De juste RV kieze kin in útdaging wêze. D'r binne SO folle opsjes! It earste advys dat wy jouwe minsken dy't winkelje foar in RV is dat der is NO perfekte RV 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.

Om earlik te wêzen, in protte full-time RVers jo freegje hawwe nei alle gedachten hie op syn minst 2 of 3 ferskillende RVs. 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.

Jo kinne lêze alle tips foar it kiezen fan it rjocht RV (lykas de post dy't wy skreaun hawwe, 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.

Foar ús, wy hiene nea eigendom fan in RV en hie amper sels kampearre yn ien. Wy keas automatysk in fyfde tsjil foar de romte. We loved it, too! In fact, we wrote this post – 10 redenen om in fyfde tsjil te kiezen foar fulltime RVing. Dy redenen wiene krekt wêrom't wy besletten op in fyfde tsjil , en binne noch grutte foardielen te kiezen in fyfde tsjil .

Lykwols, 8 moannen letter doe't it tiid wie om in nijere RV te keapjen, wy hielendal fernuvere ússels doe't wy keas in oerstap nei in klasse c camper ynstee fan in oar fyfde tsjil. 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.

Hjir binne de redenen, lykwols, dat wy úteinlik kieze in klasse c motorhome ynstee.

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

By it ferpleatsen fan ús guod út de fyfde tsjil, wy helle safolle dingen út dy't wy noait brûkten 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 de RV. Dat, in protte minsken sille in gruttere RV kieze oant se realisearje hoe lyts se eins nedich binne. It’s extremely common for full-time RVers to downsize their RV during or after their first year on the road. Op in manier is it troch de stadia gean diel fan it proses fan it ferienfâldigjen fan jo libben.

Manoeuvreerberens > wenromte

Wy ferlearen wat om 50 sq ft doe't wy fermindere fan ús fyfde tsjil nei ús klasse c. Misje wy it? Fansels! Mar de foardielen dy't wy krigen hawwe, binne grutter as it ferlies fan romte.

Us favorite foardiel is hoe manoeuvreerber ús klasse c is. It riden fielt hiel gelyk oan it riden fan ús âlde frachtwein. 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. No fine wy ​​ússels selsbetrouwen om hast oeral maklik yn te lûken, sûnder konstant de spegel te hoege te kontrolearjen om te soargjen dat wy in stoep sille wiskje, en Lindsay fielt 100% noflik riden op elk momint. 

Makliker reisdagen

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.

No, lit my it ferskil yn reisdagen begjinne te ferklearjen troch te sizzen dat wy, wylst ik dizze post skriuw, nei Nashville ride. Ik sit noflik en feilich by de dinette as Dan rydt. When it’s lunch time, I’ll get up and meitsje ús in broadsje sûnder te stopjen en as ik moat brûk it toilet…no problem! The dogs can move around a bit more too.

Och, en foardat wy earne fuortgean, nimt it ús allinich oer 10-15 minuten om te pakken, ôfbrekke, en nimme ôf. Net mear oanhingje en riemen del. Wy stowe items fuort, lûke de slide yn, meitsje ús hook-ups los, springe yn en gean! Wy reizgje fluch en bliuwe typysk mar 1 wike tagelyk op nije plakken, dus dit is enoarm foar ús!

Fyfde tsjil 38C Cast top plaat-trailer frachtwein dielen Hitch Heavy Duty Hitch

Better wurkromten

Hoewol't in protte nijere modellen fan fyfde tsjillen hawwe grutte wurk romten, ús net. Us ienige wurk gebiet wie by de keuken dinette Dit bestie út lytse houten stuollen dy't hie hie gjin rêch kessens en amper genôch romte te wêzen in noflike ôfstân fuort fan 'e tafel. De dinette fan 'e stand mei kwaliteitskussens is folle praktysker foar de hiele dei sitten.

As de dinette foar ús beide te drok wurdt, wurkje ik leaver yn 'e passazjiersstoel, dy't omdraait nei de wenkeamer. Der is ek in útnimbere tafel dy't ik opsette kin, dy't boppedat foar de bank pleatst wurde kin, as ik ekstra gesellich bin en televyzje sjen wylst ik skriuw. Wy hawwe dêrom 3 opsjes fan wurkromten! 

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.

No't ik nofliker mei de nije RV ride, kin Dan wurkje wylst ik ryd. Reisdagen betsjutte net mear dat wy tiid nimme moatte fan it wurk. It’s all about efficiency and multi-tasking, right? And our weekends are free for adventuring!

Better gas kilometers

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.

No krijt de motorhome allinnich deselde gaskilometer as de frachtwein allinnich, 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!

Dus dêr hawwe jo it! It is dúdlik dat wy tige bliid binne mei ús beslút om te wikseljen fan in fyfde tsjil nei in motorhome! Wy keas in 2018 Winnebago Navion 24D en binne fereale! 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!