We’ve looked across the board at different types of rigs. It’s felt a little like a weird version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears but this time it hasn’t been beds but RV’s! So far here’s what we’ve looked and and how we’ve considered the options.
Schoolbus Conversion
We talked about this first idea in a prior post and how it ended up as a dead-end. To recap, here are the pros and cons:
Schoolbus Pros:
- Looks very cool
- Can be built-out to any set of needs
- Other big families use them
Schoolbus Cons:
- Hard to find and customize
- Insurance is unavailable
- Lots of ongoing maintenance
So in short, a schoolbus won’t be a viable route for us.
Class A or Class C RV / Motorhome
Motorhome Pros:
- Big, really big
- Lots of space to kids and storage
- Can tow a car behind it, but that seems hard
- Big and scary to drive
Motorhome Cons:
- Nothing fits our family properly – the floorplans are all bad
- A custom build-out is the only option, and it’s not very viable
- Expensive to VERY expensive
At this point a motorhome doesn’t seem like a good fit for us, so we moved on.
5th Wheel
5th Wheel Pros:
- HUGE! The best space and plenty of workable floorplans.
- Can be customized to further meet our needs
5th Wheel Cons:
- Only towable with 3/4 or 1-ton truck, which categorically doesn’t work with 4 kids
The deal-breaker is the need to tow with a truck, and that just won’t work for our family size.
Travel Trailer
Winner winner, chicken dinner! The Travel Trailer has won out because of this excellent set of criteria.
Travel Trailer Pros:
- Decent in size, but not too long or heavy
- Very affordable!
- Easily remodeled/customized
- Can be towed with a 1/2 ton SUV
Travel Trailer Cons:
- Smaller than a 5th wheel or Motorhome
- Hard to find something light enough but also big enough