagreeable but it is just their way and are actually usually very helpful. There is a corps of regulars that most know have good advice. A lot of new people do too but we don't know them yet so we are not always as sure of their information. Be sure you read the rules of the forum as they will serve you well. A big escapees event is about to happen in Tucsan so some may be in transit or will be busy at the event. Again, welcome aboard.

Kirk W · March 1, 2015

Welcome to the Escapee forums and I also encourage you to become a member soon as there is a half price special going on at this time that you should take advantage of. While you are doing your reading and research, I strongly suggest that you read at least one book about the full-time RV lifestyle, if you have not yet done so. The better ones address many of the issues that you will need to consider as you prepare for this great adventure! I also suggest that you take time to read this article about selecting a domicile for you wandering lifestyle, as we all must have somewhere to transact business and licenses and registrations.

When you tire of reading and visiting RV dealers, spend some time looking at the websites & blogs of those who contribute to the forums. In most cases you will find links in the signature lines of the people who maintain them which you can easily use to find those sites. I think that you will find a wide range of very useful information in those as well as a lot of interesting entertainment! I'll invite you to check that out using the link in my signature at the bottom of this post, but then spend time looking at the others as there is a lot of talent among our members here.

mysticmd · March 1, 2015

Your needs sound similar to ours; at the moment we are in a travel trailer pulled with an F350, motorcycle in the bed but look for your major basics first on that fifth wheel toyhauler as we are, and one of the next criterion was tri-axle for something in that length (35-40) and considering you'll have some good weight in the back with your toys and tools. So I made a list of tri-axles (which eliminated a lot of models and time in searches and queries): Heartland Cyclone, Dutchmen Voltage, CrossRoads Elevation, Carriage C-Force, Cherokee Vengeance, Fleetwood Gearbox, Forest River Catalyst and XLR Thunderbolt, Jayco Seismic, K-ZRV Inferno, Keystone Raptor. This should help you if you decide to go that route. You're going to have fun!