We like having the automatic levelers on our Class A, it makes for fast easy setup at a campsite as it is done right from the drivers seat simply set the brake and push a button til it indicates it is level. On our previous rigs we had to use leveling blocks that interlocked, which could take some time to get it level. One time at a campground we saw one that had been leveled with rocks from the site piled up that they drove up onto, it sure didn't look very sturdy.

Ours has deep cell batteries for the coach and of course another battery for the engine.

The windows are all double pane in ours, makes it much more comfortable in cool weather plus they never fog up.

We have a switch that disconnects the electrical when we have the propane tank filled it is a safety measure plus of course we switch off any propane use in the coach during filling also do both when fueling the rig. Some campgrounds have a propane truck that comes about once a week which is nice if you are staying long term.

Another thing to consider is if you will be able to comfortably drive or pull it depending on what you get, when taking long trips it is nice to be able to switch drivers. I have driven all of the different ones we have had over the years, to me the one we have now is the easiest for me to drive even though it is larger.

We are partial to Winnebagos they have been in business for many years. We went on a tour of a portion of their factory it is very interesting to see how well built and insulated each component is, the electrical was amazing you would not believe the amount of wire that goes into each one.

We travel with some water in our tank, no need to carry jugs of water in order to flush a toilet we just turn on the water pump, if it not already on for pressurized water whenever needed.

Check out the matresses in the ones you look at to make sure they have a good quality that is comfortable for a decent nights sleep. Ours in the Winnebagos have all been very comfortable in fact they use sleep number in at least some of their models.

Doing your homework and going to look at plenty of different ones will help you figure out what will be comfortable well made and easy to handle on the road.

WOW

Those are some campers!!!

I don't think I belong on this thread.

You may remember we were looking for a condo to not "retire" to...but to escape to ...we love living in NC and our home is small and so we were not looking to get smaller but just get into different weather and scenery.

I looked and looked and loved most of the places you all recommended and explored but what I kept coming back to was "sameness" We did not want to go to the same place each time. I want to see a bit of the country....and I had a hard time mentally paying utilities, taxes, insurance on an empty space...

And so to that end we bought an RV...but next to your (S) I am embarrassed to show it...but I will because I got the "stuff" even if I am not a man.

It is 24 feet ..no slide outs ...no cabinet space to brag about 😊...a tiny fridge ...will have to stock it every day or two. A two burner gas top.

It does have a TV, DVD. Great sound system.
It has a toilet and a shower
It gets 21-22 miles per gallon. And can go to 60 mph in 4 seconds
We can drive it to town .,and park it in a regular spot,
That is all good right?
It has a Mercedes diesel engine on a Dodge chassis ..
that is all I know about it!
It has an awning and curtains all around and a electric queen sized bed

Oh, the mattresses......................any of the ones we looked at and sat on the bed in any RV were HORRIBLE. I mentioned something to someone at the dealership after we bought ours and he said "well, they don't put much of a mattress in them because it is usually the first thing people change out after they buy it". So, I can understand WHY they don't put in something pricey, as people have different likes in the mattress department. I looked into getting the same one that we have in our bedroom............OMG.............would have been over 1K. (we have a king, house and RV). We were at the dealership one day before we picked up the RV in the spring (we bought in Feb, and picked it up in April) and they had a mattress sample there. It was just a little thing, maybe 3x4, just so you could get an idea of the "feel". I tried it and told the SU "go try that little sample........it's almost like our bed at home". He did and said "go see how much it costs." Hmmmm............about $700.00, BUT............we get a 10% discount there forever because of buying the RV there. Put it down to affordable............the SU said "tell them to get one".

After we picked up the RV and brought it home, my DIL and I went to change out the mattress as they hadn't done it at the dealership. We took the original off and drug it to the back of the RV in the garage portion. The SU said "are you gonna list it on Craig's list?" I said "probably not, because we tore the side lining and I am NOT going to try and fix that ". He said "well, might as well take it down to the burn pile." I really looked at the "innards" and saw that all it was on the inside of the thing was 3 thick pieces of foam. Hmmmmm..............I told him, no..............I am going to recycle it. The upper bunk (queen size) was just a thick pad so I took 2 of those foam pieces, glued them together and put them on top of that pad. With a mattress cover, they stay "put" and the bed is MUCH nicer and comfortable to sleep on. I cut the 3rd one in half the long way, glued that together and use it on the pad up in the loft. In the end, all we had to pitch was the "gauze" covering and the wood frame of it. And I got a comfy mattress to sleep on.

We also have the automatic levelers...........they are WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!

Holy crap, Rosie, you don't need to apologize for your camper. We went through some of those............those puppies cost more than ours did. They wouldn't have suited for us, as we wanted more room, but they have their place, and apparantly they fit you to a "T".

We went to our dealership's open house a few months ago and wandered through one of the Class A motorhomes. We said if we were looking for a Class A, the Berkshire Hathaway was a dandy. And it was "marked down" to ONLY $350,000.00. The SU was looking at the specs and said "oh, no wonder...........it is built on a Freightliner chassis". Probably could have driven through a minefield with it and come out unscathed.

Both of our sons, other relatives and friends have 5th wheels or travel trailers or Class A's from different manufacturers and they didn't have to replace their mattresses. They most certainly are not thin pieces of foam, they are regular innerspring mattresses and I think one of our sons has the sleep number mattress as that is what they are use to having one at home. Taking into consideration the cost a person pays for a rig you should at least expect decent mattresses after all it is a home away from home that you sleep in on a regular basis. The manufacturers in the industry would not have a good selling point if their beds were not comfortable and the first thing you have to do is replace the mattresses. We have never heard of such a thing seriously!

Rosie, your rig is beautiful be proud of it, looks very comfortable and would be very easy to drive and park anywhere. Hope you get a lot of travel and enjoy yourselves for a long time. Really it is not about the size of what you have rather it is what suits you and about getting out and traveling and making memories.

We have been doing this for well over thirty years and still are looking forward to more travels.
We had a smaller rig when our grandchildren were young and took them along with us sometimes. One time the youngest was worried she would be left behind when we pulled up to their house, she came running carrying a diaper and her bottle yelling, "I'm ready, I'm ready! We still tease our now aeronautical engineer about that one, oh my how fast they grow up.

Betty, in all of the RVs we looked at, I would have kept NONE of the mattresses that were in them. That includes the fancy Class A's too. But, I guess we are spoiled by what we have in our home.

Our grands love coming with us..........and they are almost 14 and 11. I guess they don't consider Grammy and Grampy "old" people..........Grampy took them both for a motorcycle ride on one trip, and we go bicycling with them on bike paths near the campgrounds.

MISSINGROSIE said:WOW

Those are some campers!!!

I don't think I belong on this thread.

You may remember we were looking for a condo to not retire to...but to escape to ...we love living in NC and our home is small and so we were not looking to get smaller but just get into different weather and scenery.

I looked and looked and loved most of the places you all recommended and explored but what I kept coming back to was "sameness" Did not want to go to the same place each time. I want to see a bit....and Inhad a hard time paying utilities, taxes, insurance on an empty space...

And so tomthat end we bought an RV...but next to your (S) I am embarrassed to show it...but I will because I got the " stuff " even if I am not a man.

It is 24 feet ..no slide outs ...no cabinet space to brag about 😊...a tiny fridge .,will have to stick it every day or two. A two burner gas top.

It does have a TV, DVD. Great sound system.
Itmhas a toilet and a shower
It gets 21-22 miles per galle. And can go to 60 mph in 4 seconds
We can drive it to town .,and parkmit in a regular spot,
That is all good right?
It has a Mercedes diesel engine on a Dodge chassis ..
that isall Imkniw about it!
It has an awning and curtains all around and a electric queen sized bed

I love it. Small enough to go anywhere but big enough to have all the necessities.

Not stepping on your toes, just speaking from many years of experience. Thought you consider yours fancy as well you should, each owner should love what they have as it is a choice each of us has the freedom to make that suits our needs. What a person buys size wise, fancy or cost wise is totally irrelevant it is about the pure joy of traveling and making lifetime memories. We consider ourselves very fortunate to be able to do this for so many years.

And that is why we picked the one we did...................enough room that we can each have our own "space", no matter how short the trip. I mean, WE need to get away from each other now and then. Perhaps most of you don't. When we have spent 40+ years living and WORKING together, 24/7...........well, some "alone" time is necessary. He said "maybe someday we'll want one of those diesel pushers............but not now". At least he's thinking of the future. And it DOES include RV-ing.

@MISSINGROSIE As long as you and hubby are happy, that's what matters.

I think that was the whole point of starting this................to tell others what we like and why..............that is why there are so many different kinds/models made. We wouldn't care to have a truck camper, and most of you probably wouldn't want a toy hauler. However, that does not mean that I don't love hearing about your rig and where you have gone and the fun you have had. Sooooooo...................let's hear more of what you have and why it fits you.

I realize there are places that we cannot go with ours because of the size. It just means we have to do a little more research.

@AnnaZ "I realize there are places that we cannot go with ours because of the size. It just means we have to do a little more research." That is why we love to pick a spot with interesting places to visit close by and take day trips. Many of the older state parks were built many years ago and won't accommodate the larger rigs.

I was answering Deb's inquiry about things we like and things to look for when acquiring a camper.

Surprisingly many campgrounds now have sites that accommodate large rigs, they have to keep up with demand. When we tow a vehicle with our 34 footer it makes it rather long and we can pull into pull thru campsites with the vehicle attached. Contact places you would like to stay and inquire if they can handle your size.

One of our favorite within a two day travel time for us is Custer State Park in South Dakota. We visit there at least once a year until hubs got sick and we are planning on going there this spring. For folks who like beautiful scenery and wildlife they have it all plus lakes where you can fish if you so desire, they sell fishing licenses for a day or more. We have done this several times even if you don't catch fish the scenery still makes it worth while. There are prairie dogs, buffalo in large herds, mountain goats, wild turkey, antelope and more plus burrows that will try to stick their head into your vehicle if you have a window open. I do not recall the size of this park it is very large. I must mention that in the fall they have a buffalo roundup using horses that people flock to the park to watch in specific areas set aside for that purpose for the day. When you happen to be there during that period of time the campsites at all of the campgrounds fill up early. Needles highway is a must see.

There are lots of campgrounds within the park or in the nearby city of Custer, we usually stay at a campground near the city. The park also has restaurants in various location throughout which is nice if you want to stop for a meal. There is also plenty of restaurants in the city we have some favorites that we enjoy also in the city are lots of shops. I have a rock shop that we always stop at so I can look for more rocks for my garden. LOL To us we consider this park to be one of the top state parks nationally.

From Custer it is a short drive to Mount Rushmore, I could go on and on about this area just visit and enjoy it for yourselves. Oh yes from SD you could always visit Devil's Tower in WY where we meet a man from the UK who said our country is so vast compared to the UK and also Theodore National Park in ND where there are wild horses. I recall video taping a herd of wild horses crossing the road in front of us with the lead mare leading the way and the stallion at the back of the herd, felt like we were in the old wild west very exciting. This is just touching on one small area of our country where we have been, writing about these few things has me wanting to get on the road. Guess we are lucky that we both enjoy the same things. Get out there and make your own memories.

Custer state park sounds great, Betty. I'll have to put it on our list.
Next year there is a solar eclipse and we'll be traveling to Idaho for that. My husband is an astronomer and we take small telescopes with us.

@plantmanager You will love Custer and the surrounding area! Don't forget to put Crazy Horse on your list, too.

rocklady said:@plantmanager You will love Custer and the surrounding area! Don't forget to put Crazy Horse on your list, too.

Will do! I really love it when we can get away.

Karen if you are near any of the National Parks when you travel to Idaho they are also all worth visiting.

You reminded me to check with my DH to find out if he has our small telescope in the motorhome. One of our sons was really into astronomy and has what to me is a large telescope that he brought along on one of the camping trips we went on together, it was amazing to look at planets thru his. Wonderful to be able to enjoy yours on a trip.

We have wintered in New Mexico for around four or five years and hoping to soon be able to do so again in the future, you have many wonderful parks we have been to White Sands many times it is fun to walk the sand dunes.

Astronomy goes perfectly on camping trips. Whatever the size, a telescope is a lot of fun,and it's an enjoyable evening activity. On our trips my husband takes 6" and 8" scopes he built up himself when he was a teenager. He even ground the mirrors and made the mounts. Now he has a real observatory on a hill behind our NM home with an 18" scope where he bought the mount and mirror but made the optical tube assembly to hold the mirror. Here is a pic of it at night. I made the glow in the dark sign for it.

@plantmanager Showed your pictures to DH and he said "Give her a Thumbs-Up" So I will give you his plus mine

Good info, keep it coming! Especially love the campground reviews. We'd like to do some cross-country traveling when we get situated with something a bit bigger. Initially we wanted to hit all of the states, but on second thought I could just take one region at a time and really explore it. So much beauty to be enjoyed.

Very fun looking at everyone's different RVs. Interesting to see features that grab one person may well be a deal breaker for another. Personal preferences, and it is good to know what is important to your own situation.

We continue to vacillate between RV types, now leaning toward a bumper pull trailer. Two weeks ago, we were rather set on a Class C and spent 4 hours going through lot after lot, then scouring Craigslist. I'm kind of at the point of wanting new, and a Class C is just a bit over budget for us. I'm not opposed to a 5th wheel, but we'd likely need a new pickup for that -ours is over 20 years old, runs fine but is getting a bit tired. Which brings us to a regular trailer. And so the search continues... Luckily, we're not in a hurry. I'd love to head out in January, but if not, oh well.

As one person noted, the important thing is to USE whatever we end up with. We logged over 100 nights in our first camper and we're close to 200 in our current one. Other than a 2-month extended trip through the SE desert, virtually all of our camping has been short trips around and about the Pacific NW. I'm ready to get out for some more extensive travels, and we now have the time to do so. Just need the rig...

Thanks for everyone's thoughts and ideas. I love the diversity!