Choosing the Right RV

It's been a few weeks since we've written, so our apologies in advance. We've been going through some huge life changes and making all the right moves in order to get our small RV Maude locked and loaded for the road.

Vanessa and I had some difficulty deciding on what we should be traveling in for the duration of the trip (still unknown might we add). There are so many different types of motor homes and recreational vehicles to choose from, you really need to take time to navigate your needs. So, we decided to write a post about the different types of RVs out there, so that if anybody finds themselves at a crossroads like we were, they can navigate more easily their needs and wants.

We started first looking at travel trailers. Here's why:

1. They are modern

One of our primary criteria in finding a road home was a more modern decor. We kept coming across these RVs that had a very outdated style -- older fabrics, wood everywhere, hideous fixtures. Brand new travel trailers have more modernity on the inside, which made it a plus in our book.

2. They are affordable

We found some brand new 2016 travel trailers for $16k-17k. That was EXACTLY what we needed. We didn't want to spend an arm and a leg on this trip because we were trying to downgrade our expenses. Finding something brand new, with a warranty, at such a low cost was ideal.

3. They are spacious

Travel trailers have more space on the inside because they aren't attached to a cab or motor. This means they're more lightweight, and usually longer. With two humans and two dogs we figured the more space the better.

So, with these three criteria, we started our journey by falling in love with the Airstream. *Sigh* The new Airstream Serenity was right up our alley.

The decor was very modern, it was clean and new, and seemed to have everything we needed to get on the road. We found one we loved and filled out the loan paperwork.......

Only to be rejected. Turns out, we naively were trying for a 70k loan for a TRAVEL TRAILER when we have never had a loan that big for either one of us. See, the thing is that financial companies are looking for you to have had a loan of considerable size already when you are trying to finance an RV so that they know you can handle it. Primarily because RVs are not considered necessary -- they are are luxury. They are an add-on to someone who already has a full-time home.

To this day though, it was a blessing in disguise that we didn't get the Airstream. We would've been 70k in debt without a truck to even tow it.

But besides the price, we also weren't so keen to the idea of having our home detached from our "getaway" vehicle. Unfortunately, this was something we had to consider since we are two girls traveling the country alone. If anything were to happen, and there was trouble on the road, in a travel trailer we would be trapped. So, since travel trailers were ruled out, then certainly fifth wheels were ruled out as well for the same reason. So this ultimately led us to Class B vehicles. Why we considered Class B RVs:

1. Cab is attached

2. Very small body

3. We could take it free-camping

Number 3 was huge for us, because we really want to explore the country and nature without having a huge hassle of finding a campground and parking. Free-camping is VERY much on our agenda.

Yet, we soon found out that the affordable Class B motorhomes in our price range were VERY outdated with high mileage.  There also were few and far between to consider. So, that brought us to our next option which were Class A RVs. Why Class A's were appealing:

1. HUGE space inside

2. Cab was attached

3. It's really like a small apartment on wheels

4. Within our price range for used

5. The open-space feel of the interior

However, we did find one major drawback which ultimately dissuaded us from choosing a Class A. They were just too big for what we needed. Since we wanted to free camp, or just pull over and sleep on the road, Class A motorhomes would definitely not be the right choice.

So this really narrowed us down to the Class C RV variety.

Why we LOVED Class C motorhomes:

1. Easy to park

2. Affordable for a used one

3. Exactly the amount of space we needed

4. Cab was attached

5. More Ideal layout for two humans and two dogs

5. Better gas mileage

The Class C's seemed to fulfill everything we were looking for. The above bunk was perfect to get away from the dogs, the space was just right, and if ever we were in a dangerous situation, we could hop in the cab and take off.

After months of going back-and-forth, we narrowed down our search to Class C motorhomes and eventually, after much duress and coming quite close to giving up, we finally found Maude, our 2007 Itasca Navion.


Check out Maude's specs from her own About Maude page.