Third RV, First FR

[dfriedman]

Hello!
After 6 years in a Roadtrek Adventurous, we traded it for an Alpine 5r. 5 years later, we traded that for a Forester 3011. Comparing upsizing to downsizing, I think I'm going to like downsizing better.

I'm worried about not having a separate vehicle, though - and hesitant to go the toad route.

[kenandterry]

Congrats on your newest rig.

Your history of vehicles is all over the dial.
A Roadtrek Class B......you know how compact that was.
A 5th wheel.....some of the roomiest options there are.
And now a Class C at around 32 feet.

Given all that.....what kind of camping do you do, or think you’ll do?
Smaller is better if you want the most availability to go anywhere. (Class B)
Bigger is better if you want lots of room and creature comforts and if you’re staying in one location for longer periods. (5th wheel)
Your Class C at 32’.....is a little large for your only form of getting around, but not impossible.

Only you know the answers to these considerations.

[Reverse_snowbird]

Originally Posted by dfriedman

I'm worried about not having a separate vehicle, though - and hesitant to go the toad route.

There are alternatives to the toad route. It kind of depends on what kind of camping you do
.
We tend to load up on supplies (takeout included) just prior to pulling into a campground. There are a lot of 'tourist' attractions that have a place for your rig in their parking lot. We occasionally rent a car because we figured that we could rent a lot of cars for the cost of towing.

That's a beautiful rig. Welcome to the forum.

[dfriedman]

Originally Posted by kenandterry

Congrats on your newest rig.


Given all that.....what kind of camping do you do, or think you’ll do?
Smaller is better if you want the most availability to go anywhere. (Class B)
Bigger is better if you want lots of room and creature comforts and if you’re staying in one location for longer periods. (5th wheel)
Your Class C at 32’.....is a little large for your only form of getting around, but not impossible.

Only you know the answers to these considerations.

Thanks, those are great points.

We bought the Roadtrek as our first RV, 'graduating' from years of tent camping. It was great: go anywhere, do anything, great gas mileage, easy to drive (although they were underpowered at the time); but some aspects of it proved to be just too small and too inconvenient. DW and I both realized that not being able to walk around a bed is a major drawback; we also had storage issues (wound up pulling a small cargo trailer for chairs, an inflatable kayak, dog crates and stuff - there are two).

We take a cross country trip each summer, then just a few long weekends/spring break (I'm a teacher), but that will soon change as I am retiring at the end of the school year.

The 5er was too much for us, but she had been talked into how wonderful they are by an overzealous friend. Nearly everything about it was a PITA, but I put up with it until a wheel came off after having it serviced after our last trip. Something like that really shakes your confidence.

So the C is a good compromise. I like the 3011 because a). you can walk around the bed b). it has lots of outside storage and c). it is long enough, but not too long and d). grandson is looking forward to sleeping upstairs in his own little 'room.' That floorplan also has the tall ceilings for a more spacious look and best of all, you can get to the fridge and the bathroom even when the slides are in - big advantages.

Here's to many miles of keeping all the wheels on!

[dfriedman]

Originally Posted by Reverse_snowbird

There are alternatives to the toad route. It kind of depends on what kind of camping you do

We tend to load up on supplies (takeout included) just prior to pulling into a campground. There are a lot of 'tourist' attractions that have a place for your rig in their parking lot.

True enough.

We're usually stocked up on groceries so that we don't need to make a run and can plan ahead when we do. But having the truck was a comfort factor that I will miss. On two occasions, we needed a trip to an urgent care - we were lucky enough to have a friendly camp host in one case, but in the other case, it was a quick pack up and go. That's two occasions in 12 years with an RV, so it's obviously not an everyday thing. But it's enough to keep me awake for at least 10 minutes at the end of the day.

What I will not miss - pulling a 5er through the diesel pumps at a Pilot.

[aceinspp]

Welcome to the forum. Enjoy your new FR camper and Later RJD

[Hoomi]

Welcome from Baja Arizona!