RV1.0 Day 2 A Touch of Class

The RV we have rented is known as a Class C type. A Class C is an RV that is built on a truck chassis. This particular one is a Ford E-450. You can easily tell a Class C driving down the road because of the driver's cab. It looks like a truck cab, usually a large cargo van type of cab. Since the cab is not very tall, the camper body extends over the top of the cab. This space is often usable as a bunk bed. Since there is just the two of us, we are using that space for storage. Class Cs seem to have most often, a gasoline engine, though a diesel can be had if you prefer and if you want to pay. Class Cs come in lengths ranging from about 20 feet to 33 feet or so.

The other common motorhome RV is the Class A. A Class A motorhome is built on a bus chassis. These are easily spotted due to their more or less flat front and their characteristic gigantic windshield. Although gasoline, front mounted engine, Class As are out there, the rear mounted diesel engine seems to be more common in this class. These are known in RV circles as a "diesel pusher." If you plan to put a lot of miles on your RV, this would seem to be the way to go. Diesel engines generally go much farther before they require maintenance, they get better mileage, and they have better low end torque for towing you car behind them. Class As come in lengths ranging from about 30 feet to 48 feet. Anything over about 40 feet is going to be pretty difficult to manuever, especially in state park campgrounds.

These RVs don't come cheap, although if you are a retiree or other fulltimer you can purchase one and live as cheaply in it as you do in a regular house. If you look around, you can probably find a used one in good shape at a more reasonable price. If you find a seller that is under duress, you can get a real bargain.

The motorized vehicles are designed to easily accommodate passengers in the living space while traveling. The dining tables typically have bench seating. Either those seats, or the couch, or both, will have seatbelts for safe travel.

What happened to the Class B you ask? Forget about it. A Class B is a converted passenger or light weight cargo van. These were popular in the eighties though few people actually used them for camping. (We even had one.) Now they seem to have all but disappeared.

Then there is the non motorized variety. Some would argue that these should not be called an RV, since without a motor, it is not a vehicle. Call it a camper. Okay. Either way, there are a variety of non motorized types. The largest is the 5th wheel. That name refers to how they attach to the tow vehicle which is typically a heavy duty pickup truck, often a diesel, and often a dualy. Dualy is the name given to a picup truck that has two rear tires on each side. Although we call the camper a 5th wheel, the fifth wheel is actually the trailer hitch mounted in the bed of the pickup, over the rear axle. The device on the trailer that attaches to the 5th wheel is called a king pin. This mounting mechanism is exactly the same as is used on the big 18 wheeler trucks.

They say that a 5th wheeler is desireable if you wish to travel or camp in locations where you might need a lot of manuevability. Also, with the trailer tongue weight right over the axle, not only does that make manuevering a bit better, it makes for a better ride just driving straight down the road. The other obvious advantage is that you can easily drop the camper and your tow vehicle is available for sightseeing, trips to the market, or whatever. If you already have reason to own a heavy duty pickup truck, then a 5th wheeler is a very economical way to get into a high end camper.

Next, there is the tow behind. This is not unlike the 5th wheeler except that it attaches to the tow vehicle with a standard trailer hitch. Some of the big ones rival the size of the large 5th wheeler. I'm told that they are not quite as stable when towing as the 5th wheeler. If you are looking for economy, then the smaller tow behinds are very reasonably priced. The smaller ones can even be pulled behind your car.

Then there are the popups. These are easy to tow behind your car or small truck. When set up, they have a kitchen including running water. They have a fresh water holding tank if you want to camp in more primitive areas. They probably have an electrical hookup and a heater and air conditioner. They don't have a bathroom and therefore no black water holding tank. The one we rented a few weeks ago did not have a grey water tank. We captured the kitchen sink water into a five gallon bucket and emptied it once a day in a spot away from the camper. They often sleep as many as six people as did our rental. But we found it to be very cramped even for the two of us. A popup might be okay if your living space is the great outdoors and you only use the camper for sleeping and some food preparation. We certainly thought ours was a great improvement over tent camping. But had we researched a bit longer before we committed, we would have found that a small tow behind does not cost that much more. I know from experience that getting a popup from travel mode to camping mode and vice versa takes a fair amount of work.

Lastly, there is the fairly new type of camper known as the hybrid. They are small and lightweight like the popup, but they are much easier to set up. The kitchen and living space are much like a tow behind and may include a restroom. The beds are extended from the front and rear much like a popup. If you are looking for maximum luxury for a small price and only have a small tow vehicle, the hybrid looks like a pretty good choice.

Lots of choices. If you are interested in RV living fulltime, or occasional weekend camping, there is something out there that is right for you....... Hardware