Which RV is best for me?

This letter to Chuck Woodbury came from Hector Rodriguez:

Hi Chuck,
Just watched your webcast for the first time. I wanted to ask you few questions that I always ask everyone with RVs. If you had to do it all over again, which way would you go? Class A motorhome or fifth wheeler? Diesel pusher or gas? Full time or part time RVing? I want to sell my home and buy a decent RV but a little scared about that. I have never owned an RV and am not sure what to expect. I have about a million questions, but I don't think you want to answer them all. I liked the webcast.

Hector,
I have always been happy with my Class C motorhome. I have a 2008, 24-foot Winnebago View which is on a Dodge Sprinter chassis with Mercedes diesel engine. I owned two motorhomes before, both Class C's, roughly the same size. I tend to keep my RVs for a long time. That's my RV in the photo (taken at Saguaro National Park in southern Arizona). Watch this video in which I provide a short tour of my motorhome.

The Class C type motorhome works well for me. I am happy with the size, which is small enough to fit into almost all campgrounds. I prefer public campgrounds -- those in state parks and national forests: almost all of them will accommodate an RV of my size. Once you get above 28 feet you begin to limit your camping opportunities. My wild guess is that up to 32-35 feet you will still get into three-quarter of the public campgrounds. Commercial RV parks will generally accommodate larger rigs.

The Class C suits me because I move around a lot. I seldom stay in a place more than two or three days. If I were the type of RVer who stayed put for a week or more at a time, then I believe a trailer or fifth wheel would be better because you can park it and then have a car or truck to drive to the store, around town or for a day trip through the countryside. I don't pull a car behind my motorhome, but many RVers who travel a lot do. If you don't bring along a car then you need to pack up the motorhome to drive to the general store for supplies. I carry a small folding electric bicycle that enables me to easily explore places within five miles or so of my campground. Sometimes I bring along my mountain bicycle. I sometimes I wish I had a car, but overall I prefer to be a little inconvenienced than hassle with pulling something.

Another reason I prefer the shorter motorhome with no towed car is that I can move around easier when I am "on the road." It's easier to find parking places, stop along the road to snap a photo, and maneuver on city streets.

It would be tight for me to full-time in my little motorhome, whether alone or with a partner. But I have run across many people full-timing in units the size of mine or even smaller. But generally speaking, full-timers go for travel trailers, fifth wheel trailers or Class A motorhomes, usually in the mid 30-foot range or longer. Class A motorhomes are usually (but not always) larger than Class C's, and can carry more weight. Their holding tanks are larger -- so more onboard water and fewer runs to the dump station. They almost always have larger fuel tanks, so less stopping to fill up.

Diesel or gas? That's too big a subject for here. I suggest you visit RVbookstore.com and get the DVD I host for the Better Business Bureau called "Buying a Recreational Vehicle." It addresses all the questions you asked here very well including the diesel vs. gasoline question. Check with your local library to see if its there. Or buy it from RVbookstore.com.

Make sure you are signed up for my RVtravel.com newsletter and keep watching my weekly webcasts. You will learn a lot.

I hope I have helped you a little bit here.

More Canadian RV snowbirds this year?

We received this email from RVtravel.com reader Diane Stephenson. Can you answer her question?

We are Canadian snowbirds and have just done a few months around Mesa, Arizona and are now in Hemet, California. We have never seen so many Canadians down here. The park we are staying in, Golden Valey Palms in Hemet, is 80 percent Canadians. I wonder if you have heard any more about this Canadian invasion. We have been coming down south every year for the past five years, and this is the first time we have seen the numbers of Canadians in the RV parks.

Do you have a message for Joe and Vicki Kieva?

In the March, 12, 2011 issue of RVtravel.com we reported that Joe and Vicki Kieva had received their "pink slips" from the Good Sam Club's magazine Highways. The Kieva's column "RV Insight" had appeared in the monthly magazine for the past 15 years. If you have a message for Joe and Vicki, please feel free to leave it here.