Thor Forums

[Joe-FL]

I would carefully consider all the possibilities out there before jumping in to a first time rig for full time traveling.

Medium size Class A or C with no toad: the advantages here are a short list. You can get into almost any State park or small tight campground. The list of negatives are longer than I want to type. You would almost always have to plan ahead and pull into a Walmart for stocking up on groceries/supplies. If you have a medical emergency at 1am (you or your pets) do you call uber, rescue squad, or who? Unit will probably be too small for a washer/dryer so you will be carrying laundry around a campground which could be a 50 yard walk or a mile walk.

Medium size Class A or C with a toad: it would solve about half the issues stated above but not all. Even for two people you have to have some "stuff" for general living. Now in your case you are adding two 100 pound animals to the mix and their "stuff" that they will need.

Large Class A with toad: I consider a large class A to be in the 37' to 45' range. Units 37' to 40' generally are gas, 40' and above can come in diesel. Now you can have a washer/dryer, and if not equipped with those you will have a huge hanging closet area where they would normally go. The basement storage area will be anywhere from 180 square feet to 250 square feet.

Travel Trailer: depending on the size and weight of a TT you could be pulling it with a large SUV or a pickup truck. Most TT's have slides so you will have a lot of living space. The one negative is that most TT's are hard to pull down the highway in moderate windy conditions.

Fifth Wheel: the only negative here would be the fact for most new RVers it can be intimidating at first, especially if you have never driven a large truck or semi combination. A fiver in the 36' to 40' range (with slides) has tons of livability. Your tow vehicle (TV) could be an extended cab or mega cab pickup so you would have room for the puppies. Fivers can be drug down the interstate in 40mph crosswinds better than 90% of all other RV's on the road. With a little practice you will be maneuvering it and backing it with no problems.

These are just my ideas. We bought our first RV in our late 50's, sold our home, and hit the road full time. We have since bought another home, listed it for sale, and are getting ready to return to full time travel again.

Good luck deciding and finding what works for you. We found that there is nothing better than full time traveling the USA in an RV.