What are the advantages of motorhomes?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I know I must be missing something here.

How does someone say “I’m tired of spending $100 per night for a 15x20 hotel room when we go on vacation; I’d much rather buy a $90,000 motorhome which depreciates $200 every time you drive it, burn $90 worth of gasoline getting to the campsite, pay a $30/night camping fee, all so I can sleep in a 7x15 hotel room on wheels”. I just don’t get it.

I know there are special circumstances where an RV is the only option, such as you’re planning to stay in a place that has no hotel rooms. Seriously, I know a couple such places and I know that an RV is much more comfortable than a tent. Plus, I know there are some places where you can camp for free. But you’re still paying for the RV itself plus the gasoline.

The one time in my life that I thought a motorhome would be advantageous was when I was moving from one side of the country to the other and considered an RV as an alternative to a moving van. I figured it would cost a little more money than a moving van but we’d save a little on hotel rooms so it would work out to roughly the same. I also figured that it would be more comfortable because one person can drive while the other is in the back, eating, sleeping, using the bathroom, whatever. But in practice I found that it’s awfully lonely up in the cab alone and we couldn’t risk having the driver fall asleep at the wheel. We optimistically hoped that we’d get 7 or 8 mpg but it ended up being 6.

When it was all said and done, we spent about $7,000 on the motorhome (including camping fees). The gasoline alone came to more than $1,000. If I had it to do over again, I’d hire a moving company and buy two plane tickets. Or, if we really wanted to take a slow vacation and see the sights, like the statue of the Jolly Green Giant in Blue Earth Minnesota, we could have driven an ordinary car and stayed in hotel rooms instead of buying two plane tickets. Either way, I would hire a moving company to haul our personal possessions.

I recently looked into the price of renting a motor home and found prices like $1,000 per week rental fee, plus $1/mile if you put more than 700 miles on the odometer.

I occurs to me that some people get freaked out trying to sleep in an unfamiliar place and they can’t stand the idea of sleeping in a bed where a total stranger slept the previous day. Could that be the reason? Also, I understand that the fuel cost is a lot easier to swallow if you drive somewhere and then stay put for two months or more before you head back. But it seems to me that all this adds up to a very narrow set of circumstances where a motorhome makes sense. And yet there seem to be millions of them on the road.

So, are there some huge advantages that I’m overlooking? Or is it simply that some people look at the exact same list of pros and cons but weigh them differently?

2

For my aunt and uncle, the main advantage was that most hotels aren’t keen on receiving dogs. Their last set included a medium-small slobbery rug and two mastiffs. Other advantages were the ability to go to places where there are no hotels available, such as camping areas within national parks or locations where, way back when they bought the motorhome, the tourist industry was non-existant and boarding offerings might involve bugs larger than yourself.

3

Some people simply find it fun. I can see the appeal.

One thing that I think would drive me crazy - “I’ve been driving this thing all day long, now I’m gonna sleep in it too?”

4

RVs make no financial sense. Folks buy em purely because they like em.

5

Not everyone is in a huge RV. I helped a friend build one out of a standard Mercedes-Benz 2500 Sprinter van. It is diesel powered and gets decent milage. He’s not a tall guy, so the bed is in the back, side to side. He has a toilet and shower, dual well kitchen sink, 12 volt refrigerator/freezer and a ceramic cooktop stove that burns diesel as well. As long as he can fuel up, fill up with water and dump the toilet, he’s good.

He’s an ocean kayaker, and he uses this to travel all over North America. He’s currently living in it while he rebuilds his home.

6

Moderator Action

Since this is more about the opinions of motorhomes than facts about them, let’s move this to IMHO.

Moving thread from General Questions to In My Humble Opinion.

7

Since the OP is looking for advice, let’s move this to IMHO.

Colibri
General Questions Moderator

8

The economics look a lot more attractive if you’re traveling full time, especially if you can dispense with maintaining a house. The problem is that lots and lots of RV-ers imagine themselves going full time some day, and use that to justify the purchase of the RV, but few of them actually end up doing it.

9

IANARV’r* - As I understand it, it is a lifestyle and an experience. I can understand using an RV as a means of moving across the country would not be positive, but that’s not what they are marketed towards or really designed for.

  • I am not an RVer.
10

-Pets, already mentioned.

-You can stay near, or at “the action”. If you fly sailplanes, you can stay at the airport, even if it is a tiny grass strip. If you race cars, you can stay at the race track. If you like to water ski, you can stay within a short walk of your boat.

-You can keep it ready to go with canned food and clothing at a moments notice. I know of people who go to the lake on the weekend, and having an RV means there is no Friday afternoon rush to get packed and on the road.

-You don’t have to pay for expensive camp ground with hook-ups. State and federal parks have cheap campgrounds, and many wal-marts will let RVs park overnight for free. Walmart parking lot is not a scenic place, but if you just need forty winks on the way to somewhere it is safe and hassle free. One night a week in an expensive campground for laundry, or a swimming pool, and you are good to go.

-You may like to visit relatives that have space to park the RV, so you get to stay in a “guest suite” that isn’t any trouble at all for your host.

-You can cook meals, not only when staying at destination, but also anywhere along the way, just pull over and fix lunch. Not only is this much cheaper than restaurant food, but it is as healthy as you are willing to make it, not just what is available when and where you get hungry. This is a big deal if you are a vegetarian, or keep Halal, or Kosher, or gluten-free, etc. etc. You can eat in your underwear, or naked if you choose…no “getting ready” to go out to eat.

-Some people like the social aspect of meeting people at campgrounds and sharing cocktails or whatever.

-It is set up how you like it. The pillows and mattress are the ideal firmness. Your favorite beer is in the fridge. You can smoke if you like.

-Emergency preparedness. Is your power out for a week? You have a warm place to stay parked in the driveway. A few years ago the local gas company failed to secure an adequate supply, and a large part of NM had to get through a severe cold snap without their normal heat source.

-You mentioned depreciation, and that is of course a concern, but it also means you can pick up used RVs for a small fraction of the new price, which makes for far better economics. I know a lot of people with RV’s, but cant think of a single one that purchased one new.

I admit that these are not compelling reasons for many people, but where they apply, they make sense.

11

I’ve always wondered, how do they keep running the fridge/heat/Air conditioning or whatever after they’ve stopped for the evening? Does the RV have ginormous batteries? Or do they have to leave it running all night?

12

IANA RVer, but some close friends are.

For them the whole and entire point is taking it to campgrounds in nature locations. Places where hotels aren’t, and places where sitting around all day smelling the trees or hiking the trails is what one does. That and socialize with whatever random folks show up nearby.

You’re not going to fly, rent a car, drive to a campground, then pull out your day-camping gear from your suitcase. That stuff doesn’t fit in a suitcase. So you’re stuck driving from home with more crap than comfortably fits in your car. Add a dog and suddenly it’s game over: camping vacations simply are logistically infeasible without an RV.

Ideally one can buy an RV fairly far down the depreciation curve, use it intensively for a few years and get out for not much less than you put into it. Fuel burn is big, but compare 1000 miles out & 1000 back with 2 weeks a the campsite versus the same distance in your car, plus 14 days in a hotel. Good luck finding pleasant hotel/motels for a mere $100 / night plus tax in a desirable area in the desirable season.

Bottom line: They’re just another way to spend the kid’s inheritance. As the bumper sticker on the back says on so many of them.

One last thing: If anyone wants a very nice 15yo full-up class A motorhome, PM me. My friends would love to jettison the darn thing. :slight_smile: Their lives have changed and it’s now an albatross. But they loved it for the 5 or 8 years they used the heck out of it.

13

Some RV’s look much more romantic these days, with the Tiny House Movement and all.

14

Ginourmous batteries, plus a small gasoline or Diesel generator. And some fridges run on propane, which you’re carrying anyhow for cooking & room heating.

15

You forgot the part about insuring it, paying to store it for the 40+ weeks a year you’re not using it, and licensing it.

ETA, rent one if you must.

16

Batteries really only handle lighting, vent fans, and entertainment devices.

The 'fridge is an ammonia base absorption cycle, which can be powed via propane, 12VDC or 115VAC. They will run on around a couple pounds of propane a day, and larger RVs will have at least 2x30 lb bottles, or a large frame mounted bottle.

Heat and hot water are of course propane, with battery powered blower for the furnace, 115V shore-power heating is also an option.

Air conditioning will require a generator, or shore-power from a campground outlet. Generator can be gasoline, diesel, or propane powered, and will be integrated into larger RVs. Generator operation my have a curfew at some campgrounds…notably lake Powell, where it can be hot as all fuck.

Batteries charge from shore power, aux. generator, engine driven alternator, and solar if installed.

17

My parents own an RV. It’s their 2nd true RV, after spending a lifetime camping in a pop-up and before that, a tent.

They’ve got a big, nice one. It’s as nice as a 4-star hotel room (leather furniture, multiple flat screen TVs, surround sound, king bed, etc).

Why do they do it?

  1. They intend to go full time. And like really intend it. After my dad retired a few years ago, my mom was able to secure a year’s sabbatical from work and they RV’d during most of it**.
  2. They like the lifestyle - the sitting around the fireplace drinking an adult beverage* and chatting with whomever they meet.
  3. They like the travel, with the option of picking up and moving when they get bored. During their year, they planned to do a week somewhere, do all the crazy touristy stuff they can find, then leave - spend a day traveling another 300-400 miles, then spend another week. But if they were board, they’d leave early. With cell phones and a wifi hotspot, they found that making reservations for their next destination wasn’t that hard.
    3B) Travel in general is easier, when planned well. They don’t do more than ~6 or 7 hours driving in any given day - and will usually break that up with a couple stops at a rest area or Walmart. Not that they need the facilities (there’s a cleaner bathroom right there), but it’s good to stretch your legs and whatnot.
  4. My dad did the math out and it is generally cheaper. Not necessarily by much, but when the cost of eating in the RV vs. eating out every meal, traveling in the RV vs. traveling in planes+rental cars, etc is factored in, he claims it’s a little bit cheaper. I don’t have the desire to check his work, so I’m just taking his word for it. Also has the advantage of not dealing with airport security on a regular basis.

I think the good point was made above though - people do the RV thing because they enjoy it. Not because it’s a cheaper travel method.
*In campgrounds, not in state/federal parks. Some parks are more zealous about checking this than others, they’ve found out.

** Didn’t help that my sister had her first kid in that year, but my parents still spent something like 8 of the 12 months on the road, excepting the winter holidays (for a couple weeks) and around the kid’s birth (for about 6-8 weeks).

18

Maybe a smaller version, a camper van like a VW Vanagon, would be a better option for you.

19

My folks have an RV and every summer they go workamping. They just came back from their latest trip to West Yellowstone, Montana, where they worked in a high end jewelry and art shop. In past years they worked in a clothing store in town.

It’s a program for mostly retired people where they can travel anywhere in the country and work in a park or a tourist town, get paid for their RV hookup and get a small stipend. They work anywhere from 20-30 hours a week and have enough time to explore the area.

They’ve been to Alaska, Virginia, New Hampshire, but their heart is in the West. Since they’re there to work and sightsee it makes sense to take the RV, which is much cheaper over the summer (I think they worked May-Oct) than getting a hotel room.

I’m glad my folks are still healthy and hearty enough to make the trip. They spent about $600 in diesel fuel (they tow the Honda as their driving around vehicle, they don’t drive the RV except to get there and back) and my dad does e-mail journal of his adventures, the crazy tourists, the landscapes, and the wildlife.

So for vacationing, you’re right, it’s expensive. But if you’re going on an extended trip (they have friends who live in their RV, relocating about every three months) then an RV would be cheaper than getting hotel rooms.

20

I’ve rented several RV’s. 30’ to 35’. The RV served as a rental car, restaurant, motel, and cargo carrier. No in-route or destination reservations required. One even had a hydraulic tailgate for loading motorcycles. The hardest part is remembering that you’re taller and longer than you may be used to. Parking can be a bee-ach and you have to learn to drain le crapper.

Propane/electric refrigerator, 3-burner propane stove, microwave, shower, toilet, closet space (not suitcases), AC power outlet/inlet, AC/DC ICE generator, TV/DVD player, winter clothes, summer clothes, and rain coats.

All we (two adults and three children) had to do was pick a destination. Chicago to Niagara Falls (the Canadian side). Drive north or east around Lake Michigan? Drive at night? Travel 100 miles or 400 miles? Stop by Uncle Charlie’s house? Visit with Aunt Em? Hey, anyone wanna visit a State Fair, ride horses, go swimming? Drive south to West Virginia before we head for home?

Fly to Denver, rent an RV and head for the mountains. No worrys about where to store the thing all year. No major maintenance issues. No upkeep.