Xaiv txoj cai RV tuaj yeem yog qhov nyuaj. Muaj ntau yam kev xaiv! Thawj daim ntawv qhia peb muab rau cov neeg yuav khoom rau RV yog qhov ntawd tsis muaj RV zoo tag nrho 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.

Yuav tsum ncaj ncees, ntau RVers puv sijhawm koj nug feem ntau yuav muaj tsawg kawg yog 2 lossis 3 qhov sib txawv 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.

Koj tuaj yeem nyeem tag nrho cov cov lus qhia rau xaiv txoj cai RV (zoo li tus ncej peb sau, 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.

Rau peb, peb tsis tau muaj RV thiab tsis tshua muaj chaw pw hauv ib qho. Peb tau xaiv lub log thib tsib rau qhov chaw. We loved it, too! In fact, we wrote this post – 10 Yog vim li cas thiaj xaiv lub log thib tsib rau RVing puv sijhawm. Cov laj thawj yog vim li cas peb txiav txim siab rau lub log thib tsib, thiab tseem yog cov txiaj ntsig loj heev los xaiv lub log thib tsib.

Txawm li cas los xij, 8 lub hlis tom qab thaum nws yog lub sijhawm los yuav RV tshiab, peb ua rau peb tus kheej xav tsis thoob thaum peb xaiv hloov mus rau chav kawm c motorhome tsis yog lwm lub log thib tsib. 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.

Ntawm no yog cov laj thawj, txawm li cas los xij, uas peb tau xaiv ib chav kawm c motorhome hloov.

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

Thaum tsiv peb cov khoom tawm ntawm lub tsheb thib tsib, peb rub tawm ntau yam uas peb tsis tau siv 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 lub RV. Yog li, ntau tus neeg yuav xaiv RV loj dua kom txog thaum lawv paub tias lawv xav tau tsawg npaum li cas. It’s extremely common for full-time RVers to downsize their RV during or after their first year on the road. Nyob rau hauv ib txoj kev, mus dhau cov theem, yog ib feem ntawm cov txheej txheem ntawm simplifying koj lub neej.

Maneuverability > nyob qhov chaw

Peb poob ib yam dab tsi nyob ib ncig ntawm 50 sq ft thaum peb downsized los ntawm peb lub log thib tsib mus rau peb chav kawm c. Peb puas nco nws? Tau kawg! Tab sis cov txiaj ntsig peb tau txais ntau dua qhov poob ntawm qhov chaw.

Peb qhov txiaj ntsig zoo tshaj plaws yog qhov ua tau zoo li cas peb chav c yog. Tsav tsheb nws zoo nkaus li zoo li tsav peb lub tsheb qub. 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. Tam sim no, peb pom peb tus kheej muaj kev ntseeg siab kom rub mus rau ze li ntawm txhua qhov chaw yooj yim, tsis tas yuav tshuaj xyuas daim iav kom ntseeg tau tias peb yuav tshem tawm qhov kev txwv, thiab Lindsay xav tias 100% nyiam tsav tsheb txhua lub sijhawm. 

Cov hnub mus ncig yooj yim dua

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.

Tam sim no, cia kuv pib piav qhia qhov txawv ntawm hnub mus ncig los ntawm kev hais tias thaum kuv sau tsab ntawv no, peb tab tom tsav tsheb mus rau Nashville. Kuv zaum xis thiab nyab xeeb ntawm lub rooj noj mov thaum Dan tsav tsheb. When it’s lunch time, I’ll get up and ua rau peb ib tug qhaub cij tsis tas yuav tsum nres thiab yog tias kuv xav tau siv chav dej…no problem! The dogs can move around a bit more too.

Auj, thiab ua ntej peb tawm ntawm qhov chaw, nws tsuas yog siv peb txog 10-15 feeb los ntim, disconnect, thiab tshem tawm. Tsis muaj hitching thiab strapping down. Peb khaws cov khoom pov tseg, rub lub swb rau hauv, tshem tawm peb qhov sib txuas, dhia hauv thiab mus! Peb mus sai sai thiab feem ntau tsuas yog nyob 1 lub lis piam ntawm ib lub sij hawm nyob rau hauv qhov chaw tshiab, yog li qhov no loj heev rau peb!

Thib tsib lub log 38C Cam khwb cia sab saum toj phaj-trailer tsheb qhov chaw Hitch Heavy Duty Hitch

Cov chaw ua haujlwm zoo dua

Txawm hais tias ntau tus qauv tshiab ntawm lub log thib tsib muaj qhov chaw ua haujlwm zoo, peb tsis tau ua. Peb qhov chaw ua haujlwm nkaus xwb yog nyob rau ntawm chav ua noj dinette Qhov no muaj cov rooj zaum ntoo me me uas tsis muaj lub cushions rov qab thiab tsis tshua muaj qhov chaw txaus kom nyob deb ntawm lub rooj. Lub rooj muag zaub dinette nrog cov cushions zoo yog qhov ua tau zoo dua rau txhua hnub zaum.

Yog hais tias lub dinette tau txais neeg coob heev rau peb ob leeg, kuv nyiam ua hauj lwm hauv lub rooj zaum neeg nrog caij, uas tig mus rau ntawm qhov chaw nyob. Kuj tseem muaj ib lub rooj uas kuv tuaj yeem teeb tsa, uas tuaj yeem muab tso rau pem hauv ntej ntawm lub rooj zaum, yog tias kuv xav tias zoo li cozy thiab saib TV thaum kuv sau ntawv. Yog li ntawd peb muaj 3 kev xaiv ntawm chaw ua haujlwm! 

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.

Tam sim no uas kuv nyiam tsav tsheb RV tshiab, Dan tuaj yeem ua haujlwm thaum kuv tsav tsheb. Cov hnub mus txawv tebchaws tsis txhais hais tias peb yuav tsum tau siv sijhawm deb ntawm kev ua haujlwm. It’s all about efficiency and multi-tasking, right? And our weekends are free for adventuring!

Zoo dua gas mileage

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.

Tam sim no, lub motorhome ib leeg tau txais cov pa roj ib yam li lub tsheb ib leeg, 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!

Yog li ntawd koj muaj nws! Kom meej meej, peb zoo siab heev nrog peb qhov kev txiav txim siab hloov ntawm lub log thib tsib mus rau lub tsev tsav tsheb! Peb xaiv 2018 Winnebago Navion 24D thiab hlub! 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!