Can you guys help us decide?

[aceys_h0ney]

Husband and I are looking into our options to upgrade our camper. We have an older model pop up now, it really doesn't work for us as we are a large family of 6 and want to start camping at the Fort (read we need something with AC to camp @ the Fort lol). We now require two hotel rooms and it's kinda painful to shell out that much, we would rather invest in a better camper that we will use in other places also.

So on to my question,
We are trying to decide if we want to purchase a motor-home or a pull behind camper. Our budget will only allow for a late 80s early 90s model gas motor-home or a 30-32 foot pull behind camper. We already have a pick up, it's a 1999 Dodge Ram 1500 but has airbags system so the towing capacity is that of a 3500. The truck is in great shape and gets decent mileage, for it's age it is very low mileage (under 100K). We are concerned mostly about gas usage, in your experience is it more economical to tow a camper or drive a motor home? We would drive about 750 miles from VA to FL. Not very mountainous so pretty flat drive however we also drive to MI alot through the mountains. I was reading that most motor-homes get between 5-9 MPG. At 5 MPG it seems like it would be ridiculously expensive for us to drive that far, we were thinking around like 12MPG when we started looking into this so this was a little bit of a shock. Just looking for solid information what I'm finding isn't too consistent.

Anyway I know this is not hugely Disney related but I don't know where else to ask this sort of question and I know we have a lot of experienced campers here. We would prefer a motor-home as it would be more comfortable for us to drive 6 people (and dog) to FL with space to stretch out, in the truck we are cramped. I'm just scared about gas usage with the cost of gas today. Thanks for any input you can give!

 

[Cindy F]

We went from a 1985 popup to a 2008 hybrid and love it. You get to keep all the great things about a pop-up and get all the conveniences of a travel trailer.

If there are 6 of you, one of the hybrids that has three bunk ends would be great but even a two bunk hybrid is was better than a 2 bunk popup (in my opinion of course) although I do still love out popup!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ROCK...Vs_Campers&hash=item2eb48967a6#ht_7289wt_1121

This won is different- has a bunk in the middle too
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2001...=RVs_Campers&hash=item3a650f2901#ht_949wt_948

Just as a side note: Our popup didn't have air but if you put reflectix or pop up gizmos on the bunk ends and cut to fit reflectix in the zips/windows, a portable A/C (we have an AMCOR) will keep the popup temp around 78 when the temp outside is about 100.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[becky1960]

A lot of the motorthome's avg around 8 mpg, I think, depending on your Engine it would be about the same. We get 12 mpg with a Gmc Diesel 3500 pulling a 30ft. fifth wheel. That hybrid might be more ideal as the fuel prices are looking as they are going to stay higher..

 

[Born 2 Fish]

Pull behind camper,

 

[LarryJ]

snip...
I was reading that most motor-homes get between 5-9 MPG. At 5 MPG it seems like it would be ridiculously expensive for us to drive that far, we were thinking around like 12MPG when we started looking into this so this was a little bit of a shock. Just looking for solid information what I'm finding isn't too consistent.
...snip

While I'm not a MH expert IMHO that 5-9 is a reasonable number for a MH that would be in your price range. I also highly doubt you will see much above 9 to maybe 10 with your pickup towing a decent sized trailer and air bags do nothing to increase the towing capacity of a vehicle.

As far as consistent information that is always an issue on the internet.

Finally, it appears you are on a tight budget and getting into RVing with an older RV can really get expensive for the novice because of unknown issues such a water damage in trailers and older MHs can be expensive just from the maintenance aspect.

Larry

 

[Disneylitch]

We get between 8 and 10 mpg in our 1983 pace arrow. As far as an older MH goes, you usually just have the general maintenance issues, but that is the case with MH and campers in general. I would recommend a MH. It is definitely more comfortable for traveling. We used to go with our 3 kids and now it's daughter, son in law, 3 dogs, and the next trip will include our granddaughter. The nice thing about an older MH is that you can make it how you want it. Ours was in great shape, but through the years we have replaced the carpet, chairs, sofa, beds, etc. We put in a dinette because ours didn't have one. That is something that I would definitely recommend in a MH. Knowing what I know now, I would not have bought ours because it didn't have the dinette. The main thing to look for is water damage. It's usually pretty easy to spot. Also, the DOT of the tires. Don't know where you are located, but in MD if your vehicle is more than 20 years old you can put historic tags on it. This saves alot of money each year. Also, there isn't a vehicle inspection for getting the tags and title either. This works out great for us because my DH does all the work on our MH and cars. He knows what to look for. If you aren't that knowledgeable, I would take someone with you that is. Right now you can get used MH's pretty cheap. Alot of the late 80's early 90's are going for under $6000 in our area. Hope this helps.

 

[englishteacha]

I wouldn't want another engine to maintain, if it were me. If you get a camper you can tow, then you can park the camper and take the truck to go exploring. If you get a motorhome, you either have to tow a car, or take the motorhome where ever you want to go if your destination doesn't have transportation.

 

[fanowalt]

#1 Go to a dodge dealer and have them pull up the tow rating of your truck using the VIN.I don't know all the details of your vehicle but transmission cooling capacity and rear end gear ratios are very important and won't be changed by suspension upgrades.Never trust an RV dealers assesment of your tow vehicle.Get the real values yourself.
#2 Buy used,The depreciation is huge and most Trailers are used 2 weeks a year.Keep in mind a weight distributing hitches can easily cost $700 new and you'll need a brake control.
# 3 Do a walk through before you take it home with everything running on shore power and disconnected.
We towed our Jayco 26 BH at 7200 lb.with a 07 Nissan Titan and got 8 mpg through West Virginia and 10 mpg. on the flat lands.I doubt anyboby would get 12 mpg towing a bunkhouse type trailer unless they're driveing 55 on flat land .We now tow with a chevy 2500 HD Diesel and gained 2 mpg on each type of terrain.You don't know the Trailer's back there with the 3/4 ton but it wasn't worth the cost of the upgrade to me.
Check out RV.net.lots of info there on all types of trailers,Some good,Some phony.
Good Luck

 

[Dancemom03]

Another vote for a pull-behind if you're on a budget. We looked at some of the newer hybrids at rv shows before buying our new TH and they were incredibly nice... not to mention light & easy to tow. With gas prices climbing again that may be one of the most economical ways to go. The thought of putting $1200 worth of gas into a MH for a roundtrip to FW leaves me more than

 

[aceys_h0ney]

Thanks for the input guys. We have a lot to think about. I'm not too concerned with maintenance as my husband is great with vehicles (he does most of our work) and my next door neighbor is a retired mechanic who doesn't mind one bit helping us work on our vehicles.

Thanks for the hybrid idea also guys, those do look neat. My only problem with them is leaving our dog in the camper, we can't do that with the beds out on a hybrid so we would have to decide if we want to roll those back in every-time we want to leave the pooch. She would be crated but as I understand the rules at the Fort you can't leave an animal in a camper with soft sides.

DisneyLitch, we live in VA. I will def. check out MD for some good deals. That is about what we are looking to spend and really do love the idea of making it our own through the years. Husband is also great at fixing things up so we have no doubt he can do most any work to the interior.

We still have a few months before we can buy so we have time to look around and find the best thing for us. I'm leaning towards a pull behind but hubby still really wants to look into a motor-home so I'm open to checking both out. It is a mighty long drive to all be cramped in the cab of the truck
; )

 

[5stljayhawks]

we are a fam of 5 (753) with a 24' hybrid with the ends that fold out. Full queens size. It's nice we have lost the crib, but a PIA to change over the table and couch each night and morning. Mileage with the Burb is 8-10 MPG, ironically the same as I got with my Ford Expl.. The bonus of having a towable is you have a car for day excursion or grocery runs..

We are looking at a going 30' full size travel trailer with Min 3 bunks in the back. My concern are lengths of bunks, there are alot that are short only 72".

BTW - Just because you have a 1500 with tow bags, doesn't mean you can tow like a 3500. That would be an exp mistake, not to mention unfun/unsafe driving exp. Not to lecture you, just speaking from personal exp. Went from mis/undersized ford exp V6 245 HP weighing 4000lbs to 3/4 ton 2500 Burb w/V8 350 HP weighing 8000LBS pulling same camper. Night and day difference. towing at 80-90% tow capacity VS 40-50% tow capacity. It makes for a happier, less stressed driver when you arrive.

 

[bxtx]

We love our pull behind camper. just upgraded last year from a 25' hard side (no slide) to a 34' with a slide. LOVE THE SLIDE ! Makes it so much more usuable in all weathers, even 2 weeks at FW last November. BUT the slide does add to the weight. We are now a family of 6 (9, 6, 3 & 10 mths) + 80lb Labrador too and camping is our thing. We tow with a Expedition EL. We get ~9mpg when towing in TX. its a KZ Spree 324 BHS. Check the wheel base of your truck too as that will affect the length you can tow as well as the weight / GVWR (that's why we went with the Expdy rather than a Suburban). One of the reasons we love the pull-behind is our tow vehicle is my normal ride, so only one set of maintenance, insurance, tax etc. Stores in the garage And the big thing - we have a decent sized vehicle at our destination without packing up every day. I know you can tow behind a MH but then you have to maintain that car too!
If your kids are a little older, could they tent aside your camper? Most campgrounds accept a camper & a tent on one site. Just a thought.
What ever you decide, HAPPY CAMPING!!

 

[aceys_h0ney]

Another option I pitched to the DH this afternoon is trading my mini van for an SUV (with third row seating) that can tow a camper, then we have room to sprawl out like he would like. That was his biggest want in a MH. Yes the kids can camp in a tent beside us, not sure they would want to all the time though. Our first Disney trip will be in June next year so they will probably not want to tent camp. They whine in VA in June in a tent LOL.

 

[manning]

Take a look at these as one consideration. It is composite built, you don't have to worry about wood rot and they claim to be 25-30% lighter.

Doing some reading it appears this is the wave of the future.

http://www.goevergreenrv.com/

 

[Cindy F]

...
Thanks for the hybrid idea also guys, those do look neat. My only problem with them is leaving our dog in the camper, we can't do that with the beds out on a hybrid so we would have to decide if we want to roll those back in every-time we want to leave the pooch. She would be crated but as I understand the rules at the Fort you can't leave an animal in a camper with soft sides.

Just an FYI in case it might help someone else- I was concerned about leaving our dog in the hybrid too. Yes, you can leave your dog in a hybrid at the Fort but I would never feel safe doing that with the bunk ends down and crating really isn't an option for our 130 pound dog.

Although putting up the bunk ends on a hybrid is 1000 times easier than a popup, I still wouldn't want to do it every time we left.

You know how some people remove the back tailgate to their truck and replace it with a soft cargo net? Well we bought some of those nets and when we leave the hybrid, we put up the cargo net to block off each bunk. Works like a charm! We put up the nets then pull the curtains over it- there is no way to get in those bunks with the nets closing them off.

Good luck on the hunt for your new RV, searching is half the fun!

 

[Cindy F]

Another option I pitched to the DH this afternoon is trading my mini van for an SUV (with third row seating) that can tow a camper, then we have room to sprawl out like he would like. That was his biggest want in a MH. Yes the kids can camp in a tent beside us, not sure they would want to all the time though. Our first Disney trip will be in June next year so they will probably not want to tent camp. They whine in VA in June in a tent LOL.

Sorry, almost forgot to say, if you do decide to trade in your vehicle, have you thought about a camper van? That's what got us into camping in the first place. Ours is like a high top conversion van but it has a flush toilet, microwave, sink, fridge, one burner stove, tv and a roof heat/air unit. There's no propane, water heater or anything like that but it is great to travel in, was a great companion for our pop up, and is a comfortable tow vehicle for the hybrid.

The interior layout is like this one except by the back doors, there is a curtained off area for the flushing Thetford toilet. The two benches fold together to make a queen bed and that middle captain's chair in front of the kitchen comes out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLUzTsJNcXE

We thought about putting an awning/add a room on the side of one of those van side tents we've seen on line.

Anyway, good luck!

 

[aceys_h0ney]

Wow those are really nice! Thanks for showing me, we will have to check these out as another option as well. Might not be able to do it all at once but that would certainly solve the travel problem!

 

[Cindy F]

You're welcome, just thought I would share since I had never thought of those options before either! We bought our camper van from a very nice older couple on Ebay for a fantastic price. Check around on ebay, Kijiji, Craig's list, etc you would be amazed at the very nice deals you can find.