Utahtea or anyone with RV knowledge
 

We are considering buying a 5th wheel and travelling the States for an extended period of time. Where do you stay? Buy a KOA book? Do you have a generator so that you can park anywhere or do you always stay in a park? Any information for novices to this form of travel will be appreciated!

cd,

My BIL and SIL bought a Nash 5th Wheel trailer and they are one of the few 5th wheels that come prep for a built in generator. Of course that adds about $3,000 to $4,000 to the cost of a trailer so many people with trailers just buy a $500 portable generator and carry it with them.

If you are going to do any extended traveling, I would recommend getting one that is strong enough to run your air conditioning system. When you are driving around during the day in the heat and you want to stop for lunch, it's nice to be able to cool down the trailer or run the microwave.

Also, it is legal in some states for passengers to ride in the 5th trailer while being towed. My SIL did this on the last trip and they ran their generator while traveling. Of course, this will only work with the built in generator.

The first time you go to a KOA you can get a free KOA campground directory. They do have a discount program. The last time I checked it was $10 and you got 10% off camping. If you plan on a lot of nights at KOA's that might be worth it. We only stay at KOA's when we want to make time traveling across the country.

My favorite campground directory is the "Trailer Life Campground, RV Parks & Services Directory"

Good Sam also has a membership and discount card. The above directory tells you which are participating Good Sam Members. Good Sam also has a magazine and offers other things. You might want to look into that.

We prefer to stay in National Parks, National Forest, State Parks, etc. Many of these kind of parks do not have full hook ups and some have 14 day limits. If you need to dump your waste tanks that means moving. For us in the motorhome, it's not that big of a deal.

Many Wal Mart Stores allow overnight parking for self contained units. We've done this a couple of times when we felt comfortable in the area. You need to check in with the store manager before spending the night. Some cities have banned this and the manager will let you know if it's ok or not. We only do this when we want to make time traveling.

Try the RV Net Forum. It's the best & most active message board for RV'ers.

http://www.rv.net/forum/

Let me know if you have any other specific questions.

Have FUN!

Utahtea

Thanks Utahtea
Do the RV parks have internet service?

Also, "If you need to dump your waste tanks that means moving. For us in the motorhome, it's not that big of a deal."
Do you mean that a motorhome has more of a holding tank? We would need to stay, maybe, 2-4 months. Please explain. Thank you.

cd,

I'm sorry...I didn't explain it better. Our motorhome is our only transportation...so when we need to go somewhere we go in the motorhome. If we are not at a hook up site, we dump before going back to camp. If you have a 5th wheel and don't have full hook up site, that means hooking up just to make a dump. Been there and done that when we had our travel trailer.

Do you plan on staying in one place for a couple of months? If so, there are many private campgrounds that give weekly and monthly rates. If you are going to spend a lot of time in one place then you are probably better off in a private campground with hook ups.

Once we retire we will spend more time in one place, but for know we like to move around every few days.

Internet connections in campgrounds is becoming more popular. It's also becoming more popular for private campgrounds to have telephone connections at the campsite.

Utahtea

When you look at campsite listings, they will usually describe what facilities are available. The most primitive may have pit toilets and no drinking water, to bathrooms and water, to hookups at each site for water, electricity, and sewer. A "self-contained" RV can get by without any hookups (either battery or generator for lights, propane for cooking), but have a limited amount of storage for fresh water and sewer (water is heavy, and the tanks take up space). Most KOA type places will have full hookups, but the more scenic campgrounds in parks often do not (leading to the "oops, my holding tank runneth over" syndrome at some inconvenient time). When your tank is full, you need to take the RV to a dump station in the area to empty it. If you've fussed with leveling the 5th wheel, extending the awnings, etc, it can be a nuisance to hitch up and haul it to the dump station.

We tow a camper but don't usually stay anyplace for more than a week. Some campgrounds that do not have "full hookups" meaning water, electricity and sewage, have a portable dump station to empty the holding tank. We are able to go about 3 days on one battery but that means nothing that plugs in can be used (i.e. toaster, coffee maker). The frig and stove run on propane during that time. Recently after spending a weekend camping without facilities my husband planned to dump our tanks (grey and black water) into our septic system but that required doing some digging.
Fifth wheels are easier to tow but I have not liked the sleeping setup in them.
You can also find campgrounds on the internet.

What is the price range of camp sites with full hook-ups per night? Do they usually offer nightly and weekly rates? And, I suppose I can look in Google for private campsites nationwide for stays 2-3 months. My husband is taking early retirement in Jan and our plans are to travel for a couple years. We are just trying to determine the most economical lodging possible.

cd,

The cost of campgrounds depends a lot on location, location, location. I found that private campgrounds in the east tend to be a little cheaper than the ones in the west. If you are near a tourist attraction, then the cost goes up and up. We usually pay from $15 up to $30 for a nice private campground. National Parks are in the $12 - $16 range...but usually don't have hookups. When we were in Minnesota and North Dakota we ran into some pretty nice city campgrounds with hook ups for $5.00.

I don't know if the Good Sam link below will work for you if you are not a member, but you might try it. This is the Trailer Life RV Campground directory online.

http://www.goodsamclub.com/tld.cfm

In a google search type in the name of the city your are interested in visiting along with the word "campground" and you might find some that way.

Also, I would really check out the RV net. You can do a campground search there and find a message board on full timing.

http://www.rv.net/

Utahtea

Thanks utahtea, curmudgeon, and dfrostnh! I have been to some of the sites and found them interesting. I have a lot to learn in order to make an informed decision. I am finding that I like the motorhomes better than the 5th wheel( but then would require dragging a car). Any information on brand names to consider would also be appreciated. Winnabago is the only one I have ever heard of.

I would suggest renting an RV for a week or two before making big plans for the next two years. Get a feel of the space and mode of life before you make a commitment. If you spend a bit of time in the RV parks, you can also see what others like/dislike, and how it would relate to you.

I prefer the 5th wheel from a vehicle handling perspective, but you might find a full-size pickup inconvenient as an everyday vehicle. If you expect to spend a month or two in most of your locations, maybe an RV towing a car would be best (and definitely campsites with full hookups).

What's the difference between class A,B,C?

Class A: Full size motor homes. They come in a variety of price ranges, lengths, and amenities. You need to exercise a little care if you select a motor home longer than 40 feet. Several states have restrictive driver's license policies for what they consider "oversize" vehicles.

Class B: Van conversions. They also come in a range of prices and amenities but size is usually limited to either a regular size van or an extended body van.

Class C: Mini-motorhomes. Again a variety of prices and sizes but are usually built on medium-duty truck chassis (larger than vans, smaller than truck chassis).

Motor Home is a pretty good magazine that will give you more information. There are also a variety of motor home and travel trailer web sites you could find with Google searches.

I encourage visits to RV shows, campgrounds, dealer lots, etc. before you commit to a certain style and size. RV campers are generally a friendly bunch and are almost always willing to share their experience and advice with people looking for information.

Thanks!!

You're welcome. There is also an RV forum that will have answers to every question you might think to ask and a bunch you wouldn't think of. It's at http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm.

These days many class A and C tend to be pretty much the same size, the difference is that the class C will have the front cab of a van (built on a standard truck assembly line, then delivered to the coach builder), while the class A will have the full-width (8') front section. So the class A has a bit more usable floor space for a given overall length, while the class C is a bit easier to build because a lot of the complex bits (steering, engine mounting etc) are done by the chassis builder. Some people like having the more normal driving position and two front doors of a class C, some class A's only have a side door farther back.

Utahtea had given me that web site also and I did go to it but did not know if they would answer my questions tomorrow or next week. :-)

As far as the A's and C's are concerned, is one safer then the other? Are the 5th wheels top heavy?

I agree that an RV show is the place to start looking. Everythings in one location. Maybe you can find one in your area:

http://www.rv.net/calendars/index.cfm

I also agree with renting a motorhome before buying one. You can rent one the type and size you are thinking of getting.

Utahtea

Start reading the camping magazines to like Trailer Life. You also need to learn about a tow vehicle if you don't get an RV. My husband thinks the trailer dealers over estimate the towing capacity of a vehicle. Our first tow vehilce was a pickup retrofitted for towing (additional radiator cooling) and my husband always felt underpowered on hills. Sometimes he would pull over to let the engine cool. Our second was a Dodge with factory tow pkg. We now have a 4 wheel drive Chevy with factory tow pkg. Using anti-sway bars has improving handling.
We like smaller campgrounds and some of these don't have the room for long motorhomes. We prefer a front kitchen so anyone going to the bathroom or bedroom doesn't have to walk thru the kitchen during meal prep. We have a 26' trailor. The ideal set up for long term camping would be a 28' which has a roomier walk thru bath plus a slide out. If you attend a show you will have the opportunity to compare a lot of makes and setups. Renting is probably a good idea to see how you like camping life.