Brand New, kind of scared - but just wanting to take the first step!

[RoadDogs]

 Hello Everyone..

We are musicians and we are now selling our home to liquidate the last of our funds so we can keep going making music and touring.  We have owned houses and since the requirements for buying a house have gotten very stringent, we most likely will not ever be able to buy a house again unless we pay hard cash and that is not out of the picture possibly in the many years to come, but presently there is no chance. 

Needless to say on this forum, the thought of LUGGING all this STUFF to a rent house and then possibly to another rent house and another rent house is overwelming, daunting and sickening.  It's nice to look at but other than that, what purpose does it serve? 

Our life is going to change drastically next year as we are headed into Europe for our first tour there and then all over the states to various festivals and clubs as well.  So things are ramping up huge for being out on the road.

We have been seriously thinking of living in a motorhome.  That way we could travel to a mid-west state, park the RV, unhitch the truck and take off on our touring.  It would be easy to move our 'home' as we needed to various areas rather than running back home to all OUR STUFF in the RENT house - and for what?  To dust it?  Ha!  I think not.

So we obviously are at the very beginning stages of this entire journey and boy the first thing we need is to find out suggestions for RV's that we can depend on.  My husband is partially disabled and cannot lift over 20 lbs so anything that would be reliable and tight would be best.  I would like a tub in the RV (do they do that anymore?) and we will need to take out one of the couches or chairs and put in a small desk for our office work.  (is that doable?)

Thanks in advance for beginning this conversation with us!

C & R

[junglejim0745]

What you are planning has been done many, many times and in many different places. It happens every day for someone, and most find it to be a very rewarding lifestyle and enjoy it very much.

As far as an RV, that is a matter of personal choice and what I have may not be what is right for you or vice-versa. We have a Mobile Suites fifth wheel RV, which is the only RV built for full timers. I know many say they are for full timers, but that is just a ploy to sell their product. The person who started the company DRV formerly DoubleTree RV wanted to build an RV for full timers and we think he succeeded. The standard or more insulation, 3.25 inch walls, air suspension and hitch, and on and on just make it a beautiful experience owning one. DRV makes ONLY fifth wheels, no TT's and no MH's.

Do your research and then do your research again before you buy and get what is right for you and what you will be happy with. If one is inhibited somewhat, ease of set up may be a plus for you but do not let someone tell you that Motor Homes are easier to set up. We have the hydraulic levelers just like MH's, and we still have to physically hook up our water, sewer and electric lines.

On MH's be sure to find out the safety rating of whatever you are looking at, because they are some of the most unsafe vehicles on the road today, mainly because the passenger and driver have very little protection when driving down the road in them. Most RV rating places and sites will tell you a MH needs at least an 80 safety rating to make it safe enough to drive down the road. Here again, a matter of personal preference and many people drive them all the time.

Good luck on you new adventure and may you find exactly what is righ for you and Happy RVing. 

[RoadDogs]

Thank you.. very informative.  Do you think a good source for safety and other concerns would be Consumer Reports?

[junglejim0745]

Yes consumer reports has very accurate information if you can find an RV report from them.

There are several different organizations that do this also, just search for RV Safety reports on your computer, it should bring up several. Most of them want to sell you a book, but they are usually well worth the price they cost.


http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&=&q=rv+safety+ratings&aq=2&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=rv+safety&gs_rfai=CIXMoo5pWTJa8JYGOzQT2jtnPCgAAAKoEBU_QUADi

The above url has many safety sites.

Happy RVing. 

[LindaH]

We have a Mobile Suites fifth wheel RV, which is the only RV built for full timers. 

I'm sure your Mobile Suites is a nice unit; however, it is NOT the *only* RV built for fulltimers.  I can think of a few just off the top of my head (all fifth wheels...I'm not as familiar with motorhomes or travel trailers): New Horizons, Excel, Hitchhiker, Teton (no longer is business), Travel Supreme (also defunct), et al.

[LindaH]

Thank you.. very informative.  Do you think a good source for safety and other concerns would be Consumer Reports?

I'm not aware that Consumer Reports rates RVs of any kind.  However, there IS a group which does so: RV Consumers Group, www.rv.org. 

While this group won't tell you which RV to purchase, it's a great starting point in weeding through all the possible selections...plus they provide great educational material to go along with their ratings.

[RoadDogs]

Yes.... thank you Linda... I ordered their CD's and books.  But i have a mac and one can only open the ratings cd's on a window.  so i'm going to a friends house tomorrow to try and open these things!

[junglejim0745]

Well Linda, believe what you want, but none of the brands you mentioned build all their fivers set up for full timing, you have to buy special packages before they are considered so. We toured the Excel and NuWa factories when we were researching. We did not tour the Travel Supreme plant but with modifications it was one of our choices, the other two were NuWa Champagne and Mobile Suites, with Excel being a distant fourth.

You can add or subtract from DRV Suites rigs, change things, but they are all built with the insulation, thicker walls, etc. for living in full time comfortably. There are no add on Artic Packages for them like with almost if not every other brand. All have well insulated underbellies also.

Some salesman saying a fiver is a full timing RV does not make it so, and a thin underbelly cover does not protect the tanks from freezing. Dual pane windows are an extra on other brands, not on DRV units, they are stock. My question would be as far as insulation, "How do you put more insulation in a 1 and 1/2 inch wall to make it warmer/cooler?". There is only so much insulating quality you can get our of such thin walls.

Happy RVing. 

We have a Mobile Suites fifth wheel RV, which is the only RV built for full timers. 

I'm sure your Mobile Suites is a nice unit; however, it is NOT the *only* RV built for fulltimers.  I can think of a few just off the top of my head (all fifth wheels...I'm not as familiar with motorhomes or travel trailers): New Horizons, Excel, Hitchhiker, Teton (no longer is business), Travel Supreme (also defunct), et al.

[LindaH]

Some salesman saying a fiver is a full timing RV does not make it so, and a thin underbelly cover does not protect the tanks from freezing.

My information doesn't come from any salesperson...it comes directly from the manufacturer.  We had a New Horizons and currently have an Excel.  We've been fulltimers since 1998.  You can believe that your rig is the only one made for fulltiming, but believing that doesn't make it so.

[junglejim0745]

Anyone buying an RV should do their homework and research before buying.

From the New Horizons website:
The insulation material that is used in the construction of a New Horizons RV is 1 ½” closed cell rigid foam that is often used in the construction of walk-in freezers and coolers. This material has an R-rating of eight, and when combined with the materials to build the walls, the conservative estimate of the R-factor is around 9 to 11, with the roof and floors even higher.

HOW IS WARRANTY WORK HANDLED?
Ours is the best warranty in the business.

From Excel website:
And Excel fifth wheels are also covered by the best warranty in the business, giving you the freedom to rest easy everywhere you go.

Both companies talk a good game, but neither verifies anything in their websites about how the rigs are built.

Go here to see exactly what the construction is in ALL DRV suites RV's.
http://www.drvsuites.com/gallery/DRV10_CutAway.jpg

Notice insulation qualities on ALL DRV RV's:Roof insulation R25 Sidewall insulation R16. The only one in the RV business with those insulation qualities as STANDARD EQUIPMENT ON ALL THEIR PRODUCTS.

New Horizon builds no RV's until they have a substantial down payment and financing arranged by the buyer, no dealers for warranty service, and prefer you bring them back to the factory for warranty work.

Excel at one point closed their doors but is still making some RV's and make very few other than special order.

Both companies still use less than two inch walls, and both companies products are still listed in RV rating circles as weekender, part time or vacation RV's.

Not to say they are not nice RV's because they are, Excel was fourth on our list when searching and researching a new RV, but neither will compare to DRV products for quality and workmanship, or ability to be lived in full time in all weather. Facts are facts, and just using their own websites neither of the two measure up to DRV rigs. If you plan to spend under 100 grand there are many, many RV's that will fill the bill, but if you are spending close to or over 100 grand and want the best DRV has it. Always research, research, research and buy the best you can get for what you can afford at the moment.

We did not think we could afford our first choice which was the Mobile Suites, but our guardian angel made it possible. Had we bought another brand including Excel, I would still tell people that DRV products are the only fiver made for full timing and for full timers, because even basing on their websites, DRV is head and shoulders above the others.

Happy Rving.  

[shane watson]

We are also musician. thanks for this post