..what would you do different?

The wife has been talking about getting a "reasonable" Rv or motor home. I know absolutely ZERO about RVs. Seems like a lot of stuff to break honestly. If we got one it would just somewhere to sleep, shower, and "go" as we go camping to be outside, we can sit inside at home. What pitfalls or advice would you give?

PS. I did not see a section for RV talk in the forum if this belongs somewhere else please move it.

I wouldn't buy one. They suck. I couldn't get rid of it fast enough.

Rent one for a weekend and see if you like it first.

Ask Mudshark how he liked his.

Do you honestly go camping that much to justify the cost?

+1 for the rental. You can rent it for a whole lot of trips and come out way ahead than you would making payments.

If you love it after 3 or 4 trips you can look into buying and have some idea of what may best satisfy your needs or wants.

go to 2-3 dealers and look at the size/floorplan you would like. ask dealer if they or someone they know rents same.

be ready for a lot of maintenance to keep it up to snuff, nothing major but things need to be used off and on or they quit workin sometimes.

as suggested rent one for a few days. Im in one now while going to school full time living in an RV park(but not by the river.) Im renting it from family so its a pretty sweet deal. 39 foot 5th wheel.
Its a great space for just me but, I would not buy one.

Never, ever buy one. All they are is trouble. Even brand news ones have constant issues. Don’t listen to her. I’ve been avoiding my wife’s suggestions on buying one now for almost 15 years. I believe I’ve won out.

My perspective comes from using a motorhome as a tool and a necessity because of needing to park and stay at a race track. During the racing years here in the states, we went through 3 Monaco buses in 5 or 6 years, putting about 50k miles a year on them. During those 6 years, there was not a minute of time that there was not something wrong or some system that was not working. Many trips were planned around where the dealership was and how long the repair list was. In my opinion, a nice SUV or van and a list of hotels, resorts, or national park cabins is much better than having a RV. I’ll never forget filling up in California one trip and the fuel bill was over $1000.

If you must...Airstream.

Expensive, not filled with gimmicks.

Built to last.

Here’s the scoop:

Driveable...fine on the road, but not maneuverable enough, so you need a car to pull. Additional vehicle to insure, upkeep.

Towable...you have tow vehicle when you get there, but in many states it is illegal to have people in trailer while towing. If you want a big one, it can be tough finding sites. 30’ seems to be cut off.

I have owned trailers and a Class A. If I had to do it again...30’ Airstream. Might just be me.

This.

I bought a new one and you lose a lot of money from depreciation unless you put a ton down. I would not buy one new and if I was doing it again I would consider a slide in truck camper so I could pull my boat .

GrandDesign/Imagine is one of the better travel trailers out there if you want slide outs and all that.

We considered Airstream but they are flat out overpriced, I don't they are quality built like they were in the past. We started with a Casita and are sold on the fiberglass shell travel trailers. We bought a 25' BigFoot several months ago and have really enjoyed it.

If you truly want a bed and a shower with a few other amenities you might consider a Casita, next step up would be an Escape. Olivers are nice but pricey. The Casita was great for pulling anywhere you wanted to go, just got a little too tight for me.

Never had anything break on the Casita and nothing on the BigFoot. We also sold the 2 year old Casita for $2k more than we gave for it.

We have kicked around the idea of getting one for years, the old “sell it all” dream and hit the road. We have, I’m happy to report, successfully deleted the idea from consideration

We have a mid size travel trailer, a Grand Design 2150RB, that we bought new in 2018. Early on, we had to have the fridge worked on, but that’s about it. No complaints. We tow it with the Tundra. Prior to that, we had an Airstream, an old one, that we kept on deer leases for maybe 20 or 25 years. It took some upkeep, but we learned how TT’s work. Yes, things go wrong, but if you are any sort of handyman, it’s all fixable.

Renting an RV sounds like fun, but you may rent one that isn’t in good shape, and that will ruin you for RV’s.

If you have a truck you can tow with, rent a small TT and hit the road. If you ever intend to buy one, you need enough experience with them that you know what you want and need.

Look at the 2150RB like the one that we have. It has a big rear bathroom (RB) and women seem to love that. Get a used one. Take an experienced TT person with you to look it over.