How do you do without a car???

[frankdamp]

We haven't found a need for a toad in the three seasons we've had the Class A. Maybe it's because we rarely stay more than two nights anywhere and we do our sightseeing and grocery shopping en-route.

[sirpurrcival]

Basically it comes down to planning. You have to think of your destination, how long you are going to be there and basically how you are going to get about while you are there.

We often take bikes with us. A bit of a drag when it is wet out but often very handy for that 3 or 4 mile ride from a campground into town. The best part is that you can often go right to where you want, no worries about parking, etc. etc. The rest is just pure planning. If you are going to be 3 days at a place where getting supplies is difficult, you make sure you have supplies to last you at least 4. Pick up groceries and such in transit. Don't wait till you have parked and set up before doing this. By then it may be too late. If worse comes to worse, you up stakes and drive to where you need to be and come back later and setup again.

Don't forget about public transit either. Buses and even taxi's are options depending again on where you are and can often be very informative ways to sight see.

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by HD4Mark

This past weekend we went on a short trip with friends to a CG we figured we would never need the car. We dragged it along anyway just in case. Its total drive was from unhooking it to parking it in front of the MH and back.

That's what we did last time out, but my wife has serious medical problems and, if I needed to get her to the emergency room and ICU, I'd meet the ambulance at the freeway.

[GC Rapidman]

OK, so I'm getting a lot of yeas or nays, but what I was looking for was practical tips on what I might need to plan for if I try to take a trip, let's say three weeks, without a toad.

Thanks!

[BBQ Judge]

We are finishing our first season without a toad; so far in 55 nights, we haven't said "we should have a toad." I know it will eventually happen but as already mentioned, rent a car. I like having everything with me, no more "it's back in the campground." Also, the Winnebago is a very comfortable husband's bench when the wife is in a quilt shop.

Each morning before leaving the campground, decide what stops you need to make while traveling that day, groceries, gas, etc. Most tourist traps and their towns have RV parking, usually a little farther away than auto parking, but then I need the exercise. I don't mind tearing down and setting up each day, it's just part of the daily routine. Auto levelers and not hooking up the sewer until I need to dump helps shorten this routine. If you plan on stopping at a restaurant, do so before or after the meal's rush hour, parking is usually available.

Some experimentation on your part will show what works and what doesn't for you.

[RedWing Nut]

Originally Posted by GC Rapidman

OK, so I'm getting a lot of yeas or nays, but what I was looking for was practical tips on what I might need to plan for if I try to take a trip, let's say three weeks, without a toad.

Thanks!

How will you spend the three weeks? If you are going to a destination park, try to find one with a few stores within walking distance. Look at the park with Google maps satellite view to see what is nearby.

If you will be moving from campground to campground you won't need a toad.

[HD4Mark]

Originally Posted by GC Rapidman

OK, so I'm getting a lot of yeas or nays, but what I was looking for was practical tips on what I might need to plan for if I try to take a trip, let's say three weeks, without a toad.

Thanks!

One thing we tried to do is make sure we were stocked up on canned goods like soup and other non perishable foods. That way if we were at a destination where the grocery was not easily accessible it was not a problem. Same goes if you were to have bicycles and the weather turned bad.

There are also CGs that have transportation to local attractions. Some KOAs though not cheap have a bus. If there is location you want to visit you could look online for the CGs nearby and see if they advertize transportation.

Cabs can work too. In the town where we spend most of our winter a taxi is $5. They are more like a shuttle because they will pick up other fares on the way but for the price who cares. Quiz the CG management about local transportation like that.

If you don't mind a few minor inconveniences going without a toad will still be fun and one less thing to maintain.

[Dogpatch]

If you read my post #4, we travelled 5 days out of the 18 days. We didn't tow. We rented cars at different destinations we would be staying at for several days. Of the 18 days holiday, we had a rented car for 8. It cost me (with a corporate discount) $655.00 for the 8 days of rental car use. I had bought my wife a new car, so didn't want to damage it by putting it on the Dolley we had. Having the rental car enabled us to see Seattle, do some shopping and go out for the occasional dinner. I wouldn't have taken our coach to downtown Seattle. Once out at the Oregon coast, we stayed at 2 different places. Having the rental car got us to see many more sites and places without setting up and tearing down. My usual rule of thumb now is, if we are just going to a destination for 3-4 days and the isn't much to see or do, for instance like going to a hot springs, then I don't tow. Another consideration is the terrain we are going through. In my 18 day trip, 4 days were traveling through the mountains. Some with some steep up and down grades. We had a gasser with no exhaust brake. That can be hard on your brakes and hard on fuel.

Essentially, there are a lot of factors that can determine your needs to tow or not to tow. Is your RV set up to tow? What weight can you tow? can your present vehicle be towed 4 down? if it can, are you keeping it long enough to justify the cost of mounting plates that are proprietary to just that vehicle.

Only you can decide what's going to work for your trip based on your scenarios. If you don't normally tow, you can rent a lot of cars for the cost of purchasing a good tow set up.

[otterprods]

This won't work for everyone but I do have a family of four. We usually only go for a week or two at a time and we don't tow a car or trailer or anything. We have a 23' class C and I just drive it wherever I need to go as if it were just a big truck (which it basically is). It's really easy to hook up, unhook and level and we keep our camping gear really simple and organized so we can head with only a few minutes of prep time, (barring dirty diapers or other unforeseen calamities)... less time than it would take to load everyone and everything up into a separate car for the day. Also I can park it in just about any standard parking space, including parallel spots on city streets. The best part is if we're out and we think 'wow, it would be great to have lunch right here', we totally can because we're in a fully stocked motorhome. Unless we're surrounded by jeep trails, there really aren't any drawbacks to it other than burning a little extra gas, but these days most people's giant SUV's hardly get any better mileage than I do. Of course if I were going to be out for many weeks and/or planned on staying in one spot with lots of long day trips to do, then I'd either tow or drive a separate car.

The key is keeping it small, short and simple, which is getting increasingly harder to do if you just buy whatever the MH lots want to sell you. Of course, if you're in a situation where you really needs a 30+' coach then your options will be limited in that way. But if you're not living in it full time, maybe ask yourself, "Do I really need 800' sq ft of luxurious living space and a hundred different gas powered toys for a couple 3 day weekend trips each summer?".

[Dogpatch]

Originally Posted by otterprods

This won't work for everyone but I do have a family of four. We usually only go for a week or two at a time and we don't tow a car or trailer or anything. We have a 23' class C and I just drive it wherever I need to go as if it were just a big truck (which it basically is). It's really easy to hook up, unhook and level and we keep our camping gear really simple and organized so we can head with only a few minutes of prep time, (barring dirty diapers or other unforeseen calamities)... less time than it would take to load everyone and everything up into a separate car for the day. Also I can park it in just about any standard parking space, including parallel spots on city streets. The best part is if we're out and we think 'wow, it would be great to have lunch right here', we totally can because we're in a fully stocked motorhome. Unless we're surrounded by jeep trails, there really aren't any drawbacks to it other than burning a little extra gas, but these days most people's giant SUV's hardly get any better mileage than I do. Of course if I were going to be out for many weeks and/or planned on staying in one spot with lots of long day trips to do, then I'd either tow or drive a separate car.

The key is keeping it small, short and simple, which is getting increasingly harder to do if you just buy whatever the MH lots want to sell you. Of course, if you're in a situation where you really needs a 30+' coach then your options will be limited in that way. But if you're not living in it full time, maybe ask yourself, "Do I really need 800' sq ft of luxurious living space and a hundred different gas powered toys for a couple 3 day weekend trips each summer?".

I don't know about others, but I have the space, I have all the different toys and I like to have it all with me so I can use it how and whenever I want to. Some times everything comes out, sometimes only a little comes out. It depends on how long I'm staying and the weather. Just me thinking out loud.

[rlastar]

We also have a 23 foot MH and use it as my car wherever we go. Never had any problems going anywhere and easy to parallel park. I usually have my wife go outside to make sure of no fender benders.

Why are so many Class A owners posting on this board? This is a Class C board.

[HD4Mark]

Originally Posted by rlastar

Why are so many Class A owners posting on this board? This is a Class C board.

I will read posts I see in the recent discussion box and not even notice what board I am in. Our last MH was a Class C though. There are days when I wish we had it back.

[Route 66]

Since iRV2 is inclusive not exclusive, all members are welcome to post in any forum.

Originally Posted by rlastar

Why are so many Class A owners posting on this board? This is a Class C board.

[topdownman]

I'll admit I always pull my toad. It's sort of my security blanket in case something goes wrong with the MH. I feel naked without it