new to all this RV'ing and using Post campgrounds

Cheese and crackers, I just kind of felt that if I were to post some questions that some would be inclined to offer their thoughts. Man ole daze but you kind folks saved me about a ton in a education and given me a bunch of thought provoking tips and hints from your vast store of RV'ing experiences. Thank you.

I had thought that a RV show would afford us the most varied assortment of RV's to view. However in as much as I have issues with blockages in my blood vessels behind both knees I'm limited to just short walking distances and walking around a huge arena is just too painful, hence my asking questions here.

Funny that I've considered the space issue as my wife brought it up, however as I explained it to her is that we own a 80X14, 3 bedroom, two bath mobile home . We use just about half of the structure now in that two bedrooms and one bath are seldom used now except for our junk we can't seem to be able to part with, so I don't see space as a high priority factor. After all, I could always put my wife on a flight home.....just kidding, thanks for that suggestion and we will keep that though foremost in our minds as we ponder this lifestyle, along with all of your great suggestions to consider before we purchase a RV unit.

By the by, it is my wife's druthers of a motor home over a 5th wheel or travel trailer.

Decisions....decisions......

Hello All comrads in arms,
My wife and I have been RV'ing for about 35 yrs. and have had just about every camper except the toy hauler in those years. We now have a 40' MH with four slides and love it. If you are planning to be living in it about all of the time, you are going to find that the 29' may not be big enough. I know I did. The thing you said about having the truck to run around in is great but if you have a MH you will tow a car or truck to run around in. Actually you would get better gas milage to tow the car for traveling in around the campground. You are going to find out that the more room you have in the living space the better off you are.
As far as the truck to pull with, you should get at least a 3/4 ton, and I would definately go with the Diesel because of the power. I would also go with the duely because if you decide a little later that the 29' 5th isn't big enough you can trade up and not have to trade trucks. The duramax and allison is an awsome combination. I have used it and it is pretty quite and don't get bad milage when not pulling. The new one's have a 6 speed trany now I believe.
I do what you said about the mail. My daughter does mine and it works just fine. She even sends some meds for me in the overnighter. She puts them in an envelope so the bottle don't stand out in the package.
As far as handling the 5th wheel. A bigger one handles sometimes better than the smaller one. It hooks up the same and any help from your wife would be the same. When looking I also suggest you get the heat pumps on your air conditioners. It helps when the whether is just cool and not cold. You use the campground electric and not your propane. Also a 2,000 wt. inverter-charger is also handy.
I hope you make the right decision.
Friends and comrads in arms,
Bill

Once you've gone to the shows and visited a few campgrounds and gotten some ideas, I would recommend renting a few weekends before you buy. You may find that you don't even enjoy this lifestyle.

matt's suggestion to try before you buy is an EXCELLENT idea, if possible. But I would take it a little farther and suggest staying in this RV for as long as possible. Living in an RV is MUCH different than a weekend outing.

We look at RV's completely different now. The size of the kitchen sink, stove covers, seats, location of the trash can, and especially storage all look differently when you live in it.

We have traveled for 5 years full time. We bought a used 37 foot motorhome, with a slide, and I am happy we did. We had talked about taking our 30 foot travel trailer, with no slides. I can't imagine how we would of did it. Having the large basement storage has really been great. I also insisted on a washer and dryer, again, I could not live without it. I Spent our early years of marriage using a laundry mat, did not want to go back to that, after 40 years of marriage.

I had toyed around with the idea of getting a 5th wheel. My husband has since come down with degenerate disc disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. He said, not having out electric jacks in our motorhome might mean giving up traveling. He said, he also could not handle a fifth wheel, because of set up, and that they are harder handling, while driving, especially backing up.

I would like to ad with a women's point of view, do your wife a favor, and get a slide out. If you really want to make her happy, consider her request about a motorhome. I know my husband says, it is easier on him, having a motorhome, with having medical problem. Oh, and the washer and dryer might be a real treat for DW.