MotorHome or travel trailer

[L.A.]

Been thinking about getting one to live in this winter. There several used ones for sale right now. Winters here are cold, very very windy, and snowy.
Are either built stronger and warmer than the other? The price on older ones looks real good. What do you recommend or suggest and what should I be aware of?
Thanks,
L.A.

[Ed Norman]

Yesterday I passed an older motor home, stinking, running rough, smoking. I thought when the engine blows, the whole thing is trash. With a trailer, you can get a newer vehicle to pull it if the old one dies.

[firegirl969]

DH says a travel trailer is better because you can pull it somewhere, unhook your vehicle, and drive around wherever you want to. With a motor home, you have to have a separate vehicle.

[luvrulz]

I would suggest a fifth wheel - they hold their value longer and are easier to move and tow.

[cc-rider]

We've been having that same discussion. I like the fact you can DRIVE the motorhome and it handles easier, but the travel trailer has more pluses. Like the others say...you can park it. You don't have to worry about the engine blowing. It's a LOT cheaper to buy. 5th wheels are nice, too, but you have to have a better tow vehicle. I do like the layout in them, though.

As for which is warmer, I know that some trailers are considered "3 season" because the underside is insulated. Most of them aren't. I don't think I'd want to stay in ANY of them over winter unless I totally enclosed it in straw bales or something!

[CJ]

If you're going to do a lot of driving, a motorhome is just plain simpler to deal with. It's easier to hook a toad up than it is to hitch a truck to a 5th wheel. MH's are also easier to set up (leveling, etc).

If you do extended parking, a 5th wheel is the better option, as it will have more space than a comparably sized MH.

Very few rigs are rated for full time living, and cost a whole lot more if so. They will have much better insulation, dual pane windows, etc. However, a unit rated for 4 season living will be fine too. Ours is a 4 season unit, and we lived in it full-time for over 4 years.

[7thswan]

I have a 5th wheel (for sale) we bought it just to live in while we built a house. Changed mind on the house. We had set up on our property and put insulation and then bales of straw around the bottom. This one has what is called a "heated basement" all the pipes are run near the heat ducts under the floor in the storage area. There is a huge amount of storage and alot of floor space.We were thinking just like you because also loved to travel to the Keys for fishing. We have this farm and are tied down. It would be very easy to live in one. You can park it and easily get around town in your truck. Wouldn't have to unhook or take down the awnings, things like that.

[Cabin Fever]

Which ever you decide on, my recommendation is to buy one with aluminum or steel framing (as opposed to wood that dry rots) and styrofoam insulation (as opposed to fiberglass wool that soaks up water).

[fordy]

http://rvonline.com/

...............This is one of the best sources for used RV's . It is also very easy to navigate . Some known mfging names of quality are Teton , Travel Supreme , Nuwa , Hitchhiker , Mobil Suites , Newmar , Mountain Aire , etc .
...............ALL the above have an Exterior made from Gelcoat Fiberglass ! It is VERY heavy , very tough and lasts a long time ! Filan fiberglass is just Pretending to be Fiberglass IMHO but is used by quite a few mfgers . , fordy

[Harry Chickpea]

One issue will be frozen pipes and frozen holding tanks. Another will be a horrendous propane and/or electric usage to heat it. Another will be "sweating" of the walls from the water created by the propane stove. Unless an RV or trailer is made for four season use, consider it a nice floor plan with no walls. Temps below 40 F are pushing it. Temps in the 20s and below with wind? Fuggedaboudit.

If you can park it in a garage and disconnect the propane and use electric heaters and cooking hotplates, it might work. If you drive it south, it might work. Freestanding, without protection, you'll have a miserable winter.

[ronbre]

trailer..motor homes you are paying for a truck besides the living space..

why

if it is to live in..put all the $ into the living space

if you have $ you also can build around a travel trailer..walls and roof..and eventually insulate..or even build a garage to park it inside of..to give you an outside living space as well.

[Windy in Kansas]

I would also agree with the others, get a travel trailer, perhaps a "park" model which is set up for winter better. Usually longer in length however.

The folk at this forum site always seem to be willing to answer questions posed. Many are full time RVers. http://www.rvnetwork.com/

Back in the 1970s I ordered a travel trailer and during the crunch back then the mfg couldn't get parts to complete its manufacture of it. I finally purchased a short motorhome instead. Wish I had done without or waited on the parts. I'll never have another and have been starting to look around for a travel trailer and proper tow pickup.

Attend some RV shows to gather literature and see many makes and models at the same time. You'll see features in one that you never knew existed, quality, etc. Don't let yourself be caught up in the longer is better simply because there are several in a unit at a time making it appear crowded. Bigger means more difficult to transport, turn corners at small intersections, hog fuel, etc. Buy what you need not simply what you can or might want. Just my opinion of course.

[mountainwmn]

I agree with all that's been said. I have been living in a fifth wheel for 3 years now, and winter is bad. Its very windy here and the wind goes right through. Putting something around the bottom helps, I have blankets on the windows, an electric wood stove heater, and in winter I close off the bedroom and sleep on the couch. I leave the gray water open and the black freezes, and I winterize the lines and bring water in with a 6 gallon container from wal mart. Its not fun, but its possible.

[farmmaid]

Buy a travel trailer. Put up a metal "garage" with sides, they come in different heights. Ours is 19'x31' and costs less that $3000 Put it up, if you can, along a tree line and put the trailer inside. It would cut the wind factor out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Counting the garage, for under $10,000 you could have a place to stay, store your vehicle etc. under out of the weather and later have the garage to convert to a barn or whatever......

[raymilosh]

Having had both motorhome and a trabel trailer, I would also suggest living in a trailer for the same reasons already listed. i lived in a motorhome for a few years, albeit in a warmer climate. It could be heated, but lost its heat very quickly. I learned to just heat it when getting up in the morning and when going to sleep at night. Use of a garage and strawbales to add insulation is an excellent idea.

All that being said, if you're looking to set up a small place to live for the winter and don't intend to use it for moving around much, I suggest you look into a small mobile home. I have no experience with them myself (other than folks say they're poorly insulated and don't last for a long time), but they can be cheap or free, will provide more space and insulation than a trailer, could be more easily heated with a woodstove and can be set up in a day for relatively little expense.

[Common Tator]

We got rid of our motor home and got a workhorse of a Dodge Ram diesel pickup truck, and a fifth wheel trailer. The insurance on the trailer is much lower, and the truck has so many other uses.

With a motor home, you really can't count the front seats and engine area as living space. With the trailer, it's all living space. Trailers are much cheaper to buy and maintain.

I needed a place to get out of the weather and a working bathroom with running water for my U-Pick apple orchard. Hubby was afraid to bring the fifth wheel down the steep road because he was afraid we couldn't get it back up. I found a small Coachmen travel trailer that tows easily behind my SUV for $600.00. Perfect for my needs and I can store my supplies in there the rest of the year.
I recommend getting a travel trailer.

[cornbread]

fifth wheel

[Wayne02]

Travel trailer if it is going to be mostly stationary. Motorhome has more complexity as it has complete running gear - motor, transmission, differentials etc.

I have tried both the 5th wheel and the travel trailer and for mostly stationary use I'd opt for the bumper pull TT. The longer the better and slide outs are nice to open up the interior space a bit. Plus you don't have to bend over every time you get into or out of the 'bedroom', which gets old really fast if you are living full-time in the rig. Some of the newer large 5th wheels might have a bedroom that a 6' person could stand up in but they are generally $$.

Also, pay attention to size of the bathroom, particularly as it relates to 'leg room' around the toilet. Many RV's have small bathrooms by necessity, and they work fine for a week of camping, but man does it get old when you live in a trailer full-time and every time you go to make a deposit you are cramped into that small space.

Finally, as a previous poster mentioned, get one of the metal car/RV ports to go over the trailer. The absolute number one thing you can do to prolong the life of your RV and make your living in the RV much less stressful is to have it covered. There are three kinds of RV's, those that have had leaks, those that currently have leaks, and those that are going to leak. Having to deal with leaks or stressing over the possibility of leaks while living in an RV full-time gets old fast. If you can afford it, these metal RV ports beat the blue tarp on the roof held down by rope tied to water jugs on the ground 6 ways from Sunday.

Consider going wider with the RV port than the width of the RV, at least wide enough that you have room to walk easily between the uprights of the RV port and the entry door to the trailer. I would not advise having the sides of the port extend all the way to the ground as it just blocks out too much light and limits your options as to add-on porches or other small structures. Usually having the sides extend down a foot or so will adequately shield the RV but still be above the windows in the trailer. If your trailer has slide-outs don't forget to take that into account when specifying the width of the RV port. Final note on the rv port, some areas consider these to be 'portable' and as such are not taxable structures on your property.

If you are not going to cover the RV then at least get maxxair vent covers for the roof vents in your trailer. The roof vents are key to air circulation within the small confines of a trailer and they spend a great deal of time either partially or fully open. With the vent covers you can leave the vents open and it will allow air circulation but keep the rain out. Few things are more disheartening than to be at work and have a prolonged downpour rainstrom come through and you realizing you left the vent over the bed open in your trailer.

[GoldenCityMuse]

Yep, travel trailer is the best way to go.

[Shrek]

You might want to consider the Artic Fox line of travel trailers that are four season rated.