Choosing your RV

This section of our blog is specifically meant for the person completely new to RV living full time. Please forgive us if we sound preachy and we are definitely not trying to scare you. RV Living full time is our passion and we wouldn’t live any other way! We feel confident that you will love it as much as we do!

There are a host of things to think about when deciding on the type and size of RV that you want as your new home. 

There is no question that the considerations are different if you are going to be living in your new RV just occasional weekends or are planning on giving up the “sticks and mortar” house for the RV life full time.

There are basically 3 different broad categories of RVs: Bumper Pull Trailers, Fifth Wheel Trailers and Motorhomes. Notice that I said “broad” categories as there are lots of variations under each one, especially motorhomes. Each category and variation has advantages and disadvantages for “RV living full-time. We could write books on the subject, but to give you information that you can use quickly, outlining each seems the best approach.

Note: Here are couple of assumptions/questions that will guide our discussion:

1. Mobility – We are assuming that you are not intending to stay in one place and will be traveling periodically. How frequently are you going to be traveling?
2. Number of people – Are going to be living in your RV solo, with one spouse or in a larger group?
3. Your physical condition – Are you generally physically fit or have some limitations?
4. Working while roaming – Are you going to be working from your RV Home?
5. Terrain – Where are you planning to go on your travels? Are you planning to travel only in one area generally, or is anywhere in the country a possibility?
6. Budget/construction– Are you on a limited budget when purchasing your RV? How about traveling on a budget? As with any large purchase your budget will determine the level of quality in construction.
7. Level of comfort – Are you a “camper”?  This means are you ok with roughing it, getting off the beaten path and living? Or are you looking to bring lots of “creature comforts” with you on your travels?
8. “Handiness” – This is one of the most important topics that will be covered in this Blog. It goes without saying that any RV is going to require a certain level of “handiness’ meaning the degree which you are comfortable and adept at fixing or maintaining things. There is a huge range here.
   • Some people are not comfortable at all dealing with things that might break or need maintaining.
   • Some RVers are ok with handling small things by themselves and are resourceful finding other to handle more complicated issues for them.
   • Others are totally comfortable tackling almost anything and are really skilled at learning how to repair, adjust and maintain their RVs regardless of the level of challenge.
   • It is important to note that we are talking emotional comfort level, as RVers who are comfortable but don’t know can learn and many people gradually move from the first group to the second or third group as they gain more experience. I don’t want ever to say you should forget about RV living full-time but if you are expecting for your RV never to need maintenance or repair and are totally uncomfortable with determining how to deal with that, you might want to reconsider your decision.
9. Space – How much physical space do you need to live in an RV? Some people never get feelings of claustrophobia but others do.
10. Stuff – This is a really important consideration when choosing an RV for living full time. It is always amazing how much stuff people figure out how to bring with them, from double trailers with boats and ATVs being towed behind motorhomes, to arts and crafts hobby supplies crammed into every nook and cranny. But there are limitations and if you can’t live without your possessions and don’t want leave them behind, choosing your RV with an eye to where you are going to put stuff, is important. We also might want to group pets in this category. Obviously your 4 German Shepherd family members will need accommodations.

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