tschonhoff
New member
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2007
- Posts
- 1
We've done this before as a couple, in a '91 Winnebago 22-foot "C" with a Toyota 6 Cyl. We can probably list all the reasons nobody builds these any more, all from personal experience...
Now we have a young son who WILL be in a forward-facing seat with a shoulder belt, and a labrador who can fend for himself. While we will stay put for a few days in a few places, there'll be a fair amount of driving time. Here's the breakdown so far:
NEW CLASS C
Shortest bumper-to-bumper is a major plus, especially in restrictive areas, grocery store parking lots and so forth. However, "short" means 26-30 feet minimum if we're getting enough floor space with slideouts to make our son and our dog comfortable on bad weather days. Adding a third passenger seat (custom) takes a major bite out of the still-limited seating space.
NEW CLASS A
Plenty of room for all, maybe room for that third seat too. But would YOU drive a 37-foot bus over the Top of the World Highway? (my favorite recollection of this road was the description in the Milepost: "Warning: road bed has been mined." It took a minute to realize that this was gold mining, not warfare.)
FIFTH WHEEL
Now we've solved the seating problem, with all of us sitting in some monstrous pickup truck together. And we've got the option to cut loose the barge and head off on narrow twisty roads for day-trip adventures in the pickup. But would YOU drive something with a combined length of 40-45 feet with a hinge in the middle over washboard gravel? I have visions of metal fatigue on the hitch.
AIRSTREAM TRAILER
Same advantages as fifth wheel, but built like a small tank and (in my view) very pretty. Also 3 feet less tall, an advantage in some areas. Still 40 feet long all told, less interior room than the fifth wheel and (a guess here) a less stable towing arrangement even more prone to stress.
So... this is how I see the dilemma. We have to choose where to accept compromise. The question for you is which one will get me home after 10,000 miles feeling the best about my decision?
Good luck. It makes my head hurt.
Now we have a young son who WILL be in a forward-facing seat with a shoulder belt, and a labrador who can fend for himself. While we will stay put for a few days in a few places, there'll be a fair amount of driving time. Here's the breakdown so far:
NEW CLASS C
Shortest bumper-to-bumper is a major plus, especially in restrictive areas, grocery store parking lots and so forth. However, "short" means 26-30 feet minimum if we're getting enough floor space with slideouts to make our son and our dog comfortable on bad weather days. Adding a third passenger seat (custom) takes a major bite out of the still-limited seating space.
NEW CLASS A
Plenty of room for all, maybe room for that third seat too. But would YOU drive a 37-foot bus over the Top of the World Highway? (my favorite recollection of this road was the description in the Milepost: "Warning: road bed has been mined." It took a minute to realize that this was gold mining, not warfare.)
FIFTH WHEEL
Now we've solved the seating problem, with all of us sitting in some monstrous pickup truck together. And we've got the option to cut loose the barge and head off on narrow twisty roads for day-trip adventures in the pickup. But would YOU drive something with a combined length of 40-45 feet with a hinge in the middle over washboard gravel? I have visions of metal fatigue on the hitch.
AIRSTREAM TRAILER
Same advantages as fifth wheel, but built like a small tank and (in my view) very pretty. Also 3 feet less tall, an advantage in some areas. Still 40 feet long all told, less interior room than the fifth wheel and (a guess here) a less stable towing arrangement even more prone to stress.
So... this is how I see the dilemma. We have to choose where to accept compromise. The question for you is which one will get me home after 10,000 miles feeling the best about my decision?
Good luck. It makes my head hurt.