floor plan vs type of rig...

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
MikkinJay

MikkinJay

Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2013
Posts
8
Location
Maine
Hello All!

I have really enjoyed reading through so many posts here...I would really like to hear people's opinions (and I know or at least hope there will be different opinions so please explain your choices)...

I have read in places that the floor plan is the most important thing, although most people seem to be biggest fans of class A's... that being said, I really love the rear kitchen plans...I find that, of course, these are most common in TT and some 5th wheels...

The question is: if you were looking to go full time, with as much "boondocking" as possible, is the floor plan or the rig type more important to you?

Thanks for any answers!
~Mikki
 
IMHO you have to pick the type of RV (A, B, C, 5er or TT) before you can pick out the floor plan. It makes the whole shopping experience easier.
 
TY... we have two years before I can retire so we are doing as much research as we can...it seems like they all have +/- features... we will be on a budget and will want to get the most for our money (duh, as if everyone doesn't, right?)... but to me the kitchen is a big deal... class A's seem to have smaller kitchens unless you spend big bucks, yes? or is there one out there that I haven't come across yet? 
:-\
 
Think about it this way - you have to live everyday (and every rainy day) with a floorplan. Where you park it and how you use it will change, though. Parking a 42' Class A down a dirt path is not as easy and practical as a pull behind camper, so you will have to balance size and floorplan with intended use. It can get complicated. No one way is the only way.

Have fun doing your homework! It's important! In the end, it's all about how you want to live.  ;)
 
Making a large kitchen a high priority is a very much a floor plan decision, so I think you are proving the point. If the size and style of kitchen that you want only comes in a 5W or TT,  that has to be weighed against your other wants and needs. There will likely be more than one high priority item on your shopping list. Concentrate on what you like and want in terms of facilities, space, and style of use, prioritizing them into "Absolutely Must Have", "Really Nice to Have if I Can",  and "Don't Want Under any Circumstances". Everything else is, well, everything else and not important to making a decision. That last category is as crucial as the others, since you want to avoid being swayed by glitzy items that are not in fact important to your happiness.

For example, you mentioned boondocking a lot. That probably means that having a generator is a priority item, as are solar panels, a large battery bank, maybe propane appliances (vs all-electric), and so on.

The type of rig should be driven by your total set of wants and needs.  While a Class A has some advantages, it is not the right answer for everybody. The more time you spend driving (vs parked), the more the advantages of a motorhome come into play.
 
TY all,  good advice!  I may only think the kitchen is so important because it is where family congregates now when they are at the house...most of the time it will just be the hubby and me (and two fur babies) and we will have the outdoors to gather in when family comes to visit! 

Jay tends to be more focused on how each one will drive and I think he is leaning toward a 5th wheel at this point to make both of us happy... love  your list ideas!
:)
 
The most important thing to me is to decide what you want to do. Everyone does things differently. Talk, talk, talk, and decide what you're going to do, then find a rig that meets those needs. We talked and talked, went looking AT RV's, then came home and talked a bunch more before going and looking FOR an RV. When we found what we wanted then we started looking for THE RV. It was a 3 year process just getting the right rig the first time.

Many will tell you that your first rig will just show you what to buy in the next one. If you do your research and talk enough to make good decisions, the first rig can easily be your only rig. You don't have to spend money changing rigs because you found out you don't like or want what someone else recommends.

ken
 
bucks2 said:
If you do your research and talk enough to make good decisions, the first rig can easily be your only rig. You don't have to spend money changing rigs because you found out you don't like or want what someone else recommends.

ken
Click to expand...

I have to agree with Ken's point - I think a lot of folks just get wound up in the process and don't do enough research, and that is the more prevalent reason why first rigs aren't the last. Talk to owners, not salesman; you are far more likely that way to get a good sense of the ownership experience. You just have to kiss a lot of frogs early on and make an informed decision. It's your rig - do it your way!
 
You got some great answers here, Mikki. The only thing I can add from my experience is to keep a very open mind. If anyone would have told me five years ago that I would have made the decision I finally made, I would have completely discounted their opinion. TTs far out number MHs in general and there's a reason (or many reasons) for that. On the other hand, on a late-season 1,800 mile trip, I saw just about exclusively HMs at camp grounds. Good luck parsing out why; I myself am not sure.
 
You really need to sit down first and decide what type of camping you will be doing and where you will be traveling.  Motor Homes generally are just way too big for traveling to out of the way places and boon docking.  Motor homes also do best when driven regularly.  Moving every few days.  Once you actually know how you want to travel, then picking the correct style of RV becomes easier.  From there you really need to look  at lots of floor plans with an eye to how you will live in it.  We actually passed on our first pick of RV because it did not have a place for a garbage can in the kitchen.  Glad we did because we found a sister company that offered exactly what we wanted.  So far after 9 years there are so few things we would want to change that it is hardly worth the effort.  Once you find a floor plan you think you might want, go play house for a half hour or so and pretend you are living in it..  Try doing everything and see if you will be totally happy.  Also during your searching each person make a list of likes and dislikes of each RV you look at.  Ypou will be surprised how many differences you will have.
 
The very best advise I can give would be for you to rent a few different types of rigs and take them out for a weekend or two. That will answer a lot of your questions in a hurry.
 
Every respondent has good points and if I were in your situation I would definitely start creating a requirements list.  It might sound silly but having a headboard and not a window behind our bed and having a cabinet to store my kitchen trash can in were deal breakers for me.  When we entered a MH the obvious starting point was the layout and if that passed the muster the I would start checking off my requirements.  As far as the kitchen is concerned...when we purchased our first Class C I didn't think much about counter space because I thought that I would do most of my cooking outside.  However we are now on our 4th MH and I now have a huge kitchen with loads of counter and storage space.  I find myself doing more and more preparation and cooking inside then I ever imagined ...especially when it's only the two of us.  Happy searching
 
SeilerBird said:
The very best advise I can give would be for you to rent a few different types of rigs and take them out for a weekend or two. That will answer a lot of your questions in a hurry.
Click to expand...

Is there anybody that rents out fifth wheels?

Joel
 
[quote author=MikkinJay]
I may only think the kitchen is so important because it is where family congregates now when they are at the house...most of the time it will just be the hubby and me (and two fur babies) and we will have the outdoors to gather in when family comes to visit!
[/quote]
Hi Mikki,

I'm not necessarily equipped to offer you floor plan advice, but this comment made me think of something, because I, too, am appalled at how many MHs, in particular, short the kitchen counter space to use it elsewhere in the rig.

I'm not a huge fan of cooking and baking, myself, but the kitchen is an important place to me because the way I eat is hard to replicate anywhere but at home. It can be nearly impossible to eat out sometimes, and few pre-packaged foods are acceptable.

So for this reason, I know this part of my life will not change when we FT. Some appliances are just mandatory; I can imagine life without my VitaMix as easily as without a microwave (in other words, not at all.) But I know other things will change, and am planning to adapt some of them or abandon others, even in the kitchen.

So before you decide absolutely that you need a rear kitchen, try to visualize what your life with only your DH and furkids will be like, on a day to day basis. What household chores will stay the same, vanish, or be greatly modified? What will you likely be spending your time doing each day? How often will you want people hanging out in your (even relatively spacious) RV kitchen?

If the kitchen were not an important family gathering place in your S&B home, would you spend as much time there? Is cooking one of life's prime pleasures for you right now, even when you're home alone, or mostly just one of life's daily tasks?
 
There tend to be two kinds of RV kitchens.  The first is minimal either in terms of overall space because it's meant as a vacation space that won't be used very much or because it's assumed retired people in particular (many motorhome owners) don't want to be bothered cooking.  That kind of kitchen will have minimal counter space, perhaps a microwave-convection oven, a two-burner stove top, and perhaps an ice maker.

The second kind is what I wanted and what it sounds like you want, a functional place where I have enough space to prepare foods and that has the necessary appliances.  In our case we have a larger four-door refrigerator, a microwave-convection oven, a propane range and oven, and double deep sinks as well as a large countertop area.  By the way, when I read your initial post one thing that popped in my mind had to do with the rear kitchen.  Consider whether it's behind the rear axle or between the front and rear axles.  Anything behind the rear axle is going to have a lot more jostle going down the road with the possibility of more items breaking, scratching, falling out of cupboards, etc.  I would not want a kitchen behind the rear axle.  We can put a glass of water in the kitchen sink and it will still be full an hour later because it's centrally located between the axles in a very stable mid-axle area.  I also would not want a lounge area behind the rear axle because there's too much sway if you're sitting back there while driving (anyone in your family have motion sickness?).  I strongly suspect that's one of the reasons why so many motorhomes have the bed in the rear - it's generally not being used while driving down the road so the bouncing and swaying won't bother anyone trying to sleep there.

The others have made some good points.  You first need to decide how you think you'll want to travel and where so you can decide what type of RV you want to purchase.  We're "travelers" so a motorhome was our choice but you may want to stay somewhere for a month at a time in which case a trailer of some kind might be your best fit.  Then you need to find a floorplan that best fits your needs whether you're spending a lot of time outside or stuck inside for a week because of lousy weather.

ArdraF
 
skyking4ar2 said:
you have to live everyday (and every rainy day) with a floorplan.
Click to expand...

I agree with Kim. We full timed for 5 year, and here is our take on what rig to get. For us, we liked to move spots every 3-5 days. A really long stay was a week. In that situation, a MH makes more sense. Easier to set up and break down, especially if the weather is bad. We stopped at various times in pouring rain. It was nice to be able to pull in, drop jacks and wait out the storm. If your style of RVing is to travel to a destination and stay for weeks at a time, a towable is ideal.

You will have to decide what works best for you. 
 
Wow! Thanks for all the replies...great info! 

We would love to travel frequently, but in reality costs will more than likely keep us some place for at least a week at a time... we want to be able to stay most places where we won't have a neighbor 15 feet away... and while cooking isn't something I LOVE, I do enjoy it when I have space to work and I tend to get grumpy if I don't have room to set something down...and again, considering costs, we hope not to eat out much.

Great info on the "jarring" in the back...perhaps that is why I'm not seeing as many rear kitchens in new models!  We've been a bit confused on why you don't see many 5ers or TT with built in generators ...

We are also seeing that we could get a new TT for what we would pay for a very old MH...which of course brings in the cost of the vehicle, but if you have break downs (seems likely in an older MH) you don't have to leave your whole house?? 

I am glad we have time to look!  This surely is not something to rush into...so much to learn!  Thanks again!
 
One more thing that I thought of while I was reading the other replies that I forgot to mention. Take notes! Write down what you like and don't like about each rig. If possible when looking at rigs take pictures and label them in your computer somehow so you can identify notes and pictures of what you looked at. We wound up with a 3" 3 ring binder of notes and printouts of the rigs we looked at and the things we saw and liked and didn't like. Every time I read an article that had good information I printed it out and put it in the notebook. Then when I wanted to remember exactly what I'd read about a particular item, say Hydro Hot systems, I could go back and review easily instead of trying to find it again.

We're early in the process to talk about prices yet, but all those printouts of rigs you went and looked at will eventually help you with figuring out where prices are and which way they're headed.

Ken
 
[quote author=MikkinJay]
I tend to get grumpy if I don't have room to set something down...and again, considering costs, we hope not to eat out much.[/quote]
Heard that. Some of these counters look like nothing but frustration, don't they?

[quote author=MikkinJay]Great info on the "jarring" in the back...perhaps that is why I'm not seeing as many rear kitchens in new models!.[/quote]
Naw, that's not why. Whatever's in the back is the roomiest part of a MH, and the (male) designers think the kitchen is the least important part of any RV.

[quote author=MikkinJay]
but if you have break downs (seems likely in an older MH) you don't have to leave your whole house??[/quote]
Sounds like you're in the same place, thought-wise, as we were 6 weeks ago. Welcome to the club :)

The answer is, yes and no. Many repair facilities will have the space and some hookups to allow you to stay. Not the prettiest place to park, but at least you don't lose your home that way.

You can read an account of this on Technomadia's blog. (http://www.technomadia.com/2013/07/our-house-is-in-the-shop-living-in-a-parking-lot/) Their account is extreme because they bought an OLD bus, but their posts may help you.

Among all the "what rig is right for you" pages, I found this one to be REALLY helpful. Though it's geared for people who like to live on the cheap, it explained to me why I've spent weeks and weeks going back and forth between our most obvious choices.
http://www.cheaprvliving.com/blog/vehicle-best-live/
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 564 (members: 13, guests: 551)

Forum statistics

Threads
132,197
Posts
1,391,881
Members
137,906
Latest member
Viking1957
Back
Top Bottom