Let’s talk about RV’s and Wildlife Photography

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Diesel is definitely cool when it comes to towing. At high elevations (i.e., Rockies) a gasoline engine will lose 10 to 20% of its power. No fun trying to summit an 11,000 foot pass when your tow vehicle is roaring for all it's worth in second gear, it's starting to overheat, and you're holding up a long line of increasingly angry motorists behind you. I drove an F-250 diesel for 10 years and it would tow my 3400-pound trailer effortlessly. Diesels are not affected by altitude. I bought it just when diesel prices skyrocketed. Sold it just as diesel fuel dropped below regular again. Same philosophy I've followed in the stock market.

I replaced it with a six-cylinder Eco-Boost F-150 which, while it doesn't match a diesel, out-tows any gasoline-powered V8 I've ever had. The turbos do their job. I just couldn't justify $70k+ for a few RV trips per year. I do miss the diesel, though.

In response to the question of motorhome vs. trailer, I've had both. Motorhome is really comfortable if you plan on spending nights at a fully developed RV park. RV parks are getting quite expensive, though, many charging upwards of $60 per night, which kind of negates the idea of avoiding motels. Motorhomes are helpless off-road and a death-defying experience if you find yourself in winter weather. And if anything breaks, you aren't going anywhere. You had best have the AAA RV coverage.

You can get a travel trailer with all the comforts of a motor home. Unhook it anywhere, any time, and use a normal tow vehicle to go wherever you want. I would never go back to a motorhome unless I were (a) much wealthier, (b) never wanted to get away from other human beings, or (c) lived the full-time RV life. And I also advocate, if someone goes the travel trailer route, to invest in some sort of equalizing hitch. I eliminated any fishtailing of my trailer by simply installing a couple of Firestone air shocks on the rear suspension. I leave them at about 10 pounds pressure for daily driving, pump them up to 30 or 35 pounds when towing. Makes a huge difference, eliminates white knuckles.

The extra costs "pet friendly" hotels/motels often charge even if they allowed our dogs will usually pay for a nice campground. Dogs love RVs!
 
We traveled in a motorhome for awhile when our kids were younger and then traveled with a smaller pickup truck and smaller travel trailer as well. Here are some of my thoughts and experiences.

It has been my experience that people either love RV travel or hate it. Think about renting for a trip to try it out.

You really have to calculate the total travel costs of traveling by RV vs traveling by car or air. Include not only initial cost but cost of maintenance and possible storage of the RV when not in use.

If you have a lot invested in an RV how will that change your approach to other travel. Will trips out of the country be less likely?

The motorhome was great when our children were younger and I liked to spend the day along a trout stream and traveling down the road is nice but it is a hassle to drive and park at times. It is nice to be able to drop a travel trailer and travel locally in a SUV or truck.

Longer stays in a location are more enjoyable in a travel trailer due to the time and effort it takes to drop a trailer and then hookup to move again. Traveling a fair distance each day from camp site to camp site is easier in an motorhome, but the cost of driving every day adds up quickly.

Working remotely while traveling is possible but if you rely heavily on internet bandwidth I haven't been very successful in finding great access in campgrounds. Yellowstone and the Tetons are areas where their isn't much cell service or internet bandwidth in the parks or in some of the campgrounds in the towns around the parks. This will change for the better in the next few years.

What has really changed for us in traveling with our RV is the availability of campsites where we like to go. Years ago the campgrounds in Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, and the Tetons were mostly available on a first come basis, now they are pretty much all reservation only, and a year in advance. I am not sure what it is like in other parts of the country but it is difficult for us to plan a weekend trip on short notice in the mountains at a public campground. I miss that!

But, many of my favorite memories are of the evenings we sat around a campfire, listening to the elk bugling at all hours, breakfast cooked on the camp stove in the crisp mountain mornings, the moose that decided to share our campsite, and even the bear that decided to disturb the adjoining campsite. You don't get experiences like this at a hotel!
 
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We use our RV (travel trailer) in the warmer months (I live in OH so it's tough in the winter). I've been camping / RV'ing for most of my life.

I would tend to agree that you probably shouldn't just dive in full time. It pays to spend time learning what you need. I'd also avoid the temptation of getting an enormous rig. They look great at the shows, but are a often difficult to get into state and national parks. The campgrounds in those were designed back one 25 foot was a huge RV. Also, big rigs are no fun in gas stations if you run on unleaded - and not much fun if you want to stop at a restaurant, although that's usually easier.

I'd also recommend going as light as possible. Too many people think they have to take everything along. Anymore, Rose and I get by one just a small amount of clothing and equipment. We have a 24 foot travel trailer that actually has quite a few closets empty and lots of left over storage underneath. You don't need as much as you think you do and the more stuff you take, the more stuff you have to mess with :) (In fact, we might go smaller in the next couple years - small campers are more fun to manage IMO). FWIW, we can stay out indefinably with this size - I think our record was 7 weeks, but we came home because we needed to get other things done, not because of the size. I'm pretty sure we could live in the thing full time if we really wanted to.

Staying light and as minimalist as possible also allows you to purchase a smaller, lighter RV that can be towed behind a SUV. We tow our 24 footer with a LandCruiser (V8, 8200 lb towing capacity - you want to keep the trailer, ideally, at less than 75% of the tow capacity when fully loaded). The advantage with the smaller SUV is that while it's not quite as nice on the highway as our pickup, it's WAY nicer once we get to wherever we're going. It's slightly smaller than a Tahoe / Yukon and allows us to squeeze into tight places when needed. Pickups are awesome for towing, but not so much for squeezing into tight spots :) BTW - we also use a Hensely Hitch system that eliminates any sway problems - good for shorter wheelbase vehicles.

As for the experience, it's great. No worrying about when housekeeping is going to come knocking, if you have enough towels, no dragging in luggage every time you stop, no worrying about if the room is clean, secure, etc etc. Plus, there's no "learning curve" for the bed. With hotels, every stop requires your body to adjust to the new bed and living space, with our camper, it's the same experience all the time - we sleep so much better. It's BY FAR my preferred way to travel.

Sorry for the long ramble, I could go on for hours LOL!
This is great advice, Steve, and pretty much matches what I've learned by reading and talking with other experienced campers. I learned long ago that small/light is the best way to travel (and to live - I sold the big house and now live in a small condo), and generally take as little as possible when I travel; it's just so much easier. I've narrowed my focus to ultra light travel trailers like the Scamp and Airstream Nest, which I'm hoping will provide just enough room for one person to be comfortable, and be light enough to pull behind my mid-size SUV.
 
We traveled in a motorhome for awhile when our kids were younger and then traveled with a smaller pickup truck and smaller travel trailer as well. Here are some of my thoughts and experiences.

It has been my experience that people either love RV travel or hate it. Think about renting for a trip to try it out.

You really have to calculate the total travel costs of traveling by RV vs traveling by car or air. Include not only initial cost but cost of maintenance and possible storage of the RV when not in use.

If you have a lot invested in an RV how will that change your approach to other travel. Will trips out of the country be less likely?

The motorhome was great when our children were younger and I liked to spend the day along a trout stream and traveling down the road is nice but it is a hassle to drive and park at times. It is nice to be able to drop a travel trailer and travel locally in a SUV or truck.

Longer stays in a location are more enjoyable in a travel trailer due to the time and effort it takes to drop a trailer and then hookup to move again. Traveling a fair distance each day from camp site to camp site is easier in an motorhome, but the cost of driving every day adds up quickly.

Working remotely while traveling is possible but if you rely heavily on internet bandwidth I haven't been very successful in finding great access in campgrounds. Yellowstone and the Tetons are areas where their isn't much cell service or internet bandwidth in the parks are in some of the campgrounds in the towns around the parks. This will change for the better in the next few years.

What has really changed for us in traveling with our RV is the availability of campsites where we like to go. Years ago the campgrounds in Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, and the Tetons were mostly available on a first come basis, now they are pretty much all reservation only, and a year in advance. I am not sure what it is like in other parts of the country but it is difficult for us to plan a weekend trip on short notice in the mountains at a public campground. I miss that!

But, many of my favorite memories are of the evenings we sat around a campfire, listening to the elk bugling at all hours, breakfast cooked on the camp stove in the crisp mountain mornings, the moose that decided to share our campsite, and even the bear that decided to disturb the adjoining campsite. You don't get experiences like this at a hotel!
You are so right on RV experience. Kids were easy to entertain while traveling with motorhome. They still remember camping at Madison in Yellowstone I would leave windows open at night and find it soothing to hear those elk bugles!!!. Or at ocean hear the waves breaking in the distance vs hotels. Nice to go out in AM cup of coffee instead of the continental breakfast bar... The motorhome was costly to tour in but was nice to have stuff with you to be able to stop and enjoy picnic wherever, is based in trailer, its all back at camp. MH vs trailer, consider insurance too as MH is around 1600.00 per year vs $400 for trailer, license more too. If have the truck already, nothing changes on insurance or license front. As far crowded campgrounds, yes I bet it will get worse in coming years with record RV sales or it may reverse and record sales will come in the secondary market as the upwardly mobile return to in office work if that ever happens. We used to do most travel just before school out and in fall after schools returned ( home schooled for a number years) Just my 2 cents and still debating how we will travel here in retirement myself. Have the truck, maybe leaning to trailer as we haven't had an RV in 10yrs.
 
Thank you for the response! It’s one reason we are going to FL next weekend is to do a lot of looking. I’m leaning towards smaller. I’d love to buy a land cruiser but they are $100k plus now. I wouldn’t do anything RV wise till 2023 and Toyota is supposed to launch an all new Sequioa and Ford has for 2022 a new expedition Timberland that looks pretty cool.
I’ve owned HD Diesel trucks in the past and while they are great parking does suck. Do you happen to travel with pets?
Thank you for all the feedback!
It's funny, I got the Land Cruiser as a demo and at a deeply discounted rate since it had 7,000 miles on it already from the new car sales manager. Considering how much prices have gone up, I bet I could almost get back what I put into it if I sold it now after three years! The new Sequoia will probably be great, and I have a feeling the new 4Runner (2023 I think) might be more capable than expected. Rumor has it that it'll have the same engine / transmission as the Tundra.

We don't take pets with us though, so that would be a reason to favor a slightly larger rig. Our 24 is really more than we need, but if we had a big dog or two, it would probably feel tight.
 
It's funny, I got the Land Cruiser as a demo and at a deeply discounted rate since it had 7,000 miles on it already from the new car sales manager. Considering how much prices have gone up, I bet I could almost get back what I put into it if I sold it now after three years! The new Sequoia will probably be great, and I have a feeling the new 4Runner (2023 I think) might be more capable than expected. Rumor has it that it'll have the same engine / transmission as the Tundra.

We don't take pets with us though, so that would be a reason to favor a slightly larger rig. Our 24 is really more than we need, but if we had a big dog or two, it would probably feel tight.

My 2009 Land Cruiser has gone up several thousand dollars in value since the shortages hit. Its a crazy car market world for sure. And if you are lucky enough to have one of the older land cruisers, prices have gone through the roof!
 
My 2009 Land Cruiser has gone up several thousand dollars in value since the shortages hit. Its a crazy car market world for sure. And if you are lucky enough to have one of the older land cruisers, prices have gone through the roof!

My dealer keeps calling to buy back my 21 Heritage Edition for $20k (!) More than I paid new for it. Having been discontinued and having gained cult status, Land Cruisers values are now crazy. Try pricing an HZJ75...
 
My dealer keeps calling to buy back my 21 Heritage Edition for $20k (!) More than I paid new for it. Having been discontinued and having gained cult status, Land Cruisers values are now crazy. Try pricing an HZJ75...

If only... I wish the US would get all the cool Cruisers :) That Heritage Edition is like a little pot of gold at this point! Ive noticed even the FJ60/62 series in this area are pulling ridiculous numbers... Makes me wish I would have kept some of mine over the years.

Since this thread wasn't about land cruisers, I will add to some advice I saw already in this thread, We went a little too big out of the gate and bought an older class A diesel pusher. It has been a big challenge to get it into places and campgrounds sometimes and it is now up for sale just because it turned into more of a hassle that made us not use it as much. If I was going to do it again, I would probably look at a sprinter van or something similar that could actually do some light off roading and could get us to more remote places.
 
We've never taken that big first step, but I've been very interested in this topic and have done quite a bit of looking into it.

In our case, we often traverse forest service roads that would be problematic with most trailers or anything large for that matter.

This has caused me to consider:

1) A "short" (140) 4x4 van, in particular the Mercedes Sprinter 4x4. You can get them in a lot of configurations and with some decent AT tires should be a reasonable option to be able to "fit" most places.

2) A truck (AWD or 4x4 in our case) with a topper or camper. The Super Pacific Switchback X1 and Four Wheel Camper Project M are interesting camper shells that are super low profile, light and in the case of the Switchback, super easy to get up and down. Some interesting off-road capable vehicles you can pair with: the Dodge Power Wagon (lockers all the way around plus detachable front sway bars), Ford Tremor (rear locker, front Torsen available) (or Raptor) and the Jeep Gladiator (smaller than the others). My criteria here is I want BOTH a rear locker and some sort of front differential, and that rules out almost all trucks and SUVs.

one nice thing is the new trucks and vans typically have options to have cameras all around which should be helpful when maneuvering in tight spaces. i sure appreciate my backup camera in my jeep when backing down a shelf road.

The permutations can drive you mad :-D The other problem is more or less everything is unobtainable these days.

When I was still looking at trailers, the following ones looked interesting the Oliver (super build quality), Black Series (off-road capable), and the Airstream Basecamp.

The downside is all the options are unobtainium and expensive.
 
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I bought a 2018 Jayco Hummingbird camper new in 2018. Last year we decided to get a 2022 25 foot Winnebago. When I went to trade in the Hummingbird the salesperson said I’d be better off selling it on marketplace. I ended up putting it on RV trader and they were begging me to hold it for them. I sold it for 2000 more than we paid new after using it 3 years. We got a great deal on the 25 footer also. Good timing I guess.
Good move for sure. We talked to an RV dealer about ours last year and the offer was a joke.
 
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Getting older, we realize we don't necessarily need two cars, so mulling the idea of a conversion van small enough to still fit in the garage and be used for tooling around town when the other car is in use, but also flexible enough to park in Jackson Hole for example without going to the parking lot. That or a trailer to leave at camp before going into towns.
 
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This is a topic that could warrant thousands of words, but as an RV owner, dog owner (two Labs), and photographer, I'll pass on a few simple things I've learned.

1) Definitely rent before you buy.

2) Do not buy a new RV unless money is no object. If you think new cars depreciate rapidly, automobiles are gold mines compared the the rapid depreciation of a new trailer or motor home. RV sales have been at all-time highs the last couple of years, as Covid has caused people to take road trips instead of overseas vacations. There will soon be--if there is not already--a whole lot of barely-used RVs on the market, from buyers who could not afford to keep them or realized they were not using them.

3) We have owned a motor home and now own a travel trailer. A motor home can be really plush and comfortable. But towing a car to have more nimble transportation at your destination is a chore, (that is what we did when we had the motor home). It is also another expense. Not all cars can be safely towed, either. Our "RV" is now a 25-year-old 19-foot travel trailer. I tow it easily with a 4wd F150 pickup. This eliminates the need for another vehicle, especially since I use the pickup as regular transportation. If the old trailer gets a dent or a ding, I don't care.

4) Size matters. If we were going to work or live in our little 19-foot trailer for more than a few days, it would lead to divorce. Especially with two Labradors occupying the floor. You will regret buying an RV that is too small for your purposes and too small to be comfortable for extended trips. Very small RVs also have correspondingly smaller fresh water and waste tanks, which means constant filling and dumping.

5) Conversely, an RV that is too large comes with other issues. Most forest service campgrounds (where we live in the Rockies, anyway) have size limitations--some quite restrictive. If you intend to spend every night in a proper RV park, the size of your rig does not matter. If, however, you like to get off-road a bit to more secluded areas, which is our preference, anything much over 30 feet in length is going to be quite limiting. Our little trailer will fit anywhere. And I can unhook the 4wd pickup and go places that an ordinary car cannot.

6) National parks, Yellowstone included, do in fact allow dogs. But, the restrictions are many. Strictly on leash, and often not allowed on trails. We like to camp somewhere nearby but not necessarily within such parks, so we can at least find a spot for the dogs to run occasionally. We visit the park during the day, go "home" to a less restrictive environment at night.

7) To me, the ideal setup is a towed travel trailer in the 25 to 30 foot size range. This is large enough to provide some creature comforts, yet small enough to get into tight spots and most any campground. Travel trailers in this size range can generally be towed easily by a standard pickup or full-size SUV that can serve a number of other purposes. Anything much larger, you'll be struggling with a gasoline engine (especially at higher elevations) and be wishing you had a diesel, which will set you back another $60k or so.

8) Don't believe that there is a huge difference in quality between RV brands (unless, perhaps, you opt for an Airstream). A very good friend of mine sold RVs for a few years, and he told me that the appliances and materials used and basic construction are essentially the same for all manufacturers. He also said to be very careful of "lightweight" claims, as cutting weight sometimes means cutting corners.

9) Don't leave your photo equipment or any valuables in an RV. We used to rent space at a "secure" RV storage lot for our motorhome. It was broken into three times. A thief can pop open most RV doors in a few seconds.

10) Whatever you end up with, invest in a high-quality tarp to cover the roof when not in use (unless you have inside storage). The roof is the first thing to deteriorate in an RV (thus deserving careful inspection if you buy a used unit). I spent a large chunk of change learning this lesson, having a roof completely replaced. It is especially critical in sunny and high altitude areas (UV is really hard on the roof).

You will no doubt receive many other opinions and recommendations. The above is what I've learned, often the hard way. If the day comes when my wife and I spend extended time RVing, we would no doubt consider a larger unit. Some folks insist upon a 40+ foot condo on wheels, which is really comfortable, but too restrictive for us. And with gas approaching $5 a gallon, way too thirsty!

Good luck!
great info. My wife and I are retired, I am the photographer (though she loves to take pictures) her love is chamber music. Plus we have an 11 year old Golden retriever born on Christmas day 2010 - no, her name is not Noel or Hey-zues.

We rented a motor home once it was fun and I have toyed with the idea of a "camper" on top of pick up truck. Any thoughts on that (probably only for me). If we both went and took the puppy we would need something a lot bigger. Not sure if I want to tow or an integrated unit (in which we may need to tow a car).
 
great info. My wife and I are retired, I am the photographer (though she loves to take pictures) her love is chamber music. Plus we have an 11 year old Golden retriever born on Christmas day 2010 - no, her name is not Noel or Hey-zues.

We rented a motor home once it was fun and I have toyed with the idea of a "camper" on top of pick up truck. Any thoughts on that (probably only for me). If we both went and took the puppy we would need something a lot bigger. Not sure if I want to tow or an integrated unit (in which we may need to tow a car).
Rich, for 7 years the wife and I traveled with a 36’ Montana 5th Wheel and in 2019 we got tired of pulling that apartment back and forth to Montana and Wyoming where we have family members that reside. We decided to put a 9’ Camper on the F350 Diesel in part the RV Parks charge anywhere from $50-$80 bucks a night. So…. The Camper has Solar, 2500watt Generator fully self contained and we pull a 16’ Enclosed Cargo trailer that has our Polaris General UTV. BLM Camping in Wyoming and Montana opened up a great opportunity for our Photography adventures. The Camper and Side x Side allows us to adventure way off the highway and living in Western Washington those short 3 day trips make the Truck Camper a lot easier. The RV World exploded in 2020 even in Washington and Oregon the Forest Service Campgrounds are full and RV Parks are for the most part booked from May into October. This is where the Truck Camper for us works to our benefit, it’s different and not for everyone. Plus that Camper is easily removed if needed. I’ll add the wife wants to keep the Camper for our UTV adventures and get a 25’ Arctic Fox travel trailer for our longer extended travels.
 
great info. My wife and I are retired, I am the photographer (though she loves to take pictures) her love is chamber music. Plus we have an 11 year old Golden retriever born on Christmas day 2010 - no, her name is not Noel or Hey-zues.

We rented a motor home once it was fun and I have toyed with the idea of a "camper" on top of pick up truck. Any thoughts on that (probably only for me). If we both went and took the puppy we would need something a lot bigger. Not sure if I want to tow or an integrated unit (in which we may need to tow a car).
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I once had a truck bed camper too (they called 'em "cabovers" in those days). Truth be told, they are probably the most convenient method of RVing there is. No towing and constant hooking/unhooking of a trailer, length is not an issue, your home away from home is always with you. Stop anywhere you like. Your truck hitch is free for towing something else, as Vern pointed out. The only drawbacks are that they are limited in size and floor space, and you need a heavy-duty truck to safely handle the extra weight and height. Won't fit in a normal garage, either. But, for sheer convenience and get-up-and-go ease, they are a terrific solution.

Large dogs underfoot are always a challenge, but since my dogs have not offered to pony up the cost of a bigger unit, we make do. There are a number of portable fences/enclosures on the market designed specifically for RVers that provide a place to keep Fido--or Hey-zues--outside and close by while you're preparing dinner and don't need his help.
 
great info. My wife and I are retired, I am the photographer (though she loves to take pictures) her love is chamber music. Plus we have an 11 year old Golden retriever born on Christmas day 2010 - no, her name is not Noel or Hey-zues.

We rented a motor home once it was fun and I have toyed with the idea of a "camper" on top of pick up truck. Any thoughts on that (probably only for me). If we both went and took the puppy we would need something a lot bigger. Not sure if I want to tow or an integrated unit (in which we may need to tow a car).
I’ve thought about truck campers a little but you really need a 3/4 ton truck or better for them because of payload capacity. They also tend to make the truck too heavy. I think if you don’t mind roughing it a little more, you could do a fiberglass shell on a truck with an 8 ft bed, put a cot in the back with sleeping bag and whatever else you want to have with you.

Towing isn’t bad at all as long as you aren’t overloaded. There are some nice smaller travel trailers now. I really liked the Intech Sol and still do. There are also teardrop options that you can take anywhere.
 
We've never taken that big first step, but I've been very interested in this topic and have done quite a bit of looking into it.

In our case, we often traverse forest service roads that would be problematic with most trailers or anything large for that matter.

This has caused me to consider:

1) A "short" (140) 4x4 van, in particular the Mercedes Sprinter 4x4. You can get them in a lot of configurations and with some decent AT tires should be a reasonable option to be able to "fit" most places.

2) A truck (AWD or 4x4 in our case) with a topper or camper. The Super Pacific Switchback X1 and Four Wheel Camper Project M are interesting camper shells that are super low profile, light and in the case of the Switchback, super easy to get up and down. Some interesting off-road capable vehicles you can pair with: the Dodge Power Wagon (lockers all the way around plus detachable front sway bars), Ford Tremor (rear locker, front Torsen available) (or Raptor) and the Jeep Gladiator (smaller than the others). My criteria here is I want BOTH a rear locker and some sort of front differential, and that rules out almost all trucks and SUVs.

one nice thing is the new trucks and vans typically have options to have cameras all around which should be helpful when maneuvering in tight spaces. i sure appreciate my backup camera in my jeep when backing down a shelf road.

The permutations can drive you mad :-D The other problem is more or less everything is unobtainable these days.

When I was still looking at trailers, the following ones looked interesting the Oliver (super build quality), Black Series (off-road capable), and the Airstream Basecamp.

The downside is all the options are unobtainium and expensive.
You could consider rooftop tent options. I did that for a year of short weekend trips. It was pretty decent but a little bit of a pain as I often needed the SUV at some point during the day and had to breakdown camp. most of the off-road vehicles have limited payload so you wouldn’t be able to use them with a larger, heavier camper or travel trailer down the road. The Super Duty Tremor and the Power Wagon would be able to, but they are also getting quite large and not so nimble off road.
 
I’ve thought about truck campers a little but you really need a 3/4 ton truck or better for them because of payload capacity. They also tend to make the truck too heavy. I think if you don’t mind roughing it a little more, you could do a fiberglass shell on a truck with an 8 ft bed, put a cot in the back with sleeping bag and whatever else you want to have with you.

Towing isn’t bad at all as long as you aren’t overloaded. There are some nice smaller travel trailers now. I really liked the Intech Sol and still do. There are also teardrop options that you can take anywhere.

Those Intech look pretty cool.
 
what about utility vans like the Sprinter cargo van. Not suggest that one in particular, just an example. Small, cozy - good for a long weekend? Not as big as an RV, perhaps better gas milage
 
You could consider rooftop tent options. I did that for a year of short weekend trips. It was pretty decent but a little bit of a pain as I often needed the SUV at some point during the day and had to breakdown camp. most of the off-road vehicles have limited payload so you wouldn’t be able to use them with a larger, heavier camper or travel trailer down the road. The Super Duty Tremor and the Power Wagon would be able to, but they are also getting quite large and not so nimble off road.

both the options i noted are lightweight and so they should work well with most vehicles. my understanding is the big issue with the rooftops and a lot of options is the time they take to put up and down can kind of be a pain. the Super Pacific Switchback X1 looks like it retains the benefits of the rooftop, while making it super fast to go up and down.

yah, the Super Duty and Power Wagon and Raptor (and Sprinter) are all getting pretty big and is certainly a concern. there truly is no free lunch :LOL:
 
We have an F350 diesel and pull a 5th wheel. I actually do all the driving, hubby navigates! LOL! I plan out our trips and book RV/national/state parks/etc well in advance. Since most places have only a 24 hr cancellation policy, adjusting our schedule during the trips is generally an easy matter of leaving a day early, staying a day or so longer, or re-routing. I pick locations based on where we want to go and what we want to do. Trips range from 3 weeks to a 3 month drive we made to Alaska and back!

We much prefer a 5th wheel, because we can disconnect and then run around in our 4 wheel drive truck. I've driven in 50 mph winds and the 5th wheel was still straight and easy to pull. When trucks pass, you get get the "sucking" feeling of the 5th wheel being pushed around by the gusts of wind. In 2019 we drove from Tennessee to the northern coast of Newfoundland. GREAT trip. We had solar panels put on the roof to take advantage of solar power.

Lots of great advice in earlier threads. I'll emphasize.... don't get something too big, especially if you anticipate BLM type camping. We seldom camp without electric....but that has never meant that we couldn't find a place to stay in a location we had chosen.

Oh....and we travel with our dog. He is a great traveler and enjoys meeting and playing with oother dogs.

While diesel fuel is more expensive, you will get much better gas mileage (and power, as Steve alluded to!) than using a gasoline tow vehicle. We did NOT want a dually and even in 50 mpg winds have not had a problem towing our 41' 5th wheel with our 4 wheel ,short bed F350. However, we got a SuperGlide 5h wheel hitch. When making a 90° turn, the 5th wheel slides back (way from the truck cab back window!!!) and when I straighten out, the hitch pulls the 5th wheel back up into position. Love the SuperGlide hitch.

BTW - we previously had a 35' 5th wheel and I would have stuck with that length again, except we couldn't find what we wanted in 35 footer. The 41' Grand Design Solitude 5th wheel has been a dream and we don't regret getting it.

We started out with a really (too) small trailer....and after a couple of years, moved up to a 35' 5th wheel. We used that for 8 years, then traded it in on our current 41' 5th wheel.
 
what about utility vans like the Sprinter cargo van. Not suggest that one in particular, just an example. Small, cozy - good for a long weekend? Not as big as an RV, perhaps better gas milage

The Sprinter is very popular but impossible to get. The Ford Transit is an excellent alternative. The Ram Promaster (a Fiat) gets good reviews but has almost no ground clearance due to axel design.

Tradesmen and delivery services like Amazon are all vying for these, as well as all the Gen Xers who hit the road in 2020.
 
what about utility vans like the Sprinter cargo van. Not suggest that one in particular, just an example. Small, cozy - good for a long weekend? Not as big as an RV, perhaps better gas milage
I like the idea of a ford transit and making it a weekend getaway vehicle. If you want to add any plumbing or setup for indoor cooking, it gets to be a bit challenging, but as a tent replacement I like the idea. You could also stealth camp in places. I struggled to find any decent prices on them when I looked. I wanted the high roof version so I could stand up. I then asked myself if a cheaper travel trailer made more sense as it was already assembled, ready to go and around the same cost. still think the van would be fun.
 
It's funny, I got the Land Cruiser as a demo and at a deeply discounted rate since it had 7,000 miles on it already from the new car sales manager. Considering how much prices have gone up, I bet I could almost get back what I put into it if I sold it now after three years! The new Sequoia will probably be great, and I have a feeling the new 4Runner (2023 I think) might be more capable than expected. Rumor has it that it'll have the same engine / transmission as the Tundra.

We don't take pets with us though, so that would be a reason to favor a slightly larger rig. Our 24 is really more than we need, but if we had a big dog or two, it would probably feel tight.
My 2009 Land Cruiser has gone up several thousand dollars in value since the shortages hit. Its a crazy car market world for sure. And if you are lucky enough to have one of the older land cruisers, prices have gone through the roof!

I could get more for my '88 Land Cruiser than I initially paid for it, but not likely as much as I've put into it over the last 31 years. Unfortunately, with the inline-six and stock transmission, it won't pull anywhere close to what y'alls' will. One thing I can say is that my Land Cruser has really cruised this land of ours; from North Dakota to Florida to California, and all sorts of places in-between. My kids have arguments about which one of them gets it when I die. :unsure:

I've thrown a mattress, sleeping bag and cooler in the back and hit the road for a few days in the past. Alone. When I got back, my wife would send me straight to the shower and tell me to do my own laundry! :LOL: I don't think I could do that any more!
 
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I had a Winnebago Travato for several years. Full motorhome built on a RAM Promaster chassis, 22' long. Pros: easy to drive, very easy to park, no need to lug gear into a hotel each night, cook your own meals, good gas mileage. Cons: might be tight for two (I mostly traveled alone), high driver position (some like it, some don't), low ground clearance. In the end my biggest problem was that I live in a rural area and couldn't ever figure out how to keep mice out of the innards. Sold it this year.
 
My spouse and myself have been enjoying camping in RV for 10 years now; our main destinations is east of Norh-America from Quebec to Florida where we used to go twice a year in november and April before the pandemia. We bought a small diesel used class B (Roadtrek sprinter SSAgile 2008), very comfortable for two adults; for us it's perfect because we travel very light and, with a lenth of only 20', we are able to go everywhere and very close to nature in state parks, mainly on the west coast of Florida; we bring with us an inflatable kayak and two bicycles; my wife and myself use our bicycle to get around in the parks; I found it also very useful when I want to be in a spot early in the morning for photography, without disturbing my wife :LOL:
We have been many times in west of North-America, visiting most of National Parks, going by plane and renting a car instead of using a RV (time issue); If I had to come back in such places (Yosemite, Yellowstone.......), by favoring camping, I would use a small trailer instead of a class B for the versatility of being able to let it in the campground while we are visiting more easily and safely those huge parks with our main vehicule (easier also to stop to see wildlife).
 
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