Yes, we're stupid - but now what? Any RVers here?

[DianaCox]

I got interested in RVing after seeing a neighbor's cute, stylish and clearly EXPENSIVE B class RV. I finally asked them to let me see their Pleasure Way (on a Mercedes Sprinter chassis) - it's gorgeous - 22' long and very compactly, luxuriously and snugly put together. It also lists at over $120K.

So I started researching, and then Charles and I started going to RV dealers and taking tours of various vehicles. We started considering that the B platform was just a little too small for us, and started looking at 25' Class Cs, with a bump out. We were trying to find one that fit into our 25' driveway - which is shortened on the house side by the overhanging roof about 2.5' - and I thought we found what we needed in a Thor Siesta 24SR, with two slides.

Last week, we went to a dealer to look at one of them that was listed for $89K. Charles wasn't impressed with the quality or size. The dealer led us around to look at other models.

And then out in the parking lot with the used vehicles was a 30' Class A (Coachmen Mirada 30qb) - a 2005 with less than 25K miles on it. And Charles liked it, and now we've gone and (almost) bought it - without even driving it, although we did go back and look at it more carefully, and turned it on. We agreed to $27.5K out the door for it, including a tip to tail 1 year warranty. Plus we're making them store it until the end of July.

We decided that even if we end up hating RVing in this thing, we will only need to take about 8-10 trips to recoup a substantial part of the cost, and still have a spare room (wish we'd had it while we were remodeling!). And I'm hoping that we can get the kids to go camping with us (with them in TENTS, not with us!).

(It turned out anyway that the 25' RV would NOT have been legal parked in the front of the house - it would have to be on the side behind the gate - but the overhanging roof that makes that impossible. So we have to find a place to park it miles away anyway.)

SO - my practical questions:

• The toilet should handle DS poop, but I don't want to put the paper in the holding tank too - does anyone know of a wet-wipe equivalent of a Diaper Genie that would keep the soiled wipes under deodorized wraps? (I will use the campground toilets when available, but possibly not first thing in the AM.)
• Living in San Jose, where would you go for a few first-time runs? I want mountains and the beach (on different trips, of course!).
• I want to go to Yellowstone and Glacier Park - is late September-early October too late? Are we going to get snow?
• Trying to figure out the "this thing is too damned big to go into town" issue - how do you handle it? We have Charles' 1999 M3 Beemer, but flat towing it seems like a terrible abuse to that car, and having a trailer seems like a MAJOR PITA. Rent a car in each place we're going to stay for a few days? Some kind of very compact motorized vehicle?

What things did you wish you knew the first few times you went RVing? Charles is of course pretty handy, so I'm not worried about him being able to handle the basic plumbing and generator issues, but I'll bet there are tricks, shorts cuts, RV "hacks" that we should know. Are there clubs, "frequent flyer" passes, things/places to avoid? We're going to buy some books too - any suggestions?

We are going to need to fix up a few things - rear view camera, new TVs (the one it has is a tube TV!), maybe a couple of fans. I don't like that the front seats don't have shoulder harness seat belts. The plastic potty should probably also be replaced with porcelain, plus a butt-washer hose. We'll go to CampingWorld shortly to see what they have.

What do you want to bet that now that we did this, that something is going to come up that makes it totally stupid that we did? (Besides the obvious thing that buying one without even renting one once to see if we like it is stupid.) But I really think we're going to like it. I envision myself working in the mountains or beach (with a hotspot) and taking walks in between. I don't know why - there's nothing stopping me from doing it here ... but, how could I pass up a walk in the mountains or at the beach?

 

[Terri]

Not an RVer but have a suggestion on the toilet paper. Instead of a diaper genie (pita in my opinion) I would buy the deodorizer bags that moms carry in the diaper bag. I think they have more deodorizer and you just tear them off one at time. They are very inexpensive so if they don't work as well as you want you are only out a few bucks.

Also as far as transportation what about a couple of Vespa type scooters?

 

[newanatomy]

I have a 28 foot 5th wheel. I live two hours from Yellowstone National Park. Late September is pushing the end of summer. You could end up with snow but hell, I have had snow in July in the Mountains of Montana.
I am still a newbie (not that stinky) but, I have had no issues with the toilet in our 5th wheel. I toss the wet wipes in the garbage which I empty daily.
If you plan to travel across country, I would suggest getting a KOA membership, it is only $25.00. That way you have a lot of options on stopping places during your trip.
The first thing I do with any RV I buy is to throw out the mattress and put in a real pillow top mattress from Sam's club. Must have a comfortable place to sleep! Make sure it will fit if this is where one of your slide outs are.

 

[Elizabeth N.]

Late September-early October is indeed too late to do Yellowstone or Glacier in an RV, especially at your age and with your lack of RV and cold weather experience. Go before Labor Day.

 

[southernlady]

Come in July, Diana! Join us in MT! We still are not positive of the dates yet but July looks to be the time.

 

[DianaCox]

My concern about going in July is that we won't be able to get reservations at the parks. But perhaps we will.

 

[DianaCox]

What we bought: http://skyriverrv.com/2005-mirada-30qb-by-coachmen-zc1334/#slide-1 - it has no slides (less to break?). I will look into the deoderizer bags - that sounds easy and inexpensive, thanks!

I'm both excited and terrified that we've embarked on an adventure that will be the beginning of the end of our marriage. The funny thing is, I fell in love with the idea of the "jump in the VAN and run away for a 4 day weekend" based on the neighbors' van-RV; Charles was not the least bit interested, and I dragged him to a few places to look at them, and then HE got the bug looking at this one (more room, a Ford engine, much lower cost, plus he can customize it further because it is older) as well as the idea of getting away and doing some things. I think there is also the thing about just getting away from home - he hasn't worked outside the house for 15+ years, and now I work at home too - but we each have our own environments here. In the RV, there will be a lot more - um - togetherness, as well as inconvenience to deal with. Nevertheless, it will be good to just BE somewhere else.

 

[JackieOnLine]

that's just beautiful!! what a great adventure!!

 

[southernlady]

My concern about going in July is that we won't be able to get reservations at the parks. But perhaps we will.

As soon as we can (hopefully this week or next) we will know when we are heading that way.

 

[bearmom]

I still think the cheap ambient temp, no electric $40 bidet seat is the way to go, and ordered one myself for the rv toilet.

And even though the water lines in the rig are likely insulated enough, the water line TOO it that you hook to at Yellowstone freezes nightly that time of year. When I was younger I'd deal with a few waterless hours, but not now when there is DS poop to be flushed.

 

[Elizabeth N.]

Come to MT!!!!!!! Make your park reservations ASAP, yes, but COME!!!!

 

[SHales]

My concern about going in July is that we won't be able to get reservations at the parks. But perhaps we will.

You will get reservations if you make them as soon as Liz coughs up a date. I am waiting on her also. You guys need to come!!!

 

[southernlady]

You will get reservations if you make them as soon as Liz coughs up a date. I am waiting on her also. You guys need to come!!!

And I am tapping my foot waiting on New York Life!

 

[DianaCox]

Reality check: we're dropping off the check for the RV tomorrow (though they can't deposit it until the proceeds from the stocks we sold on Thursday are in the bank). The plan is, we leave the RV up there until at least after we get back from San Diego at the end of the month (I have a conference to attend in SD, and we're going to spend a few days in LA dealing with my wayward brothers there). We have arranged for parking at an outdoor storage site about 16 miles from our house, but we have a number of things that need to be done to the coach before we leave on the first trip. So I don't think we're going to be ready for a long first or second trip this year - we need to do some close-to-home shake-down trips first, learning how to drive the rig, how to pack, stocking supplies that we have yet to discover we will need - before we drive over the Rocky Mountains. The Wagonmaster (Charles) has spoken - we've been reading up on being RVers and it is not a sissy business - you can screw things up, or put yourself in danger if you aren't careful.

 

[newanatomy]

It is good to camp close to home for a couple of tries. Or, at least near a town with supplies. A few years ago, we had to have our 23 foot toy-hauler, two 4 wheelers a Ford F250 diesel (busted transmission), 3 men over 6 feet tall, me and a one gassy bulldog towed from Sheridan, Montana all the way back to Idaho Falls. We were way up in the mountains and burned out the transmission after getting the toy-hauler stuck on a muddy hill. Camping is always an adventure.