6 BIG Reasons We are NOT Traveling in our RV Camper | MUST KNOW BEFORE Buying a Camper or RV 🚧
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- Опубликовано: 2 июл 2024
- Our family just began a long road trip across the USA and we are NOT traveling in our newly renovated travel camper. THIS is why …
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Will We REGRET Buying Our Camper? | RV Renovation on a Budget (week 1)
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What do YOU wish you would have known before buying an RV or Camper?
Any guesses on how we ARE traveling across America?
Leased vehicle and tents?
Tenting?
You bought a tent trailer?
Pop up ?
Roof tent!
Not all trailers or RVs leak. I have had mine for 20 years, pulled it extensively through USA, Canada and Mexico and no leaks. If a person does proper maintenance, you won't have problems. There is a steep learning curve when it comes to living and traveling in a trailer or other RV style, but it is all worth it, for the wonderful life it offers. Anyway, it seems like you have found a solution that works for you.
I'm wondering if it would have been better (in hindsight) to put a single-wide mobile home on your land instead of buying the camper. It might be better insulated too.
Love your channel! You’re amazing at outlining the cost of one’s decisions in a non judgemental way! Probably could listen to you all day! Thank you for offering alternative ways of life and how to financial manage the life you’ve chosen ❤️❤️
Thank you so much! 😊
I think your camper purchase was super smart!!! but I couldn't agree more do not travel with it. put it on some property. build a corrugated metal shed roof on stilts, like a pole barn, over the top, and get a van if you want to travel. stay in hotels when you want to but if you can't find one, or it gets too expensive, or you'd rather be out in nature, you got the van!!!
Great info, thank you. With all the costs and uncomfortable shit that come with a trailer, paying for lodging is much better for me.
Most of your reasons are the exact reasons I give people when they ask me why I didn't buy an RV instead of a shuttle bus to convert. My bus is made of fiberglass, so there are minimal places for leaks. This was a BIG reason! It looks to me like y'all are traveling in the truck with a roof top tent. Those are so cool! Safe travels.
You are so transparent, so honest. Thank you.
Your family is amazing! I love your spirit and financial planning.
I’m going on a 12000 road trip in April…super excited. I’m totally and properly planning it. I’ve actually travelled alone to Europe in 2010 and met up with my cousin in Ukraine.
I’m not a traditional 73 yo in looks, health and mindset.
I’m not wealthy but I make everything work..gotta be smart!
Excited to hear about your adventures!
I feel like most RVs are a toy for rich people. I have the same RTT, the Roam Vagabond, that you guys have, and I love it! It is perfect for me and at 160lbs it doesn't put undo strain on my car or my gas mileage.
Here in GA you have to have a different drivers license to pull a big heavy duty camper or trailer also look at the gwvr limit on your truck and also if you move something big you have to stop something big lol bless y’all’s hearts you guys are trying hard that’s what counts I’m proud of y’all 😀👍just be careful!
We never had any problems with leaks in our camper and we used/moved it a TON. We had a 27ft pull behind with a boat on the back of it; wasn't hard to pull or stressful but probably because my dad drives a truck for a living. We didn't drive slowly on the interstate either. Gas milage is crap, it's pretty much like driving a tractor trailer when towing the camper.
I've owned 5 caravan's (Camper/RV) and never had any leaks and we travelled tens of thousands kilometres with them.
I've owned 5 caravans in my lifetime, never had any problems with leaks. Maybe they're just built better in Australia.
I agreed that bigger is definitely not better. Everytime we bought a new caravan we went smaller, our current caravan is 15ft.
When we were a family of 5 our caravan was 17ft and it was plenty big enough.
You can't even buy caravans that big in Australia.
We started out tent camping and progressed through pop up campers, multiple 5th wheels, a gas motorhome and finally to a diesel motorhome over the last 30 years. We never had leaks in any of the campers we had. We purchased all but our diesel motorhome used but we never bought fixer upper campers and purchased most through dealerships that had vetted the campers as being in good working order not from private sellers. We always stayed at 36’ or less to make it easier to travel and also stay in state parks that can’t accommodate large campers. I prefer staying in the 25’-30’ camper range although my husband prefers more in the 36’ range. We live in FL so can camp easily year round here and also enjoy traveling to other southern states camping with friends and family.
Use flex seal that will hold it’s flexible and will roll with the punches 😀👍
We traveled for 2 years in a 28 foot travel trailer. Most of what you said is true, but we found it to be an amazing experience. Once we were set up at a camp site, we would do all the exploring in our truck. Best wishes on your adventures!
Yes! We just left the camper at the camp site and went out in the truck.
Great video 📹...I agree with all your points...we picked up a 2016 Keystone..no leaks yet ...The Truck I found was a 1995 Ram...the magic number is 30 feet for State campgrounds...Good luck ✌🏿🏕
Very informative for anyone thinking of getting an RV for travel. My wife and I have been enjoying RV travel for the past 40 years and are still enjoying it now. But things have change a lot over that time. For us, It helped that we started small with a 16ft travel trailer and have worked our way up to our current 26ft travel trailer. During that time I learned never to exceed my tow vehicle's towing and PAYLOAD capacities. That kept it more comfortable and less stressful for us. I would never have been comfortable with towing a 35ft travel trailer with a 1/2 ton truck.
My guess is you're traveling with a rooftop tent based on the "hint" you pointed out.
Looking forward to hearing about all your travel adventures.
Best wishes to all of you on your travels!
We're looking at pop ups. Between the beds and the dining its enough sleep space dogs pile on us anyway.
super helpful video. so few channels with this level of reliable content.
Great video. I always thought about an RV or camper. This information was so helpful!!
I was really surprised that you went with a camper instead of a skoolie. Trucks are very expensive.
Yes we agree we have an 18 ft….but have it parked at a campsite right near the beach and spend most of the summer there. It is cozy and comfy and just perfect or weekends or a week at a time. Enjoy you trip and your land
I did that with my fifth wheel. It’s permanently parked in a place I wanted to explore.
Really appreciate your honest assessment of traveling with a camper. Some family members are considering doing this due to their ability to work remotely. Will definitely share this video with them to give them more food for thought.
Live and learn. You guys are learning a lot here lately.
With traveling, do you have any other form of making an income besides RUclips? Great idea to purchase your land & park the RV before you hit the road. Safe travels!
Thank you for this information. I am originally from VA. I was considering buying an RV but after watch you and Liz Amazing, I am opting for the same resolution you did.
Very helpful info.
Sending love and hugs to you and your precious family.
Great channel I’m happy to know about this ❤❤❤
I bought a 1998 Coachman Leprechaun class C for $12,000 The exact model in a 2024 flavor is $130,000. I have put a huge amount of money into my RV. It runs perfectly. New roof, New floors, New generator etc. Don't worry about how much you invest. Keep making it what you want. You will be happy in the end. I fix and replace items as they break. I recently installed a new stove. It took about 20 minutes to swap out and I trimmed it out the next day for maybe an hour. It has a little dry rot, but I just encapsulated it and moved on. Don't worry about making it nice make is work!
😊Great information ❤
I see some people storing their RV under a car port or portable garage when not on the road. I'm wondering if that might help with leaks, to keep your RV under a secondary cover when you're living in it.
Welcome to VA!!!!
Our family of four was planning to purchase a class A motor home for frequent local in state trips, and some longer trips to national parks. Before dropping the $$$ I suggested to my husband that we rent a motor home comparable to the size we were looking at. I’m so glad we did because we found the same issues you did, such as difficulty parking, maneuvering, gas costs, and it was not a comfortable ride. It was like riding down the road in a swaying rattle box. 😅
We ended up purchasing a smaller 19 ft trailer that has everything we need, at a lower cost.
Put a camper port over your camper before you leave. Protects against the elements...rain and etc. You can build a simple one with a porch added for extra outdoor living space. Make it more comfortable until you build.
We traveled for 3 months up the East Coast in a 33 ft travel trailer, it really helped us to have an anti-sway hitch. Before that we had a smaller travel trailer that was only 21 ft and we didn't have an anti-sway hitch and it was nerve-wracking towing it.😰
The leaking! My exhusband and I dealt with condensation on one of the slides, waking up in the cold when the propane ran out (without an electric heater), super small fridge…. Those were my biggest pet peeves lol
Good lord! You can't pull a 34ft TT with a Tundra! It's a 1/2 ton truck. You need at least a 3/4 or 1 ton truck (2500 or 3500). Did you all study at all about truck payload, windshear, etc? With your set up, the "tail would wag the dog" constantly. Truck is too small, trailer too big!
You are incorrect. Our Tundra hauls 10K+ lbs and our camper is 8K. But we also bought our Tundra with no intention of hauling the camper often. We had already decided not to travel with the camper at that point. My husband rented a 2500 truck to move it just about every time because we didn’t want to put the wear on the Tundra or put insurance on it or we hadn’t bought the Tundra yet. You cannot escape the sway on a camper that long no matter what you are driving. You may want to rewatch the video and listen more closely to what I said.
I’m not surprised. I travel for 2 years. I learned all that the hard way. That’s why I suggested getting a pop up.
You would get better at backing up, turing around, etc. But what you say about not being able to camp the way you like, off grid and stealth is true. Curious to see what solution you found for traveling.
Are you traveling with your pets? We have a tiny, 6 x 8 trailer that we love, but I still don’t feel comfortable leaving our little dog behind in the trailer while we go out to explore. You can literally pick it up and walk away with it and hitchlocks are not 100%. They can have the stuff, but not the dog. Sometimes there are museums or attractions that we skip because of this. Not happy with this part, but we adore the nimble little Runaway.
I think you you should have bought a more recent, less beat up version.
I travel in a 1995 Chevy G20 high top van. Perfect size
I think for now the best decision is camp base ( living in there) and in the future make it a Airbnb on your property 💰
We bought a 26' Grand Design Imagine XLS in 2021. It is solar-powered as our property is off-grid. Learned alot, but the two major takeaways the last 8 months have been: DON'T use the black tank if there's any chance winter will arrive where you live anytime soon.😮
Winter came late to our Southern Colorado Mesa this year and we got caught off-guard.
For most? some? of the year we go to the closest decent RV park (still an hr away) to dump black tank and refresh fresh tank, etc., however we also learned that once winter arrives on the Mesa the rds become untenable for pulling an RV, so.....we now have an RV on our property with a full, frozen black tank and are waiting for Spring thaw to empty it! Crazy!!
Oh, I forgot to mention that the RV heater broke last Spring and we had it fixed but the fix didn't hold so RV has been without heat for about 9 months.
If the heater had been working through the winter it probably would have helped the black tank thaw? Maybe. It's very cold in Winter where we live so I'm not sure.
It is our first winter here on property. Last winter we escaped to New Mexico to survive the winter because we didn't have enough heat in our yurt cabins. But 2 adults and two cats in a 26' RV in RV parks? It got unbearable.
The OTHER ongoing annoying issue is mice. The mice have invaded our RV and the only thing that seems to stop them is below 0 temperatures and/ or snow.
They have definitely enjoyed our RV more this past year than we have! 😢
They are gross and a drag.
We do have 2 cats but they are older and they live in the YURT cabins- we did figure out heat! Major! - not in a freezing, isolated RV.
I NEED to know what you are traveling in! lol Stay safe all of you
Do you regret buying this trailer not knowing the downsides at the time or did you? Don’t buy new rv’s. Practically put together with staples, glue, and bubblegum.
My parents put their 36” RV in one place and lived there half the year. They had a Casita for traveling. Of course, there were only 2 of them.
Great tip to buying a camper
We have a 28 ft RV and it is plenty long enough. We have also had a 24 ft pull along and a pop up before. I didn't want one any longer this time.
I watched this yesterday and was going to post a comment but got interrupted by a living creature that has 4 legs and purrs. I realized I never got back to make the comment. I don't how you're traveling right now. That will be interesting to see so I'm watching for that video. Thank you for sharing your experience. We were thinking about buying a used RV. After seeing this and another video showing problems with them we won't be doing that.
If you feel like you have to go slow on the interstate then your truck/trailer isn't set up right. You need to figure out your weight distribution and (assuming you don't have one) get a weight distribution hitch with sway control and set it up properly. Too little tongue weight and the trailer will want to sway, too much and the truck will squat and take too much weight off of the steer tires.
I just looked into the weights and you're most likely overloading your truck. You really should get a 3/4 ton or 1 ton to tow that trailer. Just looking at the numbers it looks good, but when you add up the weight of all your supplies and yourselves you are probably overloaded. Even if you're not then you're very close.
I’m in the process of moving out of an apartment in Port Orange FL. Looking in to campers
My guess is a pop up towed by your truck.
Your tundra and a tent over the bed of the truck 😊
My house needs like 100,000my house needs 100,000 in repairs. You paid 5000, very good. KISS.
I don't think leaking is a normal think in a camper :s
I think we will drive and stay in hotels along the way.
Did you get a truck bed camper for your trip?
In retrospect, would renovating a school bus have worked better for your family or would some of the same things have applied? Thanks for the info!
Their frames are different and are meant for the road longer term.
Could you give me an idea what your truck cost. This has given me great information.
$24K … I think I may do a detailed video on the process 😆
I travel for work doing fairs in all sorts of states and to me it doesn't make sense to get a big rv unless you can write off all the expenses as a business. It's still expensive but paying taxes for doing business is too!
I thought the whole point of buying this RV was to travel in it? Considering all the effort , time you put in was it worth buying it just to live in it till you build your house?
If you could do it over would you rent an RV before buying?
Campers with slides are also overrated...
Did you every consider a bus?
Buy small and fiberglass Rvs.
Sway bars and weight desperation hitch
Ya kinda get what ya pay for!
Maybe you could live in a mobile or modular home on your new property and use the camper as a rental for extra income. The Sarasota Tim channel has a lot of good information about buying campers and on dealerships.
I have a van. It’s great.. you might be too rich.
Yes RVs and mobile homes are tin cans. Not good for long term. It’s a good thing you aren’t afraid of some challenging DIY projects.
LOL
Get your facts straight about rv trailers or other rv recreationals you may buy. The newer ones we never have had leaks or issues. Number 2,insulation in newer models do have some good construction and insulation in them.Number 3, upkeep on maintenance helps doing periodic checks on the rvs inside and out.Thats the reality and issues when people don't take care of what they buy.Then you make videos and gripe about rvs.Many people don't have homes or rvs and don't take care of them. Then complain how hard life is.Nothing wrong with buying a rv.There are many rv parkd or resorts where you can live at.It's becoming more popular to have to live in these new or used.Quit trying to discourage people on living or trying this lifestyle. Lifestyle/life is really hard to find affordable housing now.Quit with the negative. Be more careful about looking for possible issues with what you buy.Everything in life you have to learn from.Better having a trailer or rv of some sort to live in.Life isn't easy...
So … the video was about why we didn’t TRAVEL in our older camper, not that no one should have one 🤷♀️ We actually live stationary in our camper now that we are finished with our road trip. I have always encouraged people to live in more affordable housing and a camper/rv is a great option. But there realistically ARE cons that people should be aware of so they can make an informed choice.
Says the used RV salesman