RV vs Trailer, opinions?

[roadie gal]

My SO and I are seriously considering getting a small RV or a travel trailer. Having dogs has really cramped our travelling. With an RV or trailer we could go and bring the dogs without having to deal with hotels. We're just not sure which would be best.

The RV would be all enclosed and we wouldn't have to tow anything. But we'd need some other form of transportation for short trips to the store, etc. once we got it parked. It's also more expensive to buy, keep up, and insure. The trailer would be cheaper and it doesn't have to be insured the same way a motorized vehicle does. But we're limited by what my car can tow. And that whole towing thing puts me off.

Do any of you RV or pull trailers? Any thoughts?

[Pax]

Ahh, the age old RV v. Trailer dilemma. I come from an RVing family and have gone round and round with this myself. What my SO and I have decided is to go with a small motorhome when the time is right. Neither of us wants to tow a trailer and deal with having to back it up our very steep and narrow driveway.

The key seems to be in buying a quality rig and not succumbing to cheaper (lesser quality) rigs. My mom is dealing with their cheaper quality rig right now, it's seven years old and in terrible shape, it just didn't hold up well to the rigors of long interstate travel.

One big suggestion...read a LOT on RV.Net (http://www.rv.net/forum/), there is decades worth of experience there you can glean info from.

[Aggie_Ama]

What kind of car do you have? What kind of dogs? There are a lot of trailers out by high quality builders that can be hauled by a smaller car. We use my parents trailer which is 33 ft and way too much but like the idea of the T@da or something similar. You can haul them with a V6 and I have heard if you have a potty in it you can write it off as a second home. Not sure though.

For us we have a truck, so a "toy hauler" style isn't necessary because the bike can be secured to our locking Yakima Bedheads. Plus some small trailers can fit in a garage. We like tent camping but rving/trailering makes more sense if we want to bring the dog because she is a bit of a diva and likes her creature comforts. When we had two dogs the one that needed subcu fluid injections was way easier in a trailer. Plus if you leave for a bike ride they can chill kenneled or in the trailer. It seems like a win no matter what you decide, we really want one as well to not need hotels, beg for a doggie sitter or pay for boarding which isn't cheap!

[tctrek]

I've never pulled a trailer, but I had a 32' Class C RV for years and absolutely loved it. We were totally self-contained and could just park in a Wal-Mart (RV friendly) parking lot if we got tired. We used our bikes for short trips and if we needed to, we drove the RV off our camping spot and never really missed not having a car with us.

We took our food with us and ate like kings without spending a fortune on restaurants. We had TV and cable for campgrounds that have cable, but we also carried a bunch of movies with us in case we were roughing it. I frequently travelled with a few of our cats and they loved it too! I even took it from Georgia to Oklahoma by myself and always felt safe and secure.

Then when gas went up to $3+ per gallon we sold it. I sure do miss it!

[roadie gal]

Thanks for the replies and the website. I checked out the towing capacity of my Honda Pilot. It's only 3500 lbs. That would really limit me to very small and very light trailers. I do worry about the quality of the ultra lights and about getting tossed around in the wind.

Tctrek, that sounds just like what we want to do, but with a much smaller one: 21-23 feet if possible.

[Pax]

roadie gal - Make sure you check out Class B motorhomes, there are some VERY nice choices out there.