Complete Newbie

[Migrating Nester]

I am a 62 year old unmarried, childless woman who has never RV'd before.  Due to the long-anticipated sale of our company asset, I am losing my job in a couple of months (though gaining assets that give me freedom I've never had before).  This is a blessing as I've been burned out to a cinder at the job for at least 2 years, and very scary because suddenly I'm facing the biggest upheaval of my life.  I rent in an expensive Colorado town with few job prospects, none of them with great wages (I was extremely fortunate to have an exception to that until now).  I am a nester at heart, loving to settle in at home, yet it is clear it is time to leave the nest and try something entirely new.  (I moved from Texas to Colorado 16 years ago, but knew I had a place to live with my brother and his wife, and ended up finding job and housing within a week!  Also, I knew where I was headed at that time.)  This time I have better financial resources, can stay with my brother and his wife if I ever need to, but will have no real home base and no idea where to eventually settle until I find it.  I have tent-camped solo, done a vision quest (with a group except for 3 days and 4 nights solo for the vision quest, fasting), etc.  I live alone and enjoy it.  I thought I'd renew my rent at the end of May so I'd have a a stable base while I tried to figure out my next move, but realized that I could get a used travel trailer and used vehicle to tow it for about the same as my year's rent.  My brother recently bought a used Lance, so I have someone to give advice, a chance to try hitching/unhitching a trailer to make sure of my ability, and something to practice driving before I find something of my own.  Overcoming my fear of driving a 16 ft. travel trailer when I've never done anything like ti before is terrifying.  But I know if I do this and succeed, I'll gain confidence I've never had and have sorely needed all my life.  And despite my fears, I am ready for a big break from routine, an adventure, even if scary.

I am in research/brainstorming mode for the next couple of months.  I would love to know what rigs other solo women are using, and their tow vehicles.  Toyota 4Runner seems like a good choice for a tow vehicle as I am interested in light travel trailers (no larger than 16 ft.).  I don't want a pick up truck.

Thanks for listening.  I look forward to exploring this site and seeing what other women have to say.

 

[JudyJB]

I am a 74-year-old solo woman, and I have been full-timing in a 32' motorhome for the past five years and love it.  I do not tow a vehicle, so when I want to go out, I have to take the whole thing with me, however, motorhomes are much easier to unhook and hook back up--maybe five minutes if only electric and water.  Dumping sewer takes a few more minutes, but since I travel alone, I can go 4-5 days without dumping, and that includes doing dishes once a day and taking a hot shower every night.  (Size of fresh water and grey water tanks are really important.)  I nearly always stay in federal and state campgrounds without sewer hookups because I prefer the privacy and extra space in those types of campgrounds.

I had never driven a motorhome before I bought mine--scared my son to death, but I was fine with it and drove 75 miles back to his house after he dropped me off at the dealer.  Your first trip will be a little scary, but you will get the hang of it very quickly.  And I know at least one lady in her mid-80s that handles a trailer and pickup truck the size of yours. Also once met a lady in 80s who drove a 31' Class A.  You are a lot younger, so go for it!!

 

[RedandSilver]

Welcome to the forum. 

I'm not a woman but here's my 2 cents......

How did you come up with 16ft?
That MIGHT be OK for a weekend trip but it almost sounded like you wanted to full time in a trailer to try something different, is that right?

I was a newbie about 15 months ago and never had driven a MH of any kind and purchased an almost 40ft one, and when my trailer
is attached I'm about 65 ft long.  I'm not saying you need one that big - but I'll tell you I wouldn't want anything smaller and I'm alone.
My point is 16 ft is very very small and you would outgrow it in no time.  That's one thing that I see on this forum and others is people
buying something too small and then upgrading over and over and over until the finally get a bigger unit and say "we should have started
with the last one we just purchased".  That gets really expensive to keep upgrading.

With a 16ft trailer you will have small tank sizes and little storage space for starters. Certainly no washer/dryer, and a small fridge and freezer.
Small counter space and a small table and small windows to let light in etc.

Fear of the unknown is a strong force that makes many people think they should start small and it's not just women this effects.
You can do most anything you set your mind to do.  No one is perfect and you are probably no worse than anyone else that thinks they
can't handle something bigger.

JudyJB hit it on the nose with getting a 32 ft Class C motorhome.  That would work much better than any 16 ft trailer that might grow to
as much as 32 or more feet in length when you add a vehicle to pull the trailer.  I bet a 16 ft trailer will be 18-20 ft overall counting the tongue.

So in a nut shell - please don't limit yourself to looking at only 16 ft trailers because you think that is all you can handle, because it's not.

I'm proof that you could start with a MH.  If you have a car now, you might be able to pull that behind a MH too depending on what model.
That alone would keep you from having to buy a pickup truck as you said you didn't want one.  However there is a reason pickups are so
popular.  Weight really adds up fast and many SUV's are not up to the task of pulling even somewhat light trailers. 

Good luck with your search for a RV that will be perfect for you.

 

[HueyPilotVN]

Here is a suggestion for you.

Go down to Quartzsite, Arizona next month for the Forum Ralley.

You will meet many of us that can give you real world advice.  There is a huge number of RV's of all kinds to look at for sale. 

Several single women travel full time and some will probably be there.

Just an idea.

 

[kdbgoat]

And if you do decide you want to tow, don't lock in on a 4runner for a tow vehicle. That severely limits what you will be able to tow.

 

[Kevin Means]

All great advice. While this is all new to you (and understandably scary) a lot of individuals have done it and have paved the way. I didn't see anything in your plans that concerned me, except the part about full-timing in a 16 foot RV. Is it possible...? Yes, but a 16 foot RV is going to get real small, real fast if you're living in it full-time.

If you're concerned about getting something larger, because you've never driven or pulled anything that large, or larger before, I'd strongly recommend reconsidering that part of your plan. A lot of solo women safely drive, or pull larger RVs without problems.

Take your time, do your research and ask a lot of questions (like you're doing here) and you'll be much less likely to regret your decisions. Welcome to the RVForum!

Kev

 

[Memtb]

    Kevin has some very good points....many automobiles are greater than 16 feet in length. All of the principals are the same... just a little bigger vehicle!

 

[Migrating Nester]

Thank you, everyone, for your advice!  I take it seriously as I know you're more experienced than I am.  I should clarify that I am not intending to be full-time, or at least only for weeks or a couple of months at a time as I will be visiting friends and family along the way.  The main plan is to explore places I may want to move to next for a permanent home, and hopefully visit some parks etc. along the way.  I've lived for a week to 10 days quite happily with only a small tent and my Subaru Forester, so 16 ft. seems enormous to me.  I'm thinking I will purchase a small stick home at some point as a permanent home.  However, everything is so much in the air at this point I'm keeping an open mind.  Who knows, I may shock myself and get totally hooked on the RV lifestyle!

If I did end up getting a larger Class C instead of a TT, how large would that have to be in order to tow a Subaru Forester?  I know it will depend on which motor home, but any general guidelines to consider?  I know type of motor is always important, and axle loads.

I am very inspired by all of you women who are doing this in large rigs, especially full-time.  Thanks for all the great suggestions.  I will look at the Quartzite rally and see if I can get to it.  I'll still be working FT all next month and into February.  Thanks again!

 

[johnaye]

Welcome to the RV world.  You did not give the year of your car.  Is it automatic or manual transmission.  Some Foresters are towable with four wheels down, other are not towable.  If not towable, you would have to put it on a trailer.

I agree with the other posters.  16' is way to small.  We had an 18' at one time and really only used it to cook and sleep.  We basically lived outdoors.  It had a small shower/tub.  I would suggest you consider renting a Class C to see what it is like to drive.  I suspect there are rental places in Denver.  It will be on the expensive side but worth it if it keeps you from making an expensive mistake.  I think most Class C motorhomes can tow your car if it towable. 

Finally, before you buy, look through as many various motorhomes and trailers as possible.  Imagine what it will be like living in the unit.  Think about where you will keep your stuff.  This will help keep you from making an expensive mistake.  Remember, what you want to buy will be very valuable until you sell it when it will be worth very little.  :-\

Good luck and please keep us updated on how it is going.

 

[JudyJB]

One solution to storage, which I agree that you will need more of, is to tow your 16' trailer with a cargo van.  I am not sure what size you will need, but I know of several people who have installed racks in their van and use them to store extra clothing and the other things you will need such as a vacuum cleaner and other things. 

You will be surprised at the stuff you will need, although it sounds as if you are a minimalist, but being away from your home base for even a month requires things that you don't need for a week or two of camping. The advantage of a motorhome, even a Class C, is that you get a lot of "basement" storage underneath your living space.  Small trailers have very tiny underneath spaces, barely usable even for water and sewer hoses. 

 

[RedandSilver]

I've lived for a week to 10 days quite happily with only a small tent and my Subaru Forester, so 16 ft. seems enormous to me.

How long ago did you do this?  Anytime outside of the prime of summer?  Cold nights are not my cup of tea, but some people like that I guess.
10 days without a shower or doing laundry can be done.  But trust us when we say 16ft is tiny or will be in short order.

As far as Women driving bigger units - look on YouTube for women truck drivers - there are quite a few that post videos and a lot
more that drive but don't post videos.  They drive some of the longest vehicles on the road and they have to backup all the time
which is the hardest part of driving a big rig.  But like most things it's learned by doing it over and over.  So I bet you could drive a MH.
If you tow a vehicle behind a MH of any size, you can't back up without damaging the towed vehicle or tow equipment or both.  So the game
then becomes to look BEFORE you pull into someplace (like a gas station) to make sure you can get out without having to backup.

As far as what engine depends on what MH and how it's equipped.  But just in case you don't know this - NEVER believe a SALESMAN or
SALESWOMAN because they will tell you what you want to hear, even if it's not true.  Leave your checkbook and credit cards at home but take a camera with you (or your phone).  When you find a unit that you like take a picture (or 10) of it and then post them here (in a new post) with any other info you have on it and someone here will likely have knowledge of it (or own one) and be able and willing to tell you the truth about how it handles or drives and how it is to live in it.

IMO I wouldn't look at anything less then 28ft in a Class C - because some of the area up front is somewhat unusable in most MH's.

One more thing we haven't touch base on is buying used.  That is ALWAYS the best way to go for 99% of newbie's.  But that takes
a fair amount of knowledge to know a good unit from a bad unit that looks good.  Researching and this forum is excellent for gathering
knowledge on all things related to RV's.  Hope this helps some.

 

[Memtb]

    Along with all of the other good info given here.....RedandSilver offered some ?very? good points!

 

[henkelphoto]

Just for the sake of fairness about getting a 16 foot trailer, take a look at this website:

http://www.interstellarorchard.com

A woman named Becky has been full-timing in a Casita trailer for five years and she's downsizing to a teardrop in 2018. Not something I'd want to do, but it shows it's doable. Bear in mind, however, that she's somewhat of a free spirit and is only in her early 30s I believe. Much different in the wants and needs of a person in their 60s.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I've lived for a week to 10 days quite happily with only a small tent and my Subaru Forester, so 16 ft. seems enormous to me.

LOL - we've done the same, back in the day. But your tent didn't try to fit a toilet, shower, galley and sofa in that space either.  Besides, you knew that at the end of the week you were going back to a home that had more facilities and more space, so a bit of inconvenience was no worry. Now you are talking about living full time in that roughly 120 sq ft space. And storing all your worldly possessions in it as well.

 

[garyb1st]

First of all, welcome to the Forum.  You?ve come to one of the best of the Internet forums.  But it?s only best in the areas of knowledge, expertise, friendliness and the number of people, who are ready, willing and able to help you in your endeavors, than you can count. 

My advise is a little different.  I would look for the smallest, lightest and least expensive trailer, you can find.  A used trailer that is in good condition.  One that has been inspected by someone who is competent and you know and trust.  A trailer that could be safely pulled behind whatever vehicle you will be pulling it with.  There are many reasons for going small.  First and foremost, it sounds like you?re looking for a means of exploring the country.  You?ve tent camped before.  Living in a 16 foot trailer will be like renting a small motel room.  Limited holding tanks by comparison to those in a tent (that don?t have holding tents) will be huge.  Having a comfy bed and chair to relax in is an upgrade to a tent.  Other upgrades are the kitchen and bath.  Another big factor is cost.  That is contingent on your finances and if they?re limited, don?t spend a lot of money on an experiment. 

As far as a tow vehicle is concerned, get something that you?re familiar with and comfortable driving.  I would look for something with at least a 5,000 lbs towing capacity.  That would limit the amount of trailer and STUFF you can pull.  I would try to keep the maximum weight of the trailer and contents to about 3,500 - 4000 lbs.  The lighter the better.  Walk away from any salesperson that wants to sell you a trailer that?s too heavy.  The most important thing to you is being able to keep the trailer from fish tailing and stopping when you need to stop. 

Then give it a go.  It won?t be long before you know whether or not RVing is something you want to do.  RVing can be quite costly.  Moving up to a motorhome will take you to a whole new level of cost.  Certainly worth it if that?s what you want to do.  But it isn?t something you can determine vicariously.  Good luck. 

 

[kdbgoat]

Just for the sake of fairness about getting a 16 foot trailer, take a look at this website:

http://www.interstellarorchard.com

A woman named Becky has been full-timing in a Casita trailer for five years and she's downsizing to a teardrop in 2018. Not something I'd want to do, but it shows it's doable. Bear in mind, however, that she's somewhat of a free spirit and is only in her early 30s I believe. Much different in the wants and needs of a person in their 60s.

I've visited her site a few times. She's a remarkable young lady. I think she's a member here too.

 

[Al Juby]

What garyb1st said is good advice. Most of the answers you get on this forum are from people that love the RV life. The people that tried it and don't like it, are not on this forum. I think your instincts are good. It would be better to start small and lose $15000 than to go big and lose $50000.