What made you start RVing?

[Ford Idaho]

At the level I am at now?

Not what but whom!

Me, myself and I.

[mike.t]

I believe the OP asked "what"

[SidecarFlip]

Originally Posted by youroo

I hold a special regard for young men who reach the "Eagle Scout " award! Its more impressive than a whole wall of trophies! I Wish more boys and their "Parents" were involved in Scouting today! Youroo! !

I learned a lot about survival a and it's the main reason why I always primitive camp and own a truck camper. Too old to sleep on the ground but I don't want to be too far away from it nor do I need absolute luxury when camping / RV'ing The essentials are fine with me. I consider a 3 way fridge high end luxury (no freeze dried meals....)

My Palomino has a wet bath bit it's for my wife, not me. She was never a girl scout. No ac either. I cannot see the need for ac at all. In the woods, it's always cool at night and during the day, we are outside anyway, even if it's raining.

Finally, no boob tube or stereo with multiple speakers, I consider that stuff noise pollution, Camping is about camping, not electronic entertainment, I can get that at home. The one thing we do always take is a C Crane Global Observer Radio with NOAA weather and GM and AM if you want to have entertainment (usually, not us) and a cell phone and the ever present SAT phone.

Emergencies do arise and I live by the 'Be Prepared' motto

[Johnee]

There is nothing to do at a motel. There is so much to do camping. Fishing, boating, walking, cooking, biking, tennis, pickle ball, etc, etc, etc. Nothing better for kids. Been camping with my family now for 48 years.

[Buck1032]

The Dear Wife........
She camped in a camper with her family as a kid. I slept on the ground as a kid, didn't even have tents most of the time. When our DS was 5 or so the DW started dropping hints about wanting a camper. By hints I mean she dragged me to every camper seller within 100 miles of us. We looked and crunched numbers and got a 2013 FR Surveyor Sport 260. It was a bunkhouse and our now 10 y/o all but our grew the bunk and rolled out of it at Ft Wilderness over Fall break. On the way home the DW dropped "more hints" about a larger camper with better accommodations for the DS. We are not owners of a 2017 Keystone Cougar X-Lite 28RDB.

[jkoenig24]

I thought about RVing for 10+ years before taking the plunge. In 2009, I decided I wanted to go the Burning Man Festival in Nevada's Black Rock Desert (I'm in NY). Burning Man rules are simple; if you don't bring it, you won't have it. They have a strict policy of "Radical Self Reliance". Your admission ticket gets you in and use of their porta-potties, that's it! When I ordered my 2004 Toyota Sienna minivan, I ordered the factory tow package. I could tow up to 3500#. I started research online to see what sort of travel trailer I could get. I settled on a 2010, Casita Spirit Deluxe Travel Trailer (weighing ~ 2500# empty). The Casita was truly a small studio apartment on wheels. Very easy to tow and, the fiberglass body was almost maintenance free. I had a GREAT time at Burning Man and returned again in 2011 & 2012 in my Casita. I realized early on that I really liked the RV lifestyle. Over three+ years, I searched to find a better RV. In May of 2014, I decided on a Dynamax 2015 DX3-37RB Super-C. GREAT floor plan (98% usable with the slides IN!) and, being built on a Freightliner Class 7 HDT chassis, it's built like a tank. 350HP Cummins diesel engine up front. A TRUE tow capacity of 20,000# (newer model may have less). I could probably carry an anvil collection and not be overweight. Being an HDT, the driver needs (depending on the state you're in) either a special endorsement for large RV with Air Brakes or, a Class A or B license. Since I already had the right license, I was good to go. I've done about 20 treks logging just over 25,000 miles in "FrED" (Front End Diesel). Most C-Class RVs are based on pick up trucks or medium vans. By the time a builder finishes them, the owner has very little capacity available to use without exceeding one (or more) parameters. For Super-C owners, that one less thing to worry about. Once I get my stick & brick sold, I can easily full time in FrED.

[G.B.]

Camped as a Boy Scout. Really loved being in the woods. My son and I camped in a pop-up for years before I met my wife. She liked camping but wanted the kitchen and bathroom the pop-up didn't allow. So we first got a tt now a 5er. In 3yrs and 10months, I retire and we will sell the s&b and go full time.

[Wobbles]

I have camped all of my life. I now have graduated to a TT for two reasons.

I can afford it and after three months of remodeling 90 percent of the house the DW screamed stop. She could not deal with the lifestyle adjustments that that have to be done during the effort.

After a lot of her foot stomping, she would not deal with the last adjustment of living there during a kitchen remodel. I lost my mind talking to her about that last detail.

I declared that I would use that money to buy a TT instead of a new kitchen remodel.

I am simple. I tell my buddies that I am towing my kitchen.

[DNBINFV]

Girl Scouts and church camps as a child. I taught my 1st husband to camp, in 1972 we traveled for 6 mos around the US with a 4WD blazer and a canvas tent. 1979 got our first tt and it became mine in the divorce (he doesn't like camping). The second husband came with a tent trailer, traded them for a Class C. Have now moved up to our 3rd 5er. I still like tent camping and back packing for short trips.

[Jump]

I got a dog.....

My family tent camped as a child, that was the only way we could afford to go on vacation. I always wanted to get back into camping, but my Wife's idea of roughing it was a 3 star hotel!

After we got my "retirement dog", we quickly realized the difficulties ofr traveling with a pet. Hotels that welcome pets are hard to find.

Now my Wife loves camping and can't wait to get on the road!

Jump

Surveyor 226RBDS

[n-e-d]

40 yrs of vacation rentals ,condos and motels after a horrendous week camping in Maine in the rain. 3 years ago decide we would see the country but didnt want to jam the car with luggage so started looking at trailers, bought a Ram for a TV. As we're looking got the motorhome bug, traded the Ram for a toad and bought a Sunseeker...Yahoo... my Sunseeker is broken in and I'm retired, life couldnt be better

[NoviBill]

Camped with a 17' Banner travel trailer as a child, graduated to tent camping on my own and then with my wife. Bought a pop-up, did Boy Scouts with my Son (Eagle Scout) including Backpacking in Alaska, kayaking in the Florida keys. Got a hybrid, Son moved on, wife wanted a better camper and bought a used Lexi 26' (love it).

The why is simple: I get to see wake up in the best places in the world (US National Parks) and meet wonderful people. Having my own clean bed, shower and being able to eat my own cooking (vs hotels and restaurants) is also a great plus.

[mike.t]

Originally Posted by Johnee

There is nothing to do at a motel. There is so much to do camping. Fishing, boating, walking, cooking, biking, tennis, pickle ball, etc, etc, etc. Nothing better for kids. Been camping with my family now for 48 years.

x2 many over

[herbike]

What made you start RVing?
DIRT BIKES! That would be the plain and simple answer. 1984 I bought a tent to camp in to go dirt biking, two kids loved it, wife wouldn't go, said she had to have a "hard" roof over her head at night. 1985, bought a Shasta TT, 1986 bought a Western Wilderness 11.5 ft slide in, 1989 bought used Shasta class C, 1993 traded wives, 1995 bought Kit Sportsmaster Patio Hauler, still have it for sale, Oct bought a Shockwave 28FQGDX toyhauler, used it all of 5 nights, happy with it so far.

[ProfChuck]

TapeX,
Been camping since high school. Everything from tents to a Windjammer. If I can afford to camp, I will. Sometimes you have to motel. We now go with our grandson who is 3 and have been camping with him and his parents (and the in-laws) since before he was born. Worth every minute of it and plan on camping until we can't do it anymore. With our own TT you have your own bathroom to give the grandson a clean shower, and a bed you can get a good night's sleep in.
As they say a bad day of camping is better than a good day anyplace else! Enjoy every minute with your grandson. Both he and you deserve it. It is a legacy he will remember the rest of his life.

[pattiandkelly]

Same here, bought the trailer to work in KC in the winter, didn't know anything about trailers,camping or towing. Bought trailer, hooked it to back of my bucket truck,(never towed anything)and drove to Missouri in Nov. That was one cold winter, 7 yrs ago for a Fla. boy

[pattiandkelly]

sorry in reply to king fisher

[MartiB]

Originally Posted by aceinspp

Started out tent camping years ago just kept going from there cause we liked camping. Kept moving up. Later RJD

Same with me. I had tent camped for years and then bought a van from a friend of mine with the idea that I would be towing a trailer. After 5 years, still no trailer - couldn't afford it. Slept in the van which was okay until it got hot and then there wasn't much ventilation. In 2006 I bought my Trailblazer and just happened to come across a small Dutchmen 20'. Worked well for 9 years and then last year I decided I wanted a real bed and the floor of the Dutchmen had cold-cracked so that and a few other repairs made me start looking. I purchased a 2015 Salem CruiseLite and love it. This year I made an attempt to camp once a month and did pretty well. FROG, FROGtoberfest, a couple of geocaching events and EAA Airventure and the days added up. Could not have done all this with a tent! Would not have met some very nice people with FROG either.

[kwf1958]

Witness protection program with the feds. They told me on the road no one would find me.

[bob dirt]

Wife wouldn't go to the sands dunes (Glamis) and stay in a tent in the early 80's. First camper was a cab-over in a truck. Bought all of mine used until this one. Probably won't do that again...

Been all over the place on my side of the world...Mexico, Yosemite, different white water rafting destinations, four wheeling in Moab and more.

We don't camp just to camp. We go places with friends and ride or fish or hunt or anything but park in a trailer park and watch TV...life is good