This is why we went from 31 feet down to 24...finding the balance was difficult. Since our Minnie only drove from home to CG, then back home (or to next CG on a long trip), I found it increasingly hard to justify having it. I began to wonder if maybe I wasn't better off with a trailer, since my Minnie was almost used similarly. However, it's also nice to have the use of all the motorhome's features while on the road. So that's been the rub for us that makes us motorhome people vs. towable people. We took a few trips where the campground was the destination and the plan was not to get out over the weekend. These trips were rare, but inevitably on those there was a reason to wish we'd brought the car. I guess that's the problem, there's no "perfect" RV, they all have their pros and cons. For my money, and having a young family, I think a small Class C and no toad will be best. With the few exceptions I noted, we don't hang out in campgrounds. Those few times were in state parks that were loaded with activities. We tend to get out early and don't return to a CG until dusk, then it's dinner and sleep. I guess you just need to look at the things you do and decide what works. One thing I didn't like, as another poster mentioned, 31 feet of motorhome plus dolly and car always reduced our spontaneity and ability to pull over on a whim to check something out.
Good luck.
Smitty
2008 Itasca Navion (hopefully the "Keeper!")
2005 Winnebago Minnie 31C
2003 Coleman Tacoma Pop-up
Fort Monmouth, New Jersey
Wow,thanks for all the good comments and suggestions about towing or not towing. As several people stated is it a matter of preference, and since we will be "newbies" traveling in our motorhome next year we will probably just take it a trip at a time and see how things go. We will probably do more traveling & staying in one place overnight and go on, then if we plan to stay in one place for a few days, or plan to visit friends then we will probably make arrangements to rent a vehicle for those few days and see how that goes.
Again, thanks for all the input from everyone. I have learned a lot just reading some of the post and answers on different topics.
Hi there - I'm a day late, but I'll throw in our experience, since it's similar....
March 2006 we bought a 30' Class C. We were moving to the class C from our prior setup of a Ford F350 Crew cab / 5th wheel. We weren't sure how we'd cope without wheels to get around away from the campground. We decided to go for a year without a towed vehicle and see how it worked out.
It's worth noting that our vacation "style" is to get somewhere, and stay for several days. I try to relax, but being a shutterbug, I struggle to resist the urge to get out and explore. We also have kids, and they get restless.
So at Grand Tetons, and later at Glacier NP, we wound up renting a car. In both cases, the rates were quite high (higher than at most airports). We also contractually could not take the car on gravel roads. At Tetons in particular, that kept me from seeing / doing what I wanted. As a result, we bought a Jeep to tow behind our car before vacation this year.
For weekends out, which are unfortunately rare, we could probably get by without the Jeep - but I expect we'll likely take it with us anytime we travel in the future.
If you decide to pursue a toad, search this forum. I spent a couple evenings figuring out the best way to tow that met our needs.
Well, you already got some great advice. I only can offer our personal experience. We started out with a 21 ft motorhone, never needed a toad. We could maneuver and park it with no problem. However, we outgrew it, and now have a 31 ft MH. We like to explore the area we are in, so soon found the need for a car. We rented a few times, found this can be costly depending on the area, and inconvenient. Our little Vibe, (standard shift), we learned could be towed flat. We seldom leave home without it now.
Buy a Jeep Wrangler, get an economical baseplate and tow bar, add wires and a second bulb to the tail light housing for lighting, put the transfer case in neutral and the key in the unlock position and, almost literally, never look back. You wont know it is there and it is extremely fun and convenient when you arrive at your destination. It is not hard to pass other vehicles because the Jeep and tow bar only add about 15' behind your coach. It is impossible to back up but I tend to use truck stops for fuel where you can pull straight through. I always ask for pull through sites or unhook the Jeep when we arrive at the camp ground so no backing is required while attached. I would not think of going anywhere without the Wrangler.
The toad is like having a spare tire IMO. If you don't have one then when you want to go somewhere (store, etc) you have to unhook everything and then hook back up when you return. Having the toad is more convenient than renting a car.
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