Question:
Travel Trailer vs. 5th Wheel vs. Motor Coach ?
I'm considering my first RV. It seems that a lot of people start with trailers, then quickly progress to 5th wheels and maybe on to a motor coach. Is it just to have a nicer rig, or are there cons to the trailers or 5th wheels?
Answer:
-Do a search of past posts,,, this has been discussed many times.
FWIW I started with a motorhome and now have a travel trailer..... I prefer
driving my pick up to the motorhome and don't want two motor vehicles to
maintain, insure, feed etc ... the MH and the car you need to tow for
sightseeing.
-I started with a van, then moved (in order of ownership) to
a pop-up, travel trailer, fifth wheel, and three motorhomes.
All were appropriate for the kind of camping I did at the
time. In brief, if you plan on staying in one place for an
extended period of time, it's hard to beat a fifth wheel
(or some travel trailers). They give you a lot of space
and usability for a very attractive price. They are simple
to maintain. When you have engine trouble, it's not
necessarily an automatic trip to the motel 'till it's
fixed.
On the negative side, they can be more of a hassle to set up,
thus the comment about staying in one place for extended time.
Your 'other vehicle' is almost always a truck, with the usual
lousy fuel mileage, even when you go to the store for a loaf
of bread.
A motorhome is great if you plan to move around from place to
place a lot, because you can be setup within literally minutes
of arriving at the campground. Just drop the electric jacks and
plug in the electric. This is a MAJOR advantage for me, as
health precludes fooling with a fifth wheel hitch, and our
trips are not long. Also, our towed vehicle is an economical
car that's easy to drive and park for side trips.
The negative sides of a motorhome are the expense (both initial
purchase price & maintenance) and the fact that unless you are
truly a glutton for punishment, you just about have to tow
a vehicle of some kind. (Easy to tow, but again, extra expense.)
Also, motorhome designers seem to be brain dead when it comes
time to design the things - almost everybody's floor plans
are the same as everybody else's, (with a few exceptions, some
of which are truly bizarre).
Once a decision is made to buy a motorhome, then it's time
to ask the other big question: gas or diesel. Our first two
were diesels, our most recent one is gas, but that's a
topic for another thread (and numerous heated debates).
For us, weighing the positives against the negatives of each
type of RV has kept us in motorhomes for the last three
purchases, but everyone's needs and desires are different.
Analyze how you think you'll use it, and you'll come to a
decision about what's best for YOU.
