Pros and Cons

I have a little RV Life pro/con list I?ve been working on for a few months and I?m posting it here because you guys are great and so generous with your experienced-gained, hardwon knowledge.

I?m hoping you?ll maybe have some ?reality sound bites? (or text bites); things I?m not yet aware of to help me break out of the enchanted, Pollyanna view I have about the RV life.

Disclaimer:  I am aware there will be many changes when we transition to an RV, but also fairly sure there must be a lot I simply have not thought of because I haven?t had a chance to encounter them and I want to be as prepared as a person might be before we buy our first RV and begin our trial trips.

What I do know as of now is how much I don?t know.  So, don?t laugh.


Pros

People with RV?s tend to have generators, grid power outages not a problem.

Small living space, less to upkeep

Can live anywhere we want.  Chase the good weather. Never, ever see snow again.

Never caught in a natural disaster - with forewarning.  No evacuating.  Just drive away.

Wherever we go, we are home.

Minimalist living - not encumbered with excess.

Never have to move house again.

Furniture is part of/comes with the house.

Can live near beaches / travel to hockey games.

Much more affordable lifestyle.

Husband will enjoy the social aspect.


Cons

Difficult to establish/maintain strong wifi.

Have to maintain and care for the entire rig, inside and out - learning curve.

Very close neighbors. (Difficult for me only; husband is very social)

One Bathroom/One Bedroom

Unlikely to have onboard washer/dryer

No large tub or long, hot showers (in the RV)
Must be careful with water, conserve.

You have it nailed pretty well. All of your cons can be overcome with time. And none of them are as bad as you might think. I am permanently parked in an RV park and I have a hell of a hifi system. I can crank it as loud as I want and none of my neighbors can hear it. My closest neighbor is maybe 25 feet away. 

Can live anywhere we want.  Chase the good weather. Never, ever see snow again.

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This here is exactly why my DH and I went this route. We couldn't decide where we wanted to live, so we decided to live everywhere we wanted to live. And we had had enough of Minnesota winters.

One Bathroom/One Bedroom

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There are bunkhouses/toy haulers available that have an extra room, Also alot of newer models have bath and a half.

Unlikely to have onboard washer/dryer

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Many have washer/dryer hookups, some even have them already installed.

No large tub or long, hot showers (in the RV)
Must be careful with water, conserve.

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If you have on demand ho****er heater and are hooked up to city water in a park, you can have long hot showers. And dont have to worry about conserving. As long as you are hooked up to a septic, its ok to leave the gray water open so you dont even have to worry about overflowing your tank.

Also, most campgrounds have showers, and some are really nice, with benches and a dry changing area so youre not dragging your pants through the water to put them on

SeilerBird said:

You have it nailed pretty well. All of your cons can be overcome with time. And none of them are as bad as you might think. I am permanently parked in an RV park and I have a hell of a hifi system. I can crank it as loud as I want and none of my neighbors can hear it. My closest neighbor is maybe 25 feet away.

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cadee2c said:

This here is exactly why my DH and I went this route. We couldn't decide where we wanted to live, so we decided to live everywhere we wanted to live. And we had had enough of Minnesota winters.

There are bunkhouses/toy haulers available that have an extra room, Also alot of newer models have bath and a half.

Many have washer/dryer hookups, some even have them already installed.

If you have on demand ho****er heater and are hooked up to city water in a park, you can have long hot showers. And dont have to worry about conserving. As long as you are hooked up to a septic, its ok to leave the gray water open so you dont even have to worry about overflowing your tank.

Also, most campgrounds have showers, and some are really nice, with benches and a dry changing area so youre not dragging your pants through the water to put them on

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This is a relief to me; I thought you guys were going to be like, "Foolish girl, you have no idea what awaits your naive self!" 

It's nice to learn there are not these huge, black holes of knowledge I'm worried about stumbling into, once we're launched. 

Thank you both for the replies.     

The only Pro I would dispute is the generator. Most RV'ers do not have a generator. Only the one's that boondock. I have a Yamaha generator and took it only once. We went up to Nova Scotia and PEI and didn't know what we we're going to run into as far as campgrounds. As it turns out, we didn't use it. If we were to go to Alaska, I'd probably take it.

As Rene says, many RVers don?t have generators. They do come standard on Class As and some big fifth wheels, but a lot of people will never spend the night without a power cord. Of course that wasn?t us, so we had a generator for even our little Casita trailer and all the travel trailers after it.

And I love, love, love the washer and dryer in my Class A. I struggled to justify it when I ordered the unit, but I am so glad I did. It would probably be cheaper to head to a laundromat, but with my own I can treat my clothes the way I want to, not having to hope the dryers aren?t too hot or the washer was dirty.

The one bedroom thing is an advantage for us, but our kids all have families of their own and don?t stay with us much. For families there are a number of units with a bedroom and separate bunk area for kids.

Note that a lot of things on your ?con? list can be dealt with by getting something bigger; they aren?t impossible.

Pros

• People with RV?s tend to have generators, grid power outages not a problem.

Most motorhomes have generators. Most trailers don't, unless the owner has specifically bought a Yamaha/Honda/Champion/whatever portable generator.

• Small living space, less to upkeep

Interior, that's generally true.

• Can live anywhere we want.  Chase the good weather. Never, ever see snow again.

You may still get caught by it occasionally, and you cannot ALWAYS avoid bad weather.

• Never caught in a natural disaster - with forewarning.  No evacuating.  Just drive away.

Those occasionally show up unexpectedly, though less chance of that now than many years ago.

• Wherever we go, we are home.

True.

• Minimalist living - not encumbered with excess.

And also very limited in what you can take with you, especially in a smaller unit. Can really be a problem with winter/summer clothing, hobbies.

• Never have to move house again.

True.

• Furniture is part of/comes with the house.

And some can be replaced, if you want to go to the trouble and expense.

• Can live near beaches / travel to hockey games.
• Much more affordable lifestyle.

That's very questionable.

• Husband will enjoy the social aspect.

Many folks do.



Cons

• Difficult to establish/maintain strong wifi.

Yes, though a generous data plan on your cell phone or MiFi can help some with that.

• Have to maintain and care for the entire rig, inside and out - learning curve.

True enough.

• Very close neighbors. (Difficult for me only; husband is very social)

In many situations this is true, but some places you are somewhat isolated -- depends on the location -- and others (some state parks, for example) have sufficient space and trees around you to hardly see the neighbors.

• One Bathroom/One Bedroom

Depends on the rig -- my current motorhome has a bath and a half. My previous one had a single toilet and shower, but three sinks. Living room can sometimes be used as bedroom.

• Unlikely to have onboard washer/dryer

Depends -- my previous and current both have/had separate washer and dryer (DW loves it) -- many others have combo washer dryer.

• No large tub or long, hot showers (in the RV)

Depends on the setup, but is true for a lot of rigs.

• Must be careful with water, conserve.

When you don't have full hookups that's true. With full hookups you don't have to be as careful.


To your cons I'd add that you have to deal with mail forwarding in some way or other, being full time, and there are still bills to be paid wither online, by check/phone/whatever. And you need to set up banking arrangements for whatever your needs are. Difficult to have more than one car, unless you drive both or rent one when needed.

You can get much larger spaces in state and national parks, but that is not guaranteed.  I am at least 50' from my neighbor right now in a Corps of Engineering campground, but have been in a lot of places where the distance is more like 80'.  I live in my motorhome full time, and like the ability to change scenery and neighbors at a whim.

Depending on where you currently live, RV living is NOT necessarily more affordable.  As an example, I bought my new 32' Class C over six years ago, and so far this year have spent $7,000 on repairs and maintenance.  Last year I spent About $2,000 on new brakes and $1,200 on a slide repair.  Right now, I have been putting off getting a new windshield for four years because of a crack that is slowly getting bigger, and a wind storm tore about 6" of my slide awning last year, so it also needs to be replaced.  It helps if you are handy, but a lot of stuff needs to be done by professionals. 

My costs for maintenance are no doubt a lot higher than someone who just used their rigs a few weeks or weekends per year.

Actually, the best part of RVing is that you can travel but always have your own clean bed and bathroom with you.  No packing or unpacking.

Ok this is long....
Some of these figures are just rough in order to give you examples.

Generator: I wouldn't go without one but it is  sometimes limited where or how much you can use it. Compared to grid rates it's very expensive. Not expensive like $100 every time you run it but when you run the AC  figure a 3000 Honda may use 3 plus gallons in about 10 hours that's around $9 or $10 roughly.

Ill just guess that a remote start Honda 3k will go 5000 hours with minimal costs. So an new cost of $2500 = .50 an hour plus fuel at $1 an hour = $1.50 an hour. That's not terrible if you use it to run the heavier loads like a microwave or hair dryer but you don't want high 12 volt usage while dry camping and long generator run times.

A generator and Solar can be an effective team. The generator can be run in the am to use the microwave or coffee and put the heavy amps back into the battery. The battery will accept high amps early in the charge and tapper down to a trickle which takes much longer to finish off.  It's very inefficient to run a generator to do the later stage of charging. The generator can do the heavy lifting early on when the sun is low and solar can take over as it rises and becomes more effective

That's why people with motorhomes with large gen will sometimes also have a 2000 watt generator. Why run a $5k gen when a $500 quite one is better.

Small living space:  There is only so much you can clean in 250 sq ft. Some people can't stand feeling cooped up. I don't feel that way but I do understand that everyone is different. People often deal with it by spending time out doing things. Even if I didn't go do much my main objective of not being in the cold is met.

Move where you want: Oh absolutely. You can micro manage and pretty much be in great weather most of the time.  You will encounter  some bad weather on a short term basis. The winds can really get bad in the desert and sometimes it's for hours and at times it's days. When goofballs were going wild and protesting on the highways and freeways I adjusted our plans to steer clear of major cities.

Minimalist living: You just have to watch for the creep. Before you know it you can have hundreds of more pounds on board. Shoes, clothes, rocks, souvenirs, food, tools, rocks, bottles, cans and more rocks.

Furniture: Yes it is pretty much what it is. It's not like you can bring in much of anything. You might even come with some lights weight stuff or more comfortable.

Cost less: This can vary widely. Part of it will depend on how well you do when buying a rig. I didn't notice if you said new or used but let me assume used. If you end up with water damage depending on how bad your dreams can end real fast.

I would say that after your rig is all set up your costs should level off and not be bad but always plan on the worst case. I bought an older FW in excellent condition. By the time I had replaced the converter, upgraded converter wiring, new deep cycle batteries, additional charger, EMS, transfer switch, power cord to Genny, solar panels and all the pieces, blah blah blah it was $7000. Now that the initial cost are over I have also been at a relatives property where I needed a macerator pump and parts for $300. So things like that happen so again I wouldn't get too confident that you will save a lot of money. I hope you do but you have to find your way through it. Number one DONT get burned on water damage.

If you buy a rig and the water heater or fridge or whatever conks out be happy. Be happy that your foot hasn't gone through a water damaged floor or that you don't see light at the base of the wall because it's separating from the floor.

Don't do this if you don't have the resources. Picture the worse case like needing a $3000 transmission or $6000 engine. You always need a backup plan or an out so you aren't sitting in a truck stop next to a corn field when it's 98 degrees and your broke.

Social aspect:  People are people and some suck but you don't have to be parked near them. If too many of them suck for the given area you have wheels. I have run across very very few bad people and have friends that I never would have met if I wasn't rving.

You can meet like minded people on places like this site or RVillage or Facebook or whatever. Some have specific groups for everything from quilting or hiking to smoking pot.  The types of people vary all the way from those living in their cars to massive high dollar MH. Some are friendly and some aren't and it's not determined by what they RV in.


WiFi: Many people have poor luck with parks wifi. I try to boondock as much as possible so we use our cell phones and sometimes connect to laptops. Even when in a park I usually don't even try it

Learning curve: This is extremely important. It may be nasty if someone gets you by pulling in your black tank valve and re closes it but it's a disaster if you hit a low overhead of smear the side of the rig down a steel parking lot post. As far as the rig and using it in general you will easily get the hang of it. You need to pay close attention to things like water leaks developing or loose items or hitch welds. You want to keep an eye on things and walk around it, crawl under it and take your time looking. Are wires or hoses rubbing or things like that. For example, a loose drain tube s bracket can lead to a cracked holding tank. It's a lot cheaper and easier to take the time to fix the bracket or make a new one and add fasteners vs pulling a black tank.

Very close neighbors: That can be great or it can suck bad. If I had to be in a park all the time I wouldn't be doing it. On the other hand I love going to some of the park community buildings and do cross word puzzles and others join in or running into the old guy who can't get around much and we start bs'ing for an hour.  It can vary widely and you'll sort them out as you go.

Bathroom bedroom: You go in, you sit down and go to the bathroom or get in the shower and get out. If we closed our eyes and someone held our hand and guided us through it how would know or care if it was an RV or a huge bathroom with double vanity and separate shower and tub. As far as the bedroom, I go in there and it's over, wife has a hard time falling asleep so she watches a lot of television until she falls asleep. When you are out it doesn't matter how little room there is around you.
.
Long shower: With a fully heated water heater you can take a pretty long shower if you are on full hook up. Of course if dry camping it all depends on how much water you want to fetch. We probably use about a gallon and a half per shower. Get wet, soap up, rinse off. We try to time it when we wants to wash and color her hair. I think some of those events can hammer 10 gallons or so.

That gets into how far you are from water and dump. How much can you transport etc. I double towing so the enclosed trailer can haul my 60 gallon bladder plus 4 or 5 jugs for total of 85 gallons plus RV tank.

We often don't want to pack up just to go dump so I have two 15 blue totes that easily roll on to the trailer.

Washer dryer: We go to the laundry mat every two weeks. We try to travel light but have it set up that we have enough bedding, wash clothes etc so we could go even longer if needed. We probably spend $40 to $50 a month. I have washed some of my clothes with stream water and hung them out. That ain't gonna happen with dw!

You have to learn the ropes. It isn't fun all the time, the traffic or choosing places to go can be stressful. If your rig is smaller and nimble it's easier. With my freight train it's extremely important that I use the web and Google Earth to see what I'm driving into.

I use apps like free campsite.net, campendium and RV parky where people contribute their reviews. Some will tell you how beautiful the flowers are and some will give good info about the road conditions, overhead clearance and size limitations.

I pick an area that I expect to make it to that day and try to have two or three choices in there or not real far from there. The back up plan could also be anything from a Walmart to an RV park. You can do this cheaply but I find it just about impossible to always avoid a park.

I haven't read all your posts but I'm picking up that you're geeked and that's fantastic. Its not for everyone but betting that you will love it. I'm writing all this because I'm geeked too and sitting around waiting to pack up and head out in a few weeks. Lol

About the natural disasters. About the only time you have warnings is hurricanes or tropical storms. You don't get warnings  more than a few minutes  for tornadoes,  and flash floods resulting from heavy rains a hundred miles away can hit with no warning.

Con:  Illness and injury.

Visualize yourself with the worst case of flu you can imagine.  You're weak and feverish.  Now visualize yourself having to climb a ladder to get into and out of a bed.  Or consider a broken foot in a cast.  Or visualize your husband with the problems, and you having to help him from the bed to the bathroom and back.

I suppose for the flu, plan b would be to check into a motel for a few days, but you probably couldn't afford to do that long enough for a broken foot/ankle to heal.

Come to think of it, could a motel turn you away if you show up to check in and you're obviously sick?  I've never tried to check in in that condition . . .

I'm going to read these slowly and take in the information you've all been good enough to take time over and then reply in one. 

Seriously, you guys are awesome.  

Never caught in a natural disaster - with forewarning.  No evacuating.  Just drive away.

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Having been "caught" several times while in our coach, I have to take this with a grain of salt. You don't always get enough warning, or have the latitude to move far enough or quickly enough.  Hurricanes and forest fires maybe, but most "disasters" are on a smaller scale and it is often not clear exactly where they will hit or whether they will be dire enough to force a change of plans.

Much more affordable lifestyle.

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That is a highly optimistic view.  You can always live in a more affordable style if you choose, but merely having an RV is not a guarantee. If fact, its a financial albatross you have to e careful of.

One Bathroom/One Bedroom

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Many of the larger models have 1.5 or even 2 baths. There are  a few two bedroom models, but a fair number with extra bunks.

Unlikely to have onboard washer/dryer

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Many of the larger or more upscale models have washers and dryers. Some even have dishwashers.

No ...long, hot showers (in the RV)

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Guess that depends on how long and how hot. We mostly showered in the RV just like at home.

Must be careful with water, conserve.

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Not if the campsite has water and sewer hook-ups.

Con:  Illness and injury.

Visualize yourself with the worst case of flu you can imagine.  You're weak and feverish.  Now visualize yourself having to climb a ladder to get into and out of a bed.  Or consider a broken foot in a cast.  Or visualize your husband with the problems, and you having to help him from the bed to the bathroom and back.

I suppose for the flu, plan b would be to check into a motel for a few days, but you probably couldn't afford to do that long enough for a broken foot/ankle to heal.

Come to think of it, could a motel turn you away if you show up to check in and you're obviously sick?  I've never tried to check in in that condition

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I dont think this would be that big of an issue any more than being in a stick and brick house. All class As, and most class Cs have floor level beds and dont need a ladder. When youre sick, you want your own bed or couch, staying in a motel would suck. Going up and down the steps in a cast would be difficult, but its possible to macgyver some kind of ramp or something to make it easier to get in and out if need be.

cadee2c said:

I dont think this would be that big of an issue any more than being in a stick and brick house. All class As, and most class Cs have floor level beds and dont need a ladder. When youre sick, you want your own bed or couch, staying in a motel would suck. Going up and down the steps in a cast would be difficult, but its possible to macgyver some kind of ramp or something to make it easier to get in and out if need be.

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I was camping at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in a van. I went to go outside and almost tripped and fell out of the van. I was lucky I caught myself and did no damage. If I would have fell out of the van I would have broke my arm at least and I was 30 miles from the nearest medical facility at 10 pm on a Saturday night. If I would have fell I would have been screwed since I was the only one in the campground. I was a whole bunch more careful after that.

Just out of curiosity, was there cell phone service there?

Con:  Illness and injury.

Visualize yourself with the worst case of flu you can imagine.  You're weak and feverish.  Now visualize yourself having to climb a ladder to get into and out of a bed.  Or consider a broken foot in a cast.  Or visualize your husband with the problems, and you having to help him from the bed to the bathroom and back.

I suppose for the flu, plan b would be to check into a motel for a few days, but you probably couldn't afford to do that long enough for a broken foot/ankle to heal.

Come to think of it, could a motel turn you away if you show up to check in and you're obviously sick?  I've never tried to check in in that condition . . .

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We live full time in our 38' Class A and have been through illness and surgeries. My DW broke her knee cap about five weeks ago, and I think living in our coach has been a boon for us, because she doesn't have far to walk for anything. The bathroom is five steps from the bed. The living area maybe 10 steps. Being so close to everything takes the burden off me and allows her to continue doing all her chores (cooking, cleaning, making the bed, etc.) and I can continue to do mine (checking the weather, monitoring the black and gray tanks, making sure the gravity chairs work properly, using the golf clubs so they don't go bad from lack of use, etc.).  ;D

Optimistic Paranoid said:

Just out of curiosity, was there cell phone service there?

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That was 2003 and I did not have a cell phone that year.

You guys, this has been wonderful and I?m so grateful. There is so much good information here; I feel like I?ve hit a rich vein of knowledge.  I?m copy/pasting this into my notebook, of course.  But further, it might interest you all to know that you are helping not just my husband and I but my daughter, who wants a TT of her own and my son who wants a B Class of his own.   I am sharing what I learn here. 

I can crank it as loud as I want and none of my neighbors can hear it. My closest neighbor is maybe 25 feet away.

That?s encouraging. 

And we had had enough of Minnesota winters.

I don?t blame you.  We are originally from LA and while I once found the snow in MD enchanting, after 20 years here, if I never see snow again? that?d be okay.

There are bunkhouses/toy haulers available that have an extra room, Also a lot of newer models have bath and a half.

I looked at some videos after reading this and saw a 5th wheeler with two bedrooms and 1.5 baths!  I don?t think we will have anything that big, but it?s nice to know such things exist in the world.

The only Pro I would dispute is the generator. Most RV'ers do not have a generator.

We are hoping for a Class A motor coach which, as I now understand (thank you, Pam & Larry) should have a generator. But if it doesn?t, I think I?d like to get one, just in case.

And I love, love, love the washer and dryer in my Class A.

See, this is inspiring because I feel the same way about community washers.  If we buy an older rig, I can put a small stackable unit in it.  (Long as it?s not too old).

For families there are a number of units with a bedroom and separate bunk area for kids.

Yeah, this is probably only going to be an issue if our son (now 16) travels with us until he is ready to launch.  Even then, we are toying with the idea of pulling a pop up for him, behind the Motor Coach.  Of course, that leads to the problem of not being able to tow a car.  We?ll have to work that out.

You may still get caught by it occasionally, and you cannot ALWAYS avoid bad weather.
Yeah, I suppose that was a little unrealistic of me.  :/
And also very limited in what you can take with you

In our case I think that?s going to be okay, an advantage even. I loathe excess stuff and clutter.  The more you have, the more you have to maintain, try to keep, etc.  Although, I realize I could be wrong since we haven?t actually done this yet.

That's very questionable.

Yeah, Judy had some eye opening information about that.

a generous data plan on your cell phone or MiFi can help some with that.

I didn?t know ?MiFi? was a thing until you mentioned and I Googled it.  Thanks. 

Depends on the rig -- my current motorhome has a bath and a half. My previous one had a single toilet and shower, but three sinks. Living room can sometimes be used as bedroom.

I think we can make this work with a little adjustment and also depending on what we end up with, especially if it?s just my husband and I (and the dog, a Boxer).  Although, having written that, we would both love to have our son with us.  So, back to adjusting. 

Depends on the setup, (conserving water), but is true for a lot of rigs.

And there?s always the inflatable bathtub I can put in the screen-in porch area.  Not as convenient, but doable.

deal with mail forwarding in some way.

That is still a thing, isn?t it?  It should be very minimal for us as we do almost all bill paying and similar tasks online.

Difficult to have more than one car.

We?ve been sharing a car for years so no worries there. 

I live in my motorhome full time, and like the ability to change scenery and neighbors at a whim.

Honestly, that sounds like heaven. 

RV living is NOT necessarily more affordable.

I appreciate this and your examples so much.    Exactly the kind of eye opening, ?I hadn?t thought of that? information I need to be aware of.  And I really hadn?t thought of that.  Oh yeah, maintenance, unforeseen damages, etc.  Good to know. 

travel but always have your own clean bed and bathroom with you.

I think about that a lot, never have to stay (okay shouldn?t say ?never?) in a hotel/motel again.

but it is  sometimes limited where or how much you can use it.

Oh, well, that?s good to know.  I was just assuming we could just use it, where/whenever.

  .50 an hour plus fuel at $1 an hour = $1.50 an hour.

Geeze, the cost of running the generator, that there was a cost, didn?t occur.  Thank you. 

A generator and Solar can be an effective team.

I was thinking that too -- if they?re not too expensive to have installed.  I saw a Pinterest post wherein a guy had built a solar panel out of aluminum cans.  I wonder if it actually worked?  Would look ridiculous mounted on an RV, however. :/

Some people can't stand feeling cooped up.

I spend a lot of time inside, but my husband, once we?re out and about, will be outside quite a bit, I think.   

pretty much be in great weather most of the time.

Freaking awesome. 

The winds can really get bad in the desert and sometimes it's for hours and at times it's days.

Important for us to remember as we will be spending a lot of time in or near deserts when we?re not at the beach.

let me assume used.




Yes. Unless we win the lottery it will be used. 

always plan on the worst case.

Good idea and something I tend not to do; to busy focusing on the happy pictures.    (My husband is better at this, thankfully).

So things like that happen so again I wouldn't get too confident that you will save a lot of money.

Yeah, I?m getting that from a few peeps, costs that simply crop up need to be anticipated.  And I wasn?t thinking about that, prior. 

Number one DONT get burned on water damage.

Thank you. I?ll look up some videos, when we get closer to buying, on what to look for and how to spot it. 

Picture the worse case like needing a $3000 transmission or $6000 engine. You always need a backup plan or an out so you aren't sitting in a truck stop next to a corn field when it's 98 degrees and your broke.

Yikes, this is a scary, sobering image.  Good to hear/know, though. I?d rather hear that from you guys here, than be living through it, IRL. We?ll need some banked savings for unexpecteds. (I spoke with my husband about this and apparently he is thinking about that sort of thing, so? that?s good. Cause I wasn?t.  lol)

If too many of them suck for the given area you have wheels.

Right?  I love knowing that.

I have run across very very few bad people and have friends that I never would have met if I wasn't rving.

Good to know.

if someone gets you by pulling in your black tank valve and re closes it

Wait, what?  :/

You want to keep an eye on things and walk around it, crawl under it and take your time looking. This.

I want to do this, learn to crawl all over, around, under the rig and identify what?s going on.  I don?t know how realistic that is, with my issues, but I like the idea and will do as much as I can.

With my freight train it's extremely important that I use the web and Google Earth to see what I'm driving into.

I?m hoping for a large motor coach so we?ll probably be doing this also. Actually, my husband mentioned just earlier today that he doesn?t want to tow our home and would prefer to drive it so it?s going to have to be a motor coach or large C Class.

Its not for everyone but betting that you will love it.

I really think we will and you?re right about my excitement level.    It?s going to be at least a year or two before we launch, but I find myself immersed in it, researching, etc. even now. 

sitting around waiting to pack up and head out in a few weeks.

Oh, yay!  Good trip. 

You don't get warnings  more than a few minutes  for tornadoes,  and flash floods resulting from heavy rains a hundred miles away can hit with no warning.

Good point. Especially flash floods, I think, in places we?re planning to be.

visualize yourself having to climb a ladder to get into and out of a bed.

Well, we?ll be in the bedroom, so I don?t think I?ll have a ladder issue?

could a motel turn you away if you show up to check in and you're obviously sick?

I don?t know, but really I think we?d just be sick/injured in the rig as we would in a house. I mean, when you?re sick, you?re mostly in bed, you know?  Still it?s good to think about and consider what we would need in the rig in the event of illness/injury.  Thank you.   

I was talking with my husband last night and we?re thinking we might like to pick four parks we like and move with the seasons instead of traveling around every few weeks.  Or maybe traveling around much more often, for the first year and then settling into four parks.  Actually, the traveling would give us the opportunity to find four parks we really like.

Some of your comments have been a bit sobering, which is what I?d hoped.    And also encouraging, which is a relief. 

I really appreciate your time and advice.  Thank again. 

We live full time in our 38' Class A and have been through illness and surgeries. My DW broke her knee cap about five weeks ago, and I think living in our coach has been a boon for us, because she doesn't have far to walk for anything. The bathroom is five steps from the bed. The living area maybe 10 steps. Being so close to everything takes the burden off me and allows her to continue doing all her chores (cooking, cleaning, making the bed, etc.) and I can continue to do mine (checking the weather, monitoring the black and gray tanks, making sure the gravity chairs work properly, using the golf clubs so they don't go bad from lack of use, etc.).  ;D

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Those are very important jobs you have. Must take alot out of ya. Glad she could remain so supportive as she heals.  ;D ;D ;D