Odabir pravog RV-a može biti izazov. Postoji toliko mnogo opcija! Prvi savjet koji dajemo ljudima koji kupuju RV je to NEMA savršenog RV-a for you. You will have to make some sacrifices…of course unless you plan to spend a million dollars for custom options. But if that’s the case, you probably aren’t reading this post anyway.

da budem iskren, mnogi RV-ovi sa punim radnim vremenom koje pitate su najvjerovatnije imali najmanje 2 ili 3 različita RV vozila. Before you’ve lived in an RV, it’s hard to truly know what you want and need. So don’t be surprised if you change your mind, too.

Možete pročitati sve savjeti za odabir pravog RV-a (kao post koji smo napisali, DON’T Buy an RV Until You’ve Read These 5 Tips!), do tons of research, and drive yourself crazy. But, ultimately, until you’ve hit the open road and discovered your travel style, your parking preference, etc….it’s hard to know which RV is the best for your lifestyle.

Za nas, nikada nismo posjedovali kamper i jedva da smo čak ni kampirali u njemu. Automatski smo odabrali peti točak za prostor. We loved it, too! In fact, we wrote this post – 10 razloga da odaberete peti točak za RVing sa punim radnim vremenom. Upravo su to bili razlozi zašto smo se odlučili za peti točak i još uvijek su ogromne prednosti pri odabiru petog točka.

Međutim, 8 mjeseci kasnije kada je došlo vrijeme za kupovinu novijeg RV, potpuno smo se iznenadili kada smo umjesto drugog sedla odabrali da se prebacimo na klasu c. We purchased our fifth wheel knowing it was a “starter unit” to simply allow us to try out RV life and determine if it was for us or not. It wasn’t designed for full-time living…it was much more of a weekend warrior RV. So we originally went into the purchasing process with the plans to buy another fifth wheel.

Međutim, evo razloga zašto smo na kraju odabrali kućicu za automobile klase c.

We didn’t need as much “stuff” as we thought we did

Prilikom premeštanja naših stvari peti točak, izvukli smo toliko stvari koje nikada nismo koristili and actually forgot we had in there. Again, we didn’t know anything about the lifestyle and how it would be. Now, we know what we like to do in the places we visit, we know we don’t need as many clothes as we thought, and we ditched the duplicates of things.

It’s a huge adjustment to downsize from a house to RV. Dakle, mnogi ljudi će izabrati veći RV dok ne shvate koliko im je malo potrebno. It’s extremely common for full-time RVers to downsize their RV during or after their first year on the road. Na neki način, prolazak kroz faze je dio procesa pojednostavljivanja vašeg života.

Upravljivost > životni prostor

Izgubili smo nešto oko 50 četvornih stopa kada smo smanjili veličinu petog točka u klasu c. Da li nam nedostaje? Naravno! Ali koristi koje smo dobili su veće od gubitka prostora.

Naša omiljena prednost je koliko je upravljiva naša klasa c. Osjećaj vožnje je vrlo sličan vožnji našeg starog kamiona. Since the length is right under 26 feet, we can “fit” into most parking spots. We’ve even managed to find street parking in the city and have “moochdocked” outside of family members’ houses with no problem at all.

In contrast, the last time we returned home, we had no choice but to put our fifth wheel in storage while visiting family because there was not enough space for it in anyone’s driveway or neighborhood. It was really inconvenient to move out of our home for a few weeks and not have full access to some of our belongings.

We also used to be so jealous of the RVers who could pull off the side of the road to snap a photo of a scenic view. We’ve had to settle for mental pictures because pulling over with a 30ft trailer isn’t exactly safe, if there is even space for it. Sada se osjećamo samopouzdano da s lakoćom uđemo u gotovo bilo gdje, bez potrebe da stalno provjeravamo ogledalo kako bismo bili sigurni da ćemo očistiti ivičnjak, a Lindsay se osjeća 100% ugodno u vožnji u bilo kojem trenutku. 

Lakši dani putovanja

Let me paint a picture of what our travel days looked like when towing the fifth wheel. First, we would have to strap down any loose furniture, along with the typical stowing of items. Then, we’d have the usual disconnecting of the sewer, water and electric. The final step would be backing up the truck just right, lowering the trailer, and hitching it up, which would typically take 10 minutes alone (on a good day). We’d often be stressed that we would forget a step, because there were just so many.

I forgot to mention that we’d have to set up a comfortable space for the dogs, pack up a bag of snacks, water bottles, a trash bag, our computers (if we wanted to struggle to work at all), cameras (you always have to be prepared for beautiful scenery), etc. We would be crammed in and have to stop every 2-3 hours to stretch and use the bathroom. If we wanted to make lunch in the fifth wheel, we’d end up taking 30-45 minutes every time we stopped, which made travel days even longer.

Sada, dozvolite mi da počnem da objašnjavam razliku u danima putovanja rekavši da dok pišem ovaj post, vozimo se u Nashville. Sjedim udobno i sigurno u trpezariji dok Dan vozi. When it’s lunch time, I’ll get up and napravi nam sendvič bez zaustavljanja i ako treba koristiti toalet…no problem! The dogs can move around a bit more too.

Oh, i prije nego odemo negdje, samo nas vodi 10-15 minuta za pakovanje, odspojite i poletite. Nema više vezivanja i vezivanja. Odlažemo predmete, uvlačimo klizač unutra, odvajamo kuke, uskačemo i idemo! Putujemo brzo i obično ostajemo samo 1 sedmicu na novim mjestima, tako da je ovo ogromno za nas!

Sedlo 38C Dijelovi kamiona za prikolice s lijevanim pločama s gornjom pločom Dijelovi kuke Heavy Duty Hitch

Bolji radni prostori

Iako mnogi noviji modeli sedla imaju odlične radne prostore, naši nisu. Naš jedini radni prostor bio je kuhinjska trpezarija. Ona se sastojala od malih drvenih stolica koje nisu imale jastuke za leđa i jedva dovoljno prostora da budu na udobnoj udaljenosti od stola. Trpezarija u separeu s kvalitetnim jastucima je mnogo praktičnija za cjelodnevno sjedenje.

Ako je blagovaonica pretrpana za oboje, radije radim u suvozačkoj fotelji, koja se okreće prema dnevnom boravku. Tu je i odvojivi sto koji mogu postaviti, a koji se dodatno može postaviti ispred kauča, ako mi je dodatno udobno i gledam TV dok pišem. Stoga imamo 3 opcije radnih prostora! 

I mentioned that I am working while we drive, which is also a big deal for us. And the computer is not sitting on my lap in the passenger seat. I am actually at a “desk”, where I can focus without getting car sick or getting a neck cramp!

We also used to only be able to travel on weekends because Dan was the primary driver and he couldn’t take time away from his work during week days. We would occasionally be able to squeeze travel in on a week day if the drive was under 3 hours and after the work day. The hardest part about that though, other than driving at night, is that our weekends are our most valuable time. Weekends are the best time for us to be exploring new places and enjoying the greatest benefit of RV life.

Sada kada mi je ugodnije voziti novi RV, Dan može raditi dok ja vozim. Dani putovanja više ne znače da moramo odvojiti vrijeme od posla. It’s all about efficiency and multi-tasking, right? And our weekends are free for adventuring!

Bolja benzinska kilometraža

What do you get when you cross a GMC Sierra 2500 truck and a 8,500 pound fifth wheel? A gas guzzler! That’s not a joke. We used to get 7-8 miles per gallon while towing! Then we’d continue to get poor gas mileage when we would detach the trailer and drive the truck around cities. We basically lived at gas stations.

Sada, sama kuća za motore ima istu kilometražu benzina kao i sam kamion, which is around 15 mpg. When we tow our Jeep Wrangler behind the motorhome, we still average around 11 miles per gallon…not too shabby. But when we arrive, we can ride around in the jeep and get 18 miles per gallon around the city! Cha-ching! More money in our pockets, which makes us happy campers!

Dakle, evo ga! Jasno je da smo veoma zadovoljni našom odlukom da sa sedla pređemo na kuću na točkovima! Izabrali smo Winnebago Navion 24D 2018 i zaljubljeni smo! We named her “Wanda” because she allows us to “wanda” around the country while feeding our “wanda-lust”. Or, as my dad says, we “wanda” how we’re going to pay for her! But, as they say, not all who “wanda” are lost. Ha! Okay, that’s enough puns!