TT makes sense, but heart is with motorhome

[sixpantsmaloney]

I'd be interested in the real-life experiences of those who've had both a TT and a motorhome.

I think the TT makes complete sense.  No dinghy, cheaper, no car insurance/liability, no additional vehicle engine/transmission/etc. maintenance.

Having never owned a TT, I think there's a pretty solid argument that they're the best way to go.

Yet... I love motorhomes.  They feel like a clubhouse.  I loved "guerilla camping" in my 21' Toyota Dolphin.  It's irrational but given the choice I'd take a 25' or less Sprinter-based motorhome.

So what am I missing?  It seems like a bummer, especially during a long-term stay, to have to take your motorhome with you every time you want to see something.  On the other hand, it also means you've always got your kitchen with you, your stuff, a place to nap during the day's outing.

Enlighten me please on the realities of the TT vs. MH style of camping/traveling.  I need to make an 8 year plan so I'm starting a bit early!

Thanks,
Brian

[chilipyro]

I haven't owned a motorhome, so I will stick with the TT perspective (and any aspects of that which have given me some amount of motorhome envy). One really nice perk of going the TT route, is that it also meant that I got to own a pickup truck. I never had the right excuse to own a pickup truck before. Now I can't imagine not owning one. I don't know what your family situation is, but we travel with three pre-teen kids. That means we carry five bikes, and our pickup's truck rack makes that task easy. Until recently, I was not aware of any motorhome with permanent beds enough for all three kids. Motorhomes - even the biggest- generally have just the one bed. We did the bed conversion (dinette to bed) in a pop-up, and don't ever want to go back. TT floorplans have many that are very friendly for large families. Some floorplans (like the one in our 32BHDS) have a separate room for the kids. This just isn't common in motorhomes.

Whether you go the TT route or the MH route, you need to tow something if you want to be able to get around one you are at camp. I see that as a wash, but with a TT you are insuring just one motor vehicle, and maintaining just one engine. With a MH, you have two engines to deal with.

Big advantage that makes me envy the MH travelers is being able to access all the facilities of your mobile hotel, without having to stop. For a two day trip to Florida, that would be heaven. Heck - I could even go back to bed and nap for a bit while DW takes the wheel. I imagine that the kids would fight less on the journey, having more room to spread out - but in reality I expect they'd manage to find just as much to fight about. Because you are driving your MH with the AC running, it is already at a comfortable temperature when you get where you are going. When we stopped on the way to Florida this summer, it took a good hour to get our TT cooled down.

We seriously considered trading to a Class C early this spring - we saw one at a show with twin bunks, plus the cab-over bed (a Jayco Gray Fox). The show price had this unit at an incredible discount - but even then another advantage to TTs was glaring - the price. Our 35' luxury TT set us back about $20K. Add another $30K for the truck, and the pair was still $30K less than that Jayco Class C - plus we would have had to buy a new toad (and towing setup), because neither of our current cars would be suitable for that task. I figured it would be well over $100K for a new Class C setup that would work for our family of 5 - even with heavy discounts.

So many things affect the TT vs MH equation. For our family situation, for our camping and traveling style, and for our budget - the TT wins.

[willingtonpaul]

i can't say that i have ever owned a motorhome either.  but DW and i have looked, not only at the shows, but at the dealers over the years.  as chilipyro says, there are few family friendly motorhome layouts.  i could never see owning one the way we camp, and IMHO, i see the drawbacks as threefold:

1.  property taxes....substantially higher on a motorhome.
2.  cargo management issues...like chilipyro says, where do the bikes go ?  kayaks ?  firewood ?
3.  service / maintenance....you lose the whole rig if something happens to the powertrain, even makes oil changes a potential pain.

most of the time, motorhome owners are either full timers, who pull a cargo trailer behind them with the car and gear in it (their "garage"), or they are older folks who just don't want to / can't deal with hitching / unhitching, cranking down stabilizers, etc etc.  again, these are generalizations which can dangerous, but common in my observations.

[chilipyro]

I see a lot of well off (presumably) young families with big class a motorhomes at Disney. Seems strange to drop a couple hundred thousand, at least, and still have the kids sleeping on the couch, or in bags on the floor. But, the campers down that way are a different breed than the sort you run into in state parks in new england. Again, your camping style determines how you feel about the different types of RVs, as much as anything else.

[lizziepm]

When I win the lotto, I will buy a motorhome!  However, fat chance that will happen as you know what the stats are for winning the lottery.  We have a trailer -- it has television, radio, microwave, fridge, stove just like a house.  But unless we decide to go fulltime, a motorhome is not likely in our future.

[CampinNewf]

Although mine doesn't, there are lots of Class A motorhomes with bunks.  We have two young kids (6 and 3) and they sleep on air mattresses on the floor in the living room.  They both like this arrangement over bunk beds, but that will change as they get older. 

I have also considered a TT or 5th wheel vs our motorhome when it comes time to change to something with bunks, and I just can't see not owning a class A.  The travel experience is very comfortable, the big windshield offers a great view while driving and provides lots of light while camping and the auto-leveling jacks are kinda nice as well 

I really enjoy sitting in the captains chairs with my morning coffee.  In fact, that's where I am right now 

The main thing that keeps me from getting a trailer is that I would have to buy a pickup, which I don't want.  I enjoy my car for daily use, so a pickup would just sit around like the motorhome does when not in use. 

There is no doubt that the current crop of TT's and 5ers are more family oriented than class A's with separate bathroom entrances and outside kitchens, but it would be hard to give up our class A if we ever decided to switch to a trailer.

[CampinNewf]

1.  property taxes....substantially higher on a motorhome.

I'm not sure about the tax laws in your area, but why would you pay property tax on a vehicle?

2.  cargo management issues...like chilipyro says, where do the bikes go ?  kayaks ?  firewood ?

If we are towing our car, bikes/canoe would go on the car.  If not, bikes go on the back of the motorhome.  I've seen a kayak on the roof of a motorhome, but it looks like a big hassle.

3.  service / maintenance....you lose the whole rig if something happens to the powertrain, even makes oil changes a potential pain.

True, but if there are any problems with anything on the camper, then you also lose it during the repair as well.  If either setup breaks down on the road, the whole thing has to be towed, but with a motorhome, you can use the Towed car.  There are multiple possible problems that can happen to either setup.

most of the time, motorhome owners are either full timers, who pull a cargo trailer behind them with the car and gear in it (their "garage"), or they are older folks who just don't want to / can't deal with hitching / unhitching, cranking down stabilizers, etc etc.  again, these are generalizations which can dangerous, but common in my observations.

As you say, generalizations are dangerous and I think the above one is unfair.  I think the reason most motorhomes are owned by older people is that they are simply more expensive, and it's usually people that no longer have the expenses of raising a family that can afford one.  This is also the reason most motorhomes don't have bunks.

[Between Trips]

We considered a MH, but I didn't want another motorized vehicle to maintain. Two is plenty. With my TT, regular maintenance is easy and inexpensive.

[ElizabethAnn]

When I win the lotto, I will buy a motorhome!  

I am with you WHEN I also win the Lotto I too will be purchasing a MoHo (along with when we full time it).

[sixpantsmaloney]

I liked my tiny MH because we could go just about anywhere we wanted.  Granted, we were in our 20's and just off deployment, so we did dumb things I wouldn't do now.  The cab over bunks feel like a little treehouse.

When I worked in Montana we had a TT set up far from the office.  I loved it.  It was nicer than my apartment.  Plus it was always set up.  So I really liked the TT.

I'd love an excuse to own a truck.  I don't want to drive a truck every day.  So there's a huge trade-off because I'd have to drive it all the time.  If I bought a truck just for the TT and hauling then I'm in the same boat as a MH.

However, at least the truck is multipurpose.  With a MH you have this rugged truck chassis/engine/transmission locked to one purpose.

Yeah, I just go back and forth.  By the time I can afford what I want I'll probably get a used F250 with the newer engines that are coming out this year and a used TT.

Anyhow, great discussion.  I like reading other people think through it.

[GoneCamping]

I've gone from a HTT, to Class-A Bus conversion, and back to a TT again.  For me it came down to expense. When you get into the nitty gritty of it all, it cost far more money to buy, outfit, & maintain a MH. Just the initial cost of an entry level Class-A gasser with no slides will run you a minimum of $50-60k, which is double the cost of an entry level TT.

Then you have to outfit yourself, if you don't want to break camp every time you need a loaf of bread, then you gotta look into a toad. Can't buy just anything there either, you're stuck with a FWD and a tow dolly, or one of a handful of vehicles suitable for 4 down towings. Tow dollies cost you more money. Or go four down, and you are looking at Tow Bar, Base Plate, Brake Buddy system, safety cables, wiring, lights or diode systems, and installation fee's. I've seen reports of people paying upwards of $2-3k for that stuff.

You've got additional expenses on the MH such as ongoing insurance, some states have excise taxes, registration fee's are usually higher, the fuel economy is generally not that good. A trailer by contrast cost less, so the taxes are less, registration is less (and some states like Va have Permanent trailer tags, pay once and you're done for as long as you own the trailer), trailer insurance is dirt cheap too. Mileage while towing can give you a real hit but my experience so far has been if you got enough motor the mileage isn't too bad. I'm currently getting 12mpg towing my trailer with an F150.

Maintenance is much cheaper with the trailer. Tires, bearings, & brakes are the main things to care for. You have all that with a MH and so much more. With the bus conversion a single 22.5 tire would cost me around $400, trailer tires cost me $50 brand new...

Overall the trailer is just plain more affordable, comes with pretty much the exact same amenitites. Now the plus side of the MH would be things like push-button leveling and built in generator, but that is the only primary features that I can think of that are standard on a MH that is not offered on a trailer.

[CampinNewf]

There's no doubt that a Motorhome is more expensive to purchase/maintain than a truck/trailer setup if the truck is not dedicated to towing the trailer.  On the class A forums on RV.net, there are lots of people that have gone back and fourth between fifth wheels and motorhome depending on their needs.

 Our needs (or I should say 'my needs') currently require using a motorhome because I want to be able to tow my car to the race track and camp at the track (camping at the track) with my buddies.  My friend that is parked next to me in that picture is using a F450 and 40' 5th wheel toyhauler to accomplish the same thing.  He used to have a Class A/trailer setup when his kids where smaller and they used to go camping, but after that stopped, he switched to the toyhauler.  We we go camping, we put our VW GTI on the trailer as our TOAD.

We are currently at a KOA in Quebec City.  The place is about 2/3 trailers (5th wheels and TTs) and 1/3 motorhomes and I'm the only motorhome owner that I've seen here without grey hair.  Surprisingly, the 5th wheels seem to out number the TTs 2:1.

When it comes to luxury, nothing beats the large diesel pusher buses, but most people would have to sell their house to get one.

[willingtonpaul]

We are currently at a KOA in Quebec City.  The place is about 2/3 trailers (5th wheels and TTs) and 1/3 motorhomes and I'm the only motorhome owner that I've seen here without grey hair.  Surprisingly, the 5th wheels seem to out number the TTs 2:1.

That has been my experience the vast majority of the time (on the age of MH owners)...hence my observation in my first post.

and here in the states, you pay property taxes on motor vehicles and trailers.  the higher the value, the higher the tax bill.  it is based on the town you live in.  but most states and most towns have higher rates for mechanized vehicles vs. towable camping trailers. 

not to hijack the thread, but how is that KOA in quebec ?  we have thought of doing a trip up that way.  PM me or start another thread if you feel that it is too much of a hijack to this thread.....thanks

[CampinNewf]

It's nice for a KOA. Our site is about 55' long and it's level with 50amp.  It's a KOA, so the sites are small, but the owners are friendly and the place is clean.  We are close to the highway, but down a hill, so it's only background noise and not that noticeable.  For the few days we've been here, the place has been dead by 10:30pm.

Quebec City KOA

[willingtonpaul]

thanks for the post and the pic....
happy trails...