An age old question on old age.

[babock]

My parents were in their late 70s and had a huge 5th wheel. They started using their truck with a slide in camper more and more. If they had to do it over again, they would have gone with a 1/2T pickup and a 24' trailer as a downsize from their 5th wheel. They said no way they would ever do a class A or C. Class B sprinter vans weren't around yet...they may have gone for one of those.

For me, I will never go larger than what we have right now. Perfect for us and we can fit in most campgrounds.

[garywilson]

My parents used a TT for years (and years).
Several years ago he mentioned he wanted a Class A but wasn't sure about spending the money. My response- your money is going to buy a Class A. Now, or after you're gone. He picked one up that week.
He went through three of them, stopping when he was 87 or so. He offered it to me, but I still like my TT so someone got a really good deal on it.

Do what you are comfortable with. At 65 I still prefer my TT. Electric jack so no sweat. Probably have to downgrade my generator soon, though.

[ds41crane]

x2 everything that formerFR said in #2
I'm 79 wife few yrs younger, we have a small class A towing small Honda.

[Major Oz]

Originally Posted by Blaster 84

We are getting up in years. I'm 77 and DW is 74 and we're seeking wisdom from others who have traveled this road.
I am in excellent health and DW is reasonably good health. Some back issues.
I have retired for the second time and we're considering upsizing to a larger 5th wheel to approximately 34 ft., and a compatible truck.
Our RV experience normally consist of traveling 3 to 6 months a year to various parts of the country. We also have tried work camping for private and state campgrounds.
We have no idea how long we will be able to RV. We realize everyone is different in experience, health and finances.
But based on your experience, would you increase in size, stay the same, or downsize?
We are weighing age, expense, return on investments and ability to travel in the future years.
Any input would be appreciated.

We are in the same boat.

After years....since the 60's....with every kind of RV, we are downsizing.

We are going to get the SMALLEST motorhome we can find with all the creature comforts and REAL BEDROOM (with a door).

Would like a twin bed layout......but, for reasons passing comprehension, nobody seems to make one.

I'm frugal (DW says "cheap"), but have NO care to impress anyone. Just, as the old story goes.......soft bed, warm bathroom, reliable mechanicals.

Doing MH, because stopping for the night should be turning off the key.......NOTHING ELSE.

[Kennypatrv]

Camp as long as you can
Keeps you in shape
Meet new people
Fun setting up
Building a fire
Bacon in the morning with coffee on a brisk morning
Nap under awning
I could go on
Happy RVing

[djglover7]

Great advice all around.

I am 63 and getting ready to retire and start traveling. We are rebuilding a 20ft. LQ horsetrailer (converted to toy hauler). Will be towing with a Silverado 2500 gasser.

DW appears to be OK with the smaller austere setup we are building. She needs a good bedroom and powder room (check, check), everything else is El Basico. We will find out how long this lasts :-).

I will be able to transport a golf cart, HD, or ??.

[KNMIB]

Just hit 70 and we have been seeing the country in a Coachman Leprechaun Class C 28ft. We have slept in all but 3 states (Alaska cancelled this year) and it works perfect for us. We have no pets or kids with us and it has plenty of room. We rarely stay anywhere more then a week and we don't tow a toad. We do rent cars when needed but because of our size we can take the RV to a lot of places. In large cities like DC, Boston etc we use public transportation. We love the simplicity of what we do but with that said we are all different and enjoy different ways to travel. Do what works for you and be safe.

[Brother Les]

K.I.S.S......


Keep it simple.....

[extremebike]

Hi

Congrats on your second retirement. I originally owned a pop up and leveling the repacking the tenting was time consuming and tiring, not yo mention getting sweaty.

I now own a Wildcat 32RL which unhooked is just under 36 feet. I go the Lippert Level up 6 way system and hooking up and leveling is a piece of cake. Hooking up is assisted by the disconnect memory which more or less returns the trailer to the height with which you disconnected.

The units self levels so with this system I can be finished a beer before I would have been finished with a pop up.

The decision to go with a TT or 5th wheel or A or C class is all in what you do when you get to where you are going. We use the 5th as a base camp and use the truck to get around. I would rather not tow a car around behind a motorized unit. I have rented motorized units and my issue is when you need to go shopping or go somewhere, you end up taking everything with you. Blah,blah,blah about fuel. They all burn lots.

Point is if you are in reasonable health then go, have fun.

Not subscribed so PM if you have questions.

[Dale Harmon]

I am 73 and have had an RV for many years. Currently a 37' Class A with a sub-compact tow vehicle. Overall cost is not much more than a large 5th Wheel with a big truck to haul the trailer. Our car becomes our regular car for transportation and convenient for sight seeing of the road. We belong to a RV club through our local Elks lodge. Several have downsized from trailers to Class A or smaller Class C rigs and have found it to be a lot easier to travel. One of our guys just bought a 26' class C and a small Jeep to tow and he just turned 90 and going strong

[ChrisParise]

Inspiring true tales.

66, Class C 30.5' Sunseeker 2860ds with as many bells and whistles added as needed - so far - seems like theres always more goodies to build, buy.

Was going to get my Acadia setup to tow this March, then the pandemic hit and some, not all, things got put on hold and others got started!

We rent a car as needed depending on our destination but it can be limiting.

Chris

[Oltimer13]

Wife and I are comparable ages. upgraded a couple of years ago to a Class C with a toad. Smart move and probably will allow us to go another 3-5 years easy.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by BEBO

HI, I will be 78 next month and I’m looking to buy a small TT just for getting away from the crowds for a week or two at a time. Plan to get something under 3,000lbs. with just the bare necessities. I have pulled 3 different TT’s in my time and have had a couple of class C’s and even two VW POP TOPS back in the day. Have always found that smaller is better unless you are doing the full time thing.

I'm with you on the smaller the better part. Opens up a lot more campgrounds if heading int National Forests or BLM lands.

As for needing more for full timing? There we disagree. I live in a 4 bedroom, two story house all by myself since wife passed almost 4 years ago. I live in only part of it. A space about the same as my 25 foot with slide.

Why keep the house? Payment is 1/3 of what it would cost to rent an apartment, I have a ton of equity in it, value has been increasing in double digits over the last 10 years, and since I'm OLD, I just got a property tax exemption.

Makes a great home base and it has it's own pad for the trailer when I'm not traveling.