Choosing an RV and preparing for a life on the move is not as easy as it might sound.
When we put our house on the market 18 months ago, we never imagined it would take this long to sell. However, after months of window shopping, we finally have the green light to take things more seriously.
Downsizing from a 2000 sq. ft. house into a camper takes deliberation. It’s probably a good thing we had extra time to think it over. Our decision changed about ten times since then. Choosing an RV was one of the hardest parts of this whole process.
When Choosing an RV: At First, We Romanticized Luxury
Living in a lovely house on 20 acres of land, we feared the loss of the “creature comforts” of a sticks-and-bricks house. As our first option, we considered a gigantic Class A rig. These are the big tour buses that celebrities and rock stars travel in—and they are huge.
The original one we picked was 45 feet long and over a quarter of a million dollars. It had a kitchen with an island and an entirely enclosed office space. It was beautiful. But we learned a few things as we continued to search…
- Many RV parks cannot accommodate these large tour bus rigs.
- We would need to buy a secondary vehicle to tow behind the rig.
- These bigger RVs are difficult to drive, and if they break down, where do you go while your house is in the shop?
One Vehicle, One Engine to Maintain
After ruling out the tour bus, we started looking at RVs that could pull behind a truck. But we still wanted something luxurious and spacious, something comparable to a traditional home. We wanted to be able to disconnect the truck and drive around when we wanted to go explore, so we started looking at fifth-wheel campers.
Again, we were looking at trailers that were 40+ feet long, plus the length of the truck, so still, we are talking one significant footprint on the highway. With beautiful master bedroom suites and full-size kitchens, these campers ranged from $75,000 to $150,000.
But fifth-wheel campers also tend to be incredibly heavy. The added weight only means additional fuel expense, and we want to keep our travels as economical as possible. Not only that, but they require additional installation in your truck bed, which reduces your truck’s hauling capacity.
Pulling It All Behind You
If there’s anything I can tell you about my husband, it’s that he can drive anything. Although we understand the burden of hauling a trailer with you everywhere we go, I have all the faith in the world that Gary can handle the task. However, before spending thousands of dollars, I needed to know what he was comfortable with.
Looking at campers online and comparing floor plans is one thing. But until you actually SEE them in real life, you just don’t know. I spent months looking at different RVs, but fortunately, we decided to go to a dealership to make the final decision.
When we arrived at the dealership, we were completely sold on the 29-foot model—smaller, easier to tow, more options for campsites, etc. But once we walked through the different models, we realized what a difference an extra six feet can make in terms of living space. We’re going to be living in this thing for a minimum of two years, and although we’ve downsized tremendously, we’re still going to need a little storage along the way.
Choosing an RV – The Necessities
Now, besides just the basics – such as living space, length and towing weight, you also have to keep the necessities in mind. Things like water capacity, solar power, battery capacity and safety features. We wanted to make this trip as worry-free as possible; our goal is less stress, more travel.
Again, when choosing an RV, we wanted simplicity and off-grid capability because we don’t always want to stay in RV parks, and we want to be entirely self-contained so we can get lost in the wilderness. We got upgraded solar and an additional generator for those cloudy, rainy days.
And the Winner Is…
Rockwood Ultralite 2906BS
Welcome to our new home! Special thanks to Great Outdoors RV in Greeley, Colorado for helping us find the perfect vessel for our future life!
We are scheduled to pick up our new rig on March 14th, and we’ll be sharing our excitement through our social media channels and going live during the trip up there.
Follow along as we step into a brand new world!
