RV's and kids

[sukhakuli]

We're taking a driving trip this fall, and I really want to rent an RV. We have 4 kids, what is the seatbelt situation for kids in RV's? One is in a full car seat, one is in a booster. The older 2 are over 5 feet tall and just sit in the seat.

I've also thought about renting something like a Suburban and then renting a tow behind RV. Has anyone done that? I'm not even sure if you can tow with a rental vehicle? We have a minivan, I don't think it will tow and RV, so we'd probably need to rent something bigger.

Experience, thoughts, suggestions would be great. I don't want to tent camp, we'll be staying in grizzly bear country for part of the trip.

 

[Corey127]

If you are on FB search for the group Car seats for the Littles . It's a group of car seat technicians. They get this question a lot and they answer that
1. It is too full of projectiles and the best thing is to ride in a car/truck/SUV and tow it

2. The seats and seatbelts in an RV (except for driver and front passenger) are not bolted to the frame so are useless in an accident.

 

[twinboysmom]

Had to edit this. I read your post totally wrong. The previous poster gave you the information you needed.

 

[sukhakuli]

Anyone have any actual experience with the questions in my post?

 

[KalamityJane]

Your safest bet is to tow behind the fifth wheel. rVs are not safe to drive in.

 

[TinaLala]

I have a travel trailer and for the age group you are mentioning I would say it's much safer. However have you ever driven and towed before? Definitely need experience. Not just to tow safely, but the set up of a trailer!

Driving RVs - easiest to drive and set up, questionable baby seat safety. Do you have the safety belts that came with the chairs? Most car seats have safety hooks that allow you to "chain" the seat down. I would then contact your car seat manufacturer to see what they suggest.

 

[rbork]

Depending on the type of RV you have tells you how many seatbelts it has installed. Class A thru Class C have many different configurations. AND they all drive differently and require practice. I find renting RV quite expensive. I might consider just driving a vehicle and staying at FW cabins with 4 kids. Put all 4 in the bedroom and parents take the murphy bed in the living room area.
Good luck with you decision and have a great time!

 

[supergoofy]

As said Rv(motorhome) only the driver and front seat passage are required a seat belt and many models do not have them in the back.

Unless you have driven a trailer and backed one it may be a steep learning curve. And renting a suburban may not be enough to tow what you need. Most rentals are 1/2 vehicles and a good size trailer will take a 3/4 ton vehicle.

The benefit of a motor home besides a bathroom is space to move about while in motion. It is illegal to be in a trailer while being towed. My grandparents took us on a road trip when we where in 8th grade and it was great being able to play cards/games, lay on couch or grab a drink while grandpa drove.


Now option 3 is having a trailer/rv brought to you. They will bring you a trailer/rv and set it up and then when done back it back. All you need to do is show up and enjoy your trip.

 

[ITALIANANGLO69]

We have a Gulf Stream Class A and it has Multiple seat belts built into the extra Chair and sofas that are bolted directly to the MH frame. I don't recommend walking having the kids walk around inside while traveling, we have had several incidences of having to slam on the brakes in Los Angeles traffic and wife and kids sliding across floor. Now we always make sure if we are anywhere near city traffic, everyone is buckled in.
We've had a travel trailer with dually truck combo before we bought the motorhome and its a lot more convenient having the bathroom and sink right there. Plus the ability to run the generator and put a kids Disney movie on the TV is worth it.

 

[WearegoingtoAmerica]

We have 6 kids, 3 of whom are in full car seats. Last year we hired an RV for 10 days and had a great time. The 2 youngest's seats were seat belted in at the table. We had the table down whilst driving. Those 2 seats had the anchor bolts behind the seats as well. As the RV's only have lap belts, the booster wouldn't have been any good, so we bought my DD5 a full car seat that seats a 55lb child (I think - we're from Australia so work on kg). Therefore she was in a 5 point harness, and the seat was held in only by the lap belt - no bolt. This seat was on the couch, so not as safe as the other 2, but my DH had it in tight and it wasn't moving. We didn't let any of our kids, or us, move around in the cabin whilst driving - for safety reasons.
For us, the RV was cheaper as we would have to get 2 hotel rooms, and split up - my DH taking 3, and me taking the other 3, as our eldest was only 10. Also, to fit the 8 of us, the twin stroller and our luggage, we needed a 12 or 15 seater. They're not cheap, and guzzle the gas also. The other thing we found great, was that although we were on the move, our kids slept in the same bed every night, we weren't continually packing & unpacking and taking suitcases in & out of the car. We could cook meals in the RV. We loved it. We're planning another trip to the US next year, and we'll be renting an RV for part of it then too.

 

[abinormal]

Keep in mind there is no legal carseat that allows installation on a side- or rear-facing vehicle seat.

 

[mcjaco]

I looked into this for a trip this summer. The local RV place wanted a $500 deposit right off the bat. That nixed it for me.

We rented a loaded minivan instead. Granted we were staying in a hotel, so the camping issue is moot, but I'd stay away from the RV.

 

[ajwolfe]

We have a travel trailer that we pull behind out truck for camping purposes. I just want to add that if you are not familiar with backing a trailer of any kind or pulling anything, that this would be a pretty hard learning curve on vacation. Especially going thru bigger cities with lots of traffic.