Class C or TT

stachowski8482 · 08-10-2020, 07:15 PM

Folks

Love your opinion. We have a 24 foot SunSeeker Class C and love it. We have owned it for years but never have towed another vehicle behind it. We either had our bicycles or the wife met me at the campground. I was thinking of going from a Class C to a TT or even a 5th wheel. We had a TT years ago and really worried about sway. Should I just get a dolly or make the change. Thanks

Jfkmk · 08-10-2020, 07:25 PM

We went from a Class C to a tt because we were tired of breaking camp every time we wanted to go somewhere. We like to travel and see the sights, not just sit at a campground.

Also, it was a real pain to park in a lot of places, not to mention the 7-8 mpg.

We’ve found the tt much easier to deal with on all levels.

oxcamper · 08-11-2020, 08:53 AM

There are a lot of considerations to take into account. As JFKMK pointed out, with a class C you have to break camp and secure everything if you need or want to go away from the campsite, even for a loaf of bread or milk.
How often do you or are you planning to use it? do you do a lot of camping? With a TT or 5er your TV is useful as a vehicle when you're not home, you get double duty out of that. Fuel consumption will probably be a wash if you're in your 24 SunSeeker or in a truck pulling a 24ish foot TT.
Your age and agility is also a factor. Hooking up trailers the older we get is not as easy a task as when we're in our 50s or less.
With WDH these days, sway is not that big of an issue when properly set up.

We had a pop-up years ago and one factor in getting a TT was we were tired of pulling into a site on a dark and stormy night and taking 1/2 hour to 45 minutes in the rain and dark just to get the unit up. While TT and 5ers are considerably better on this account, your Class C is even handier.

Pulling a vehicle behind your Class C is probably not much different than pulling a TT or 5er with a TV, although this is just a guess as I don't have any experience with it. I do see a lot of "older" campers pull in with Class As & Cs and a vehicle on a dolly and it seems a simple matter to release them and go on your merry way. Again -- no experience, just observation.

Good luck with your choice and decision.

stachowski8482 · 08-11-2020, 01:55 PM

Thanks. Really torn but you are right on gas mileage

Jfkmk · 08-11-2020, 02:07 PM

Ouf Class C got 7-8. Towing our 19 footer gets us 12-13, but the truck gets 20 without towing. When we used the C to sight see, it was 7-8, but now I'm getting 20 sight seeing.

That being said, there are arguements for a C as well. One of those arguements for you is you already own it. Decisions, decisions.

BehindBars · 08-11-2020, 02:44 PM

We thought about a TT, but have always stayed with a class C.

Part of the reason is the variations in how we travel and camp. Sometimes we tow a motorcycle in a trailer, sometimes tow a car, sometimes we travel separately with a truck and boat along with the C, or even tow the boat behind the C. Having a motorhome gives us more flexibility for how we travel and camp.

Another feature we like about the motorhome is when we stop for lunch at rest areas, or stay overnight at Walmart, the coach is cooled down and we just go back and eat/sleep. If we need the generator, we just push a button. If the weather is bad we don’t even need to exit the motorhome.

If we tow the car with us, we get 8.5 mpg while traveling, but 35 mpg driving the car alone to sightsee. Or get 42 mpg riding the motorcycle while the motorhome is set up at camp.

There is no one answer to which is better because it depends how you use your RV.

retireearly · 08-11-2020, 03:15 PM

We debate this often.. started in a small TT and then bought a C after our setup proved unstable on the highway. At the time it was cheaper than a new truck + new trailer and the financing was easier with a 10yr note. In the beginning we didn't tow, but that turned out to be very problematic. First we dolly towed (anyone need a dolly??), now we drag an older Jeep Cherokee flat. What we learned is that you can't get away from towing something. If you have a good setup you will hardly notice the car behind you. Setting up the C is easy, we thought maybe my wife could drive it (she can, she doesn't). Ultimately we will either go big (class A) or go back to a trailer I would guess. Right now we don't have the money to lose to trade.

AlaskaErik · 08-11-2020, 10:12 PM

I really think it comes down to personal preference and lifestyle. Like most Alaskans, I already have a pickup truck, so a travel trailer makes more sense for me. I'd have to get another car to tow, if I had a Class C, as the truck would be too heavy and my wife's Subaru can't be flat or dolly towed. Having a trailer also means I don't have another drive train to maintain. My trailers were relatively inexpensive, and there isn't much to maintain. So for me, I don't ever see a Class C in my future.

stachowski8482 · 08-12-2020, 07:26 AM

Thanks for the responses. Think about making the change. Thanks again for the comments.

DougW · 08-12-2020, 08:01 AM

Over the years we have had just about every camping combination you can think of from a tent and a motorcycle to a Class A towing the car on a trailer.

The easiest combination to drive (with a hard side RV) was the 5th wheel with the 1 ton diesel pickup, no sway, decent fuel mileage (9MPG), good interior space, and we had the pickup for daily driver when we were out on the road. Hooking and unhooking is easier and quicker than a Travel Trailer. The drawback is you have the pickup as your daily driver and if it is a dually getting into parking spaces or some other tight spaces a can be an issue. A one ton is not the most comfortable ride when unladen.

The Class C and Class A differ only in size, they drive similar with some push from the wind and a bit of sway from passing trucks. Having the car to drive at the destination is really nice. We are now full time and haul the car and golf cart on the trailer with bicycles on a hitch mounted rack and it works great for us. We have to plan ahead for our stays so we get a pull through long enough for us as we are 60 feet total, or we have to be sure we have a place for the trailer if we are going to be someplace for a while. I think our next toad will be a Ford Ranger, it is flat towable so no trailer to mess with and we can put the golf cart in the back of the pickup.

A Travel Trailer will usually have the least inside space, is more prone to sway, and takes a lot more messing around to get hitched and unhitched especially with weight distributing hitches and sway controls. Fuel mileage will be similar to the 5th wheel setup.

If it were my decision I would get a flat towable or a dolly and keep the Class C as long as the motor home is meeting your needs.

katkt · 08-12-2020, 08:03 AM

We had a Class C for a number of years. It was nice as far as if you wanted a sammich, or the wife wanted to go back and take a nap.
In retrospect, I could have bought a good used nearly new 5th wheel and 3/4 ton truck at the time, for what I paid for the new Class C. When that light went on in my head, I could never see myself owning another Class C or any other motorhome for that matter. JMHO
When we decide to do the camping thing again, I had the PU already, and we opted for a bumper pull TT. My wife keeps the sammich's in a cooler in the truck now. Problem solved.

llr · 08-12-2020, 09:05 AM

We went from a class A with toad 4 down to a TT. Wish we stayed with a MH and tow a car 4 down. 4 down is easier to connect and disconnect then a dolly and no crawling on the ground to strap it down. You just need to be sure the toad is towable 4 down, there are a lot of choices but there are more that can't be.

upflying · 08-12-2020, 09:16 AM

I've had both, a class C is fine if you are driving every day and just need a place to stay each night as you travel around the country.
But if you are a destination RV'r, and stay put at a campground for days or weeks, go for a TT or FW.
Cheap maintenance, registration and insurance on a trailer are added incentives.

Travler · 08-12-2020, 09:17 AM

Before we had a 5th wheel and liked it. It was replaced with a C. For me the setup time was about half that of the 5er and much easer. I am sure that depends on your unit. One other nice thing is if you have been driving for several hours on a hot day the inside of the C is more than likely already cool so cooling down after setup is much nicer. We would have to leave our 5er for a couple of hours to allow it to cool down after setup.

You may also like: