How many RVs have you owned in your life?

Finding the right RV is tantamount to buying a pair of shoes. It took us awhile to figure out what we wanted/needed most. Our current RV fits us so well it’s doubtful we could ever find one we liked better.

I started camping in 1973. My first was a 19 ft. travel trailer. I have owned more Class A motorhomes than T.T.I am 83 years old. I live in an R. V full time now. I live , since my wife passed.
I miss being on the road. nothing last forever. I enjoyed my time traveling around America.

So called “RV’s” are a far cry from what many of us had back in the 60’s and 70’s when a “camper” was nothing more than a cracker box with a hand pump in the small sink and no toilet.Back in those times we went “camping” and living in one of those was almost unheard of.Today’s RV ers are spoiled beyond help compared to those days.The main problem I see in today’s RV business is GREED and poor workmanship,and all the manufacturers are guilty of this. Nature of the beast I guess.

We’ve had four RVs. First was a pop-up tent camper in our 20s, then three increasingly bigger 5th-wheels from our 30s to 60s. All were new when we got them. Our current rig is a 36-foot 2010 Carriage Cameo with three slides. It’s been plenty big and comfortable for two of us and two Labs for extended and full-time travel the last 9 years. When we sell/trade it in a few years we’ll probably get something smaller that will fit into more spaces and be easier to drive or tow as we get older.

We are on RV #6. That does not count our first 9 by 9 umbrella tent and then a 10 by 12 log cabin tent. Then RV #1 a small pop up camper with 2 pull outs. RV #2 was a 18 foot travel trailer. #3 was a 25 foot travel trailer. #4 was our first Class A 36 foot 1997 Rexall Airbus with no slides. #5 our second Class A 38 foot 2007 Thor Four Winds Magellan with 2 slides bath and a half. and #6 is our present Class A 40 foot 2015 Holiday Rambler Ambassador 38DB with 3 slides bath and a half.

We have owned and camped in over 40 RV’s in our 45 years of marriage. Several of those RV”s were bought and rehabbed when we could still do that as a hobby but we “tested” each one out camping in it before it went to it’s new owner. We have had motorhomes, bumper pulls and 5th wheels in that mixture. We currently have a newish molded fiberglass trailer and a collectible molded fiberglass Toyota motorhome and we use both of them depending on where we are going and for how long.

#1 23 ft. Travel trailer, #2 9.5 ft. camper, #3 36 ft. 5th wheel toy hauler and #4 43 ft. Motorhome diesel pusher with bike lift. Have had our motorhome in 48 states, some states several times! Love it!!!

I’m on my second RV (a 2015 Dynamax DX3-37RB) I started with a 17′ Casita Spirit Deluxe Travel Trailer and, over ~ four years, put over 50,000 miles on it. The Casita was a GREAT way to “test the waters” re RVing without spending a fortune. I quickly realized that I really liked RVing and, spent ~ three years searching for the RV I’d “graduate” to. That turned out to be the Class-7 HDT Super-C Class Dynamax. The Dynamax had the BEST floor plan I’d seen after three years of searching. With the two slide-outs closed, the rig is 99% usable! (two drawers are blocked)! ALL of the “important stuff” STAYS PUT. The residential appliances ( refrigerator , washer/dryer, convection microwave), propane lines, water supply and drain lines DON”T move. Each slide has a few LED ceiling lights and a single standard 110VAC duplex outlet so, only a few wires move. Sadly, my coach was built by Moe, Larry and Curly and, the OEM furniture was crap (in the four+ years I’ve owned it, those issues have been largely addressed). The safety factor a true HDT Super-C coach offers is AMAZING. Standard van or pick-up based Class-C rigs (think F450, F550 etc) pale in comparison. I’d have to start an anvil collection before I’d even approach the maximum capacity my Freightliner based Super-C provides. It was just simple dumb luck that, under the new tax laws, the interest on my MOTORHOME loan still qualifies as deductible mortgage interest (I understand that interest TRAILER loans no longer qualifies). My Freightliner is a diesel PULLER. That means that by simply releasing two latches, the 9L 350HP Cummins engine is FULLY accessible (diesel PUSHERS can require four hours or more to gain full access to the engine because the bedroom must be “taken apart” and then “put back” together). HDT’s also use standard TRUCK tires which are far less expensive than comparable RV tires. RVers that can afford a HDT based RV would do well to SERIOUSLY consider one.

Technically, I’ve had two RV’s. Of course that’s not counting the non-RV vehicles I’ve also camped and slept in, including a pinto. And that’s after I decided I was tired of being in a tent and sleeping on the ground. My first RV was a VW Westfalia, which turned out to be a mechanical black hole for money, and broke down multiple times in the 14 months that I had it, all before catching fire. I didn’t own an RV for 20 years after that, but a couple of years ago I bought a nice little 23.5 ft. Lazy Daze and it’s been so nice to get back out there camping again.

I’ve owned 11 motorhomes, the first one in 1969. My observation: The quality of coaches has steadily declined. My latest one, a 2010 class C, was delivered w/34 problems.

Started out with truck slide on,three Class C’s all needing work and two Class A’s. As our daughters families grew our Class A’s became too small,up to 10 with 6 grandkids, purchased 2 campers for them over the years last been a TT Bunkhouse style,the only brand new one, which they share.

I had 2 popups, a class b, a class c, an A gas, and 2 A Diesels and a number of tents . Purchased my first popup in 1964 and sold my last Class A diesel tag axle in 2018. Was a great set of experiences.