New to RV world…

[MamaGoose]

Hello! My husband and I are interested in getting into RVing. However we have both never owned one, been in one really, or even camped without someone else who knows what they are doing.
We have 4 kids from 12 to 3 years old. We love traveling and have done a lot on the east coast (where we live/have family). We currently own a Honda Odyssey, ans it’s feeling cramped on our road trips. From my minimal research, I’m guessing we wouldn’t be able to tow something big enough behind a large vehicle like a suburban or our odyssey.
Additionally, my husband works about 2 hours away in the Maryland/DC area, and we are wondering if he could potentially park the RV “permanently” there for a place to stay for work, and only move it for trips/college football games. Is this a terrible idea?
Would you arrive at the same conclusion that we’d likely need a drivable RV? What type would you recommend? Our budget would be 50k max, I’d guess. I’m thinking thr best situation for us would be something that has 4 bunks, rather than tearing down the table etc each night for the kids . Does something like this exist?
what other questions do I need to ask myself?
finally, I homeschool our children… I’m wondering if I could drive it by myself and do hookups etc or do I need more physical strength to do the hook ups specifically!
thanks for reading all this!!

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Many factors to consider concerning your needs and expected usage. At this point I certainly would not conclude that a motorhome is better suited. It costs more upfront and costs more to insure and maintain vs a towable RV, and doesn't necessarily give a larger family any advantages. And a towable makes a lot of sense if you plan to park it more than travel in it. Sure, hubby could live in it during the week if he can find a reasonably priced campsite where he needs to be. Sites with water, electric & sewer are rarely cheap, though. You should look around his work location and assess what is available. RVing always costs a lot more than newcomers expect.

With your Oddysey or most SUVs you can't tow much of anything that could accomodate 6 people, and a crew-cab pickup is an expensive upgrade. But then, so is a full size SUV. Either of those could eat up your $50k budget by itself. Something like a Yukon XL, Suburban or Expedition would let you tow a modest sized trailer and yes, you could handle it. They have power jacks and hook-ups aren't heavy or difficult if you are a fairly handy gal.

 

[MamaGoose]

Many factors to consider concerning your needs and expected usage. At this point I certainly would not conclude that a motorhome is better suited. It costs more upfront and costs more to insure and maintain vs a towable RV, and doesn't necessarily give a larger family any advantages.

How would you suggest I go about searching for a larger car. For example I would need a suburban that had a tow package that could tow x amount? This route feels very overwhelming from searching on here!

 

[donn]

In your situation I would start looking for a gently used full sized van then find a TT that meets your needs. As an alternative look at tent trailers. When our girls were at home starting about 12/13 they preferred pup tents instead of in the trailer with mom and dad

 

[Kirk]

Actually, there is a very wide range of RVs and of RV types and what is going to serve you best is more opinion than fact. I will try and address your specific questions, while separating the facts from opinions.

we are wondering if he could potentially park the RV “permanently” there for a place to stay for work,

Working in Washington DC, you will find that there are few if any places to park and RV and stay in it that are at all close to the downtown area. What few are there will be very expensive. If you are seriously considering this, before you go farther you need to investigate where you could put the RV and what it would cost.

From my minimal research, I’m guessing we wouldn’t be able to tow something big enough behind a large vehicle like a suburban or our odyssey.

This is going to be a problem that will increase as your children grow larger. I think that your best bet would probably be something like the Ford Expedition which if configured right, can tow up to 9,300#. It is not generally a good idea to tow at the maximum with most experienced owners suggesting a limit of 80% or about 7,500#. The other alternative would be to consider a motorhome of some type since it would have more seating for travel. It is popular to say that they won't serve well if not used a great deal but we had two different motorhomes for a total of 23 years and both sat for several months at a time and with proper storage care that never caused a single problem.

What type would you recommend? Our budget would be 50k max, I’d guess.

With the budget that you have, it could be difficult to find a tow vehicle capable of towing a large travel trailer and also the trailer. I suggest that you take a look at the hybrid trailers as those work very well for families and they weigh far less than most fully self-contained travel trailers or fifth wheels. You could probably also find something motorized in that price range but it would be significantly older. Something like the Jay Feather hybrid(2021 Jay Feather X23E | Jayco, Inc.) will weigh around 6000# to 7000# and so could be towed with a smaller tow vehicle like the Explorer or Suburban.
A good place to shop in order to get a feel for used prices would the RV Trader online,

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Solid advice from Kirk.

 

[gwinger]

Right now you are very limited as tow vehicles go. Almost no new ones, and used ones are demanding the highest prices ever. Minimum price for a new pickup or large SUV is over the 60K range. Even late model used ones are over 35K. With the cost of the trailer and tow vehicle you are in the 70-100K range.
Your Odyssey would not be capable of towing much more than a pop up camper or small trailer.

 

[MamaGoose]

This is all very helpful! To clarify, a budget for a class C would be 50k. If we went the suburban/tow trailer route the budget would increase more. I also think our budget could be higher.

What's the best way to find possible sites to park it outside of dc - I'm thinking even up to an hour away would be doable, is there certain phrases to google or best sites to search?

I'm not sure I'd feel super confident driving an RV pulled behind a Suburban on my own without my husband, but I might be able to handle driving a larger all in one (not towing a vehicle behind it).

so much to think about... how in the world to start?!?!

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

You could just google 'campground washington dc' and find some. However, There are websites and phone apps to locate campgrounds. Allstays rv app, for example. Or the Good Sam campground directory, or Campground Reviews online.

 

[DBarton02]

My wife and I are pretty new to the RV experience as well, and have just a couple of small jaunts under our belt with our 3 kids (7, 5, and 16 months). We bought about a month ago - and had a similar road taken to where we got to today.
Previously, we'd taken cruises with our 2 boys (before #3 came along) and did so even before we had kids (We're both 39). With COVID hampering our travel plans for any vacations last year, we started talking about renting an RV for a week long trip or so back in February/March. My wife is a Physical Therapist, and has seen about every symptom or other effect with patients dealing with COVID over the last year, and as a result, have figured the best vacation right now (and even in the future) is one where we can travel and be self-contained wherever we want to be - though moreso for the next 3-4 years, especially with the little ones.

In the short time of planning a rental trip to a KOA, we started reading more, and shifted from rental, to purchase of a newer RV and renting it out, to more research and buying an older, well-kept starter RV for us to get our feet wet to see how things go. Our initial investment was well below NADA average and low for what we bought ('02 Winnebago Adventurer - 35U - Class A).

Knowing we'd typically spend somewhere between $5k-$7k per year when all was said and done on any vacation, we figured to have 'paid for it' within 3 years or so (less maintenance) and if we decided it wasn't really for us after a couple years - could still sell it and be out less than what we'd have probably spent on renting for a year or so...so we figured we wouldn't be at a loss either way.

My experience differs obviously from many on here, as we've all gotten into RV'ing a little differently - yours included - though my thought / advice to it would be to find a starter if you're not sure what to expect.
We looked into the trailer option too - and it would have required us to purchase not only the trailer, but a truck to pull it as well (and trade in our beloved sporty Mini Countryman that my wife also uses when she does PT home health visits). So - her showing up to patients' homes in a Duramax Dually or other Full-Size SUV didn't make sense in our current situation (yours, however, may differ).

For now, our best play was an older Class A we could travel fully contained in.

Few years from now? Who knows? We may trade up to a newer Coach - or look at a travel trailer or 5th wheel depending on where we go, what we do, and what we like.

I'd play for the now, and determine what you'd like as you learn going along - though I'm not saying that to discount anyone's input on here. I've certainly benefitted from many in this forum in my short time so far. Everyone here has a great deal of fantastic information and is worth taking it all in.

Just apply it to what YOU want to do!

Have Fun!

 

[Kirk]

Another place to look for campsites is the website RV Parks, Caravan Parks and unique RV Camping locations - Campendium.

 

[Kirk]

so much to think about... how in the world to start?

If you have not done so, visit some consignment RV lots as they will have a wide array of used RVs and you should spend some time in all types. Imagine traveling in it and pentane doing all of the things that you would do when living in it. Be sure to take everyone with you also to get a feel for the space you will have. Think about rainy days when you are all inside for the entire time. This routine will quickly eliminate some RVs from your list and help to narrow the field. It is impossible to know what will work for you until you spend some time in each of them.