bullfrog said:
Not so easy in a 32' motorhome. Not even easy with a "light" 28' motor home! Older motor homes are cheap for a reason one being they are hard to dispose of.
This is no longer true.. rigs that last year were selling for $10k are now asking $20 and up.. the market is hot and dealers are making a killing ... it is a massively Buyer Beware market out there right now..
Gemini1771 said:
Just pulled the trigger on a 24’ Safari Trek with a drop down bed!!! Short, yet roomy!
... it is my goal as well.. I assume you have found the website and Facebook sites for Treks, yes?
My Take on Length...
It comes down to how much stuff you intend to keep with you, and how far off the beaten path you intend to go.
Here is your choice... the short Bread Van chassis used to make class A RVs comes in at 158" wheel base and you can find this base on the Flair and the Trek and a few others, but not a lot of them. You gain ability to get into places you cannot with a longer wheel base unit due to less overhang in the rear and that shorter wheel base... the next level up comes in at 178" wheelbase and also usually comes with more rear overhang, making getting into smaller State parks and further off road a lot more risky.
The smaller base units do suffer from less cargo room all around... the basements are much smaller and the interior storage is likewise compromised. Shorties also present a potential issue with roof space and will restrict how much solar you can fit up top.
I am in the process of downsizing and I suppose a lot depends on how small the pile is when I get done the culling process as to what I end up with ... . As much as I want to keep in the 158" wheel base units ( a lot of class C's are in this same boat in terms of wheelbase length) the restricted storage space may influence where I end up. I intend to use a small cc motorcycle as my dingy on a trailer hitch carrier.
So.. does size matter? Yes.. absolutely.. I think you can solo comfort in a small rig and decent comfort for two... I am finding that right now you can get into a longer rig for less money than you can a shortie as the demand and supply thing has kicked in... and there were just not as many shorter rigs made, and there are just ooodles of longer rigs on offer out there..
I am glad I have been shopping for a year as I will be well prepared when it comes times to buy.
I am sad that I am about 16 months behind the curve and will be paying 50-100% more for any rig I want to buy now Vs then.... maybe by Aug/Spt when i am ready to buy the market will have settled down a bit.
cheers all