By Mike Sherman
A debate on RV size is almost a waste of time. It’s a question that’s been debated for years. Everyone has an opinion. Go BIG? Go small?
Have you ever wondered when you’re parked next to a huge RV that you may never see the occupants unless they have a dog to walk? For many, that large RV is all they’ve got. There’s no stick home sitting on 5 acres waiting for their return. Everything they own is in that rig. Everything! Some full-timers don’t even rent a mini-storage locker—they got rid of everything except what’s in their RV.
These RVers are probably older and have no desire to take walks around the RV park or hike nearby trails. They prefer RV parks with amenities, having experienced plenty of primitive state and federal campgrounds in the years gone by.
Occasionally you might spot them coming outside to dump their holding tanks. You say “Hi.” They smile and wave back, then retreat into their private domain. They may stay in one place for months at a time, but sooner or later they will muster up the energy to move on, often to an RV park they visit annually like clockwork.
THEY ENJOY THE AMENITIES made possible with a big rig—a fireplace, big screen TVs, built-in vacuums. Some rigs have a bath-and-a-half, and there’s ample closet space for a year-round or seasonal wardrobe. They enjoy eating meals at their dining table and later relaxing in heated, vibrating recliners. Two people can live very comfortably year-round in such a rig. If too much togetherness creates stress, the bedroom offers a quiet, private sanctuary to escape and recover.
My wife and I went BIG after owning smaller RVs. We had 27-foot Class A and 32-foot Class A motorhomes before deciding to go BIG when we both finally retired and were ready to liquidate and hit the road full-time.
After a lifetime of dry camping in tents and smaller RVs in the boonies with maybe a pit toilet, no showers, and eating canned beans … you know, roughing it—”real camping” … we decided we wanted all the creature comforts. I grew tired of manually leveling the rig. I grew tired of cranking the awning in and out.
We wanted a near-normal-sized bathroom, a soft king-size bed, and automatic everything. We had no plans to drive down dirt roads for miles looking for privacy. Yes, we are soft, lazy, and weak, but we are still rolling on down the highway!
We ended up in a 42-foot 5th wheel with awesome, fully equipped recliners, three big-screen TVs, two fireplaces, automatic levelers, and two electric awnings. I do little cranking these days. Mostly I just push buttons. Perfect, just the way we wanted it. The RV has a wet bar (four bar stools) that even has a foot rail (no spittoon) with a TV overhead. Oh, it has a wine cooler, too.
When we eat our meals at the dining table on our super-soft, thick chairs, one of us can easily see the TV over the bar, and the other the TV over the fireplace. We can pause a program via remote control while we serve up seconds, then resume our comfortable dining experience. The dining chairs are quite thick and very comfortable. You can sit in them for hours, unlike fine restaurant seating where the idea is to get customers in, then get them out without delay.
There’s a fireplace at the foot of our custom king-size bed—custom because we replaced the mattress with one as soft as our dining room chairs. If the evening gets chilly, we can warm the bedroom using electricity instead of propane, and avoid heating the entire rig.
We still enjoy meeting people, so we walk the dog and talk with neighbors. We’ve had dinner parties with total strangers, shared funny videos, and enjoyed sitting around our propane fire pit. I do a pretty good BBQ chicken dinner, and we offer up advice to the rookies we meet when they ask. We support campground owners and vote for legislation meant to improve the RV industry. I would like to think that we are still contributing, even though we certainly enjoy spending a lot of time inside our controlled environment, watching “Wheel of Fortune”.
We visit areas where our family and friends live as we travel. They enjoy having dinner in our little abode. It gives them an excuse to enjoy a cozy, comfortable experience. I would like to think we are making the most of our retirement.
This article originally appeared in RVtravel.com in March, 2023.
##RVT1176
I totally get this!
Well, here’s my humble opinion…..I hope that wherever they stay, they are paying for the electricity that they use by metering. Two fireplaces, 3 bigscreen tvs, electric everything….that sure adds up! When I am parked beside them in my small rig without one tv, without one fireplace, I would be very upset if I was paying the same $ per night to stay.
I would assume they are not using every electrical appliance at the same time, especially if they are on metered electric.
Mimi, I think that same argument can be made by a van dweller about your rig. Most vans don’t have a black tank to connect, a shower to drain nor electrical load beyond 10 amps but FHU is FHU.For giggles, let’s play the game of add charges:
$30 for the spot.
$5 to connect electric, meter for use.
$5 to connect water, meter for use.
$5 to connect sewer, $5 per dump.
$5 for restroom key, $2 per use.
$5 for shower house key, meter for use.
$5 for laundry room key, $5 per load for use.
$5 to unlock the fire pit, $5 per use.
$5 for a picnic table, $2 per use.
$5 for a key to the swimming pool, $5 per person per visit for use.
What clients would this “extremely fair” park attract?
Jealousy is a terrible thing.
We have full-timed for over 10 years in a 40′ motorhome and once in awhile we pay more for 50amp than 30amp but almost always the little RV pays the same.
For what I see, the majority of really big rigs don’t ‘tour’. They either seasonally migrate or are fully stationary. And I understand this. We don’t have a ‘big’ rig, but we do have a 3-slide TT and no means to tow it (we hire when needed). It is a winter home and stays in the south. When we no longer want to, or no longer able, to migrate, we call a RV consignment dealer and walk away. None of the headaches of real property, no moving ‘stuff’ for a seasonal rental. Far less expensive overall. We DO maintain our TT and it is ready to roll. The nature of RV parks can change over time. We are just about to start our 8th season in this TT.
When we were stuck in Houston for a year, the RV Resort we stayed in charged separately for electricity, and it was obvious why. Our A/C was on 24/7 for almost 7 months. I forget exactly what we paid but it was at least $150/mo added to our monthly rent. Out 30′ TT is certainly not “king-sized”l and we have only one A/C unit.
I believe that the amount of time that one uses their RV & also how they use it should help each of us decide what size RV would be best. We have a 40 ft MH because we are in it about 200 nights each year. We are not full timers but we normally stay in one place about 2 weeks at a time. When traveling the west coast during the summer it’s 5 – 7 nights. If we were occasional RV users then a smaller rig would make sense. Weather permitting we enjoy sitting outside visiting with neighbors rather than inside. Most of our cooking is done outside on the bbq.
I read this article and couldn’t help thinking when I get old I may go this route. I’m 76 and steer clear of luxury campgrounds and huge RVs. I believe in use or loose it so my manual leveling, cooking outside eating inside, little TV keeps me moving. JMHO
muscle mass, keep it or lose it..! Amen to that Greg
We spend about six months out of the year in our 5th wheel. At 38 feet, it has all the comforts of home. We had planned on full timing in it but life changed our plans so we kept our sticks and bricks. It’s worked out perfectly so far. We talk about downsizing our RV but it’s financially prohibitive at least for the near future. We love our rolling second home!
Thank you, Mike! 🙂 Sounds idyllic! Enjoy! Have a great week, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
We finally found our biggest and best floor plan for us after severe issue with our old rig. If it if over 85 you won’t see me unless I am doing my camp host duties. When working in a Texas canyon this summer, I rode my bike just as the sun was rising to beat the heat. Our RV is our only home. It is the only home two of our four dogs know. I have heard the comments in person, why do we need this? Because we live like modern Hobos (look up hobos…not the bums people think of upon hearing the word). 🙃
What mileage do you get?
That is us to a tee!
My wife and I have been camping for 5 years. We started with a 30 ft toy hauler, then a 32 ft toy hauler, now a 40 ft 5th wheel toy hauler. We increased in size so that we could haul our toys, and enjoy the trip with sufficient storage space for our stuff. Plus the garage space can always be used as another bedroom for guests, as it has two queen beds that we can lower. We travel 3-4 months each year, and enjoy our trips, whether it is a 4 day weekend or a 4 week trip. Yes, there are some challenges to the larger rig, but we go with what works best for us.
For the past 10 years we have lived about 8 months in our 36′ diesel pusher. The other 4 months in an apartment in the city we grew up in and raised our family. The time in the coach has shifted over the years as we have changed. We would have liked a larger coach, but were limited by the site we had developed on our son and d-i-l’s farm so 36′ it is. For the past 10 years we have crossed the country by various routes from our apartment to a site in a SKP Coop in CA. It can take us from 2 to 4 weeks to cross the country depending on friends we visit or sights we must return to. So our lifestyle is yet another variant of “most time” living in an RV. We call ourselves full time.