Choosing an RV, Part 2 - Choosing Travel Kats new rig

My '69 Airstream Caravel

My first rv was a vintage 1969 Airstream Caravel 16ft. I was an artist selling work at festivals, and I needed a vehicle to travel in a 4 state area. It was cute and attention-getting, and it felt cool and retro. There was plenty of room, though I rarely used all of it - I was mostly in the vendor booths during the day. But I got tired doing all the heavy hitch work by myself,  not to mention the stress of towing.  Most festivals are weekend affairs, so I only stayed in one place for a week or less. It was too much work, on top of selling all day. I sold the Airstream for a high top van, a Sportsmobile conversion. 

Sportsmobile conversion of a GMC van

I loved that van and it was perfect for a solo woman traveling for work and vacation. It had a couch but not a dinette which I prefer, so not perfect. If I were single, I would definitely go back to a larger van format, this time with a bigger bath and a dinette.   

Our '73 Airstream Argosy

Interior of our 2013 Coleman

But I have a partner so we are looking at motorhomes, both Class As and Cs. We will be living in it full time and traveling on short trips in the summer and snowbirding it to the south in the winter. We currently have a vintage Airstream we are renovating and a 20 ft Coleman trailer that is just too small, and we will be selling or trading it in. 

In our personal circumstance, I don’t often drive, because Lynn was a professional semi-truck/trailer driver. The bigger, the more familiar for her, so we looked at Class As if they fit in our price range. But I also prefer to have a rig I could drive if necessary, and anything larger than a UHaul is new territory.

 Here are our must-haves:

Right now, we are only looking at motorhomes, mainly class Cs. Nothing larger or smaller than 30-35 ft, so we can still fit in some of the smaller state parks and that size tends to have all the features we need. 

Nothing underpowered (for a motorhome, but also true of vans and tow vehicles) 

The standard in class C and some class As is the Ford 450 10 cylinder. It’s a familiar engine in all locations, rural and town, and parts will be easier to find. I’m skeptical that diesel will be that easy, but do your own research on that.

Slides that don’t block important access. While we travel, we may not want to fully setup every night, so having to move slides just to sleep or use the kitchen sink is a pain. Even better are slides that allow comfortable pathways and use while closed. If they break, its more snug, but still livable. Slide motors can fail, at inconvenient times. 

Used, but In reasonable current shape There will be this or that needing fIxing and maybe some refurb on upholstery or wall color, but we don’t want a fixer-upper. We will want access to move in right away, not waiting til renovation is done. 

Someplace for the kitties to live. Extra bunk spaces work for traveling and sleeping, with windows, very important, and below-deck cubbies that can work as kitty bathrooms. Also, a few different kitty bunks for when we have to separate them for being bad. 

A useable kitchen space. Most are passable for coffee and sandwiches, but the assumption is you’ll cook outdoors, even in class As. A definite no is a round kitchen sink. What !@! %# man thought that was a usable sink? More than one drawer, several banks of them are better. An oven or convection oven/microwave - I like to cook. And that takes storage for kitchen gear. 

Side tables next to the bed on both sides.  I am amazed at the idea that only one person in a queen bed will have a glass of water and a phone, but it’s common. 

A large bathroom with a usable shower and good storage.

A large wardrobe, including both drawers and hanging space, not just the gym locker-size cabinets that you get in many RVs, even class Cs and As. 

A nice big dinette, preferably a half-circle layout, and a sofa or pair of recliners.

No body damage, because that isn’t easily or cheaply fixed. 

Would be nice but not a deal-breaker:

Outdoor kitchen, w/ mini fridge and sink

Room for my massage chair. Necessary for back pain. 

Our budget is about 35 - 45K. That's coming from the sale of my house. 

It’s an ongoing conversation, and whatever is currently on the market is in the running. Currently, a Forest River Sunseeker and a Winnebago Vista are bookmarked. We are waiting to get some work here done before we jump, and the market could change anytime.