 |

|
|
bobndot

USA

Senior Member

Joined: 08/21/2007

View Profile

Offline
|
mountaintraveler,
As long as you thought it thru and are comfortable. Knowing all the variables is where you want to be.
Just something to be aware of for people like us who go into the woods. When you are looking at rvs, pay attention to the dump valve location. On newer models, the dump plumbing is usually tucked up inside an exterior compartment. On older models, it's exposed and easier to hit it something. Ground clearance of that plumbing setup is less. If your rear wheels dip into a low spot on the trail, that plumbing may touch the ground.
RE: $3k. it was FYI. If you bought new towing equipment to outfit your car to tow it. I wasn't sure you were renting a dolly or not.
|
kwplot34

home

Full Member

Joined: 08/13/2015

View Profile


Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
With all the issues that have been mentioned trying to get the Toyota camry/corolla into a spot, backing into rocks and trees. A class C no matter what length is not something you should get. And it sounds like from your post that you have some vision issues.
Driving a class C is not like driving the pickup you rented.
Just being honest with you.
|
valhalla360

No paticular place.

Senior Member

Joined: 08/19/2009

View Profile


Good Sam RV Club Member
|
mountaintraveler wrote: klutchdust wrote: When you say you want to go to the same places you went to in your car that raised my eyebrows a bit. My 30ft. had a fair overhang in the back and it dragged pretty easy going into certain roads and areas. If you have no experience driving a larger vehicle it can get interesting real quick. I have found no issues with parking, their limits are so one vehicle doesn't take two spots, like some do at truck stops which annoys the truckers.
I suggest renting what size you are interested in and try it out for a weekend or so.
I see. That's important for me to know about 30ft overhand,
some 26' also have noticeably more overhang.
Toyota Camry is not a 4wd, to put it mildly, and has low clearance -
yet I was able to go miles and miles on all kinds of very uneven bumpy gravel and dirt roads, without damaging the bottom (one time I did reseal of oil pan, though, cost me a fortune at a dealership)
I'm not in a position to do RV renting now.
I'm buying a motorhome next week and heading back out West on it after inspections and fixing up anything that needs to be.
What you say seems to point out that it'd be safer to get a 24' one.
I have bad eyes.
Also, my eyeglasses' plastic frames limit my field of vision. No one to help parking. I get very tired on long drives, become no good at parking from fatique. Had adventures with my Camry's bumper meeting pine trees and boulders, definitely and a 20' campsite can be hard to back even a Camry into when you're tired. Can't imagine what happens with long vehicle. Shorter RV is definitely safer bet in terms of not hitting things and not scraping.
Generally speaking a Camery is a much better off road vehicle than a 24/26 ft class C. The short wheel base and minimal overhangs will avoid most issues that a Class C will experience.
Also, if you do abuse it, the Camery will take it far better. The house part of an RV is not very tough and durable. Even just bouncing down a rough road without bottoming out can tear one apart in conditions the Camery wouldn't have a problem with. Back into a tree or boulder and it can be major damage that would only be a dent on a Camery.
In addition to finding things under/inside furniture, be careful of going to extremes removing furniture as the furniture often acts to add strength & stiffness to the outside walls. Removing a cabinet by itself is unlikely to have much impact but if you gut the thing, it may become a floppy unstable mess.
Honestly, the difference between 24 & 26 ft is unlikely to be noticeable in real world use and the least of your worries. Just get the one that meets your budget/layout preferences.
Also, concerning is that you will be too tired after a long drive to back in safely. If true, you are probably a danger on the road long before you reach the campground. Much better to plan shorter driving days. When you are tired is when you make stupid mistakes.
Tammy & Mike
Ford F250 V10
2021 Gray Wolf
Gemini Catamaran 34'
Full Time spliting time between boat and RV
|
ppine

Northern Nevada

Senior Member

Joined: 07/04/2016

View Profile

Offline
|
Buy the 26 footer and don't look back.
|
pianotuna

Regina, SK, Canada

Senior Member

Joined: 12/18/2004

View Profile

Offline
|
Hi,
The over hang in of itself is not much of a problem.
Tail Swing IS a bigee.
I went from 27' to 28'5". I had four tail swing accidents in 2 years with the 28. I had none in a 9 year period on the 27'
Regards, Don
My ride is a 28 foot Class C, 256 watts solar, 556 amp-hours of Telcom jars, 3000 watt Magnum hybrid inverter, Sola Basic Autoformer, Microair Easy Start.
|
|
Bordercollie

Garden Grove, CA, USA

Senior Member

Joined: 03/07/2002

View Profile

Offline
|
Our 2004 Fleetwood model 26Q measures 27 feet long bumper to bumper.
|
pnichols

The Other California

Senior Member

Joined: 04/26/2005

View Profile


Good Sam RV Club Member
|
Here's us camped with our Ford E450 based 24 ft. Class C out on the far side of beyond in Death Valley ... notice that the coach body starts out sweeping immediately upwards from the rear wheels back so as to minimize tail dragging when starting on side road or parking lot upgrades:
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/q4ri0x9l.jpg)
Here's us driving out of a woods campsite alongside a river that has overflowed it's banks ... it probably takes a Ford or Chevy chassis under a Class C to provide this kind of stock ground clearance (we now have larger-than-stock-diameter tires on it for even more ground clearance):
* This post was
last
edited 01/21/23 08:22pm by pnichols *
View edit history
2005 E450 Itasca 24V Class C
|
4x4van

California

Senior Member

Joined: 02/19/2010

View Profile

Offline
|
The difference between a 24' and a 26' is negligible; however remember that actual bumper to bumper length is almost always more than the stated length of any RV. On either (24 or 26), you will have problems with overhang and tail swing compared to any car or large truck, especially if you are going off-road (even mild off-road). Yes, pnichols (above) does it, as do many of us; but I'd be willing to bet that he has significantly more experience driving an RV than Mountaintraveler does. Additionally, the house portion of a class C extends significantly out wider than the cab; something that takes getting used to for a newbie, and a 9'-11' height doesn't just come into play in camp sites, but also while driving on some small residential streets.
Removing a swivel chair and/or a jackknife sofa MAY provide room for the OP's cot/camp chair, but I'm really not sure of the point, and many jackknife sofas also have stuff under them (water tank or pump, water heater, etc.). Removing a dinette is much more challenging, and will likely render it useless (for future reinstallation).
Reading what the OP is planning makes me think that they want to do the same type of camping that they always have, i.e. boondock tent camping, and in the same locations, but with the amenities of a class C RV. Sadly, I don't think that is possible, and while I could be wrong, this kinda looks like a train wreck waiting to happen, particularly considering the OP's eyesight issues and admitted problems with parking a car. Realistically, buying a transit van and installing just a sink, stove, fridge, and porta-potti, leaving room for the OP's camp chair and cot, would be the best answer.
We don't stop playing because we grow old...We grow old because we stop playing!
2004 Itasca Sunrise M-30W
Carson enclosed ATV Trailer
-'85 ATC250R, '12 Husky TE310, '20 CanAm X3 X rs Turbo RR
Zieman Jetski Trailer
-'96 GTi, '96 Waveblaster II
|
Grit dog

Black Diamond, WA

Senior Member

Joined: 05/06/2013

View Profile

Offline
|
Uhh this horse has been dead for a while now….
2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5” turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold
|
mountaintraveler

mountains

New Member

Joined: 12/17/2022

View Profile

|
I'm the OP and want to update on how it had turned out.
I'm really, really glad I didn't go with the wrong advice to ignore the length and just buy a bigger motorhome.
Length is critical. I ended up buying 26', mainly because it's harder to buy 24' and with me looking for low mileage and good condition motorhome my options were limited. I had been boondocking in it for almost 3 months now. With 26' length I'm almost oversized for many tight turns and small spots.
Someone on here gave me really good advice about a truck with a camper top.
I now know that what I really need is a high clearance and preferably 4x4 setup.
I'm glad I got a motorhome, because I feel it's best for me as a beginner, but I can't even start getting into most camping spots with standard class C, which is not high clearnace. A truck with a camper or a small high clearance trailer would let me get into the spots I need to be (camper tops are too small for full timjng though)
Dispersed camping is extremely overcrowded, continues to be so. First off it's the outdoor madness that started in 2020, secondly it's major homelessness crisis, worsed by intentional devluation of dollar since 2020, then, there's overpopulation in this country (growing population for which there's not enough infrastructure), and over-commercialization of many locations promoted online, combined with outdoors blogging/youtubing boom.
It's not like it's impossible to find places to park at all but it's hard to find enjoyable private places for normal 2-week stays. In many locations most spots are occupied on any day of the week and I'm talking some remote locations included. 10, even 3 years ago, these location usually were uncrowded. So, the way to go is to drive futher, over rough narrow roads, to more remote spots, which requires high clearance and often 4x4. (I know and found some more currently uncrowded wild areas accessible to MHs, so I will be fine since I only want to live in the MH for a year or two, but these areas are only open/comfortable in limited season and weather due to snow, road conditions, mud, temperatures, etc).
So far I've been camping where I hardly could see others far away or don't see anyone else, so had been fine, once the season starts in June my options for solitude will explode.
* This post was
last
edited 05/07/23 01:31pm by mountaintraveler *
View edit history
|
|
|
|
|
|