RV Rookie female, solo future full timer with the age-old question - what RV?

[powercat_ras]

Chances are you will "learn" with setup #1 and setup #2 or #3 will be the "it" one. Personally I started with a SUV + 22' light weight trailer, then moved to a 29' Class C + small car, and finally settled with 30' Class A + small SUV.

For long term RVing , having to pack your "house" to move it whenever you want to leave where you are camping will be a real pain for you. I think you will want a tow vehicle + travel trailer or a RV + towed vehicle.

If full-timing, chances are you will be parked for days at a time in certain places and its really a pain to pack up the RV to move it, so things don't fly everywhere when you want to take a trip to the grocery store, visit attractions, etc. I think you will want transportation such that you can leave the camper parked.

Some options:

1. Pull a light weight travel trailer with a SUV or small truck. If you keep the length of the TT at about 22 feet or so then it's not too stressful to travel with. Backing a TT can be quite a learning curve to climb, though.

2. Large pickup truck + pickup camper trailer. The pickup camper can have jacks and be lifted off the pickup truck so that you can drive the truck and leave the camper trailer at your campsite. I had a single friend that had this setup and traveled for months at a time with this. She had a crew cab pickup and was able use the back of the pickup cab for a lont of additional storage and pet space when traveling.

3. Get a Class A or Class C RV and pull a small car or SUV such as a Honda Fit or Honda HR-V. Generally, Class As and Class Cs can tow up to a 5,000 weight vehicle.

Shopping at a large RV dealer to get ideas would be a good idea. Renting as was suggested would help you see how good a fit things are too.

Good luck.

[Finally Time]

You might check out this Forum A Women's RV Forum run by Women RVer's! • Index page
Quite a few of the women rv'ing are solo's and full time in everything from a teardrop to large class A's. They are a real supportive bunch and could give you some insights and tips.

[Mzbrandi]

I'm pulling a '16 Keystone Cougar 30RLI 36' TT with a '16 Chevy 2500HD Diesel. Plenty of room not that bad pulling.


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[TLGPE]

I think someone else here has already touched on this, but you can rent a car occasionally for shopping, etc. for much less than the costs associated with the car, insurance, towing equipment and the like. That leaves you with the freedom of driving around with the "tail" wagging your dog (or cats).


Then get the coach that fits you, whatever the size or type. You seem to be pretty capable, so you can learn to drive the thing. There are driving schools and classes to help with that, too.


Go for it, and keep in mind that you can change things later once you know how things feel.


Tom

[F4Gary]

Get a Class A toy hauler and put a Smart Car in the back. And quit letting the animals run your life. They'll be fine with whatever you get.

[RVNeophytes2]

Originally Posted by F4Gary

Get a Class A toy hauler and put a Smart Car in the back. And quit letting the animals run your life. They'll be fine with whatever you get.

Phantom drivers can be harsh, but Gary has a good point (in a different age, we'd hook our "rigs" together at 340 mph and exchange fluids).

Really, your cats and dog will love you, even if you opt for a B, which none of us would recommend for full-timing.

He strikes gold with the car thing: whether you haul it in the garage (the litter boxes can be kept there), or towing it. A single woman -- you won't be for long, being this self-reliant -- won't mind the smaller amount of living space inherent to toy haulers.

The Catch 22 is, you can't full time in a rig that can be used as a car; and, you need a car if you have a rig that can't be used to run up the street for milk and toilet paper.

[db7512]

My two cents would be a A or C and ask the dealer to let you drive both to make sure you feel comfortable.

[AggieDad]

I am not going to suggest an RV type - everyone else has already covered that. But I can't stress strongly enough that you need some kind of second vehicle for local travel.

Yes I know you can get around town in a Sprinter-sized RV. BUT every time you go somewhere you are unhooking (and then re-hooking) all of your utilities. I did that for about four trips. No thanks!

Some folks have mentioned a scooter or motorcycle. Okay for running around on a sunny day, but what happens when you need to go to the store and it is raining? Remember, you are talking about full-timing - there are some parts of your life that don't change, and running errands is one of them.

Long story short, whether you tow a small car (ours is a Chevy Captiva) with a Class C or Class A or your pull a travel trailer or fifth wheel with an SUV or a pick-up, you will want an enclosed 4 wheel vehicle for local transportation.

[George Schweikle]

This is true, to a point. And, the point is what level of inconvenience you are willing to accept to use the RV as a car. We trailer an autocross car to out of town events, and sometimes stop along the way to see the sights. The car is not street driven, so we use our 29 ft. Class A motorhome and accept the slight inconvenience. I'm familiar with scouting or parking places and other access, and it's almost second nature. We have done this for 18 years and four different motorhomes.

Originally Posted by RVNeophytes2

.....The Catch 22 is, you can't full time in a rig that can be used as a car; and, you need a car if you have a rig that can't be used to run up the street for milk and toilet paper.

[twogypsies]

Going on trips is much different without a car than living in the RV 365 days a year for years.