Window Shopping

Boston is not exactly the RV capital of the world. When we decided that we were ready to take our first (not very serious) shopping trip, we were surprised to discover that we would have to travel 50 miles or more to find a dealer. Our choices were central Massachusetts, Rhode Island or New Hampshire. Of those, New Hampshire was the place known for camping. And its dealership – (Campers Inn in Merrimac) – was the largest. So on a Saturday in August we headed to NH to see if we could spot an RV we liked.

I did this with some trepidation. Going off “just to look” never quite turned out that way.  About 10 years ago Jett and I went to an animal shelter “just to look” and we ended up bringing home two dogs (ChaCha and Grace):

Grace above, ChaCha below

Our house is littered with furniture and knick-knacks that originated in yard sales that we stopped at “just to look.”  We have a timeshare membership that resulted from our desire to go into a resort hotel “just to look.” Hell, Jett ended up with me because she came into a Parents Without Partners dance “just to look.” You see the problem?

But in this particular instance we managed to walk out of the dealership without buying anything.  We did see a lot of RVs that were interesting.  We found that we were attracted to nice kitchens and big windows.  We saw, for the first time, an RV with a bath-and-a-half and that feature immediately went on Jett’s “must have” list.  I realized that storage space – and the efficient use of space in general – was key.  We saw some new units with electric fireplaces and thought that they were attractive, but silly.

Our main goal that day was to see if we could spot a used Class A motorhome for under $40,000 that looked comfortable enough to serve as a full-time home.  We were only partially successful.  We did see some nice units that probably qualified, but we found that the units that made the greatest impressions on us were the newer models, including some new fifth wheels.  A new Class A, which typically goes for over $100,000, was not an option.  A new fifth wheel, which could retail for under $70,000, was still outside our budget comfort zone, but not totally out of the question.

Which led us to thinking about a fifth wheel versus a Class A:

Class A

         Pros:

The “Cadillac” of RVs.  Classy.

Self-contained. No hooking up required.

Wouldn’t have to stop to use the bathroom.

I have vast experience (100 miles) driving one.

Cons:

        Can’t take it shopping, except to Wal-Mart.

        If you want to do anything other than camp you need to tow a car.

        Diesels – even used – are very expensive.

Fifth Wheel

Pros:

        Less expensive than Class A for what you get.

        No engine to maintain.

        The pickup that hauls it can double as a car. No need to tow a car.

Cons:

        Hitching/unhitching required.

        More difficult to maneuver. Could I really back one into a tight spot if necessary?

        Would have to buy a pickup, too.

In the end both Jett and I found the idea of towing a car behind a Class A to be untenable.  Besides, we had not seen a Class A with a bath-and-a-half.  So our thoughts shifted in the fifth wheel direction.

What would we need?  As our full-time home it would have to be at least 34 feet long.  Probably 36 or more.  The bath-and-a-half feature was primarily included with “bunk house” models which were really designed for family living.  As we would be alone for 95% of the time, that seemed wasteful at first glance, but Jett eventually warmed me to the idea: a second bedroom could double as an office and having a place to watch TV by myself had some appeal.  When we (later) spotted some models that had a second entrance, that sealed the deal.

Once we settled on a bunkhouse fifth wheel with two entrances and a bath-and-a-half, our options narrowed considerably.  There are only a handful of those beasts out there.  We gravitated toward the Open Range 399BHS.  Open Range has a reputation for high quality and comfort.  I was a bit concerned at the relatively small kitchen/dining/living room area and at having only a loveseat to share to watch TV, but the bunk room was awesome, the full bath was very nice (and not split – something else which we discovered we preferred) and a washer/dryer hookup – which we weren’t convinced we would use but was nice to have – was included. It had an electric fireplace, too, which was starting to seem less silly.

Here is the floor plan:

Open Range 399BHS Floor Plan

Now the question was whether we could find one we could afford.

All in all, I think our first “window shopping” trip was pretty successful.  We didn’t bring an RV (or any dogs) home with us and we saw some things that got us thinking.  We now had a real vehicle in mind.

A really BIG vehicle: 39 feet, 9 inches.  I can’t even imagine what it will be like hauling something like that.  But I hope to find out.