Re-thinking the RV life

[LarsMac]

When we got the Dancer, it was a bit of a compromise. Margo didn't like the Class A. She was nervous about the whole world speeding by with just a piece of glass between her and the world out there, rushing by.
Don't get me wrong. It's a nice rig. But now, I'm not sure I need all that space.

And, the Dancer, while not really large (30ft), takes up a lot of space, and gas mileage is a bit excessive. 10 gallons gets me about 100 miles. and a 30 gallon refill, even at today's modest prices, stings a bit.

A couple of runs between Georgia, Texas, and Colorado have proved to be a bit costly for fuel, and finding suitable camping spots close to family can be more of a challenge than I anticipated.

Before Margo, I traveled with a Tent and a sleeping bag, and did very well for myself for years. And when we started out, My tent and sleeping bags went in an old Station wagon that we bought from her sister, and we traveled for a few years while following the seasonal tourist business.

Now lugging around a Tent and a backpack on foot doesn't quite attract me as it did when I was younger (A lot younger) I got to thinking about other options.

I still have the old Dodge 1500 PU that can haul a medium size trailer, too (But the mileage on that beastie isn't any better than the Dancer. )

Maybe one of those teardrop trailers I could tow around with my Toad, the Dodge, OR one of these:
CARSULE is a portable, pop-up tent for camping that can attach to a variety of hatchbacks, including minivans, MPVs, SUVs, and station wagons.

Of course finding a market for a 25 yo Class C may be a challenge, as well.

The primary goal is simplification of my life.

Any suggestions would be welcome.

 

[Lou Schneider]

The price of fuel (especially in CA) was why I chose to get a car that gets 40+ mpg and stop driving my RV as much as I used to. I used to take the RV everywhere, from weekend trips volunteering at the railroad museum and staying overnight on the grounds, to vacation trips lasting several weeks. Now, even if I could count on finding free overnight parking if I drive more than 3 hours a day (150 miles) it's less expensive to take the car and get a motel room for a night or two. Significantly less than if I took the RV and had to pay for an RV park.

Same thing when I drive the 430 miles each way from my base in Pahrump, NV to my sister's house in CA. I like to stretch out the trip over two days and it costs less to drive the car and pay for a motel near the halfway point than to take the RV and boondock overnight. And that's even minimizing the fuel costs, leaving Pahrump with a full tank at $2.50 a gallon and returning with it close to empty.

Even flying from Fresno to Las Vegas and back (a 45 minute flight) and renting a car for a week is competitive with the cost of driving the RV there and back.

Do I miss taking my RV? Sometimes, if the journey is the purpose of the trip. But not if I'm just going point to point.

 

[CharlesinGA]

My Winnebago View Class C (small at 23 ft) got about 15 mpg average (diesel).

I get 13-14 mpg, sometimes better, with my Dodge RAM 2500 diesel pulling my 21 ft trailer. I don't drive the RAM locally much, just enough to keep it running, and it gets 20-21 mpg just out and about.

My car has averaged 32.5 mpg over 300K miles (and still gets that) and my Ford Ranger gets about 24-26 mpg but will only run on Premium.

All of my numbers are odometer readings written on the gas receipts and enter in a spreadsheet with tabs for each vehicle. I can show what brands of fuel get better or worse milage, and the difference between winter and summer fuels. I have individual mpg for each fill up. I also have Average fuel milage based on total miles and total consumption, and also mean and median milage calculated from the individual fill up numbers.

I also discovered that trip odo numbers added up don't come close to the main odo reading even over thousands of miles.

Charles

 

[Kirk]

If the wife does not like the class A, how will she react to your popup tent?

 

[klook]

Confused, class A but getting rid of a class C?
I am about to discover all you mention as we are beginning to travel. My wife is a nervous Nellie. I want to see the west while I can, from the ground. And living in SE Tenn means covering ground just to get there. Hotels and motels have become sketchy in my travels unless you pay for high end lodging. I will use my Senior pass and look for COE and such cheap overnights.

 

[bigbAZ]

When we got the Dancer, it was a bit of a compromise. Margo didn't like the Class A. She was nervous about the whole world speeding by with just a piece of glass between her and the world out there, rushing by.
Don't get me wrong. It's a nice rig. But now, I'm not sure I need all that space.

And, the Dancer, while not really large (30ft), takes up a lot of space, and gas mileage is a bit excessive. 10 gallons gets me about 100 miles. and a 30 gallon refill, even at today's modest prices, stings a bit.

A couple of runs between Georgia, Texas, and Colorado have proved to be a bit costly for fuel, and finding suitable camping spots close to family can be more of a challenge than I anticipated.

Before Margo, I traveled with a Tent and a sleeping bag, and did very well for myself for years. And when we started out, My tent and sleeping bags went in an old Station wagon that we bought from her sister, and we traveled for a few years while following the seasonal tourist business.

Now lugging around a Tent and a backpack on foot doesn't quite attract me as it did when I was younger (A lot younger) I got to thinking about other options.

I still have the old Dodge 1500 PU that can haul a medium size trailer, too (But the mileage on that beastie isn't any better than the Dancer. )

Maybe one of those teardrop trailers I could tow around with my Toad, the Dodge, OR one of these:
CARSULE is a portable, pop-up tent for camping that can attach to a variety of hatchbacks, including minivans, MPVs, SUVs, and station wagons.

Of course finding a market for a 25 yo Class C may be a challenge, as well.

The primary goal is simplification of my life.

Any suggestions would be welcome.

Have you looked at any B vans? Newer ones are real pricey but if you keep searching there are still some deals out there on older vans like the Airstream B190s.

 

[Isaac-1]

While I understand the position, I feel trying to save through improved fuel economy by buying a new RV is almost always a loosing proposition financially in the long run.

Lets do the math real quick, right now you have a circa 25 year old Class C, assuming it is in great shape realistically it may be worth maybe $13,500, anything that gets higher fuel economy is going to cost you significantly more than this, either being a light weight towable, or smaller Class B van. You mention an Airstream B190, this is basically trading one 25 year old RV for another that also gets poor fuel economy, best case it gets 1 or 2 mpg more than your current coach. How much difference does this make on a 3,000 mile trip?

Assuming today's national average fuel price of $2.80 per gallon for a 3000 mile trip at 10 mpg fuel cost is $840, if you were to up that to 12 mpg that would only lower your total fuel cost to $700, for a savings of $140, absolute best case even with those expensive newer Ford Transit, Dodge Ram, etc. based Class B's and you will maybe get 14 - 16 mpg. Lets say best realistic case you get 15 mpg out of something that cost $40,000 (lowest priced late model class B I found on rv trader) and that 3000 mile trip would still cost you $560 in fuel, so only a $280 savings on a 3000 mile trip.

 

[LarsMac]

Confused, class A but getting rid of a class C?
I am about to discover all you mention as we are beginning to travel. My wife is a nervous Nellie. I want to see the west while I can, from the ground. And living in SE Tenn means covering ground just to get there. Hotels and motels have become sketchy in my travels unless you pay for high end lodging. I will use my Senior pass and look for COE and such cheap overnights.

When we were shopping we looked at A's and C's mostly. a couple B's came into view, but they were old and abused.
The Dancer was somewhat of a compromise. It was very clean and relatively low mileage for its age. (Still is, actually)
I liked the A's, myself they were uncomfortable for her.
Now that I am left on my own, I am just re-thinking my needs.

 

[Jackiemac]

@LarsMac


I must sincerely apologise. I know it's been over a year now, but I've just found your post saying that your dear wife Margo had passed away. There were no other replies which is extremely unusual. I guess it was because it was at the end of another thread.

So I'm sending you my condolences now and hope you are managing life without your beloved. I'm sure she is always in your thoughts, and today she is also in mine.

 

[PancakeBill]

Issac makes a great point. I used to do that math thing for folks saying they were not going to take a trip because of the increase in fuel cost. I showed them they were likely to spend more at home cecause they weren’t taking the trip than they would by taking the trip. And taking the trip you can economize by skipping restaurants once or twice a week.



Fuel MPG doesn’t change a lot. Between my 3 trucks hauling 5 different truck campers, 3 motorhomes pulling toads and the truck pulling a TT, I was pretty much between 7 and 11 mpg. The only time I beat that was my 73 Subaru pulling a 400 lb tent trailer, and I think that was only about 15mpg.

 

[PancakeBill]

Oh, whatever you do don’t buy a power boat where fuel usage is measured at Gal/Hour and at about 15 MPH, (about 17 knots)

All that being said, if the C is the wrong fit for you, sell, trade for someting you like the fit better and an increase in MPG is just a bonus.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

A number of things come quickly to mind (most of them already mentioned by others):

• Fuel mileage doesn't change a lot from one RV to another - most will be in the 8-10 mpg range. You might hit 15-16 mpg with a recent model Sprinter diesel based rig, but that's a sizable investment.
• Trading your Sundancer for some other RV nearly always ends up being an expensive way to save money on fuel. The sales tax alone would likely pay for several extra tanks of fuel at the mpg you now get. Read Isaac's post #7 again.
• Switching to a small trailer almost surely means you will be buying a new tow vehicle. Your Vue isn't going to handle anything more than the smallest pop-up or tear drop. Most Vues can tow only 1000-1500 lbs.
• Give your space needs and travel style a LOT more consideration. You may not need fancy, but comfort & convenience still counts.

 

[LarsMac]

So, this little pop-up tent thingy fascinates me. A Pop-Up Cabin for your Car

With a fairly modest price, I may pick one up, and give it a try. (Probably after Winter is done with us. ) It won't replace the Dancer, but maybe next Spring, it would be an ideal alternative for some weekender trips for Bird-watching, or a few days in the mountains.

 

[TheBar]

So, this little pop-up tent thingy fascinates me. A Pop-Up Cabin for your Car.

Possibly a good solution but how mosquito proof can it be? For 12 years my wife and I owned both a motorhome and an 8' popup tent trailer, which was pretty tightly sealed. You could probably pull it with a Honda Civic and only lose one mile per gallon.

We would use the popup exclusively for long distance travel where gas mileage was important. But we also used it a lot during fair weather. The 8 foot popup looked tiny but was big on the inside - 16' when opened. With a 4 person dinette, A/C, 4 burner range top, propane furnace, sink, and 3 way fridge. We even had room for a Thetford porta potty which sealed tight and was easy and sanitary to empty.

 

[PapaGlenn]

Mileage and storage costs were big factors in our moving from truck camper to A-frame. Our dually typically got less than 8 MPG with the camper on it and we had to pay for a storage spot. Our A-frame tucks easily into our garage and we average over 20 MPG, even in the Sierras.

 

[UTTransplant]

About the only way RVing can be cheaper than other modes of travel is to have something like a used pop up. Initial cost, depreciation costs, maintenance, campsite, fuel - they all add up. But it can certainly be about the same cost as other modes of travel if you can choose where you to. But the purpose of RV travel for us is not saving money. It is being able to open your door to deer or moose walking by in Grand Teton National Park or watching a backlight mountain range come into daylight, seeing the sunset over the Great Salt Lake from Antelope Island, or watching an old fashioned cowboy round up in a boondock location in the Bighorn Mountains You don’t get the same experience in a motel, and we wouldn’t trade it for the world.

 

[SargeW]

Yep, there are some words that you will rarely ever see in a sentence with "RV" in it. Economical, investment, value, and smart are just some of the ones that come to mind.

But some that you will see would be lifestyle, adventure, excitement, new friends, and enjoyment. So you get to pick what works for you, and with time and personal circumstance all of these will swap back and forth.

Like most things in life, RVing is a trade off. You get to make the call.

 

[Lou Schneider]

About the only way RVing can be cheaper than other modes of travel is to have something like a used pop up. Initial cost, depreciation costs, maintenance, campsite, fuel - they all add up. But it can certainly be about the same cost as other modes of travel if you can choose where you to. But the purpose of RV travel for us is not saving money. It is being able to open your door to deer or moose walking by in Grand Teton National Park or watching a backlight mountain range come into daylight, seeing the sunset over the Great Salt Lake from Antelope Island, or watching an old fashioned cowboy round up in a boondock location in the Bighorn Mountains You don’t get the same experience in a motel, and we wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Agreed, I still take the truck and trailer where the point of the trip is to spend time at a scenic location. But for point to point travel with a different destination in mind such as going 430 miles each way from my sister's house in CA to Pahrump and back or driving 3 hours each way to spend the weekend at the railroad museum, I'm now more likely to leave my travel RV parked, take the economy car and stay in motels. For one thing the car covers ground faster and is more fun to drive than piloting a bulky RV down the road.

When I take the car I pack a small carry-on style suitcase to take into the room with a single change of clothes, my electronics and whatever else I'll need overnight. Everything else stays in a larger suitcase or one or more nondescript storage totes out in the car.

My laptop and cellular hotspot(s) work just as well providing entertainment during the limited time I spend in a motel room as they do in my RV.

 

[Kirk]

It does look interesting, if you are willing to rough it. I can remember when we would have loved it but I'm too experienced (better than old) to enjoy it now.

 

[UTTransplant]

The tag line for Tiffin Motorhomes, like the one I have, is “Roughing It Smoothly.” We boondock 120 nights or more a year, but we do it quite smoothly. We have a kitchen, a residential refrigerator, hot water, a nice furnace for cold weather, a generator that will run the AC (but I try never to be in 80+ temps), and a comfortable bathroom with a shower I use every day. You absolutely do not have to rough it.