Do you regret buying a travel trailer?

[Alikair]

I'm still on the fence between a TT and a small class B+
If I knew I would like full-time rving I would most likely get a TT, especially if I was boondocking and worried I'd loose my spot if I drove the TV somewhere.

On the other hand if I don't end up full-time I would most likely buy a small class B+ like the cross trek 21XG and take it on far away fishing trips where I could park it by the river. The thing I see negative about a TT is the length when you leave the TV attached. It's 40 plus feet long. That's hard to find side of the road parking.
You really need a camp site.

Do you folks regret not having a MH? In case anyone is interested, my choice of TT would be the Grand Design 17mke.

Please pardon my ignorance. I'm getting rdy to retire and would like to not make a mistake on my 1st purchase. My hope is that I go the full-time route and fish across the states while looking for a new place to live that's got good fishing and cheap living.

Otherwise I may stay here in Oregon after selling my home and rent a house and fish / RV locally.

[R.Wold]

So much of this is personal preference. Both the rigs you mentioned would be too small for me, but then there are two of us and a dog. It sounds like you've got your pros and cons identified. The thing that stands out the most to me is that the TT will limit your ability to get way in on those Forest Service roads to access remote fishing locations. That and full timing in something that small (either one) would be a challenge.

Ive made my way in to remote locations with a 24’ B+ which was just about right. When pulling a 12’ enclosed trailer it made things more difficult. These days Im in a 35’ Class A and pulling a jeep to explore or get to those remote locations. Clearly there are many places I used to go to that I either cant or shouldn't drive the coach to now. Theres always trade-offs.

[Jay D.]

we bought a used T/T thats 10 years old in perfect condition spent it life in a heated shop. we got a real good deal much less that buying a new one. it has a 14' slide out and for the two of us its very comfortable. i really like being able to drop the trailer and take off in the pickup. so you might say i'm very happy with our T/T.
Jay D.

[Tomahawk]

I agree with Jay D. I like dropping the TT in a campsite and driving the TV around. We spend almost all our time away from the campground. Got a 4x4 so we can go more or less where ever we want. We spend a lot of time on forest roads. If I had a MH, I'd need to tow some thing. I look at like 1 100K vehicle and one 50K or one 50K and one 12K. The way we spend time, we'd need to teardown and setup came everyday without a separate vehicle. We spent a week in Yosemite and went from one end of the park to the other in the TV.

[LanceKeys]

Have you thought about a truck camper? The kind that slides in to the back of a pickup? You could use it like a class b or drop it to hold your space while you go explore.

[tuffr2]

No, I do not regret having a travel trailer. I like driving a truck and pulling my TT. I can unhook and have a place to stay plus drive my truck. I do however have a small Yamaha generator.

[Backcountry1]

If I was in your predicament I would most definitely opt for a TT, because you have much more options with it over a small MH. For full timing the TT would be more comfortable, and allows you to keep your TT in one spot or area if wanted but still allows you to travel the area in your TV with no worries as to losing your spot. Plus if something was to happen to the TT you still have your vehicle, if you went with a Class B… well a problem could leave you stranded. And as for fishing spots, you can always find areas close by to base camp from for a couple of days and drop your TT there, and use your vehicle to drive close to your fishing spots.

[scbwr]

We've owned two travel trailers. We kept our first trailer, a 28' Sunline trailer for 10 years and we really enjoyed it. Then we downsized to a smaller Winnebago Minnie trailer. It was a very good trailer, but we found it a bit small for our longer winter stays in Florida. So, three years ago we decided to purchase our first motorhome, which we are enjoying.

In my opinion, a trailer with a good truck is one of the "best buys" as there are lots of choices available and you can minimize costs by buying a used higher quality trailer (or fifth wheel) and truck.

As we are getting a bit older, we're thinking that in a couple of years or so, we will downsize to something smaller and are looking at our options. We can't keep an RV on our property, so it has to be stored off site. Consequently, we are considering something such as a smaller class C or B. We know it will be an adjustment after having the amount of space we have in our motorhome, but some of the smaller rigs have some great designs such as some models of the Winnebago Navion, and they have the capability to tow the car we use with our Bay Star.

As to class B vs. travel trailer, one factor to consider is whether you will be happy using the class B motorhome as your vehicle for running errands an sight seeing. It's very easy with one that is 24' or so, but it does mean that you have to disconnect water/sewer lines and retract any slideouts. If you decide to tow a car, you have the added cost of towbar and modifying your vehicle to be towed four down, or a tow dolly or purchasing a vehicle that can be towed four down.

If you go with a trailer and truck (or suitable vehicle), it can be less expensive and make it easier to simply replace the travel trailer if you decide you want something that is either larger, smaller or better designed for your needs.

For your goal of possibly full timing, I'd personally start with a truck (1 ton) and a travel trailer of fifth wheel because you will have enough space and storage to hit the road either for longer trips or full timing. After doing it for quite a while, you will be in a better position to see if you would be happy downsizing, either to a smaller trailer/fifth wheel which you could do without changing the tow vehicle. Or, if you decide to make a change to a class B or something smaller, your trailer and fifth wheel should be very easy to sell. And, if purchased used at a good price, it may not cost that much to make a change.

But...just my two cents worth. You see full timers in everything from small to huge rigs and a lot of those folks with the smaller rigs are just as happy as the folks with the huge diesel pushers! Keep in mind....it's very difficult to figure out your "ideal" RV! Good luck!

[Traygar]

I’m on my fourth TT, a 24’ with a Murphy bed sofa combination. It’s something I don’t regret buying in the least. Even a class C won’t give me the kind of comfort that I get in this little trailer, and it’ll fit in small campsites. I tow it with a Jeep Gladiator which is perfect for exploring while leaving my trailer set up. It has a generator in back so boondocking is easy.

We did however just get a vintage class A that we’ll be fixing up for some fun trips, but I don’t think we’ll get rid of the TT. It’s just so pleasant and easy.

[amosnandy]

Opinions on this forum are just like.....(I know what you thought i was going to say) There are as many as there are different kinds of RV's.

Everyone is different. Personally, the only reason I would by a TT or 5r is if I was going to put it in a seasonal site and not move it for the next 10-20 years. If you can full time in a van good for you.

Also a class B is way to small and way to inconvenient for me. Plus, while a class B you think you can go so many more places. A single female friend and her dog asked advice on one. I told her no. She wanted to be able to get into the State and National parks, mountains etc. She is a marathon runner and loves to hike and ski and explore. One year in, she came back to me to help her buy and learn to operate a smaller Class A, that she could tow a small car behind because the B was just not working. She called it her $100,000 mistake. Now she is in a 32' class a, towing some little 2200# car and says she can park the class A and go in multiple directions by just turning the car key and driving away.

Facts, if you by a TT and are thinking about traveling cross country, putting on10s of thousands of miles, they are not really built for that. Travel trailers are built to take to the weekend campground, 50-100 miles away and maybe one trip to the National parks.

I have a friend who 3 years ago bought a brand new 26' bunk house for him and his 2 kids. Did some local camping, took one trip to the National parks, 3600 miles, and when he got back from that, he looked for and found a seasonal site 1 1/2 hours from home. Says he is still putting screws back in and fixing stuff from the shake down trip. Wish he would have done that from day one.

As for a class B, I guess if you get a good one you could tow a small car behind it to run off to the sites you want to see. But everyone I know who bought one and thought they could full time in it find pretty quick the space constraining. Some do it with no problem, if you are in warmer climates where you can be outside all the time. But you'll be pretty cramped on that week long rainy season.

Just my 2 cents, but if you are thinking full time, buy a C, Super C or Class A. You will enjoy yourself much more. An older DP well maintained is till the best value on the market. at 10-12 years they pretty much have depreciated all they will. Yup you'll have to do the maintenance, upgrades and repairs. I am in the habit of taking mine into the factory for complete inspection and repair anything that shows it it's age once a year. No different that painting the house, putting a new roof on or new furnace/ac every so often.

[Traygar]

Originally Posted by amosnandy

Opinions on this forum are just like.....(I know what you thought i was going to say) There are as many as there are different kinds of RV's.

Everyone is different. Personally, the only reason I would by a TT or 5r is if I was going to put it in a seasonal site and not move it for the next 10-20 years. If you can full time in a van good for you.

Also a class B is way to small and way to inconvenient for me. Plus, while a class B you think you can go so many more places. A single female friend and her dog asked advice on one. I told her no. She wanted to be able to get into the State and National parks, mountains etc. She is a marathon runner and loves to hike and ski and explore. One year in, she came back to me to help her buy and learn to operate a smaller Class A, that she could tow a small car behind because the B was just not working. She called it her $100,000 mistake. Now she is in a 32' class a, towing some little 2200# car and says she can park the class A and go in multiple directions by just turning the car key and driving away.

Facts, if you by a TT and are thinking about traveling cross country, putting on10s of thousands of miles, they are not really built for that. Travel trailers are built to take to the weekend campground, 50-100 miles away and maybe one trip to the National parks.

I have a friend who 3 years ago bought a brand new 26' bunk house for him and his 2 kids. Did some local camping, took one trip to the National parks, 3600 miles, and when he got back from that, he looked for and found a seasonal site 1 1/2 hours from home. Says he is still putting screws back in and fixing stuff from the shake down trip. Wish he would have done that from day one.

As for a class B, I guess if you get a good one you could tow a small car behind it to run off to the sites you want to see. But everyone I know who bought one and thought they could full time in it find pretty quick the space constraining. Some do it with no problem, if you are in warmer climates where you can be outside all the time. But you'll be pretty cramped on that week long rainy season.

Just my 2 cents, but if you are thinking full time, buy a C, Super C or Class A. You will enjoy yourself much more. An older DP well maintained is till the best value on the market. at 10-12 years they pretty much have depreciated all they will. Yup you'll have to do the maintenance, upgrades and repairs. I am in the habit of taking mine into the factory for complete inspection and repair anything that shows it it's age once a year. No different that painting the house, putting a new roof on or new furnace/ac every so often.

I agree with everything you just said. My needs are just about opposite of somebody full-timing. This is the main reason we're fixing up a vintage Class A while we still have the TT - it's to do some longer trips as we have more time to do so in the future. I don't think I'll ever see a use for a Class C personally, but that might be just the ticket for others. But then I've learned to never say "never".

Edit: Just one more thing I'll add. I've found that a shorter TT doesn't seem to shake everything apart as badly as a longer one. I take my 24' with no slides all over the place without any new leaks or anything falling apart. That wasn't the case with our prior 32' with slides. It was much better suited to sit in one spot as you suggested.

[Trekkar]

We traveled in a class A for years, as well as a class B. We now have a small TT that we enjoy very much. Each type of equipment changes how you travel and stay.
You might try renting some different types of units to get a feel for what works for you. If you do pick a unit that doesn't suit you, you won't be alone. Many folks end up changing unit types as their experience grows.

As for the TT: +You can boondock easily. You might not want to drag your TT down a drowned FS 2 track, but you can find a place NEARBY to set up camp.
You can always find your fishing hole with just your 4x4. I use a propane gennie, but many folks use solar set ups.
+We like being able to set up the TT and then just travel the area.

[Cumminsfan]

If I were single I'd opt for a class B MH. I see singles and couples all the time in them. But being single you'd use way less water and have more personal room inside. They're made way better than a TT. You can drive them anywhere you would drive a truck and they would fit pretty much anywhere.
A truck camper would be my 2nd choice.
If it were just me and my wife then it would be a TT if wanting something on the small side.

[profdan]

FWIW, we are happy trailer owners. We boondock -- park the trailer -- and take off every day in our truck to various trailheads in the area. No need to pack up our stuff every morning, like we would with a MH.

Just lock the trailer door and head on out. Come back in the late afternoon for snacks and drinks.

The big downside of a trailer is the slow speed when towing. We tow at about 60 mph. So long trips take a longer time.