Choosing an RV -

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The idea of heading out in something that has running water, a home-like bed, a full kitchen and calling it “camping” has always seemed funny to me. But if you want to spend some time in the great outdoors and bring the comforts of home with you then an RV is the way to go. An RV has the obvious luxuries I just mentioned, such as running water and a full kitchen, but it also has some down sides depending on what type you have. To keep things simple here is a quick overview of RV options.

Travel Trailers

Trailers can be either a bumper pull or fifth-wheel. A trailer can also be either hard sided or a pop-up style. Fifth-wheels can be very luxurious but are also typically larger and require a heavy duty truck to pull them. Bumper pulls range from the tiny teardrop up to something similar to the fifth-wheel. Bumper pull trailers do however offer more flexibility with tow vehicles because you can tailor your trailer to what you already drive.

For instance, if you have a small SUV you can get a smaller and lighter trailer to not overwhelm the vehicle. (A side note on towing. Even if you are looking at used trailers, go talk to a dealer first about the vehicle you want to tow with! DO NOT get too much trailer for your vehicle. It may tow fine on the flats and may even be within the factory specs for towing but things can change quickly once you are in the mountains. Not having enough power to pull can be dangerous on steep mountain roads. Even more dangerous than not having engine power is not having enough braking power. Talk to a professional and have your car gone through to make sure it is set up for towing, maintained and then hooked up properly once you do find a trailer. I always check, check again and then recheck when towing.) When considering a trailer, and after taking into account what you are going to tow with, think about where you want to camp. Do some research on the available sizes of the camping spots where you think you would like to go. Most campgrounds have size restrictions so you are not going to be able to bring your 40’ fifth-wheel into a campground which only accepts 28’ rigs.

RV – Class A, B or C

Whether it be a smaller cab-over style or a diesel pusher with 4 slide outs can be a lot of fun to travel in. Just like trailers though, I recommend talking to a professional to help you decide how much vehicle you want to take on. Prices vary greatly and so do amenities. And just like with trailers, put some thought into where you think you would like to camp. Some campgrounds are well suited to a big diesel pusher and some are not easy to get into. Another consideration are the hookups you may want such as power, water and even wifi. With RV’s you will also have the cost of maintaining a whole other vehicle, insuring it etc. Overall my opinion is that RV’s are the most expensive of the options and can be limiting but also a lot of fun.

Rentals

Nowadays you can rent pretty much anything, and that’s a good thing. If you want to try backpacking, or even car camping with a tent, you can go to REI and rent the equipment. They have experienced sales people who can set you up with the right gear to make your trip a success. Likewise, you can rent an RV to try.

Local rentals are available and you can even go on an app called Outdoorsy and find any configuration of RV. I highly recommend doing renting a couple of times before throwing down the cash for your own equipment or vehicle. Find out what you like, where you like to go and how anxious you are to go again.