So.. How long have you been driving a motorhome?

[Concord]

46 years... <Since I was 16>. This is me driving a 1977 Pace Arrow.

[GrantR]

22 years for Class A’s.

[gmc70]

Bought first MH in 1973 a winnie Chieftan and put 193,000 on that one.

[DCBinVT]

Since 1987... if a VW camper counts - since 1971

dcb in VT

[Dutch Star Don]

Been towing or driving an RV since I was 16. My dad let me tow a tandem axle TT on Highway 99, through California when I had my permit at 15.5 years old. So, 50 years for me.

[Jerry]

53 years and still going.

Jerry

[happy2rv]

That depends on your definition of "driving."

I started legally driving them about 35 years ago.
The first one I owned was about 25-27 years ago.

But way back in the stone ages, before seat belts, when we drank from garden hoses and played outside without direct supervision, I "drove" many many miles in my dad's lap...

[JaminSamin]

47 years for me, first one was a 74 Winnebago Indian.

[Coarsegold]

46 years

[Vintage Iron]

In 1974 I was towing a trailer behind a motorcycle. Does that count? A few years after that we got our first "RV". We had that one for thirty years.

[Elwood58]

Just 22 years for me.

[Busskipper]

From an older post - but I always enjoy rereading it - -

So what’s my story?

Talk about a trip down memory lane! LONG

My love affair must have started very young – My Dad was in the Navy and we would travel from one coast to the other, stopping in most if not all the National Parks, during at least one of the trips, or to an Island in the middle of the Pacific almost every year until my last couple of years in High School(11-12 cross country trips) allowing me to catch the travel “fever” very early.

My story started with a 1949 Packard in 1964 – pulled the back seat and made a bed in the back and everything else on the roof or under the bed – had a canvas awning and a twenty-five gallon drum on the roof for water –Those were the days, Every weekend, in the summer at the Beach, Candles and Flashlights, Prep School and first year of College (1964-67)

Next was an old Diaper Truck (small UPS style truck) – converted it to a Camper - Built a bed, closet, running water - gravity, sink, Ice box, and an inside hammock, for guests – First class type B - got me through college but had to let it go as I got Married and started teaching and Coaching High School(1967-1969)

Next was a real Pick Up Camper – 8 feet of luxury in/on the back of a 67 Chevy ½ ton – don’t think it had real plumbing but did have some running water and a great bed over the cab – had some sort of set up so you could crawl through the back window to gain access to the back – Was teaching Civics at the time and had my kids do a report on all the National Parks, then in the summer of 1971 did the big loop with my wife, Her first trip out of the Mid-Atlantic, seeing the whole country with her, coast to coast in 21 days – then went to OC, MD to rest for a couple of days at the end. Remember $.24.9 cent gas in Denver and having the mirror in most of the pictures. Mt Rushmore – YNP – Tetons – GNP – SLC – Reno – RWNP – SF – PCH - Disney – YNP – SNP – Las Vegas – GCNP – San Juan’s – RMNP – Denver – Smokies – Annapolis (1970-1975) (8,900+miles)

Next were a few Class C’s. Had gotten out of teaching and started a business and a family so had very few trips in these other than just locally, Williamsburg, DC or the Beach drove to the slopes some to ski. (1975- 1985)

GMC Palm Beach – now that was a Coach – used it mostly for skiing (until I learned it would not go in the snow – then would use the class C) GMC got us (DW and 2 Son's) to the West/Rockies for a couple of family trips – Rushmore – Canada – Glacier – Yellowstone – SLC -- RMNP - and a lot of Lacrosse and Football TailGates in the 80’s – lost the brakes (had rusted trough with pinholes - (drove into the center grass, for a ways till They Pumped up) - going to a Lacrosse game in 86’ and parked it for about 8 years (Kids -- sports – work -- limited the RV trips –so we used Airplanes to get where we could quickly – these times were a blur) best riding Coach I ever owned. 26’+- of smooth riding/no storage Coach (1980-1994)

Kids were in College started to dream of RV'ing again so I worked on a List of what I thought a coach should be - National Trop-I-Cal 37’ two slide outs - Gas on a truck frame - (found the RV web sites and slowly began to really think about and learn about the RV) – Kids graduating college and closing the business, got the DW to agree to let me get back into the real RV lifestyle, this is when I learned what you really needed in a Coach – First let me say the Trop-i-Cal it was a Great Unit! But we found what we did not like -- to sit at a booth – needed a larger shower – real wood is really worth the money – King sized bed sure would make the nights better – Rear generators are not to sleep with when you boondock with the air on – did not like to stare up, at a front TV – sure did want Air Ride – pretty good to stay in just not so great to drive (needed air ride – gas unit) Coast to Coast up and down the East Coast, probably a 100 college and Pro lacrosse games and even a few football games. (1999-2004)

Did a small subdivision to be able to afford a New Coach - Saw a Travel Supreme at a Show and the Layout and I was hooked.

Travel Supreme 42DSO4 During the RV boom TS would allow you to design build a production Coach (shame they didn’t survive) - allowing me to make many changes/additions and have used/loved this Coach for about 5 years out West - well built and Beautiful. Spent three years figuring out what we needed and wanted. Spent a couple of hours on the phone with Johnny T one of the Moderators and he helped with adding the finishing touches, things I had never thought about. this Coach was large enough – Air ride – Mid station TV – King Bed – Hydro-Hot – extreme cold weather equipped - on and on………..Larger is better, designed for the way we enjoyed using a Coach, from a High end Resort to Boondocking and Tailgating. Great in the cold in Yellowstone and Colorado – spent a few years commuting out to Colorado and the Rockies – couple of winters in Golden and all of Utah found we loved Colorado and all of the Southwest. (2004 – present)

Still have the TS - had to take about 7 years off to take care of the DMIL Traveled very little - couple of East Coast trips Out to Colorado a couple more Times, but mostly it sat and we flew.

Now the Coach is 14 year old - Just put New shoes on it (Yes still drove it with 14 year old Michelins) - I was a Heavy Contractor - we ran trucks with 75,000 lbs on them and 30 year old tires) - New Batteries - replaced the NoCold with the Samsung. Think the DW will love it. Changing all the fluids - repairing almost every exterior electrical connection - re caulking and Eternabonding the seams - have done the leather and the wood every year and they still looks like new - Fisher and Paykel may need a little work as will the Hydro Hot. TV's - might needed to be updated - Have been switching lights to LED's - ................... Feel I am really Close to Having the MotorHome back in my Life.

This Summer (2020) with Covid - Grands had No Camps/No Family Reunion at the Beach and we all spent the Summer in the Rockies, in our Covid Isolation Vehicles Together - This was the Old Man's Dream summer - Best ever - Had a few issues - Alternator wore out - Turbo almost fell off - Replaced Coach Batteries - blew the Transmission (will be discussing this with Allison as the TCU was set from the factory to drop into 2nd gear at 60 miles an hour - not right) - Best summer ever, like I said Long.

"You Asked"



Thanks for letting me take the trip down memory lane,

So 57 years would be the answer to the OP's Question

[US1]

17 months of RV driving. Have been towing my boats (current 34', 12' beam) for some 40 yrs though

[hedhunter9]

1st Motorhome...1976

Bob