My family rented a 30ft Four Winns and went camping (glamping) on Lake Whitney.
We had a fantastic time and have been talking for some time before about the possibility of getting either a motor home or Travel trailer. I have an F150 so a Fifth Wheel isn�t a option, right now.

The cost is the glaring difference and it seems you can get so much more with a trailer than a motorhome. However, the convenience of the motorhome is awesome and my wife loved having everything at your fingertips during the drive.

Does anyone have a motorhome and if so, what are your expierences?
Does anyone have a travel trailer? Not at a deer lease but used to go on trips?

I would love hear some thoughts and ideas.

Looking for 30 Ft or bigger.

Do you have a tow vehicle?

We had a motor home growing up. The one thing that sticks out in my mind was the trouble with finding a parking spot when we went to eat. If you pull a car behind your motor home, I'd think you'd be better off...Also, you'll have to have a motor vehicle insurance policy on it, gas mileage sucks, more maintenance with tires, oil changes, etc.

I have a 2016 F150 FX4

travel trailer for sure. Motor homes require way too much maintenance and actually need to be used pretty often, they just not good to sit for long periods of time.

With your tow vehicle a 30 footer is going to be a handful at times. It will get it done but not so fun with a 20 mph crosswind. I towed a real heavy 30 foot travel trailer for a few years with a half ton. I could have used a little more truck a few times but got it done.

I have a motor home and it is great, definatly tow a car behind it. Won't make much difference in fuel mileage. The drawback is towing a boat and having to launch it with the motor home, many ramps do not have enough room.

My wife and I bought a smaller Trailer last year. We've pulled it up into Mountainview, Ar. Okalahoma, and Texas so far. It is a 26ft. one and 3475 dry. My F150 with an equalizer hitch and a 5.0 pulls it just fine. It is plenty big enough for my wife and I and we even took the 2 grandsons 7 and 11 along once. The load calculations for safe pulling are complex. We can argue about it for weeks, but the bottom line is being able to stop it safely if you have to. Depending on where your home is (HOA or City zoning laws) you may not be able to park it in your yard or driveway. If not, get ready for a monthly storage fee of $90 to 115 a month. We really enjoy ours though and looking forward to retirement in a few years and pulling it a lot more.

I understand the towing and wouldn�t get anything my truck couldn�t safely tow. If I got something bigger I would upgrade my truck. Storage is no issue.

Well allrighty then.

I agree ^^ I don't have either one but we are also looking into a smaller travel trailer to pull around just seems more do-able than a motor home

Bob, I've heard good things about the Micro "Winnie". How are you liking yours?

One of my best buds has a motor home and we'll go to the lake 1-2 times a year for 4-6 days. In fact we're going to Rayburn middle of next month for 5 days. His MH has a Ford 10 cylinder gas with 2 slides. He drives that up to the lake and I pull my boat up with the 1/2 ton. It is very comfortable and convenient ... way better than tent camping.

He flew out to Fla. to some huge RV center and bought it that supposedly has the best prices.. I'll bet he doesn't have 30K miles on it and it's 12-14 years old.

Have a thousand great great memories of out trips in the Casita ( not recommended for more then 2 persons)

Really like it. It seems to be built well, sturdy. Winnebago still making a good product. Easy to setup and go. Plenty of room for my wife and I. Flat screen TV, all the amenities of home. Shower is big enough to stand up in. We found out though that the gray water tank is only 36 gallons. So if you go to a place that has water and electricity only, your graywater tank fills up fast. Most places don't like you emptying gray water. So we try to only stay where there is full hook up. It pulls fine with the equalizer hitch and sway bar. Bought it at McLains up near Denton. They seem to be a good dealer.

week ends, short term trips travel trailer for existing truck would be tha least expensive and still be a good time.. start goin' "extended time/full time" ya got decisions ta make.. no mater what you and your better half tell each other that trailer will get "small' ina hurry.. bigger truck, fifth wheel or motor home, tow vehicle.......

Just my two cents but upgrade to a F250 and go with a 5th wheel trailer. If not to long you can pull a boat behind the trailer. The extra room over the hitch makes a nice master bedroom away from everything else. Get one with two or more slides for even more square footage.

The main reason is safety when pulling. Our family has had all three types, pop up, travel trailer and 5th wheel. The 5th wheel is the only one that felt safe if you got into high winds while driving.

Again this is just my perspective.

Bought a 33ft ultralite bumper pull travel trailer and pull with a diesel F250. So far we have enjoyed it a lot. Farthest we have towed is to Elgin, TX but when I retire in a year or so we intend to go to a lot more places out of state. Not real fond of having to store it but don't have the space at the house. The truck handles it extremely well and like having the electric brakes and controller. No issues stopping yet and it handles well even cross winds don't bother us too much.

We bought a very clean , hardly used travel trailer 25' , love it , total length is 28' , have a 2017 Denali with the Duramax / 8 speed Alison, have gone to Oklahoma , Louisiana, parts of Great State of Texas, Loaded to the gills , no problems @ all . The 3/4 ton will pull and stop it no issues .

Since you're just getting into the RV world you might get a 3 or 4 year old used one until you decide how much and how you would use it. Trailers are much more cost effective than motor homes but they both have positives and negatives. The biggest thing I can stress is make sure you have a big enough truck to tow it...don't listen to the salesman, check the specs of the truck. If you're in a wreck...

You probably won't run into this in the 30' class of trailer, but if your motor home is over 26000 lbs you need a class B non commercial license. If your trailer is great than 10,000 lbs and gross combined weight is over 26,000 lbs you need a class A non commercial license.

If you get into RVing you will probably own more than one, so buy used and save your money until you have some experience of how you will use your RV. This is huge topic and it's hard to answer without knowing more about your situation. We are full time RVers and are on our 13th RV. We loved it and have been on the road 3 1/2 years now...yep we sold our house, our property taxes are now called license plates. LOL. I would be glad to help more but it would be better to talk on the phone.

Never again.

The best thing to do is buy used one that your truck is capable of towing .
Reason I say this there are so many for sale that people buy thinking they will use . But don�t.
Motor homes will require more money to maintain . If they sit not used they become problems.
I have a travel trailer 2010 bought new used it quite a bit first 4 years used it twice in the last 3.
J D

Get a portable tank to empty gray water in then go dump at dump station.

Done it and got tired of the picking sites, trying to book a certain site, hooking up, packing up, storage and pulling through cities with the traffic for only a couple of times a year. Now we stay in nice cabins, or hotels. Given the cost difference we can stay in "up graded" places and save a ton of money plus not have the nightmares that are attached. There are times that we fly into a place and rent a car and it still comes out cheaper. We travel more now than we did then with the money saved. For some it is the right thing but for us it no longer fits our needs.

I had a RV neighbor tell me his gray tank leaked...but only at night. Personally I don't see a problem dumping gray water, but if its against the rules, the ticket could be expensive. The blue boy (portable tank) is a great idea. Remember, it doesn't matter how much money you have or how nice the RV is, we're all dumping the same thing at the dump station. And the view is same too!

Do not buy from Explore USA in Canton/Wills Point. Especially a Crossroads reserve 34 rl.

My friend has been fighting them over this trailer he purchased that pulls crooked down the road.

Matter of fact. I would take all ExploreUSA locations off the list to even look at.

Yes nightime leaks! If I were y'all I would listen to el Rojo here, he is a guru of the RV world. Gave us lots of great tips and advice when we bought ours. Thank you sir!

You should see the rig he has now, woohoo!

I'll tell you, since I started staying at places with full hookups, we have enjoyed it much more. That way the wife can take showers all day long if she likes. Happy wife, happy life.

We've gone from tents to motorhomes with everything in between and it always comes down to age and money. Tents were fine through the twenties and early thirties then it was small travel trailers, big travel trailers, fifth wheels, and finally a rather expensive but perfect motorhome. For fishing a lightweight fifth wheel trailering a boat was best for economy and use at destination. It also got easier with every tow but you do have to stay way ahead of the vehicle while driving. Now we have a 25.5 ft diesel motorhome that gets 14 to 18 mpg, a Winnebago Via on Mercedes chassis,and pulling the fishing boat as need be. It works well if the campground lets you tie up close to the site or has wet slips for rent. Otherwise its a pain to launch and re-park every morning. If camping/fishing close by the wife will drive the truck for her running around and boat launching.

There are advantages to being totally self-contained and ready to boondock whenever, where ever. There is very little need to make reservations or commit to some place site unseen. Just be sure to get a rig with ample water and waste tanks.

Waiting for the Eclipse...

Nice rig. Been thinking about the shorter RV's as my 45 footer is getting more than I want to handle and that 5 miles per gallon ain't nice either. Pulled the bumper pulls and fifth wheels and wouldn't go back. It's nice just climbing in and going. No loading nothing except what we are going to eat and even then most of the goodies are in the fridge or freezer. We keep everything in ours like having a second home. Plugged up, all electric on. Just unplug and go. Heck my pitbull freaks out with joy when I tell him to "Go get in the Bus" We have a 75 gallon tank for fresh and a side 50 gallon labeled bottle water for ice maker and drinking. 100 gallon each for grey and black water tanks and that lasts a while without dumping. mine weighs 42,000 pounds wet and a beast to park in some parks. Have a tow car we pull for hopping around. If you use yours like ours it's pretty bueno. Leave it sitting a lot and you'll be working on something all the time. Any of um don't like sitting.

A 26' ultralight is fine with a halfton. My 30 footer weighed 8,700lbs. Even with the weight distributing hitch it was a handful.

Everybody uses their RV differently. Bob likes full hook ups. We used to always stay in State or Corp parks, now we basically stay on private property (we sit for a month or so now) or BLM land except when traveling. We stay where its convenient to stop when traveling. There's no right or wrong way to camp. Lost in space has found the smaller motor home works for him. I doubt our 42' 5th wheel would fit in that spot.

That's why I was trying to get VIP Fishing to think how he might want to use an RV.

Object lesson: Told the wife if she bought the tow vehicle I'd buy her the trailer she wanted. She bought the dually, I bought her her 40' 5th wheel toyhauler. (She got me into ATVing in Utah - fantastic.)

Local travel is an absolute must for us so we went with a trailer so we'd have something to drive around once set up in the campground. Neither of us have any desire to tow another vehicle or trailer behind an A or C RV.

Why not?

Oh the shame !!!!!

Mine just rotted away in the driveway while I made payments on it. My tow vehicle wasn�t big enough for long hauls and the whole ordeal turned into a money pit and a financial disaster.

If this is a 3-4 times a year thing, you can rent one for each one of your vacations and come out way way ahead by the end of the year.

Trailer or MH, I wouldn't consider buying unless you will be making trips at least once a month.

What makes the Ultralights lighter? Less building material? Does this mean they won't holdup long-term as well as the heavier ones? Honest question, not trying to be "cute".

30' is a lot of trailer to haul around DFW.

25' is manageable. BUT still gonna suck the wind out of that F150.

Motorhome....it's a waste if you ask me. Tow your truck behind it or breakdown camp every time you need ice? Motorhome, expect about 7 miles a gallon....see how much that Florida trip could cost ya!

What about one of these?

http://www.borderlandtrailers.com/

If you're concerned about gas mileage you may want to stay in a hotel.

good advice here, we are looking for a 27-30fter. A lot to choose from, and some aren't built that well. I'll be pulling with the FX4 with a 5.4 and I'm a little apprehensive

I would only pull a 30ft. with my 6.2 gasser. If it was only a short distance and a few times.

I wouldn't feel safe camping in one of those. Plus I bet they are very $$.

Moab I presume. What kind of toyhauler? Ours is a Momentum by Grand Design.

Then sleep in your truck and put the kids upstairs.

To the OP. My family had all types of rv's growing up. Pop ups travel trailers and entry level motor homes . Fast forward forty years. I have a 41' diesel pusher. I spend football season in Arkansas, keep it at lake fork the rest of the year. Live in Austin. I've had it four years and love it. Probably use it 80-100 nights a year. It is a weekend cabin that I can move when I want. To me the advantages to a motorhome over a trailer are----
Easy set up and take down
Residential fridge
Generator
Room for sheet in storage bays underneath.
Sleeps as many who as can ride with you
That being said. My lake fork spot costs as much as good storage in Austin . With any rv, you must have simple mechanical skills. A multi-meter is your friend.
You can do a bunch of research at. IRV2. Com. I spent a year on that site before I bought mine.
Kinda a lifestyle thing. If you are only are going to use it a handful of times a year. Rent it.
Good luck JD

If I had the money I'd get a class A motor home and pull a small light vehicle behind it. All commercial campgrounds, truck stops, Walmarts, casinos, and most tourist attractions have motor home parking. All your stuff is in one vehicle and you don't have to park the trailer to use them. The main lesson is to learn how to find a place you don't have back up.

Both of the above contain good advice. We're semi retired and spend 60 to 80 days a year roaming around the country otherwise it wouldn't make much sense. We've also parked overnight at Walmarts and truck stops but like hospitals the best. They're usually quiet if you stay away from a busy emergency room.

Spending a lot of time on research and renting various rigs will save money and headaches. There is one good thing about a new rig especially a motorhome; the financing and warranty. We got the Via with 10% down at 4.5% fixed for 20 years which sounds crazy to me but what the hey it works. It's also nice to just start up and go without worrying if the rig needs work or can make the trip. The $700./ month payment is a chunk of change but no worse than a shiny new truck and even with depreciation it's still cheaper than the hotel/restaurant method we were using. Once again, the numbers only work if you use the heck out of it.

We had a 40 foot diesel pusher with 4 slides, it was pretty cool, the maintenance about drove me nuts, was never so happy to see it go bye bye, we sold it in order to build a lake shack, I think we could maybe get another one since we are not getting any younger, wife loves to travel, me not so much. As far as pulling a car behind it, we never did, if you are staying in one place for awhile you could rent a car pretty reasonable.

Here's a couple of thoughts on motor home vs trailers. These are just general guidelines so YMMV. These are what full timers look at.

Motor Homes are better for short stays, 1 to 3 nights. They back into sites easier but you have to unhook your tow vehicle. People feel safer in them when stopping at truck stops, Walmarts and boon docking because you can pull in the slides, raise the jacks and leave without going outside (in-case intruders or trouble shows up at your door). Now if a bad guy really wants you all he has to do is block you in. Think cell phone and 911 here.

They cost more, insurance is more (because it's a drivable) and sitting is hard on the seals and tires. Most times your mileage will be a little less in a motor home. Let me just say, in our diesel pusher we averaged 6 to 7.5 mpg. Our dually with our 5th wheel (20,000 lbs) we get 8 to 10 mpg. When I go over 60 mph the mileage drops to 8. If you worry about mileage don't get an RV, stay at Holiday Inn.

5th wheels give you more living space when set up and are less expensive for the trailer (but you have to add in the cost of the tow vehicle), insurance is about half the cost of a MH, and sitting still is not as big an issue (you still need to exercise the slides for the seals) and it's best to travel on the tires. 5th wheels are a much harder to back (for me) but with the auto leveling jacks now, you just hit a button, the jacks come down and it levels. The jacks on a 5th wheel have more throw than a MH so it will level in more sites.

One other thing is vehicle maintenance... with our dually we take it to a Chevy house and still have our home (trailer). With a MH you have to take it to Freightliner or some other big truck shop and they keep it forever because nobody wants to work on it, that was our experience. Boy I sure miss driving the big diesel MH though (400 Cummings), it would go up the side of a mountain "smiling".

Well this ends my morning ramble, LOL. Now drinking...coffee.

This is 100% correct

El Rojo, please give me a quick call when you can. Have a couple questions. Thanks, Gil { 972-768-1285 }