I may have hurt some feelings in a recent article I wrote. In it, I referred to an RV as “basically a tin can or cardboard box.” I was trying to emphasize the difficulty many RVers have in keeping their RVs cool in the relentless summer heat.
My words hit a nerve and I certainly didn’t mean to disparage any RV in particular or in general. So many people today complain about their RVs: poor construction, lack of attention to detail, constant repairs, etc. Perhaps it’s time to give folks who really love their RVs a voice. I’ll go first…
Size
I really like the size of our fifth-wheel RV. It’s 38 feet in length and while its size sometimes limits the RV parks we can access, we’ve always been able to find a park located near the attraction or monument we want to see. I feel comfortable driving it and even parking it, if need be. My husband and I can move freely inside without bumping into one another, and there’s space to store all that we care to bring along.
Layout
I love our RV’s layout. (I think a woman designed it.) The kitchen area features an island with built-in spice racks and cupboard storage. There’s a large pantry with pull-out shelves so I can reach the foods that invariably get shoved into the back. The living area has enough floor space for the grandkids to play Twister or to pull out the sofa bed for a sleepover. And speaking of sleeping … the master bedroom’s layout is great, too. There’s enough space on either side of the bed so we each have easy access. The closet is big. (Did I mention that I think a woman designed it?) The bathroom shower is a little small, but the washer and dryer are stacked next to it (inside a cabinet), and I much prefer that to having the laundry in the bedroom or kitchen area.
Colors
Well, yes, it’s mostly brown. The cabinets are a light, maple-brown and feature solid wood doors with nice silver pulls. There are no curtains at the windows. Instead, there are wood surrounds (cornices) that complement the light-colored walls. (And are easy to clean.) The furniture cushions are light and cheery, and so are the vinyl plank-look floors. I can add color into the neutral base with bright floor rugs, pillows, and linens.
Do you love your RV?
All in all, I think that this RV is our best one yet! How about you? Do you love your RV? Vote in the poll below then tell us what you love, or don’t love, about your RV in the comments below.
##RVT1065
Our 30 ft Arctic Fox travel trailer is about as big as I would ever want to tow. It is heavy, but also very stable. If I were to do it again, however, I think I would look for a unit without slides. They add weight, and there always seems to be issues with the mechanism and seals regardless of make. For just myself and my wife, we don’t really need the extra space.
we have a 24′ 2000 model born free. i have had a rv for 40 years. this is hands down the best built one ever. very nice quality. looked at new ones just for fun recently and they were a joke. good thing the newbies don’t know much about build. i predict a large used market coming soon. perfect size for my wife and i. large bathroom and very nice kitchen area. we cook 95% of our food on the road.
My wife and I own a 34 ft Vibe 28RL that is towable with my truck. The layout with the two slides, make it our dream RV. This is our fourth RV since 1993. Our first one was a Sunline 21 ft with bunks. The kids loved it and it was easy to tow. Our trips were to Florida, Wisconsin, the Upper and Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Washington DC, Ohio, Tennessee and Kentucky. Each trip was built on memories and laughter. Our 34ft trailer will bring the next chapter in our RV trips. Our kids are grown, but still accompany us when they can. Its not the trailer the makes the trips memorable, its the means to bring our family together. We plan on walking the mighty MAC this Labor Day and sitting around the campfire and sharing a laugh or two. I love my RV for those reasons, the memories are forever, the trips are priceless and the journey is never the same. See you down the road.
We too had a Sunline with bunks. Don’t recall the length but it was perfect for camping with 4 boys! I finally gave it to one of them after my husband passed. He used it until they had children and by then it was getting a bit unstable. Best floor plan in a camper with no slide!
Love my 1995 34′ Gulf Stream Scenic Cruiser, just don’t like the support GS has. When I got it in 2009, I contacted them and they said they had no information as the 14 year old unit was too old and their records didn’t go back that far. Gave up on the manufacturer after a few more calls. Spartan, the Chassis Manufacturer is great, provided me with the Chassis build sheet, wiring diagrams and I have never had any issues getting the parts I needed. Same with Cummins and Allison for the service manuals or parts.
We have a 19ft hybrid and we love it its 2004 Keystone cabana and we bought it from the original owner and we still pack it up with family and friends that come along, it only sleeps 6
No I don’t love my RV. I love my husband and family. I enjoy the heck out of my RV. There are only two things I would change in our RV, tub to shower and the weight. 2005 Four Winds weighs a lot, but the storage is wonderful and this rig is solid. I don’t feel as if I am in a tin can when the wind starts blowing. We have friends with newer, lighter weight travel trailers and they are not as sturdy, they seem to be not as sealed as ours (can feel the breezes near windows and such). Doesn’t matter, I enjoy the heck out of our rig. But love it?, no that is reserved for the humans in my life!
Love our 2016 40 ft 5th wheel, well not the Dometic fridge, Dometic AC, and especially not our Atwood furnace. We had a 2011 26ft bumper pull where the older Coleman AC and Suburban furnace worked flawlessly. The same Dometic fridge was equally unreliable. With new 5th prices reaching $100,000 or more you’d think the manufacturers could provide more efficient AC’s and more reliable furnaces. DC inverter fridges: ✅
I had bad luck with a Dometic Fridge in my other Travel trailer and the present Dometic A/C in my travel trailer is to noisy. The Dometic thermostat is a piece of junk. Had problems camping with it in 90 deg temperatures last month.
I researched many RVs before purchasing a Camplite 14 DBS by Livin Lite travel trailer. The number one feature was the aluminum construction. The outside walls, roof, wall framing, chassis frame and flooring are aluminum. It’s comforting to know that the floor can not be damaged by water. I swapped the roof top AC with a inverter type mini split system that performs beyond my best expectations. The trailer is 15 feet long with a slide out dinette. A GVWR of 5000 pounds and equipped with two 3000 pound axles. Fully loaded for travel the trailer weighs in at 4200 pounds. This trailer pulls easily and can fit in most any gasoline station. We are completely satisfied with our purchase. It’s a shame the company was bought and shut down by a large RV manufacturing company.
Our current RV is a Lance Truck camper and for the most part I love it. We’ve had TTs in the past and I definitely prefer the truck camper. Useable living space is comparable to our TTs and it’s a breeze to park no matter how tight a space may be. I’d like a little more storage space and the bed is a nightmare to make but I can live with those for the ease of travel.
I also have a Lance Truck camper and absolutely love it. I also have had TTs and a very nice 5th wheel and greatly prefer the TC. I agree with what you said about the parking, storage space and making the bed. However I do sometimes miss the Lazy Boy recliner and big screen TV I had in the 5th wheel but not enough to go back to it. 🙂
I am again a strange one in the group. I personally am a lifelong waterman and we have a special relationship with our boats. Very long ago, I asked why something was being done and one of the elders in the group looked at me (in a way I can never forget) and said,”A waterman and his boat, they take care of each other.” With my life from there on, I found this to be true.
I do my very best to take care of our soon to be 50yo coach, and she has had occasion to take care of us. Do if you believe I am anthropomorphizing Chaumière a little too much? Well you weren’t there, so I don’t blame you. She is my current boat and will always get at least the care she needs to have to take care of us as we travel to strange places.
We love our 37′ New Horizons 5er. It’s very heavy at 19K empty and 26K GVW and we tow it with a RAM 5500 dually. The only downside is that only my husband feels comfortable towing it. I could probably do it in drive gear on a straight road, but backing up or turning corners? 😬 Guess I should take
RV driving school. Other than that, it’s our home 9 months of the year and we love it.
We love our Micro Lite 25FkBS. It’s smallish but withe slides open it feels spacious and airy. It’s just right for a couple who spend 3-4 months in it as snowbirds. We are anticipating upgrading to a small 5th wheel in a few years because it’ll pull better. We’ll look for a similar floor plan.
We love Millie our Newmar BayStar, she’s 35’ w/bath and a half! We have a queen size walk around bed, two large closets, a linen closet in the huge end bathroom. More storage than I have stuff. The two slides in the living dining area will seat ten people comfortably. We love it so much we intend to die in it! Oh on a small lake somewhere in Texas when we are done! Lol
I love our RV – a tall, medium length, 2018 Ford Transit based Sportsmobile (in fact, it is our second Sportsmobile). Spectacularly designed for just what we wanted. Our trips last from overnights to up to 3 months at a time across the U.S. and Canada. Over 50 plus years we have gone the whole route: from tent, tent trailer, class A motor home and now class B. Conveniently serves as the family’s second car when needed.
This is the third year of us owning our Coachman Freedom Express 192RBS which we bought new. We liked the price we paid for it $17980 ( You won’t find that price today). The layout was exactly what we wanted in an RV to travel the country for just my wife and I. Easy to tow with my truck. That’s the Pros. Here’s the Con’s. The AC was replaced three times ( under warranty). The shower leaked water. Which I fixed with silicone. The commode leaked. Tighten the connections. The black tank flush out water line would not allow any water in. Stapled shut during mfg. the wallpaper is tearing apart at the wall seams ( haven’t fixed yet). The front panel on the refrigerator fell off. I drilled a hole in the plastic frame and tie rapped it back on. The commode started leaking again. Water leaked from a vacuum valve and from the water valve. Replaced the commode. Entertainment stopped working . I replaced it. Don’t buy unless you have loads of $$ for repairs. Or your handy man.
Still loving our Winnebago Micro Minnie 1700BH after more than 5 years. Has everything we need, and with a little tweaking by turning the dinette into a sofa it is perfect for the two of us. Lower bunk area is also a pack n play for travel storage, and an extra “reading nook” with a screen we made for the hatch way for extra light and air circulation. Top bunk is our “loft” for gear and an extra bed if our grandson joins us. If he brings friends, the tents get set up for them. Happy travels, everyone!
We love our 2018 Newmar Dutch Star, Model 4018. Had it built to our specifications and we live in it for six months each year from November to April. We both worked hard for over 40 years. Being in the military allowed us to travel, so after retiring we continued to visit places.
Coach ownership is not cheap. Between maintenance, insurance, fuel, and other things, the annual operating costs are in the thousands of dollars. 40 year high inflation and unnecessarily high fuel prices are starting to impact our ability to travel.
New to us 2006 Country Coach, 39’ long triple slides. Gives us lots of room, only had on three trips about a week each, but absolutely love this rv. Cat C9 engine pulled the Willamette pass in Oregon avg speed 45 mph towing a F150 Limited. Not a hot rod but does very nice cruising at 62 mph on the freeway. Only thing I don’t particularly like are the doors outside, lift up type not barn door.
Our 2005 Newmar Dutch Star has most of what we want and little of what we don’t. Of course, at 17 years old there are things that need to be replaced and maintenance is key in keeping things rolling smoothly. We always buy used, but haven’t seen anything newer we like.
I have a love/hate relationship with our 43′ Newmar Mountain Aire.
The list of features to love are long. Beautiful all wood cherry cabinets. Porcelain tile 3-zone heated floors. Bath & 1/2. Hydronic heat with continuous hot water. Full length Girard awnings. Dishwasher, large residential fridge, outside TV and fridge. Quiet in travel. Built like a fine home…no laminated walls. Comfort-drive steering and long wheelbase with tag means great handling…no wind whip.
On the downside, it takes advance planning to find good sites that are level (long wheelbase creates leveling issues) and without low branches (13′ height). RV and toad require a 65′ pad minimum to park which restricts us. Lots to maintain. Those big awnings are giant sails, so can only be used in calm weather & never left out. Insurance & licensing are costly.
Love 90% of our vintage 30’ Flair. Love the layout, colors, massive bathroom and twin beds.
Most of the older technology was replaced with a modern LED TV, DVD player, Multi-stage converter, and dash board instrumentation.
What I’m not perfectly happy with is the built in dinette. We have thought about adding a table and chairs, but we’d loose a massive amount of under seat storage. This is where we keep our thick feather duvet.
We absolutely love our truck camper! We are full time in it and in 100 square feet we are very comfortable. I love the freedom it affords us. We can go anywhere! We have 1080ah solar so plugging in isn’t a necessity. A generator if we need it. It’s roomy with 3 slides so we have learned how to work with each other to get around in it. The best part is our dry bath, with a shower big enough for my 6’ tall husband. It’s rustic living but it works for us. After having a Class A, 2 fifth wheels, we have evolved to this.
I bought my RV, mainly, for 2 reasons, to get me where I want to go and a place to sleep when I get there. I have to say, I’ve gotten more out of it than those 2 things (meals, entertainment, independence etc). No, it’s not exactly what I wanted but yes I love it! I’m glad I have it and will use it for years to come!
Not very happy with our current motorhome, had more problems than with any of our other units. Most items have been lousy workmanship.
Ours is a small fifth wheel. We can still camp in forest. It is a 4 seasons 21-5 Nash and very well made. The booth and couch are at the rear so we usually have a great view where we sit. We have replaced the original flooring with LVF as after 10 years it was time. Love our Nash
We love our Itasca meridian 36G, it is a 2007. Basement AC, so it cools well and evenly. We have re-done the interior, changed out the furniture. Painted the valances and the walls. Took out the horrible carpet, added vinyl plank. Took down the headliner and replaced with foam planks. It is a fabulous RV. We retired 5 years ago and that is when we purchased it.
LOTS of things I like about my RV (2015 Dynamax DX3-37RB Super-C). Sadly, Moe, Larry & Curley built the “house” part & there was virtually NO Quality Control before my unit shipped. I’ve been back to the factory multiple times and ALL of the issues never got resolved. I have gone to a several independent shops but each had their own problems. The M2 Freightliner cab-chassis IS heavy duty and provides a HUGE safety factor that other RV platforms can’t even come close to.
Still love my 94 Starcraft 29-foot front kitchen. Bought it new in November 94. Love the layout. The foam in the seats is starting to wear out and the carpet needs replaced. One day I want a smaller camper and the next I want to keep this.
We love our Grand Design 230rl 28 foot fifth wheel for the large dining party booth – we can easily seat 6 people for dinner, drinks and especially for cards when its windy outside. We love the large open living area where we can stretch sore backs and tight muscles. And we love that it is small enough for almost all of our provincial campgrounds.
Love w/Dislikes! We basically view RVing as camping in a vehicle (or “a car” as Vicki puts it). Of course, it’s not really a car but a 25-1/2′ Class A motorhome built by Winnebago from 2008-2018. Love the layout with a couch slide and we spent to have the rear twin beds professionally converted to a custom 88″ x 74″-77″ kingbed. We use this 6 months out of the year. Dislikes: Sprinter chassis costs and the other inherent costs of constantly fixing a moving tiny home that is under earthquake conditions.
I have always called my RVs “my glorified tent’! I have a fridge, bed made & my toilet! I am a happy camper!
Our 36 foot Fleetwood Bounder has served us well. Bought new in 2010 and have put 90,000 on the odometer. Would not be afraid to do another 90,000 miles. This coach is roomy with a light colored wood cabinets. This was the last year they built a diesel Bounder which is sad because it is a great combination. Never had a problem pulling any mountain grade. It still looks like new and hope to get a few more years out of it as I will be 81 in October and my DW is 76. Health issues is starting to slow us down. Just had to cancel a trip because of DW taking a fall and breaking a rib.
Sorry to hear that. Hopefully she’ll feel better soon and you can continue your adventures on the road.
I had been a motorhomer before, my current wife had never “camped”. I knew in the current environment, we could never afford a motorhome again, so we bought a truck in anticipation of a trailer to follow. We fell into this 35’ bunkhouse TT through a miraculous set of circumstances, and decided to make the best of it till better times. Moving ahead 3 years, everything we look at, we compare to this unit, and can’t find a reason to replace it. For a claustrophobic wife, this has enough windows, and she absolutely loves the space. We are each able to have our own area, as it is only the 2 of us, and our 4 legged fur baby. Needless to say, we love it!!
Yes I love our RV it’s a NuCamp Outback Teardrop well built by the Amish in Ohio we have everything a 5th wheel has just smaller cabinets are sturdy and the insulation is fantastic the only thing I’d prefer is a walk around bed
I Love LUCY!……That’s my ’88 Winnie….123,000 miles..66,000 since 2006 when we got her……….No real issues ever!..Rolling down the Hi-Way…