De richtege RV auswielen kann eng Erausfuerderung sinn. Et gi SOU vill Optiounen! Déi éischt Rotschléi, déi mir de Leit ginn, déi en RV akafen, ass dat et gëtt KEE perfekt 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.

Fir éierlech ze sinn, vill Äre ganzdeegleche RVers Dir froen hu wahrscheinlech op d'mannst haten 2 oder 3 verschiddene 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.

Dir kënnt all liesen Tipps fir déi richteg RV ze wielen (wéi de Post dee mir geschriwwen hunn, 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.

Fir eis, mir haten ni e RV Besëtz an hu knapps och an engem campéiert. Mir hunn automatesch e fënneften Rad fir de Raum gewielt. We loved it, too! In fact, we wrote this post – 10 Grënn fir e fënneften Rad fir Vollzäit RVing ze wielen. Déi Grënn ware genee firwat mir op engem fënneften decidéiert Rad , a sinn nach grousse Virdeeler fir e fënneften Rad ze wielen.

Wéi och ëmmer, 8 Méint méi spéit wéi et Zäit war en neien RV ze kafen, mir hunn eis ganz iwwerrascht, wéi mer eis gewielt hunn, op eng Klass c-Motorhome ze wiesselen amplaz vun engem anere fënneften Rad. 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.

Hei sinn d'Grënn, awer, datt mir amplaz e Motorhome vun der Klass C gewielt hunn.

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

Wann Plënneren eis Saachen aus de fënneften Rad, mir hu sou vill Saachen erausgezunn déi mir ni benotzt hunn 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 den RV. Also, vill Leit wäerten e gréissere RV wielen bis se realiséieren wéi wéineg se tatsächlech brauchen. It’s extremely common for full-time RVers to downsize their RV during or after their first year on the road. Op eng Manéier, duerch d'Etappen goen, ass en Deel vum Prozess fir Äert Liewen ze vereinfachen.

Manöverbarkeet> Wunnraum

Mir hunn eppes ronderëm 50 sq ft verluer wéi mir vun eisem fënneften Rad op eis Klass c erofgaange sinn. Vermësse mir et? Natierlech! Awer d'Virdeeler, déi mir gewonnen hunn, iwwerwannen de Raumverloscht.

Eise Liiblingsvirdeel ass wéi manöverbar eis Klass C ass. Fueren fillt sech ganz ähnlech wéi eisen ale Camion ze fueren. 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. Elo fanne mir eis zouversiichtlech fillen fir bal iwwerall mat Liichtegkeet ze zéien, ouni dauernd de Spigel ze kontrolléieren fir sécherzestellen datt mir e Trottoir läschen, an d'Lindsay fillt sech zu all Moment 100% bequem ze fueren. 

Méi einfach Reesdeeg

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.

Elo, loosst mech ufänken den Ënnerscheed an de Reesdeeg z'erklären andeems ech soen datt wéi ech dëse Post schreiwen, mir fueren op Nashville. Ech sëtze gemittlech a sécher op der Dinette wéi den Dan fiert. When it’s lunch time, I’ll get up and maachen eis e Sandwich ouni opzehalen a wann ech muss benotzen d'Toilette…no problem! The dogs can move around a bit more too.

Oh, a ier mer iergendwou fortgeet, brauch et eis nëmmen ongeféier 10-15 Minutten ze packen, trennen, an ofhuelen. Kee méi eropklammen an erofsetzen. Mir stoussen Saachen ewech, zéien de Rutsch eran, trennen eis Hook-ups of, sprangen eran a ginn! Mir reesen séier a bleiwen normalerweis nëmmen 1 Woch gläich op neie Plazen, also ass dat enorm fir eis!

Fënneften Rad 38C Goss top plate-Trailer Camion Deeler Hitch Heavy Duty Hitch

Besser Aarbechtsplazen

Och wa vill méi nei Modeller vu fënneften Rieder super Aarbechtsplazen hunn, hunn eis net. Eis eenzeg Aarbecht Beräich war an der Kichen Dinette Dëst bestoung aus kleng hëlzent Still déi keng zréck Këssen haten a kaum genuch Plaz eng komfortabel Distanz ewech vum Dësch ze sinn. D'Stand Dinette mat Qualitéitskissen ass vill méi praktesch fir de ganzen Dag ze sëtzen.

Wann d'Dinett fir eis allebéid ze voll gëtt, schaffen ech léiwer am Passagéierstull, deen sech ëm d'Wunnfläch dréint. Et gëtt och en eraushuelbaren Dësch, deen ech opstelle kann, deen zousätzlech virum Canapé gesat ka ginn, wann ech Loscht hunn extra gemittlech ze sinn an Fernseh kucken wärend ech schreiwen. Mir hunn also 3 Optiounen fir Aarbechtsplazen! 

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.

Elo wou ech méi bequem mam neie RV fueren, kann den Dan schaffen wärend ech fueren. Reesdeeg bedeiten net méi, datt mir Zäit vun der Aarbecht mussen huelen. It’s all about efficiency and multi-tasking, right? And our weekends are free for adventuring!

Besser Gas Kilometerpunkten

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.

Elo kritt de Motorhome eleng dee selwechte Gaskilometer wéi de Camion eleng, 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!

Also do hutt Dir et! Kloer si mir ganz zefridden mat eiser Decisioun vun engem fënneften Rad op e Motorhome ze wiesselen! Mir hunn en 2018 Winnebago Navion 24D gewielt a si verléift! 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!