Move down in size??

[l1v3fr33ord1]

cuffumdano-

I'm old enough to have seen "Hawaii Five-O" when it originally released on TV, so I appreciate your user "handle."

I also appreciate both your as-yet-fully-understood desire to downsize, and your as-yet-fully-confused state of mind as you ponder the options. Here are my two cents, as a guy who has owned only one (!) 27-foot class C, and is looking at a 31-foot Class A.

1) If you and your partner are young, have no pets, are on roughly the same daily schedule and can live together happily in a studio apartment, then go as small as you dare.

2) If, on the other hand, you are older, have pets, are on different daily schedules and "need some space" from each other from time to time, then a mid-size Class C (oh, 24 to 28 feet) may be what you want to consider.

3) With small RVs, you only have to worry about one vehicle. People in larger RVs have to decide if they need to tow a separate vehicle (a "toad") in order to get around conveniently. When you go below 27 feet or so, a toad is optional, and below 24 feet a toad is rare. (people will argue about the lengths I've thrown out).

4) Floorplan is more important than size.

5) If you can, "play house" in each candidate RV for a few hours. Imagine where you will put things, how you will perform frequent activities, etc. Answer, for instance, where do you sit while your partner is cooking or sleeping? Is the bed the only couch in the place? Can you towel off in the shower? You get the idea. Don't forget walking through the motions of hooking up, dumping tanks, getting out any tools and such, too.

6) Consider a used RV from a higher-end manufacturer. If you find you've changed your mind later, you'll have an easier time selling.

On that last point, you may want to look at the Lazy Daze Class C motorhomes. They make a 24-foot and a 27-foot model. We owned the 27-foot, and they really are as well-built as their reputation says. I am sure there are several other quality manufacturers, although I don't have experience with them and so can't make any helpful recommendations. (That's a plea for other forum members not to flame me for mentioning Lazy Daze!)

Well, perhaps this amounts to four cents, rather than two. ;-)

All the best in your search,
Mark

[nothermark]

One of the things to consider when comparing an A to a C is that the front 4 ft on a C is wasted space as it is a front facing cab with no desk for the passenger. It is storage when parked. Otherwise useless. With an A you can turn the seats around or use the passenger desk with a laptop or paper and get some usable space that way.

FWIW it's really hard to get away from each other in anything shorter than ~ 28 ft and with a bedroom slide if you want more than a nap. That might be pushing it depending on the layout.

[cuffumdano]

Thanks for all of the input! We actually went RV looking yesterday and by the time we were done we made the decision to keep the one we have. Our plan is to go south and stay in it for 2-3 months and see how we feel about it then. That way I feel like we will have a little more insight as to what we actually enjoy doing better, moving every few days and covering miles or staying put for an extended amount of time. Anxious now to find where to go near Clearwater Fla. for warmer winter and see some family.
Safe travels wherever the road takes you all!!


2011 Serrano 31X
Wonderful Life

[kayserc]

Originally Posted by l1v3fr33ord1

cuffumdano-

I'm old enough to have seen "Hawaii Five-O" when it originally released on TV, so I appreciate your user "handle."

I also appreciate both your as-yet-fully-understood desire to downsize, and your as-yet-fully-confused state of mind as you ponder the options. Here are my two cents, as a guy who has owned only one (!) 27-foot class C, and is looking at a 31-foot Class A.

1) If you and your partner are young, have no pets, are on roughly the same daily schedule and can live together happily in a studio apartment, then go as small as you dare.

2) If, on the other hand, you are older, have pets, are on different daily schedules and "need some space" from each other from time to time, then a mid-size Class C (oh, 24 to 28 feet) may be what you want to consider.

3) With small RVs, you only have to worry about one vehicle. People in larger RVs have to decide if they need to tow a separate vehicle (a "toad") in order to get around conveniently. When you go below 27 feet or so, a toad is optional, and below 24 feet a toad is rare. (people will argue about the lengths I've thrown out).

4) Floorplan is more important than size.

5) If you can, "play house" in each candidate RV for a few hours. Imagine where you will put things, how you will perform frequent activities, etc. Answer, for instance, where do you sit while your partner is cooking or sleeping? Is the bed the only couch in the place? Can you towel off in the shower? You get the idea. Don't forget walking through the motions of hooking up, dumping tanks, getting out any tools and such, too.

6) Consider a used RV from a higher-end manufacturer. If you find you've changed your mind later, you'll have an easier time selling.

On that last point, you may want to look at the Lazy Daze Class C motorhomes. They make a 24-foot and a 27-foot model. We owned the 27-foot, and they really are as well-built as their reputation says. I am sure there are several other quality manufacturers, although I don't have experience with them and so can't make any helpful recommendations. (That's a plea for other forum members not to flame me for mentioning Lazy Daze!)

Well, perhaps this amounts to four cents, rather than two. ;-)

All the best in your search,
Mark

We are in the market for a new B+ or C to replace our 27N Itasca. We are headed to Hershey MH show on Thursday to poke around. Never considered Lazy Daze but their pricing seems reasonable. Question: I would bring unit to my dealer for servicing (I live in VA.). Can I assume Lazy Daze would honor all warranty-related work? What is/was your experience?

Chuck k

[Patti Brown]

Originally Posted by nothermark

One of the things to consider when comparing an A to a C is that the front 4 ft on a C is wasted space as it is a front facing cab with no desk for the passenger. It is storage when parked. Otherwise useless. With an A you can turn the seats around or use the passenger desk with a laptop or paper and get some usable space that way.

FWIW it's really hard to get away from each other in anything shorter than ~ 28 ft and with a bedroom slide if you want more than a nap. That might be pushing it depending on the layout.

X10 on that! Those were some of the reasons we just moved from a 32' Class C to a 34' Class A and are thrilled with our decision! Also, the view looking forward in the Class A is incredible, so much better than it was in the Class C.

[Libero]

We have been RVING for 50+ years and tents before that. Have had PopUps, TT'S, including an Airstream, Class C, A's including 2 40' DP'S. One with a Tag Axel. We downsized to a 25' Leisure Van Libero and love it. But each unit we had along the way met our needs, and often our budget at the time. Right now we like the mobility and flexibility of the B+. DW can drive it comfortably and we sometimes tow a Smart Car when we want additional transport options, but don't take the car when we are just touring and not going to be anyplace for an extended period. So for us, it was time to downsize. We are both in the mid 70's and plan to keep going with the B+ type for several years yet. We looked at the smaller B models but are not ready to scale down that small but they do have pros & cons. Well my comments might even be worth a nickel to some as oposed to 2 cents or less since we have had such a variety of rigs over many years, I have found out the only real constant is change. So whatever works for you at the time is the right way to go.

[baraff]

**IF** I were to buy another motorhome, I would look at the Allegro Breeze 28. Currently we have a Winnebago Aspect 26A and we love it, but the corner bed is a bit of a nightmare, both to sleep in and make up. We improved it considerably by buying a Sleep Number bed, and I installed some waterbed sheet straps that make making up the bed a breeze. So we are in no hurry to change at this point.
I like the Breeze because it has all the amenities we would want in a size still small enough to let us utilize state and federal parks; we do not stay in RV parks or private campgrounds unless there is no other choice. It's also a beautiful RV, in my opinion.

[kayserc]

Originally Posted by cuffumdano

We currently have a 31' with a front diesel. Very nice rig and we enjoy it but we just did five weeks on the road and are contemplating selling and going to a 24' class c. Has anyone else done this and were you satisfied with your decision?
We just didn't need all the room for two people.
Thoughts?Attachment 105191


2011 Serrano 31X
Wonderful Life

We own a 28 ft class A and, like you, don't need all the room for two people. Also, wife and I just do not like the panoramic view afforded by the front window. Way too distracting! Plus, I really miss being able to enter and leave via side doors like my F150. Our other two units were C's and were more comfortable to drive. 24 - 25 ft with adequate storage would be just the ticket.

chuck k

[Okiedoke]

Originally Posted by kayserc

... wife and I just do not like the panoramic view afforded by the front window. Way too distracting!
chuck k

First time I've read this opinion on the view from a class A. It is so interesting to see the different preferences among rv'ers.

[l1v3fr33ord1]

Originally Posted by kayserc

We are in the market for a new B+ or C to replace our 27N Itasca. We are headed to Hershey MH show on Thursday to poke around. Never considered Lazy Daze but their pricing seems reasonable. Question: I would bring unit to my dealer for servicing (I live in VA.). Can I assume Lazy Daze would honor all warranty-related work? What is/was your experience?

Chuck k

Chuck-

We bought our coach used, out-of-warranty, so I can't speak from experience about buying new. Here's what I found as an owner, though.

Lazy Daze (LD) expects to repair warranty issues at the factory (Montclair, CA). According to our 1997 owner's manual, there is a procedure for non-factory warranty repairs. See the attached pages from that manual for details. As LD's built the same coach designs (with refinements) for 58 years, I'd expect the 2016 manual to read the same.

Don't be put off by the return-to-factory thing, even if though you live in Virginia. LDs are well-built, and (from what I've read) the factory won't send you off in your new coach without a thorough checkout. The things I would see failing before the warranty was up are those related to the purchased components, not the coach.

Having a Lazy Daze is like marrying into a large family. Among LD owners, the factory has the nickname "the mothership," and indeed in the LD 'family" the factory plays the role of the powerful oldest matriarch. The major difference is that she doesn't interfere in your marriage to her daughter. You call her for advice, but you don't have to follow it.

To extend the analogy further, you have many brothers- and sisters-in-law among fellow LD owners. There's an active, knowledgeable and passionate LD owner's group, with several Yahoo group websites. In addition to the Lazy Daze "corporate" Web site, you may want to glance at the "Lazy Daze Companion" site:

The Lazy Daze Companion

One more thing: Lazy Daze has a short list of options and (I've read) doesn't dicker on price. Pick your paint colors and a few other things, and otherwise you buy what they build, at the price they set. This will rub some people the wrong way. Others, though, will appreciate the "what you see is what you get" approach.

All the best in your search. If you see any LDs at Hershey in the attendee parking areas, knock on the doors and ask to look inside, or leave a note if they're not there. Lazy Daze owners are pretty cool about that. Feel free to send me a private message if you want more insight.

Mark

[MtCamper]

I'll jump in here for what it's worth. We are 62 and about to become serious snowbirds this year. I began RVing by celebrating my 1st birth day in a 15' Shasta. During our 43 year marriage, we've owned everything that camps. We've come to the conclusion that, for the time being, we are travelers and dry campers. We traded our American Eagle for a 34' fiver and last year traded that for a Outdoors RV 20FQ. Slides to no slides. Lounger to no lounger. We got tired of not being able to stop/camp where we wanted. The big rigs are great when parked, but we travel most every day and like to stay in state/national parks. We also want to boondock for up to a week at a time without sacrificing showers, Tv and all the other comforts. We could not be happier. AS we age, I can see us going to a class B/C and towing a Jeep to offroad with. Now we double tow a side by side, but have to unhook to park. We absolutely love our new smaller, simpler lifestyle. It's all up to what you want and where you're going.

[Smitty77]

OP - I think you're making the right decision, to go try some longer trips and still see if you feel you have 'too much space'!

"Very nice rig and we enjoy it but we just did five weeks on the road and are contemplating selling and going to a 24' class c."

The key thing I read out of this sentence in your first post, was your comment on "Very nice rig and we enjoy it..." - that says it all.

Good luck on you longer travel, and sorting this all out. But having a rig that you know, and like already - is a real plus. And frankly, many consider your size rig already too small for longer extended periods... But, as others have said - it is what you think that matters...

On a personal note, my wife and I are in what we feel is a good coach, and has adequate space and livability for our travels. We go out for a 3-4 months at a time, then back to check on family. Expect we'll do this with this coach for about 10 years more or so. If I were to do anything else at this time, I would go to a 42-43' coach, instead of our 40'. More for the lower basement storage, then for interior livability. We have already talked about future downsizing for out in the future past 10 years. Currently, we think the sweet spot will be a 36' DP - small enough to get into most parks, and yet still large enough to travel for extended periods, with pets. But, that is just us! What matters, is what you two want...

Best of luck to you,
Smitty