Community Forums

Ronr1956 · 01-31-2022, 01:00 PM

Full disclosure - retirement is around the corner. We want to purchase a used 34-38' RV for a 4-6 month road trip. We've spent a lot of time in other parts of the country, but only on 1-2 week vacations. Now, we're looking at spending more time in some areas where we may possibly purchase a 2nd home.
OK - so we've identified size and even manufacturers that we like. Here's my question? We've seen some rigs with ovens and washer/dryer built in. Trying to decide how important these items are? I know they are in the home, but are they a necessity for the road...or just a really nice option?
Any and all comments/thoughts appreciated. Cheers!

HenryH001 · 01-31-2022, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ronr1956

Full disclosure - retirement is around the corner. We want to purchase a used 34-38' RV for a 4-6 month road trip. We've spent a lot of time in other parts of the country, but only on 1-2 week vacations. Now, we're looking at spending more time in some areas where we may possibly purchase a 2nd home.
OK - so we've identified size and even manufacturers that we like. Here's my question? We've seen some rigs with ovens and washer/dryer built in. Trying to decide how important these items are? I know they are in the home, but are they a necessity for the road...or just a really nice option?
Any and all comments/thoughts appreciated. Cheers!

Only you can answer that. For me I can do without both. If I had to choose between one with both but had to open the slides to use I would go without. Being able to use them with the slides in I would like them more.

Crasher · 01-31-2022, 01:14 PM

The washer and dryer are nice options, but not necessary. We've always had them, but didn't always use them. They are small and you need to do a load more often than in your home. The dryers take a long time to get the clothes dry. Sometimes it was just better to stop at a laundromat grab a good book and do it in a couple of washers and big dryer. Other times, we would do a couple of small loads in the coach. It's can be a convenience at times but not a necessity.

Our microwave is a convection oven and works well.

Bagger97 · 01-31-2022, 01:19 PM

Every campground we go to has a laundromat so no on the w/d. You don’t say whether your looking at gas or diesel. Some gas coaches are very close to the gvw and a w/d will use up a lot of chassis weight. With a convection m/w you don’t need an oven.

doc · 01-31-2022, 01:23 PM

. We have the w/D-... Never have used it

deckape · 01-31-2022, 01:31 PM

Look at Winneabago's Forza line. Have a 2016 34T with no dinnett . Eat with tv tray's or outside. Center queen, no slide to unfold bed. Get the washer/dryer. Small loads any time , instead of carrying a pillow case of clothes you end up doing a load or dry anytime That cuts down on the amount of clothes ,when you can wash anytime.

snowmen · 01-31-2022, 01:39 PM

The least expensive laundromat to use are normally in state parks. The small washer/dryer combo can only do very small loads and takes a long time to dry. Use the laundromat in the campground where you are staying.

**Camp CA** · 01-31-2022, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ronr1956

.........We've seen some rigs with ovens and washer/dryer built in. Trying to decide how important these items are?..........

Again, only you can decide. Our fifth wheel trailer has a stackable washer and dryer and a gas oven. We really like the washer and dryer for long trips and rarely use the oven since we have a Nija Foodi with Grill, Air Fry, Roast, Bake & Dehydrate functions.

Tha_Rooster · 01-31-2022, 01:48 PM

I have washer dryer they do small loads but good to keep things caught up on a long stay. As for a oven mine has never been turned on we use convection microwave.

snowmen · 01-31-2022, 01:52 PM

The least expensive laundromat are normally found in state parks in the bath houses. Easy to use while camped and convenient. A W/D is really a non-essential in an RV.

UTTransplant · 01-31-2022, 01:59 PM

I love my stackable washer and dryer! We boondock a lot, so I don’t use it when dry camping, but as soon as we hit a RV park, we start doing laundry. There are a number of things I have that I don’t like using commercial laundromats for - too much variability in temperatures of water or drying. Since I didn’t have a set for the first 30 years, I would put them in the “optional for some, but mandatory for me now and in the future” category.

AnotherMike · 01-31-2022, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ronr1956

Full disclosure - retirement is around the corner. We want to purchase a used 34-38' RV for a 4-6 month road trip. We've spent a lot of time in other parts of the country, but only on 1-2 week vacations. Now, we're looking at spending more time in some areas where we may possibly purchase a 2nd home.
OK - so we've identified size and even manufacturers that we like. Here's my question? We've seen some rigs with ovens and washer/dryer built in. Trying to decide how important these items are? I know they are in the home, but are they a necessity for the road...or just a really nice option?
Any and all comments/thoughts appreciated. Cheers!

Are you buying new or used or renting?

If new, then order it with both options pre-wired / pre-plumbed. And note what make and model it's set up for. Then if you decide you need one or the other it's just a case of buying the device and installing it. Until then you can use the washer-dryer space for an additional storage cabinet that you bolted to the floor.

Don't expect to have the performance of a home washer-dryer. You will be doing smaller loads and more loads and taking longer to dry.

If renting, I would rent one with a working washer / dryer set. But that's my history talking.

In my case I can do without an oven as long as the convention microwave works and I have charcoal for the hibachi, but I'd hate to be dependent on laundromats. Murphy's law says that your trip schedule won't match the frequency that the dirty clothes pile reaches the threshold of "laundromat visit" time. You will then find yourself wasting a third of a day doing laundry at an inconvenient point in your schedule.

Then there is the case of there not much RV parking around a typical mini-mall storefront laundromat, and finding a space that a your 34 foot RV can fit into and get out of. You're dreaming. I'm lucky to find a spot for a Toyota Corolla near the local laundromat. You'll be parking at least 2 or 3 blocks away.

Around here you don't find laundromats in the middle to good neighborhoods... only in the poor ones. Some of the characters you find in a laundromat are, to be generous and polite, a few beers short of a 6-pack and ... outright weird. You won't want to be doing laundry between 6pm and midnight...

And there are risks you might not think of... a number of years ago I had a situation where the washer in our sticks-and-bricks house died, and it was going to take a while to get it working or purchase a replacement.

We had to use the local laundromat for about four and a half weeks.

I always went with her ... I was the designated pack mule and protector... and the one that went out the previous day and got a roll of quarters. I watched her check each machine before filling it up... But one time that didn't help. DW had one entire load of clothes destroyed... And it was a load that was most of her good undies. She had to trash the entire load. That was expensive. After it was all over we suspected that the last load that had been run through the machine had been a load of filthy greasy shop rags.

Mike

HighDesert · 01-31-2022, 02:08 PM

Our longer trips had required us going to laundromats and spend $10 or more for wash and dry, plus 2 or more hours of sitting around. The used rig we got last fall has a W/D and an oven. Our last class A had neither. We have used the dryer to dry towels, after showering and will use the washer as needed. If we have a really large amount, then
we may opt for the laundromat.
As for the oven, we really don’t use the one we have other than storing pots and pans. We do have a convection microwave that we use. I wish we had the drawer storage rather than the oven. I did turn it on to make sure it’s works, but that’s it.

dizcom · 01-31-2022, 02:22 PM

As others have said, you probably won't use an oven, especially if you have a convection microwave. We use our W/D all the time. We wouldn't switch back to laundromats. Frees up your time. Most campgrounds do have laundromats, but not all of them will be near where you are parked, not all of them will have machines ready for you to use when you want to use them, and not all of them have working machines. You won't need to bake, but you will need clean clothes. Certainly don't plan your purchase around a W/D, but don't discount the convenience factor they bring.