I consider Holiday Inn camping.

I use to have one of those, it was awesome. I miss it

Can you two take this somewhere else? This was a really interesting thread before all of this kicked off :2 cents: :thumbsup

Yeah good times. Small enough we can go just about anywhere with it, though it certainly takes more setup than a travel trailer or RV. But hey - I'm roughing it, right? Lol

apparently you missed all my contributions to this thread, which btw wouldn't even have come close to 2 pages if I didn't add to the discussion.

gofuckyourself.

this thread was 15 posts before crockett decided to try and be a debbie downer about camping. so let's not try and bullshit anybody that this thread was chocked full of interest in 13 replies prior to that. :)

what is that you have hooked up there and what is it on? to the left of the coffee maker.

Why would i be offended? I don't own either. Actually I do own a tent..

My point is that you choose not to buy a civic and a tent because of the added comfort of your van. The exact same reason that others buy a giant rig and drive that around. The same reason some people do that with boats.

It's just different, one isn't better than the other and nobody buys a big rig thinking its quick and easy and good on gas.

I put a winch on mine with a 12v battery and a small solar panel to charge it. It was just a push of a button to raise it .
Had a honda generator to power everything and a rigged up side tent we put a porta pot into.
Side I slept in had an air mattress in it. Was very comfy!

those honda gens are sweeeeeeeeeeet. purr like a kitten.

The Fleetwood/Colemans come with an extra outdoor hookup for a small stove. Mine also has an extra outdoor shower - awesome for camping at the beach! A must add-on is to bolt on a grill mount for a tiny propane grill and hook it up right up to the big tank. Heat and grease outside, no table with a hot grill to knock over (or pack). Tiny grill packs later inside the camper (in the shower for easy cleanup of any smudges.)

Pop-ups in Florida are perfect. They suck in 40 degree or colder weather. Mine has a chemical toilet which I never use. I only use the pop-up now in Florida during the winter.

One thing no one is mentioning is after a hurricane or home disaster (fire, flood etc) any RV or trailer becomes a second home with power and lights etc as well as being the perfect bug out vehicle.

A ton of used RVs came up for sale in NY and NJ from people who used them after Sandy and no longer want them. I am glad I got my before Sandy as my Sister and her family used it for 4 weeks until they were able to move back home.

I tent camp with my civic too and if I bring a ton of shit, I have a small galvanized landscaping trailer to pack my gear (scooters, bikes, gear etc) as my civic can pull 1,800 lbs.

No one rig is perfect for everything. the key is to try then out and see what you and your significant other want to deal with. Buying something and not using it sucks just as much a seriously under or over buying.

What you are willing to do in your 20's may not be what you want to do in your 50's either.

I wouldn't tow that amount unless the trailer had brakes. :2 cents:

I don't load it to the max although some home depot runs for mulch have been rather heavy!

I forgot to add. Buy a real camper, get a small wet vac. You will thank me.

My wife and I are mulling a year on the road in an RV. Have been looking at both Class As and class Bs. Would be towing a get around car and chasing the seasons, so we're not hitting too many weather extremes. Will be working from the road, but also, just enjoying nature and when we feel like it, meet new people, swap stories and be social in a whole new way.

We'll probably end up just killing each other 3-4 weeks in, but it's been fun planning and even if we don't become road warriors, we'll have a nice vehicle for camping, travel, etc.

This is what I can tell you of my experience, all trolling dyna aside.. I've been on a semi permanent road trip going on two years this coming March. I started in a class b, used a slide in on a Tacoma for a bit then switched to a Westy that I just used over the last 8 months. All together I've traveled about 20 thousand miles the last 2 years.

What you need to do is understand how you intend to use your camper. Do you intend to stay in one place and drive something else daily? Do you plan to travel a lot and depend on the RV as your daily driver?

Have you driven anything that size before? If not go rent a Uhaul truck for a day and see how much you e joy driving it around. Again if you are just parking it somewhere and driving a second car then nonbiggie, but daily driving a RV gets old real quick. Hence the reason I've opted for a smaller and practicable driver vs big.

Also on solar.. understand that those types of RV s are not designed to actually boondock or stealth camp. They are designed to be hooked up to shore power at a campground. Added to this, I've yet to ever see a competent solar install by an RV dealer.. (just throwing that out there)

They usually oversell you on hardware that is over priced and under installed.. added to this things like the fridge which comes with any RV (the 3 ways) are worthless on solar. Meaning if you expect to fully power your rig off grid on solar, you really need to buy a quality 12v fridge and and in best case scenario have a completely isolated wiring system for anything you intend to run off solar.

We have a class A RV, a 35' Tiffin Allegro Bay. We bought it used for what I think was a great deal, then spent $3000+ on new tires, upgraded some electronics, and now it mostly just sits in our yard (although we try and use it once a month or so).

But, even though it's not used all the time, I'm glad we bought it... when we do use it, it's really nice to have a home on wheels. I love the room of the class A, even going down the road. Stopped with the slideouts extended makes things even better. We have 50 amp electrical, dual A/C units, auto-leveling jacks, an in-motion DirecTV system (so we can watch satellite while moving), our bathroom is pretty roomy, I can actually fit in the shower (6'2", 225 lbs), our tanks are large enough that we won't run out of water (or have shit coming up through the toilet), and it drives pretty darn good for being so large.

That said, there are a few things I will do differently on our next one. Our next one will be larger. They don't get any wider, but the extra length would be nice. I think next time we'll look in the 39'-40' range, with an extra half bathroom. The extra room should allow for a king sized be, too. The queen bed in ours is too small for my liking. I'll also be getting a diesel next time. Ours is gas, and it works fine for most trips, but I could definitely feel it having issues with large hills and through the mountains, and that is without pulling a trailer or toad (tow behind vehicle). The diesels are also rear engines, which I would prefer, and are considerably heavier. I do have some issues when passing (or getting passed by) semi trucks on the highway. Our RV is only 20,000 pounds, and you can feel yourself being pushed wide by the trucks beside you.

But, I don't foresee trading ours in any time soon... what we have works great, and for 90% of our travels it serves it's purpose. Most of our trips are to the Keys to go diving, but we did take a 2500 mile round trip this year to Rocklahoma (outside of Tulsa, OK) coming home via St. Louis, without having a single issue.

And, we use it for work, too... (tax break!), with a site and DVD line featuring life on the road.

Here are some pics of ours...

Bike Week this year in Daytona:
http://www.extremebank.com/images/gfy/rv/bikeweek.jpg

At Rocklahoma (man, was it nice to have A/C, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a comfy bed!). I tried not to blow the generator exhaust into the tents of the people next to us, though :winkwink:
http://www.extremebank.com/images/gfy/rv/rocklahoma.jpg

Gateway Arch in St. Louis:
http://www.extremebank.com/images/gf...atewayarch.jpg

In the Keys after a diving trip:
http://www.extremebank.com/images/gfy/rv/keylargo.jpg

Me diving a shipwreck, without the RV:
http://www.extremebank.com/images/gfy/rv/shipdive.jpg

One of our box covers (even though that's not our RV on the cover):
http://www.extremebank.com/images/gfy/rv/whorebus2.jpg

Yes, my wife can drive it, too:
http://www.extremebank.com/images/gfy/rv/rvdrive.jpg

And, I leave you with a pic of us working (BTW, who's driving this thing?):
http://www.extremebank.com/images/gf...vdashboard.jpg

Best RV posted yet!

i do see a serious violation of safety regulations...






(like not enough oil on the dildo)

Ask the bang bros.

nice car, I like it, good luck bro

You are right all the liquids do add up. We also have 70 gallon grey water and 70 gallon black water tanks too. I usually keep those dry when traveling, but when all is said and done, we weight in at around 40,000 lbs with the bus fully stocked.
As far as wifi, when we are boon docking I don't worry about internet, but when we are at a camp site with the wifi we will use it from time to time.

Here are a couple of pics of our coach when we first purchased it. I will be finished with the replacing the entire interior by this summer and will then be prepping the exterior for a new paint and graphics scheme along with new Alcoa rims and 8 new tires......then we are hitting the road for a year....:thumbsup

http://nikkilicks.com/pics/1.jpg
http://nikkilicks.com/pics/2a.jpg

That's a beauty!

Maybe but nothing compared with the wonderful, spiffing EleMMent Pallazo:

$3 million luxury camper is a 40? mobile mansion | Technology News Blog - Yahoo News

I really liked the suggestion to rent a couple first. I've never driven anything larger than a passenger car. I think anything larger than 25' would be a challenge. I'm not worried about space for belongings, but maybe a Class B will be too cramped for me.

I'll be boondocking/drycamping most of the time. Solar panels will be a must. Thinking about 500 watts panels with a 6 battery bank of 6v AGM. I'm not sure if that's enough? It's just what I guesstimated.

You won't be sorry renting one. It may turn you off RVing completely or just reenforce what you want.

I drove full size vans and pulled boats and other trailers so going to a large class B was not much of a steep up in size to drive. The class C is much wider and not something I enjoy going through NYC in, but so far never had an issue is a campsite or parking lot. The visibility when i am driving the C is 10 times better than my B which was nothing but blind spots.

A Go pro shooting out the back window hooked up via blue tooth to my tablet was a help. I now have a real backup camera opting for an always on so I can see what I am towing at all times.

Remember, with my C I do not use it as a day car. If you go 400 miles and work from that site for a few weeks and then go 400 miles away again and repeat, you will save money on gas towing your car and not have to break down and set up camp over an over again.

As for solar, camp in the Southwest and Florida keys with sunny clear skies, you could be ok. Obviously you are not running ac or electric heat.

Heavy cloud cover or trees and you will be begging for more. Buy as much as you can afford in roof real estate and $. Panels can go out or diminish in output and if you barely make it with 3 and one goes out you are screwed.

Never get a fridge unless it has 3 way if you dry camp. Microwaves suck power so a gas oven when dry camping is a plus too. (unless you like generators). I found that with propane the fridge runs forever.

These things are the epitome of america - plump and huge. They don't exist here (wouldn't fit through the city streets). It's pretty weird to me to go 'camping' in a riding apartment. I'd choose a road trip in a normal car with hotel & hostel stops instead, and maybe a small tent for emergencies.

fantastic!

OK.
Again, camping is a unique experience for each camper.

If my rig is the epitome of USA then that's super fucking fantastic to me. Call me a glamper, but there's nothing like taking a hot shower after walking right out of the ocean catching some sweet socal waves.

dang. nice. rig!


I'd like to drive that just for fun!

When it is your mobile office and you can travel with pets that you can not bring to hotels you would understand.

Reality check: most women will not camp for weeks at a time or at any time of the year at the drop of a hat in a tent.

I look to this general guideline for batt run times. How to Calculate the Run Times of Your Battery

I would also tend to think 500 watts of panels is all you will get on the roof of a class B, the space for 6 6v batts would be hard to carve out I bet. If you use energy efficient everything and also use propane, you can go very very far on 2 6v golf cart batteries wired in series, which is what I did. that bank = ~230 Amp hours of power and can get you 20 hours if you are conscious of your power drains.

But if you drain your batts too far, your 500 watts of solar will not replenish it. You will need a serious battery charger/generator combo.

Your rig comes with one but they usually only have shitty chargers which would take more than a day to recharge my bank, a day on the gen is not good.

The good news is there are plenty of current tech multi-stage chargers you can quickly update your stock house charger with. I just upgraded mine to a progressive dynamics 70 amp charger/converter (it also runs the 12v house system), it recharges my fully depleted bank back to 90% in 2.5 hours

Thanks! It is fun to drive if you like to double clutch. It was fun to drive until we got in stop and go traffic going across the country.

We will be heading to BHC in a few months to change out the transmission from Allison 4 speed to Allison automatic.......gonna be a week of hard work. I will lose some gas mileage going to automatic, but this switch will allow the wife to drive as she does not get the double clutch and to tell you the truth, I don't really care for all the shifting.