Community Forums

breeves2245 · 01-30-2023, 01:10 PM

In the list of pro/cons with travel trailers and Class C's (or B) is breaking camp. Of course with the travel trailer once setup and unhooked, no issue to drive around with the tow vehicle.

With a Class C in the 22' and smaller range, just how much hassle is it to leave the campsite after setting up? I realized it depends on several variables, but I am always considering different RV configurations and have always been keen on the Class C's but this one aspect seems to steer me away from them.

I don't hook up sewer in my trailer until I'm ready to leave camp. My usual camping style is 1 to 3 days at a location. So that simplifies it some.

Nwcid · 01-30-2023, 01:38 PM

I am sure there are those that do just what you are asking but I could not imagine doing so. Not only do you have to unhook, if you are hooked up, but you have to make sure everything inside is secured for travel.

The other issue might be fitting your unit into the locations you want to explore. My daily driver pick up is 22' long, but only ~6.5' tall. My tow vehicle is 30' long and 10.5' high which can be limiting.

For exploring you may consider using a bike, e-bike or similar or towing a small car, UTV, etc. We mainly go places where UTV are legal so we spend most of our time exploring on that.

KidzBox · 01-30-2023, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by breeves2245

In the list of pro/cons with travel trailers and Class C's (or B) is breaking camp. Of course with the travel trailer once setup and unhooked, no issue to drive around with the tow vehicle.

With a Class C in the 22' and smaller range, just how much hassle is it to leave the campsite after setting up? I realized it depends on several variables, but I am always considering different RV configurations and have always been keen on the Class C's but this one aspect seems to steer me away from them.

I don't hook up sewer in my trailer until I'm ready to leave camp. My usual camping style is 1 to 3 days at a location. So that simplifies it some.

When we arrive I hook up electrical and water. Both easy to disconnect for day trips. Biggest hassle would be how much you "unpack" inside. If we know we are going to drive around then we'll only take out what we need so easy enough to put away.

cherv · 01-30-2023, 01:50 PM

if you have a slide out, can be a little bit of hassle when you return and level up

bigb56 · 01-30-2023, 01:51 PM

We've been doing it in our 24.5' Via, breaking camp is the easy part. We even leave the hoses and level blocks usually, and I made an "occupied" sign to stick in the dirt so someone doesn't think we left and forgot our stuff. Going certain places is also easy but there are times when we wish we had a smaller, more nimble vehicle to run around in, plus some places it can be tough to find somewhere to park the motorhome. Even though it fits into a parking spot, it is just too big to do that most of the time and we end up parking in the "sticks" which creates another worry when leaving it certain places. After two years we are going to try a toad, got a small Jeep last week and tow bar arriving this week. We won't take it all the time but for certain destinations we are hoping it will give us more freedom. We found that when you don't have a toad you sometimes just don't go anywhere because you don't want to drive the camper.
We just spent a week in San Diego using public transit and while it was doable I have mixed feelings about it. The Coaster train was great but at times the MTS light rail was a bit sketchy.

Bill Gail · 01-30-2023, 04:49 PM

We have a 24' Tioga without slides and , at times , use it to tour .

When we do , we have a different set up process .

We use the freshwater tank instead of the hose , don't hook up the sewer hose and don't extend the awning.
The only connection is the power cord .
I can be setup and ready to roll in less than 5 minutes . We also have a reserved sign we hang on the power pedestal when gone .

When towing the toad , we setup everything and leave the coach in the site . It takes me about 30 minutes to break camp when everything is fully deployed .

It all depends on how much extra work a person is willing to do .

**NLOVNIT** · 01-30-2023, 07:09 PM

I agree, it depends on how much set up you have to break down to go out exploring with your RV. If you're the kind who spends a lot of time getting backed in/leveled, hangs up awning lights, puts out flags & other kitchy items, camp chairs/tables, hooks up your utilities, deploy slides & has items inside you like to put out, then yes it will be a hassle to pack it all back up every time you want to vacate your spot. If you're a minimalist about all that stuff, then it'd be no hassle. Up to you how much hassle you're willing to put up with.

Camp CA · 01-31-2023, 08:12 AM

I know rv'ers with a small Class C that camp wihout a toad and are happy to not leave the campsite OR use an electric bike to get around. Another rv'er bought a 24 ft Class C to camp without a toad and sold it after a couple of months due to the inconvenience of braking camp to tour during the day then resetting up camp after they return. We prefer to set up camp and tour during the day with our tow vehicle or a toad.

Capt Steve · 01-31-2023, 08:46 AM

Like others who have posted here we often don't connect to sewer and water with our 24' lass C. If available, connecting power is simple and easy to disconnect should we want to tour with the coach. If we have used our yellow Leggo blocks I roll off of them and when returning just drive back on. Using our campsite outdoor rug as a guide makes it even easier.

We often pull a 10' cargo trailer with either our Rzr SXS for off highway exploration or the Can Am Spyder if we want tour on the local highways, not a Toad per se but it sure is a fun ride that easily does full on Toad duty. I used to tow my motorcycles until trading my Indian in on the Can AM and if you want to really experience your National Parks try it from the back of a motorcycle {Can Am}.

One of the many reasons we bought a 24' Class C is the ease with which we can tour, parking just about anywhere. At 24" it is about the same length as a lot of pickups with a crewcab and standard bed. We arrived at Yellowstone on June 4th a couple of years ago to 32 degrees and snow. We just unhooked the cargo trailer leaving the Indian secure inside and spent the day touring the park with our coach. The next day the weather improved enough to get us several days of motorcycle touring in Yellowstone and Grand Teton.

We have been doing this for 9+ years and nearly 75,000 miles and it sure works for us.

jacwjames · 01-31-2023, 08:57 AM

We owned a Class C for ~11 years and traveled without another vehicle ~90% of the time.

We had a pretty efficient routine for breaking camp, it didn't take us long to get ready to leave. My wife usually had dog X-pens set up with mats, we left them in place, put our chairs off the side. While she was putting up the dogs in crates & stowing loose stuff to secure it to get ready, I would be unhooking power, sewer hose, and water. Maybe 5 minutes at most. We would then leave.

On return I'd pull into the same spot as close to where I was before. She'd be putting out the dogs while I was hooking up.

We would do this to sight see, go shopping, excursions etc. Not that big a deal, depends on how much you put into it.

That being said I'd seen instances where it would take someone +1/2 hour to leave and longer when they got back. In 2021 I saw a couple and it took him ~45 minutes to back their camper into the spot while the wife stood off to the side and didn't even try and help. He thought he had the rig parked 5 times but the wife didn't like how it was sitting in the space and made him try it again. They were older so I had to hand it to the man for being that patient.

Onyrlef · 01-31-2023, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Camp CA

I know rv'ers with a small Class C that camp wihout a toad and are happy to not leave the campsite OR use an electric bike to get around. Another rv'er bought a 24 ft Class C to camp without a toad and sold it after a couple of months due to the inconvenience of braking camp to tour during the day then resetting up camp after they return. We prefer to set up camp and tour during the day with our tow vehicle or a toad.

Another issue with knocking around in your rv is access. Many places you might want to get into are inaccessible to rv’s, particularly in areas with overhanging trees. That was our experience.

dvspl · 01-31-2023, 09:20 AM

Well, I think you'll probably have to figure out for yourself if the hassle of packup and breakdown is worth it for every trip out of the campground. Maybe try it for a few trips and see how it works out for you. That's what we did, camped without a toad for more than a year before we got tired of the hassle and bought a MINI as toad. But our Class C is 32' long and has 2 slides, so the setup/breakdown was more hassle and there were lots of places we couldn't go with that much vehicle. We also tend to stay longer (5-7 days) at each site. For 1 or 2 day stays, you're going to be setting up and breaking down anyway, so it may work for you. I'd say try it and see what you think. For us, we enjoy our trips much more now and leave the campground much more often since we have a toad.

Ron Dittmer · 02-02-2023, 07:04 PM

If breaking camp every morning to drive to trail heads, sightseeing & such, limit your hook-ups to what you need for the night.

Auto-levelers help with daily exits and returns to your campsite.

Our rig (link to many pictures below) is 23'-8" long. We took one trip without towing our Jeep Liberty which we missed dearly so we always bring it along. It's great to tour our national parks in a normal sized vehicle, especially a 4x4. It would be different if our motorhome fit in a typical parking spot like some class Bs.

Has anyone checked out the WINGAMM B+? The one model is only 17' long, shorter than most pickup trucks.

Fushux · 02-02-2023, 07:24 PM

We have a larger Class C but set up and break down is fairly simple and quick. 1 slide, automatic jacks, no beds to break down as the kids sleep in bunks so their sleeping bags and pillows stay there. With my wife and I, she handles inside and I handle outside. If I knew we needed to be out of camp early, I wouldn't even connect the sewer hose. Just water and electricity. Easy does it. Although I do miss our old diesel pusher with a reel for the power cord. Way easier then trying to roll the cord up in the small compartment of our Jayco.